A lovely tweet for FIREFLY from a fan ...

It's not every day that an author gets a TWEET like this from a reader! 

Thank you, Andy7071, you may not realize how inspiring it is for an author to hear from a reader, that their story, their character, their words, have moved another person. Writing a story is such a leap of faith: faith that someone will read it, that it will make sense to them, that it will speak to them in a way that matters or deepens their understanding of the world.

Faith restored!

Read an excerpt of FIREFLY: Philippa Dowding, Open Book

Watch a short clip of Philippa reading on YouTube

MORE ABOUT FIREFLY ON THIS BLOG

 

CLICK TO ORDER

OCULUM is a great summer read for kids, thanks Innisfil Library!

Me with OCULUM, 2018
Thanks to author Lucy Falcone for the photo!

"Maybe you prefer dystopian adventures? Philippa Dowding’s Oculum is for you!"

--BarrieToday, August/2020

Thanks to the librarians at Innisfil IdeaLAB and Library, they have selected OCULUM as one of their TD Summer Book club picks for kids! 

Read the whole article here, with lots of great book selections for young readers: OCULUM in BarrieToday

Keep your kids reading this summer, everyone. I've said it before, and here it is once again: we can't hold each other right now, but until we can, it may help to hold a book.

More about OCULUM on this blog

Read Canadian this summer!

We can't hold each other right now, 

but until we can, it might help to hold a book.

That's my motto this year, everybody. COVID-19 is still running our world right now, and we have to continue to take care of each other, be socially responsible and stay distant, wear masks in public and wash our hands for the foreseeable future.

But it also means that we're still largely apart, and isolated except for our housemates. For me, I've been writing, watching too much NetFlix, exercising, going for walks, and now that a few restrictions are lifted, I'm visiting friends in backyards, staying 2 metres apart. 

And reading. I've been reading A LOT! I've read Battle Royale (Koushun Takami), The Long Walk (Stephen King), White Teeth (Zadie Smith) and a slough of Canadian authors too, including Sylv Chang,Tina Athaide, Paul Wagamese, and many more. 

You can see what I've been reading on my Goodreads page.  

If you'd like to purchase a book or two of mine, check out my books on AMAZON or INDIGO.  Even better, pick it up from your local bookseller, curbside!

I hope you get to read a lot this summer, too, at least until we can hold our loved ones and friends again. 

And here's a writer's plea: if you enjoyed a book, please review it or share the good word about it online somehow. Tell a friend, rate it somewhere, gift it if you can. Right now, the publishing industry in Canada is affected by COVID-19 just like every business, and reviews boost sales. If a book helped you through this rough time, tell the world! Your favourite authors will thank you.

I certainly will! 

Take care everyone, we'll talk again soon. Until then, enjoy this completely sweet ROBOT PARADE song, by They Might Be Giants. I listen to it every day on my long walk. Wave the flag that the robots made!

PD 

 

I Read Canadian! Do you?

Today is the inaugural I READ CANADIAN day! I'm proud to say that as a Canadian, and a Canadian author, I DO read Canadian, all the time. 

Here's a link to more info about the day: I Read Canadian Day

The idea is that today, February 19, 2020, each of us will spend 15 minutes reading a Canadian book, and tell someone about it. Tell a friend, write a review, tell the world.

Why? Because the Canadian publishing industry needs you. Sales of Canadian books have dropped by more than 44% in the last 10 years. Read more in The Toronto Star Here.

But even if I wasn't a Canadian, or a Canadian author, I'd be reading Canadian books anyway. Why? Because they're fantastic. Canadian authors are some of the best in the world.

There are Canadian writers of adult fiction who you probably already know: Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Yann Martel, Esi Edugyan, Alice Munro, Mavis Gallant, Miriam Toews, Lawrence Hill and so many more ...

But I Read Canadian day is the brain child of another fantastic Canadian author, Eric Walters, a children's book author. He's written over 100 kids' books, been awarded the Order of Canada, and supports literacy and reading efforts all over the world.

He specifically wanted to shine a light on all the terrific CHILDREN'S books written by Canadian authors. Here's the Toronto Star article again, about why: How Eric Walters plotted to Create a Day to Push Canadian Books

Some of my favourite (with a "u") Canadian kids' authors? Monica Kulling, Rebecca Upjohn, Lena Coakley, Leah Bobet, Cary Fagan, Kevin Sands, Kevin Sylvester, Susin Nielsin, Teresa Toten, and on, and on and on. Check out more great authors at the Canadian Children's Book Center.

So take 15 minutes today to show some love to the Canadian publishing industry. Read a book by a Canadian author, review it, buy a copy as a gift, tell a friend. We all have stories to tell, and Canadian authors and the Canadian publishing industry need your support to keep telling those Canadian stories. Join us, and read, enjoy, and support Canadian authors today!