Seven great gifts to put on your wish list or to get for a writer you love

Seven great gifts for the writer in your life

Can you get a fancy gift certificate for any of these? You bet!

1) A weekend writing retreat at Elm Hurst Inn & Spa. Treat your loved one (or yourself) to a weekend of creativity, togetherness, and growth as a writer. This will be our second time at this conveniently situated location by Ingersoll, Ontario. Last time, we loved the place, and expect the retreat to be even better this time around. Friday, April 24 – Monday, April 27, 2026. Details here.

Or join us for a weekend retreat at Arowhon Pines Resort,  a perfect little island of luxury in the midst of Algonquin Park wilderness. This is a magical weekend, at a magical location, with the finest of dining. Friday, June 5 – Monday, June 8, 2026. Details to come, but you can see details of 2025's June workshop here. If you're interested for 2026, email me: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

2) A manuscript critique: You or your spouse has spent a couple years writing a manuscript, and now she’s pretty sure it still needs work, but doesn’t know how to proceed. Time to give it over to a professional for a critique. Brian will explain what’s working, what’s not, and how to fix it. Since most of Brian's time is taken up with weekly classes, Saturday or Sunday workshops, and weekend retreats, his availability for  manuscript critiques gets filled in fast. See details of manuscript critiques and consults here. 

3) For a smaller investment, get a gift certificate for a short consult. Maybe the love of your life has a picture book manuscript, a short story, or an opening chapter that needs professional critiquing. Or maybe they're working on a query letter – odds are they'd love to have a professional rewrite that query and make it irresistible. Or maybe they’d just like to have a chat about their career. These are all things that can be done in about an hour and are ideal candidates for a consult. A consult is just $75/hour (plus hst). To arrange a consult, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

4) The best stocking-stuffer is a gift certificate for a Saturday {or Sunday} workshop. See the full schedule of what’s coming here or just give a certificate for your special someone to hang on to until that special workshop they’re looking for comes around.

5) Or The Canadian Writers' Contest Calendar. This is a book giving the details for all the annual writing contests in Canada, listed by deadline date. The 2026 edition will be available soon, and we're accepting orders now. See details here. 

6) For a really special present, get a gift certificate for a weekly course. See details of classes starting in January here.

7) Or you might just give one of these presents to yourself. It’s a good time of year to consider what you want. Have you been thinking about writing? Well, it’s time to start! So give yourself that most important gift – which happens to be entirely free – space and time to get your creative self in gear.

Check out 77 more gifts for writers here. 

Plus, don't forget, try to shop local. Buy your books straight from the publisher or from a book store. 

See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Join us for "How to Get Published" with literary agent Olga Filina

“How to Get Published”

An editor & a literary agent tell all

Sunday, February 8, 2026
9:15 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Toronto time
Offered online and accessible wherever there's Internet

If you've ever dreamed of becoming a published author, this workshop is for you. We’ll focus on the process of submitting to an agent or publisher, and show you exactly how to write a query letter that will get a “yes.” Bring all your questions. Come and get ready to be published!

Special Option: Participants are invited to prepare a draft of a query letter you might use to interest an agent or publisher in your book. You don't need to prepare anything, but if you like, email me a draft of your query prior to our workshop. Olga and I will critique several queries,  so everyone can see what works, what doesn’t and how to improve your query. Do remember that agents come to these events wanting to hear what you’ve got. ~Brian

Guest speaker Olga Filina is a Literary Agent and Partner with 5 Otter Literary.

Olga brings over twenty years of book industry experience to her work as an agent. From bookseller and buyer at national and independent bookstore chains, to director of literary festivals, library board member, publishing consultant, independent editor, book reviewer, and founding member of the Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents, Olga has the specialized knowledge to find the best direction for her clients’ work.

Olga is currently looking for literary and book club fiction, historical fiction, crime, mystery, and suspense novels. She also wants prescriptive nonfiction projects, and memoir with exceptional writing focusing on underrepresented voices.

In Kid Lit, she is looking for middle grade fiction with memorable characters, contemporary YA, and nonfiction across all categories.

For 2025/2026, Olga is living in Vietnam and sees the sun 12 hours sooner than we do in Toronto, which is why this workshop is being held in the morning rather than the afternoon.

