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November Inspired

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The last two weeks in October were filled with reading, reassessing and writing my own book, working through my publishing list and writing challenges as they came up. I gave myself a gift – two days, creating my own twenty-four hour or so writing retreat. A cheap (clean and comfortable FTW) hotel with a free mini-breakfast (waffles!), two lectures at the St. Kateri Shrine over Indigenous Peoples’ Weekend, and time to simply sit in quiet with my pen and my notebook, with time to plan and think and reset and when it was over, the time to take what I received in all that time, and use that inspiration to move forward into the fall and to plan my writing intentions for the winter.

I did also finish reading seven books in October; multiple genres; fiction, non-fiction; books with groups, books as research for my own book; I even went to a book talk and signing that I thought had nothing to do with my own writing, and still there were some nuggets that have stayed with  me and continue to germinate and take root.

And then Halloween snuck up on us! Out of the blue, and before we knew it , it was here! I didn’t have a costume or any idea of what costume to wear. It was a real struggle; I always dress up for Halloween. This year was the longest I went without knowing what I’d dress as. It wasn’t until I woke up on Halloween morning that it finally came to me, almost fully formed. I could have kicked myself realizing how simple it would be to put together, even on such very short notice.

I’ve been reading The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon and I finished it rather quickly on Halloween. I will come back to that.

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Penny Prompts – Book Places

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Have you ever traveled to a place found in a book you read?

In the past, I’ve gone to a castle that featured prominently in Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman.

More recently, over my summer vacation, I traveled to Three Pines from the Louise Penny books. I saw the bistro/cafe they set up in the lower part of LacBrome Books and the Haskell Free Library and Opera House (photos below).

Write about a book place you visited or that you want to visit!

Three Pines Cafe, Knowlton, Quebec. (c)2026
The view from the Three Pines Cafe, Knowlton, Quebec. (c)2026
Haskell Free Library and Opera House, Stanstead, Quebec. (c)2026
The border at the Haskell Library between Stanstead, Quebec in Canada and Derby, Vermont in the United States. (c)2026

Penny Prompts – Anticipation

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Well, today’s the day! Louise Penny’s new book, Miss Wolcott’s Ghost has been released! It’s a week earlier than what was on my calendar, so I’ve been holding my breath since last night waiting for the opportunity to download it to my Kindle.

Is there anything that you’ve waited what seemed like a very long time for, and then when it finally happened….

What?

Tell us what happened when the anticipation reached a fever pitch and the moment arrived!

Minotaur Books. (c)2026

Penny Prompts – The Village Green

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For the last several weeks, Minotaur Books has been emailing a special series of thoughts on the gardens of Three Pines. Today is the last one, The Village Green, and I thought I’d share it with you as part of this week’s Penny Prompts.

I have also just discovered that Louise Penny’s newest Armand Gamache book, Miss Wolcott’s Ghost comes out next Tuesday, October 20th! I thought it wouldn’t be out until a week later, so I am very excited, and will now spend the rest of this week finishing the books I’m currently in the middle of!

Prompt:
Write about your garden or any of the gardens in Three Pines or around your neighborhood. Include your sketchbook to doodle the flowers you see and like.

Despite the book coming out a week earlier than I anticipated, I will continue with Penny Prompts through the rest of this month.

Happy Writing and Happy Reading!

Friday Food – Writing Retreat

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One of my rituals when I’m on writing retreat is to take a photo of the first breakfast oatmeal of the retreat. I don’t always publish it, but it’s nearly always there in my phone’s memory. In addition to the taste and variety of the food, there is the wonderful blessing of not having to plan it or cook it or clean it up. It takes some of the stress out of the weekend.

Last weekend’s writing retreat, or was it two weekends ago, left me with inspiration as well as the dread of reevaluating my checklists and my outlines and my path forward. However, the food can still inspire even when the planned inspiration hangs like dew over the morning grass.

Added to my hot, comfortable oatmeal is butter, brown sugar, and dried cranberries. A very simple combination that always says retreat to me, and gets me in the right mindset for a writing weekend.

My tea this weekend was PG Tips. It is a good writing tea.

The flowers were not for eating, but we enjoyed them with our meals nonetheless.

