My name is Katherine.  I've been Pru's other half for 24 years.  She has been writing for almost as long as we've been together. 

People sometimes ask me what it's like to live with a writer.  Well, I can't speak about other writers but living with Pru's vivid imagination has been interesting.  She people watches incessantly.  Sometimes we might be sitting somewhere, chatting.  If there is too long a lull in the conversation her writer's mind will kick in and poof! She's off world in her imagination chasing down a story line.   But I can't complain.  Before my recent health issues, I was an artisan jeweler and equally prone to flights of fancy. So I get it.

Of course, things aren't as they usually are these days.  Here in Canada (Newfoundland and Labrador in particular), we are in self-imposed isolation because both she and I are in a higher risk category for the darned virus-which-shall-not-be-named.  While we are somewhat accustomed to a semi-hermit existence over the past year,  even we find it quieter than usual. 

To help keep our spirits up, we are taking the time to exercise gratitude for the everyday moments of beauty that grace our simple life.  This includes taking care of the small critters who frequent our yard. Watching them through the window brings us joy.  We thought it might brighten your spirits and give you a small window into Pru's home life. 

Click here for the video clip.

I'll be checking in here from time to time to share what we're up to and to offer you a chance to virtually visit with us.

​See you soon!



 

We are living in unusual times, aren't we?  Who knew it would take a worldwide pandemic to draw people and countries together in ways we couldn't imagine.  Seems life and death situations cause people and countries to reevaluate priorities in the face of an enemy that can kill indiscriminately.

The Forgotten Worlds series are sci-fi stories set in an equally unusual time.  Humanity as we know it on this planet is gone and the last remnants of that world have banded with augmented humans (SUVIs) and aliens to create a new society.  Floating through the galaxies, they face many difficulties as they struggle to survive.

Unite is the latest installment in this series.  The SUVIs and their companions meet a new people and once again find themselves on the defensive.  And as usual, they end up learning as much about themselves as they do this new world, its gods and tribes.

Sometimes, even the littlest ones in the fleet can steal center stage!

On another note, I've been working on some new stories in the fantasy genre and will be posting more about this in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

And of course stay safe!  Follow the guidelines of your local public health officials, practice social distancing, wash your hands often and take good care.  

Oh, and read books.  Lots, and lots of books.  <grin>

​Cheers!
Prudence
​

Writing stories is what I do and love.  But writing stories alone, doesn't produce books.

My partner draws a parallel between writing and quilting.  She loves gathering fabrics: pre-cuts like squares and strips as well as something she calls "fat quarters".  To me they are a collection of pretty bits of cloth.  To her, they are are the beginning elements of something larger and far more beautiful.  In her mind, she can see them take shape even before she breaks out her rotary cutter and mat.

It's the same for me when I sit to a keyboard.  The story flows through me onto the page.  I feel it taking shape in my heart.  I hear the characters' voices in my head.  And my hands do the work of getting it all written down.

But much like piecing a quilt top doesn't produce a finished quilt, writing a story doesn't make a book. I'm a storyteller not a book maker.  A book needs editing, rewriting, more editing and more rewriting, a great cover and a publisher who knows what she's doing.

Some writers try to do all of these tasks themselves.  They are the brave, multi-talented souls among us and I bow in awe of their greatness!  I on the other hand have been fortunate to have some a small team who works with me to bring my stories to market. -

It's can be hard for a writer to give up their "baby" to an editor's critical eye (or in this case eyes as I have more than one editor), especially if that editor comes back and tells me I have an ugly baby that desperately needs a bath.  Seriously though, working with editors who know me as an individual has helped as I know they care about me and my stories.  It has made it easier to receive feedback telling me I've "betrayed the reader on this page", "almost wasted a perfectly good hero" or that "there's no way she (hero) would ever say that".  Yup, my editors don't muck around.

Then once the story has been sanded and polished, it's time for a cover.  That can be so difficult.  As the writer, you have a feel for your story and how it might be presented to the world.  And when you think you've done a great job communicating your vision, the first cover draft appears in your inbox and you're left wondering what the hell happened.  Words even from a wordsmith sometimes fall short in adequately describing one's vision.  Thankfully my cover artist also cares about me and my stories.  :-)

Finally, I have a package ready for my publisher and send it off.  She does her bit plugging me into her network and getting my book out to sellers worldwide. By this time of course, I'm already working on other stories.  I wait anxiously to see what response my latest offering will elicit.  And I mull over my next blog post.  My "job" is done while she battles pirate sites that steal her clients' work while promoting new books and authors as best she can.

So the next time you read a story from your favorite author and begin clamoring for the follow-up, know there will be an incubation period so to speak, even if the story is already in their head.  It is a team effort all the way.

Now back to my keyboard!