Note: 5 Otter Literary has taken on participants from four previous workshops Olga and I did together. 5 Otter landed Matteo L. Cerilli a two-book deal with Tundra, the Penguin-Random House's imprint for kid lit (see here), a middle grade novel to Harper (see here) and a two book YA deal with Bloomsbury US (see here); Kristy Jackson a two-book deal with Harper-Collins (the second book Touching Grass, just came  out see here); Karina Kaushal who’s working on rom-coms; and Sue Kelly co-author, with Greg Murdock, of A is For Ancestor. ~Brian

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers, taught creative writing at Ryerson University, and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Saskatoon to Toronto to Charlottetown. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors.  

See reviews of and works inspired by Brian's classes, workshops, and retreats here.

Fee: $45.13 + 13% hst = $51 paid in advance by mail or Interac

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Note: Get new postings from Quick Brown Fox delivered to your In Box as they go up. Subscribe to my Substack here. ~Brian

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here. 

Angie's play, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" hits the stage

Angie with script for The Twelve Days of Christmas

Hi, Brian.

Chartwell contacted the press, the local MPP and MP about the play and I had 2 telephone interviews. 

Angie

From The Aurora Banner….

Angie Rose-Carnegie spent most of her career as an accountant. The only professional writing she did was for handbooks and reports.

In her personal life, Rose-Carnegie has been a prolific writer of poems and short stories since she was a teenager. This side of her life always remained a hobby, which she keeps up to this day as a resident of Chartwell Hollandview Trail Retirement Residence.

Even after suffering a stroke a few years back, she kept writing. In fact, she dictated a short story to a friend over the phone “by the light of the call bell” while still in the ICU.

Top of Form

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Angie Rose-Carnegie spent most of her career as an accountant. The only professional writing she did was for handbooks and reports.

In her personal life, Rose-Carnegie has been a prolific writer of poems and short stories since she was a teenager. This side of her life always remained a hobby, which she keeps up to this day as a resident of Chartwell Hollandview Trail Retirement Residence.

Even after suffering a stroke a few years back, she kept writing. In fact, she dictated a short story to a friend over the phone “by the light of the call bell” while still in the ICU.

This weekend, one of the 70-year-old’s oldest wishes is coming true: she’ll be seeing a play that she wrote performed as a stage production.

“I had a bucket list before my stroke and one of them was to see my play performed as a real stage play,” she said. “I’ll never be able to do most of the other things on my bucket list because I’m now in a wheelchair. This is one thing I could still accomplish.”

This Saturday, Dec. 6, Rose-Carnegie’s original play The Twelve Days of Christmas will be performed twice at Chartwell Park Place. The first show is at 2 p.m., and the second is at 7 p.m. Both shows are free, but attendees are asked to RSVP to LCiarello@chartwell.com as capacity is limited.

The play follows a woman who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s through her and her family’s journey of care and connection. She said the idea was to show how this kind of diagnosis can affect not just the patient, but everyone in their lives.

“Most of us know somebody who has been affected by dementia, and the play resonates with them,” she said. “It’s poignant but it also has some humour, because you can find humour even in some of the most dire situations.” …

More here.

 See where else your fellow writers are getting short pieces published here (and scroll down).

See new books by your fellow writers here (and scroll down).

See my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day  retreats here. ~Brian

You're invited to a book launch for Follow Polly's Lane by Yvonne Van Lankveld

Hi, Brian.

I am thrilled to announce the launch of Follow Polly's Lane, to be held at:

Lincoln Pelham Public Library, Fonthill branch
Monday, December 8th, 6:30 - 7:30 pm.

The royalties from this contemporary fiction novel will help the Fonthill branch become a more accessible facility. Registration is encouraged. Here is the link:

https://lppl.ca/event/book-launch-yvonne-van-lankveld/#more-10005880

Follow Polly's Lane exposes the separate dramas of two female neighbours, with differing values, after a violent storm implodes their private lives, bringing them together and then tearing them apart. The story revolves around a private, dead-end lane which provides access to three grand but dilapidated manors near fictitious New Abino, a small hamlet of Point Abino, Ontario. While the lakefront homes are deserted, their adjacent bunkies, historically used by the hired help, house four intriguing tenants.

Yvonne

Formerly an Irish nun turned nurse, Sonnet O’Brien understands the needs of the heart, unlike her unsavoury neighbour, who returns to Canada from the United States as a deported convict. A mother and her neurodivergent son, with fifteen years between them, work to rebuild their lives after escaping the rigours and hardships of their Nova Scotia roots. 

Fed and loved by most, a stray dog appoints himself as the lane’s security detail and earns an important role. Unpredictable events bring out the best and worst in these tenants over two wintery months, and, as with my previous novels, emphasize the importance of trust and human connection.

