Love Letters & an invitation to a book launch

Brenda with Giller Award winning author 

Joseph Boyden (on left)

and contest organizer Bryan Dearsley (on right)

Hello Brian,
I have some good news. I won the Muskoka Chautauqua writing contest!!

The prize has shifted a bit from what is on their website. I entered the contest because I was totally keen on the intimate interaction opportunity with author Joseph Boyden and members of Penguin Canada. Well, Mr. Boyden's schedule no longer accommodates this event, so instead I received tickets to his reading in Bracebridge.

I did have a great time at the reading. Joseph Boyden is a very engaging speaker, making his audience feel at home. He is also very personable to meet, signing his book for me and giving me a high-five for winning the contest. I had my picture taken with him and, as another placating step, the Muskoka Chautauqua group invited me to write the article on the evening's events for the local paper, The Muskokan. This helps to build my platform and I am grateful.

See you next week in class!
Kind regards,
Brenda Ross

For information about the annual Muskoka Chautauqua writing contest, see here.

Dear friends,

Check out this link here for "The Education of a Wayward Greek." A story by yours truly on the web!

Bieke

www.bieke.stengos.cammaert.eu

For information on submitting to CommuterLit, see here. 

Hi Brian,

It's Tracy from the Barrie area and I have been attending your writing workshops since in I lived in Kitchener in 2002. I wanted to tell you how valuable all your knowledge and expertise has been to me over the years.

Finally all the workshops, rough drafts and rejection letters seem to be paying off. I now have a self-published book on Kindle and Kobo. It's a historical mystery titled Chorus of the Dead and for a while in July it was ranked in Kindle's Top 100 for historical mysteries. I am hoping as the book market picks up throughout the fall it will return to that rank.

Also, two of my short stories have been selected for anthologies which are being released later this year. The first one, The Whole She-bang, a Canadian mystery anthology, is launching Oct 18th and is a project being coordinated by the Toronto Chapter of Sisters In Crime. The second one is called Starship Goodwords, a cross-genre anthology published by Carrick Publishing.

The second book in my historical mystery series is coming out in early 2013, and I have a half finished contemporary mystery is quickly coming down the pipes.

This past year has be so productive in regards to my writing career and I truly believe it was you and your workshops that helped me get here. Your programs are the metre-stick with which I compare all the other classes and workshops I attend in terms of value for the dollar, information and industry knowledge and you always come out on top. Thanks so much Brian!

Tracy Ward

mystery writer,

Chorus of the Dead

Available from Amazon here.

http://www.gothicmysterywriter.blogspot.ca/

Brian,
Ellen and The Hummingtree is the fictional memoir of Ellen Dawson, a composite of many beautiful, spiritual women I have known.  The book explores many social issues including child abandonment; deadbeat dads; separation and divorce; single parenting; financial struggle; family relationships; infidelity; grandparents raising children; love on line; empty-nesters; aging; women’s issues; Alzheimer’s; death and dying. 

This book is a collaboration with my daughter, artist Susan Krupp, who not only created the beautiful cover design but also all the illustrations throughout the book.

Everyone’s invited to the book launch for Ellen and The Hummingtree:

Saturday, November 10, 2012

1 to 3 pm

at the Gallery at the Centre

Civic Centre, Elliot Lake

In the meanwhile, Susan and I are honing up our acting skills, as we will be re-enacting a chapter from Ellen and The Hummingtree, one which we hope will be entertaining.  Afterward the book signing will take place.

Hope to see you there.

Audrey Austin

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.