Hey January! It’s Time for You To Go…

You know that feeling you get when you just want to relax on the couch with your people, your dogs, and a cup of tea…but the guests just can’t take the hint? You know…when you try to telepathically bore your disdain into them, beg them to pick up on your vibes and get the hell out?

That’s how I’m feeling about January right now. I have toleration for about 3 days of January and roughly 7 hours of February. March? I’ll give that month about 6 days before I want it to just disappear. I’m a July person. I don’t have time for these useless months of polar vortices (or vortexes, if you prefer), snow, ice, and anything else that equals COLD.

GIVE ME SUMMER.

This January definitely had notable exceptions, but I’m still done with it. But for some reason, there’s still 8 days left of it. This is unfathomable. It needs to leave.

There were two significant events that helped the month go by quicker than is usual for such a miserable month. One, we took the grandboy Edward on a cruise to celebrate his upcoming 13th birthday. That was an absolute blast! He loved it and we loved that he loved it. Two, I also had a novel release in January.

On the flight home from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where the cruise port was located.

I would like to think that Edward had the most fun at Perfect Day at Cococay…where we went to the waterpark. The one slide is the tallest in North America. The amount of times he climbed all those stairs to go down that slide is unbelievable. Youth!

The red one is 12 stories high!

But I also know he had a blast with the kids he met at Teen Club. We gave him probably way too much freedom, but he didn’t let us down. He loved it.

On the top deck of the cruise ship Liberty of the Seas by Royal Caribbean.
We even took him out on the helipad before the ship left port!
It was a short 5 day cruise with two stops—Perfect Day at Cococay (Royal Caribbean’s own private island), and Nassau, Bahamas. This is us walking around the port in Nassau.
We even found a few ducks while we were on the ship! I believe we captured an even dozen, if memory serves. We hid quite a few too…
When it’s a cold miserable January, you know you’re blessed when this is your view at dinner time. Trust me, it was appreciated.

We are back now…and basically biding our time in the real world until our next getaway. We loved our week-long getaway with Edward!

I was thrilled to get a delivery upon our return…to see all my hard work in the flesh. Well, in the paper! My books arrived!

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT has arrived!
Pick up your copy of I WILL TELL THE NIGHT at Amazon today!

Now would be a great time to pick up your copy of I WILL TELL THE NIGHT! Reading definitely helps to alleviate the winter doldrums. It’s available in all AMAZON countries, in either paperback or Kindle. Here’s some links that will make it super easy for you…here’s a selection of countries that visit my site the most, in no particular order. Just click the link! If you don’t see your country, just search for it by title and author…

AMAZON USA

AMAZON CANADA

AMAZON FRANCE

AMAZON SPAIN

AMAZON INDIA

AMAZON GERMANY

AMAZON UK

AMAZON NETHERLANDS

Now…if we can just make it through to April, all will be good and well! Spring…it’s just around the corner right?

 

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT Ready to Launch!

I did it! I set myself the goal of JANUARY 7th, 2025 for the release date of my FIRST self-published novel and I reached my goal! It’s all ready to launch.

I just finished the final round of edits on I WILL TELL THE NIGHT and submitted the final final final final manuscript! It was a lot of work getting this ready. More than I thought it would be. All I can do now is wait for the release date to come and hope that readers embrace it.

I put my life into this manuscript! Originally written at the 2016 Muskoka Novel Marathon, I WILL TELL THE NIGHT has had a long life. I wrote it and I rewrote it and I rewrote it. Then I edited it a few dozen times.

I’m most proud of the fact that the original first draft incomplete novel won the BEST ADULT NOVEL AWARD at the Muskoka Novel Marathon. The judges saw something in the raw first draft that warranted giving it that year’s coveted prize. That prize came with another amazing Muskoka chair! And my heartfelt thanks to the marathon organizers.

Now, I’ve set it off into the world. The last draft…the very last and final draft.

I hope you enjoy it!


The much abused ARC of I WILL TELL THE NIGHT. This copy has more red ink and scrawls in it than you could possibly imagine. Wait…I take that back. I didn’t have a red pen. The scrawls are all in blue/black ink. Trust me, this copy is a wreck.

The biggest thing you could do right now, to help me, is to PRE-ORDER your copy of I WILL TELL THE NIGHT!

Otherwise, please consider sharing anything you see relating to the book! That will definitely help. I now know the difference between having an army of publisher personnel behind you and being all on your own. Nobody was cheering me on, helping me make decisions, guiding my way. It was just me. Please consider lending a hand and sharing any info you can on this release! I would be eternally grateful.


Look for this trinket in the story. Its place in the story is fully fictional, but it is real. It exists.

Here are the pre-order links for AMAZON CANADA and AMAZON USA. It is also available in all other countries that Amazon sells in. Just search for I WILL TELL THE NIGHT in your Amazon!

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT – AMAZON USA PRE-ORDER LINK

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT – AMAZON CANADA PRE-ORDER LINK

Click those buttons, pre-order that book, share those posts on social media! JANUARY 7th is COMING! (-;

The Paperback is Ready! I Will Tell the Night Coming Soon!

After much editing and formatting the paperback of I WILL TELL THE NIGHT is finally ready for its upcoming release date of JANUARY 7th, 2025!

I could not find a way to put the paperback up for pre-order. I think this has something to do with changes effecting the printing cost and price. At any rate, it will not be up for pre-order. If you would prefer PRINT, you can order it directly from Amazon on the release date.

The paperback ARC…all 300 pages of it!

The cover you see above is MATTE finish, but after much deliberation I have decided to go with a glossy finish for this cover. I think the gloss will give the artwork a better finish. I haven’t witness this with my own eyes as of yet, but I can sense it. (-;

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT

Finn Barker escaped his family in Miramichi, New Brunswick, decades ago for the anonymity of Toronto. When he learns of his mother’s impending demise, he decides to make the trip back home to say goodbye. But going back will awaken all the sleeping ghosts Finn’s not quite sure he’s willing to stir. With no time to decide, his split-second decision to jump back in has him driving across the country, with his boyfriend Steven behind the wheel. Along the way, Finn begins to unpack the mess he left behind. There’s the grandmother, MyImogene, he adored, and the twin brother who died of cancer when his own parents would have preferred to lose the other twin. There’s also the huge scandal Finn orchestrated with a teacher that gave him the Dutch courage he needed to flee. It was almost all bad.

Finn makes it in time for goodbyes, but then there’s the still very active strife between him and his father, the funeral, the family, and the secrets that shed new light on the cause of the rift between his parents and his beloved MyImogene. Every family carries secrets. Finn discovers they’re the one thing you can’t escape, no matter how far away you run. Secrets always catch up. Often, it’s death that has a way of bringing them back into the light of day. He was able to make peace with his dying mother, but can Finn make peace with all the rest…or is it time to run away for another thirty years?

PRE-ORDER THE KINDLE VERSION NOW! Read on release day – JANUARY 7, 2025!

Kindle available in all Amazon countries.

Amazon Canada | Amazon USA | Amazon UK

Paperback available on release day from Amazon.

I’m doing this on my own this time, so I would really appreciate shares on social media. Any share will help. Thank you in advance!

And if you’re one of the souls who have already pre-ordered I WILL TELL THE NIGHT, thank you from the bottom of my heart. This was a long labour of love and it’s a story close to my heart. I hope you enjoy it!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!