Author Archives: Richard

Author Jennifer Zobair Answers 25 Questions

By Richard | Published June 12, 2013

I want to tell you about Jennifer Zobair, the author of Painted Hands, but first I’d like to talk about Andika. Andika was a student in the kid’s karate class at that I taught at the University of King’s College ISKF for a decade. His parents were Muslims from Indonesia, and always treated me with [...]

Posted in 25 Questions, Author, Author, Books, Publishing Industry, Writing | 17 Comments

Painted Hands — Book Review

By Richard | Published June 9, 2013

Can I admit that I was dubious? I read the first chapter of Painted Hands with skepticism fully engaged. Second chapter, too. But somewhere around the third or fourth chapters, Jennifer Zobair’s Painted Hands transformed my doubt into something akin to astonishment. I was reading a book about attractive, accomplished women juggling careers and families [...]

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Bound for the University of King’s College

By Richard | Published June 9, 2013

EDITOR’S NOTE: I was recently accepted to the Master of Fine Arts in creative nonfiction program at King’s. This is the essay I submitted with my application. If the fates are kind, I’ll have another degree and a nonfiction book in two years. In 1990, King’s College President Dr. Marion Fry presented me with the [...]

Posted in Books, Life, Politics, Publishing Industry, Wall-E—The Neuroendocrine Tumor, Writing | 4 Comments

Maritime Magazine: In His Head

By Richard | Published June 9, 2013

I am so far behind on things that I never posted a link to a radio documentary called In His Head on CBC’s Maritime Magazine. You see, it’s all about me. We all get headaches from time to time, but for most of us, it’s an issue that goes away with a couple of aspirin [...]

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Author Joanne Lessner Answers 25 Questions

By Richard | Published May 29, 2013

Our friendship was cemented over a great bottle of wine. Which is a preposterous statement, when you think of it, because we haven’t met in the real world, and I no longer drink. Nevertheless, it’s still true. When I read the premise behind Pandora’s Bottle, Joanne Lessner’s first novel, I was certain that we’d get [...]

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Five Funerals and a Wedding

By Richard | Published May 26, 2013

Funerals Some dates are etched by memory. For many, it’s a shared experience. I remember exactly what I was doing when Challenger exploded. When the Twin Towers fell. When Canada beat the Soviets in the final hockey game of the Summit Series in 1972. But sometimes, the experience is singular. This one happened to me [...]

Posted in Family, Life | 5 Comments

Book Faeries

By Richard | Published April 27, 2013

Her name was Bethany. I think we were destined to meet. After my mother died — I had been Connie’s caregiver for 13 years – we were living hand-to-mouth. I was debilitated by daily migraines, and largely unable to work, so we could not afford a city rent. We packed our bags for a small [...]

Posted in Books, Life, Nova Scotia | 3 Comments

Six Months

By Richard | Published February 6, 2013
Posted in Life | 2 Comments

Books Worth Buying in 2013

By Richard | Published December 16, 2012

Ellen Oh Two friends have novels that will hit bookstores in 2013, and I’m THAT excited! Ellen Oh has been an online friend for years, and I’ve always been impressed with her kindness, thoughtfulness, patience, and intelligence. When she landed a three-book deal with HarperTeen to bring The Dragon King Chronicles to North Americans readers, [...]

Posted in Author, Author, Books | 3 Comments

Author Melanie Hooyenga Answers 25 Questions

By Richard | Published December 9, 2012

As I grow older, I find myself seeking out kindness. That’s how I first met Melanie Hooyenga. In the funny way that social media works, our paths had crossed for years, but we never really connected. It’s like we had been to a few parties at the houses of friends we had in common, but [...]

Posted in 25 Questions, Author, Author, Books, Writing | 5 Comments