Thanks for the opportunity to share this exciting news.

Kind regards, 

Yvonne Van Lankveld

https://www.yvlauthor.com/

If you miss the launch, Follow Polly’s Lane and Yvonne’s two earlier novels – The Park Street Secrets and The Road to All Right – are all available at Chapters/Indigo here.

See more new books by your fellow authors here (and scroll down).

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

Join us for “Writing Personal Stories”

“Writing Personal Stories”

Online: Tuesday afternoons, 1 – 3 p.m.
January 27 – March 24, 2026 (or to March 31 if the course fills up)
Offered on Zoom and accessible from anywhere there’s internet

If you’ve ever considered writing your personal stories, this course is for you. We’ll look at memoirs, travel writing, personal essays, family history – personal stories of all kinds. Plus, of course, we’ll work on creativity and writing technique and have fun doing it.

Whether you want to write a book or just get your thoughts down on paper, this weekly course will get you going. We’ll reveal the tricks and conventions of telling true stories, and we’ll show you how to use the techniques of the novel to recount actual events. Weekly writing exercises and friendly feedback from the instructor will help you move forward on this writing adventure. Whether you want to write for your family and friends or for a wider public, don’t miss this course.

We’ll also have a published author as a guest speaker for this course.

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers, taught creative writing at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Saskatoon to Toronto to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get published.

Read reviews and other pieces about or inspired by Brian’s writing courses, workshops, and retreats here (and scroll down).

Fee: $257.52 plus 13% hst = $291

To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Join us for “Writing Kid Lit – Intensive”

“Writing Kid Lit – Intensive”

Online: Mondays, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
First readings emailed January 12, 2026
Classes: Jan 19 – March 30, or to April 6 if the class fills up. No class Feb 16 

This Intensive course will be organized like my other Intensive courses, but it’s for people writing kid lit: board books, picture books, early chapter books, and middle grade – both fiction and nonfiction, conventional text or scripts for graphic books. It’s for people who are working on their own writing projects, not for beginners. 

You’ll be asked to bring in five short pieces of your writing for detailed feedback. For example, this might be five separate picture book manuscripts or five chapters of a middle grade novel or, possibly, just one, reworked five times. You bring whatever you want to work on. 

Besides critiquing pieces, we’ll have discussions and I’ll give short talks addressing the needs of the group. You’ll receive constructive suggestions about your writing, learn how to critique your own work, and you’ll discover that the greatest benefits come from seeing how your classmates approach and critique a piece of writing and how they write and rewrite.

I expect you’ll find this course extremely rewarding – and fun. After all, we’re working on kid lit! ~Brian

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada's most popular blog for writers, taught creative writing at Ryerson University, and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Saskatoon to Toronto to Saint John. Brian is also the author of a children's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Tribute Publishing). But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get published.   

Read reviews and other pieces about or inspired by Brian's courses, workshops, and retreats, see here (and scroll down).

Fee: $292.04 + hst = $330

To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here. ~Brian

Join us for a Kid Lit workshop with Orca Books editor Sarah Howden

Writing for Children
     and for Young Adults

With Sarah Howden 
        ~ Editor at Orca Books

Saturday, January 17, 2026
 1:15 – 5:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom and accessible wherever there’s Internet

If you want to write the next best-selling children’s books or just want to create stories for your own kids, this workshop is for you. Learn how to write stories kids and young adults will love and find out what you need to know to sell your book.

This is your chance to speak with someone within a publishing company in a small group setting and to pull back the curtain and see how it all works. Be sure to bring your questions – we'll have lots of time for interaction.

Special option: Participants are invited to submit the opening couple pages (first 500 words) of your children’s book or young adult novel (or up to 800 words if that gets you to the end of your picture book or to the end of your first chapter). Email your pages to me prior to our workshop.

Sarah and I will publicly critique about half a dozen submissions so everyone can see what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve your story-telling. Get your pages in early if you want to be part of this. If you’re not currently working on a children’s story, don’t worry, we’ll get you started! ~Brian

Guest speaker Sarah Howden is an editor with Orca Books, an independently owned Canadian children’s book publisher. She started out at HarperCollins Publishers over fifteen years ago, as an editorial assistant, moved on to become the managing editor at Owlkids, then worked as a freelance editor before coming to Orca in 2022.

With over 1,000 titles in print and more than 80 new titles a year, Orca prides itself on publishing Canadian authors (almost exclusively) and bringing them to a wider market.

