I am extremely flattered that people are starting to contact me to do appearances. I never thought this would happen to me. One of the more interesting things I've been asked to do is an article for the Mountain News about my publishing journey. I have just sent the article in and it will be in the November 3rd edition.

The library has contacted me to do several author visits - dates to be determined - plus, they have put me in contact with a high school teacher who is looking for someone to talk about self-publishing.

In addition to this, on November 5th, 2016, I will be in the Flamborough Heritage Society's 26th Annual Fall Book Fair in the Fellowship Hall at St. James United Church, 306 Parkside Drive, Waterdown from 9:30 am - 2:30 pm.

The freedom of being newly retired, has opened up a lot of doors. It's wonderful when I can say, "Yes," to different venues and not have to worry about my work schedule. The only time constraint is the dog's  schedule. Daisy needs her bathroom breaks, too. Oh, and I have to try to work around my Ukulele Band's Schedule. We have weekly practices and we perform on a regular basis.

My author's life is good! I am so glad I sucked up my courage and pursued the publishing of the Anandrian Series. The picture I have included was taken by Gord Bowes of the Mountain News when I had first released Destiny Calls. Destiny Calls was originally written for Laura Heaney, my eldest daughter, and she is also the artist who did all the covers of my books in pencil crayon. Here is Laura with her original drawing, next to me with my new book in 2014.

This is a recent picture of the Sackville Hill Ukulele Band that I play in - one of my other passions. They are a fine group of people and we always manage to have a great time. The leader is my brother, Gary Russell. He's in front with the mic stand dissecting his body.

I think I have figured out why I haven't been writing too much this summer...

Long dog walks late at night, while I talk to my daughter, Laura Heaney, on the phone, - she's the artist for the covers of my novels - have resulted in some amazing ideas that we have been bouncing off each other. I'm feeling really exited about Twisted Destiny, book 4 of the Anandrian Series. We are going to see several new villains introduced to the story line, and more interaction between Anandrians and Earthlings.

Laura and I think we have come up with an action packed plot line that should keep you glued to the pages of my next novel. I can hardly wait for my dog, Daisy, to go to sleep so I can begin writing! Daisy loves to swat me with her paw if I'm not paying enough attention to her - hence the late night writing sessions when she is zonked out.

Also, Laura and I have been out hiking around local green spaces. She is working on a new art installation #ConservingGreen, so she has been looking for reference photos for her drawings. Of course, Daisy and I have been tagging along, and we have been scoping out possible locations for my next cover shoot for Twisted Destiny. Several locations look promising.

With the new plot figured out, I have been online checking out what our Earth history has to say about fairies and their powers - Ella is going to be impressive in the next novel - Raonull will surprise you, too, when he finds out what Ella can do and what her status is among the fairies.

Of course, even with Lucifer out of the picture (he's stuck inside rock, injured and without sustenance), he will influence his daughter, Jessica, and will be the driving force behind Mandy's actions.

I think the words will be flowing quickly now that my characters have told me what they want to do!

So, I've been reading over the manuscript Iv'e written so far, for Twisted Destiny, book 4 of the Anandrian Series, and I have been editing as I go along refreshing my memory. The editing is now done. As far as I can see, there are no major events that will interrupt my writing, so I think I'm back on track!

I had a wonderful day trip to Niagara-On-The-Lake, and Niagara Falls, yesterday. It was my eldest daughter's 33rd birthday, and this was her wish - shopping, and exploring the region a bit more. It could not have been a better weather day. Today the weather is just as stellar, if not warmer than yesterday. That led me to a long dog walk with tunes playing in my ears. For some reason, that combination always gets my creative juices flowing. So, thinking about Twisted Destiny, I came up with a new idea - I'm going to switch where two of my characters will end up after a cataclysmic disaster occurs. This will put Lucifer's daughter in Lucifer's backyard - so to speak - and will leave the king of the fairies intrigued with Ella when he hears all about her from Lucifer's daughter. The king, of course, is a bit of a slime ball... (don't want to give too much away)

Fun times ahead! I can hardly wait to start writing now that this idea has solidified in my head.

Sometimes it takes time to come up with the right story line!