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Trouble at the Zoo
Back in 2011, October to be exact, I read a story online (originally sourced from the Wall Street Journal) about a private zoo in Zanesville, Ohio where the owner released all the animals and killed himself. Yes, I know, it’s not a nice or humorous story. The tragic result was inevitable, as the story’s headline Read more
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The Ravenstones
Three glass ornaments (see below) were the original models for the actual magic Ravenstones. Readers will note that – except for the colors – the descriptions of the gemstones in the books match (more or less) these pieces. In my younger days, I collected glasswork (both blown and cast) along with prints and paintings. Ione Read more
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Narnia
Readers of The Ravenstones will doubtless claim that I owe a great deal to C.S. Lewis and the Narnia series. Rightfully so, and I’d be the first to admit it. I’m a great fan of Lewis, and not just for The Chronicles of Narnia, but also his brilliant, insightful religious works (The Screwtape Letters, The Read more
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Heroes
As children and teenagers, we all have heroes, or at least, people we look up to and respect. Often, they are parents, or older siblings or aunts and uncles. Sometimes, they are celebrities, athletes or simply people who give of themselves to others or to society in general. Sometimes, these admired individuals remain constant in Read more
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My Very First Piece of Writing
As a writer, I owe my parents a great deal, especially my mother who devoured books and loved going to the local library. Many of her passions became mine, especially detective novels (Agatha Christie, etc.), police procedurals (P.D. James), architecture (she eventually became a librarian at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Architecture), art and Read more
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Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad
In light of the events in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, what 20th century novel would be the very first to come to one’s mind? George Orwell’s 1984, perhaps? Naturally. Many in the mainstream media have already commented upon the parallels. But more specifically, what would occur to a writer of stories about anthropomorphized Read more
