There was an era when I thought that retirement would provide loads of free time, what with just hubby and I at home, no more teaching/tutoring, less editing work, and our 5 kids and umpteen grandkids only hanging out with us occasionally. Perfect time to write a book, I thought. Yes, well…

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been to an OWL writers’ group seasonal luncheon at the Barley Mill Pub (excellent food), the Writer’s Connect December meeting at the Penticton Art Gallery, and a seasonal (delicious!) brunch with other writers at Yasmin John Thorpe’s lovely home.

I also edited and published the third 2024 quarterly newsletter, OWL Voices, (PDF) and emailed it out to everyone on the mailing list (if you’d like a copy, let me know…) as well as to local bookstores, libraries, media, etc. (marketing, you know!). Thanks to the writers who submitted some great stories and articles! Next submission deadline is February 28.

Since it’s almost Christmas, of course it was time to send out Christmas gifts to our large family. Thanks to Canada Post, I mostly just e-transferred $$ this year for them to buy their own gifts. But we did send a special gift to our youngest grandchild—in Texas!—via Amazon. It arrived there today and Daddy set it up immediately!

My dear husband, Lionel, bought me a 2-year subscription to French Pod 101 for Christmas … and I’ve been diving into it daily already. After all, I need to do more with my life than just write my Summerland Stories, right? And since I fairly recently got my first cell phone, I’ve been learning how to use it (including how to take photos and start using my Instagram account now that it will be easier). Then there are my piano and guitar sitting gathering dust, and I really want to get using them again. Not to mention I need to get out for daily walks (ideally in snow! Let it snow, let it snow…). And  there’s watching TV with hubby because it makes him happy. And so on and so forth. Daily life carries on even in retirement…

But yes, I obviously do need to write, as well.  So I’ve been doing some journaling, and wrote a guest blog post for another writer. On the topic of writing, several writer friends have been urging me to start thinking about writing *another* book, particularly on Indigenous topics, based on my HaidaGwaiiBuildingBridges site (though maybe I better focus on my Summerland Stories for now, don’t you think?). Also on the topic of writing, I posted on Quora, admittedly for the first time in a very long time … though apparently, according to Quora notifications, my past posts have had 5,786 views in the past week, and 26,695 views in the past month, which just goes to show that writing online is a good way to build your platform. And, after all, if I’m going to do well with my “Summerland Stories” book, I really need to get busy with my marketing and publishing activities. On that note …

I’ve been reading/rereading, notetaking, and starting to put into action, ideas from 3 books I’ve read in the past couple of weeks: Create Your Writer Platform: the Key to Building an Audience, Selling More Books, and Finding Success as an Author by Chuck Sambuchino, The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman (and pre-ordered the Second edition, due to be released in April), and Self-Publishing in Canada: a complete guide to designing, printing and selling your book, Third Edition by Suzanne Anderson.

I’ve been going through my many research notes to choose and make a list of marketing and publishing ideas I can focus on; and I’ve been reading lots of useful blog posts, many of which I’ve posted on Facebook writers’ groups where I’m an admin, and also on my Twitter account under #WritingCommunity. Oh, and study (again) Jane Friedman’s Key Book Publishing Paths 2023-2024 handout (And checking my Kindle app, it turns out I downloaded a bunch of publishing and marketing books a long time ago, some of which I apparently didn’t get around to reading, and/or some I need to check out again, soooo… (How to Market a Book by Ricardo Fayet; Beta Read Superhero Writer’s Handbook by Belinda Pollard; The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan by Stephanie Chandler; How to Self-Publish a Book by Barb Drozdowich, and The Author’s Guide to Self-Publishing for Canadians also by Barb D.).

Speaking of reading books, I have also re-activated my Goodreads account, and want to get busy doing some reviews. And I’ve been updating my websites and blogs, checking out analytics on my sites.

Although I’ve retired (pretty much…) from teaching and tutoring, I’m still accepting editing and coaching/mentoring writing jobs, so if you’re looking for some help, do feel free to contact me

And what, you may wonder, is actually happening on the “Summerland Stories” front? Well, I’ve received back responses of 3 beta reads of the 5 I sent out! And oh my goodness! What wonderful helpers my beta readers are! But I’ll provide details on that in my next post.

Meanwhile, have a wonderful winter holiday season, however you celebrate it! Here’s an example of a Summerland Christmas way back when (you’ll be able to read about it when the “Summerland Stories” book is published!):

Links to “Summerland Stories Journey” posts:
Summerland Stories 1: Summerland Stories will be in book form
Summerland Stories 2: Surprise! Self-editing is harder than editing for others
Summerland Stories 3: Making a To-Do List: Help Needed!
Summerland Stories 4: Yes! I’m still doing my Summerland Stories project!
Summerland Stories 5: Beta reads, platform, marketing plans
Summerland Stories 6: Notes from Conal Creedon
Summerland Stories 7: Retirement is Awfully Busy
Summerland Stories 8: Short and Sweet, Sunshine and Joy
Summerland Stories 9: Happy New Year 1959!
Summerland Stories 10: Even Editors Need Editors – and Beta Readers!
Summerland Stories 11: What I Learned From My Beta Readers
Summerland Stories 12: An Unplanned Project Break
Summerland Stories 13: Off to the Editor/Designer!
Summerland Stories 14: Doubt, fears, procrastination – Yikes!
Summerland Stories 15: My Project is Coming Along!
Summerland Stories 16: My Book is At the Printer!
Summerland Stories 17: The Journey Continues
Summerland Stories 18: Are You or Yours in the Book?
Summerland Stories 19: Book Launch May 4th!
Summerland Stories 20: Historical Summerland Lives!
Summerland Stories 21: Countdown! 3 Days until launch!!!
Summerland Stories 22: Successful Launch and Into Orbit!
Summerland Stories 23: Post-launch update and my launch PowerPoint
Summerland Stories 24: Back From Summer Break; Coles Book Signing