Sarah’s focus is board books, picture books, early chapter books and middle grade fiction. She especially likes slightly offbeat points of view, humour with heart, and writing that has a strong narrative voice. She’s looking for manuscripts that feel fresh, original, and authentic – and if your work reflects your often-unheard perspective, all the better.

Sarah is also an author of children’s books, including Cone Dog and Cone Cat, The Tunnel (all from OwlKids), and Five-Minute Stories for Fearless Girls (HarperCollins), plus several I Can Read Books (Harper Kids). Her latest picture book The Wise Pickle (Tundra) is due out in June 2026. (For more about The Wise Pickle or to pre-order a copy, see here).

Sarah lives in Toronto with her family and their two goofball cats.

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor, author, and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers and is the author of a children’s version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Tribute Publishing Inc). But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published.

Read reviews and reflections on Brian’s retreats, classes and workshops here.

Fee: $45.13 + 13% hst = $51 paid in advance by mail or Interac

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

Kudos to Jill, Marg, Wendy, and Sue!

Note: If you’ve had a story (or a book!) published, if you’ve won or placed in a writing contest, if you’ve gotten yourself an agent, or if you have any other news, send me an email so I can share your success. As writers, we’re all in this together, and your good news gives us all a boost. 

Also, be sure to let know if you're looking for a writers' group or beta readers; a notice in Quick Brown Fox, will help you find them. 

Email me at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Hi, Brian. 

I hope you are well. I wanted to share the good news that my historical fiction novellette (at 15,000 words) which I started in one of your classes, and which you and many others workshopped, has been accepted and published online at Eclectica Magazine, a literary magazine that have been publishing for almost 30 years. I was honoured to also be named their Spotlight Author for this issue.  

Here is a link to read the story, which you'll remember as Henri and the Lion but which I renamed The Paris Lion in edits: here.   

Thank you again for your support and teaching.

Best,

MJ Malleck

For information about submitting to Eclectica, see here.

 

Hi, Brian. 

Just found out that my second collection of essays, Mosaic through East-Facing Glass, has been long-listed in two categories for the Hamilton Literary Awards: non-fiction, as well as the Kerry Schooley prize for a book evocative of Hamilton.

Many years ago I took a continuing education course taught by Kerry Schooley. That was before I discovered all I could learn from your writing retreats and classes!

Marg Heidebrecht

Mosaic through East-Facing Glass is available from Indigo here. And Marg’s earlier collection of essays, In the Shade: Friendship, Loss, and the Bruce Trail here.

 

Hi, Brian. 

I enjoy receiving your news from different writers in your groups, so I thought I’d share this nice bit of news, too. In July, Unique Muskoka magazine featured an article about my three novels and the influence my personal Muskoka «pioneer adventures» had on the writing of them. 

Haunted Journey and MacGregor’s Curse are both YA historical fiction set in this area, and Dead Serious, an adult thriller primarily set in Toronto, also has Muskoka scenes. In the attached issue, the article runs on pages 19 - 23. I am pleased with the way it highlights my family’s early adventures here and my deep admiration for all who came before.

With thanks for your encouragement.

Wendy Truscott

http://www.wendytruscott.com/

Author of Haunted Journey, MacGregor’s Curse, and Dead Serious. Available through Amazon, Chapters, several local shops in Muskoka, and through Wendy’s website here.

You can see the article on Wendy and her books here.

---

Wendy’s not the only fan of Quick Brown Fox recently highlighted in Unique Muskoka:

Hi, Brian. 

I hope your Muskoka retreat at Sherwood Inn is going well.

If you see the current issue of Unique Muskoka, you might pick up a copy as you're mentioned twice. 

Each edition highlights an artist and I was fortunate this time

See you in class next week

Cheers

Sue Kelly

Read the article on Sue and her writing here.

For more about Sue’s book, Still Sexy After Sixty, see here.

The grounds at Elm Hurst Inn

Note: We’ll have our next writing retreat at Sherwood Inn, in Muskoka October 18–22, 2026, but in the meantime, we have a retreat coming up in April at Elm Hurst Inn and Spa in Ingersoll (see here). 

See all my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day  retreats here. ~Brian

Note: You can get new postings on Quick Brown Fox delivered straight to your Inbox as I publish them. Subscribe to Quick Brown Fox on Substack here.

See where else your fellow writers are getting short pieces published here (and scroll down).

See new books by your fellow writers here (and scroll down).