(c)2026

Penny Prompts – Age is a Number

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In celebration of the upcoming release, at the end of this month, of Louise Penny’s newest Armand Gamache mystery book, Mrs. Wolcott’s Ghost, I invite you to join me each Wednesday from now until October 27th for special writing prompts I’ve devised using excerpts from her books.

While on our summer holiday, we stopped for tea at the Three Pines Cafe, which may have been the impetus for doing this series now.

(c)2026

“…wiped the condensation off the bathroom mirror and a man in his late fifties appeared…”
 
“Though it happened each and every morning, the face that looked back could still surprise him. Away from any reflection, he was in his early forties. But each morning he was reminded that was not actually true.”

Armand Gamache, The Black Wolf by Louise Penny

I think many of us have had this same moment that Armand is feeling when something comes up that we are no longer able to do or look into the mirror accidentally and wonder who that is looking back at us.

At a conference, and I may have written about this before, I was asked my age, and I replied, “38.” Friends, I was 48, and it took me a full ten minutes or more to realize that. Even now, more than a decade later, I still think I’m 38 give or take a few years.

Today’s prompt is:

How old do  you feel? If you could go back to any age in your past (or perhaps a future age), what is it about that age that makes it a happy time for you? What are things you did then that you don’t do now (for whatever reason) that you would like to do again? What about things you did that you don’t necessarily regret, but what would you have thought twice about or not done with the wisdom you now have?

Friday Food – Vacation! Dateline: Canada

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One of the best things about being on vacation is trying new foods or enjoying old favorites. We try to avoid chain and fast food restaurants, although we do like to see the different options available in other places at McDonald’s, Starbucks, and the like.

My daughter found a place a couple of years ago that is her go-to place when we are in Toronto. It has an extraordinary pop culture/fandom decor and menu, and the food is great! I’ll have a separate post and review of that one next week.

Pics and links to follow:

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Star Trek Inspired

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6-0

Star Trek Turns 60

I was born three months after Star Trek premiered in 1966, and today they will celebrate their 60th birthday while mine is still a couple of months off. I don’t imagine that I watched the premiere or the original seasons live, but in my mind I watched it live. I have always had Star Trek in my life, or so it seems. As a child, I have a vague memory of the cartoons, I had Star Trek comic books and a photo-journal episode book for The Trouble with Tribbles that I still have in a box somewhere in my house. I read it over and over again until the cover fell off and some of the pages loosened and slipped away. I always put them back and one day I stopped reading its frail pages, wanting to keep it as intact as it remained, but also having memorized it I could read it in my mind.

As a post-teen/college graduate, I went to many sci-fi conventions, most especially ICON on Long Island, and one or two Creation Cons. I have a vague memory of seeing the big three, but my husband tells me we never did. I would swear though that I saw William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForrest Kelley in Manhattan. I picture it as if it was yesterday, but the mind is a tricky thing. I did see Leonard Nimoy and Patrick Stewart in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. George Takei at ICON. Did I see Walter Koenig? I’d have to check, it’s fuzzy, but I know I’ve seen Nichelle Nichols and Robin Curtis. Some next generation folks or rather DS9 – Nana Visitor, Alexandar el Siddig, Armin Shimmerman, Rene Auberjenois, writer Harlan Ellison, and others. We would watch Next Gen in my husband’s friend’s basement, eating chicken parm subs for dinner each week for each new episode. We continue that tradition when there is a new Star Trek – DS9, Enterprise, Picard. I don’t have fond memories of  Voyager – I was a new mother, and my infant son screamed through every episode – I hear ya; I feel the same way, kid.

Two hours north of the New York state capitol is a small town of Ticonderoga, known for its pencils and Revolutionary era fort. There is also a Star Trek Original Series Set Tour created from the original blueprints with the impetus and creative spirit of James Cawley. It is a must for any STar Trek fan. There is a sweet spot that I talk about where the corridors meet and form a ‘T’, and for a split second, a moment in time, you are on the Enterprise. You can’t see the overhanging set lights, you can’t see the behind the scenes areas, in that one space, you are on the Enterprise. It’s magical.

Sadly, I have not found any merch, no pins, stickers, or anything for my collections to celebrate the big 6-0!

How am I spending today?

Re-watching The Voyage Home in my home with a bucket of popcorn and a Diet Coke. How will you celebrate this once in a lifetime anniversary?

DS9 pin that I received for my birthday last December.
(c)2026