Maurice Purr-sents....

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The Winners!



Good old Maurice. I love to see his face -- it always means good news for someone!


Today we have four winners from new categories and one winner from an older draw who hasn't gotten in touch. Let's start there, shall we?

The winner of the exciting new novel by Micol Osterman is Nora. Now, kc dyer has sent you an email to the address you listed, Nora, but if you didn't get it, please email her back at kcdyer@telus.net and she will make sure you get your book!

This week's winners (at last!) are:

Sleepless Storyteller wins a copy of Jill Murray's new novel.
Llehn wins a copy of a Patricia Smiley novel.
katayoun is the lucky winner of a signed book by Anita Daher.
And the Word Gardner wins a copy of a Diana Gabaldon title.

The special prize winner this week of a copy of A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW and a copy of MS. ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK is Tracy.

Maurice sends a whisker rub of congratulations to you all! Please send an email to kcdyer@telus.net with your mailing address and the books will be winging their way to you as soon as possible.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow to read the interview with my final mystery author of Launch Celebration Month -- and to read about exciting plans for my next interviewing odyssey!

~Darby



*photo displayed with thanks, subject to creative commons agreement, shot by SkyWideDesign and displayed on Flickr.

Beneath the Butterfly...

Well, after reading all the comments left here and on kc dyer's blog, I have to say no one really bought the whole butterfly mask. Or perhaps the general flamboyance of the author wearing it simply shines through?



Either way, let's see if we can find an unmasked picture, just to make things perfectly clear...










Hooray -- it IS Diana Gabaldon! I'm so glad you can be with us today, Diana.

Darby Christopher: A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW is all about how different people came to live in Canada. Your family is from the US. Where were you born?

Diana Gabaldon: I was born in Williams, Arizona. My family actually _lived_ in Flagstaff, Arizona (thirty miles away), but the family doctor was having a feud with the local hospital, who wouldn't let him practice there, so he practiced out of the Williams hospital instead. Ergo, when my mother went into labor on January 11--traditionally the coldest day of the year--my very young parents were obliged to drive thirty miles over ice-covered roads to Williams.

My father said the car went off the road twice, and he pushed it back out of strength born of sheer terror. I was born at one minute past 6 PM, and he thereupon went out and had ham and eggs for dinner--having forgotten completely in the stress of the day that it was Friday (this being back in the day when Catholics always abstained from meat on Fridays).

Having heard this story a number of times in my youth, therefore, I'm never likely to forget either the date of my birth, the day of the week, or the time.

Darby C: That sounds like you had quite an adventurous entry into the world, and a good family story, too! Where do you live now?

Diana G: I actually live in three places at once (I mean, why limit yourself?). Our main place is in Scottsdale, Arizona, but some years ago, I inherited my old family house in Flagstaff, and still keep it as a place to escape to--whether to write, or simply to get out of the summer heat.

And last year, my husband and I bought a place in Santa Fe, where we go for a week or so every month. You just buy enough toothbrushes so that you always have one, no matter where you are.

Darby C: You live in some very warm locations. Lots of summer sun means skateboard time to me. Can you ride a skateboard?

Diana G: Heck, no. I'm terminally uncoordinated; I can't even play badminton. ("_Anybody_ can play badminton!", my unbelieving sister-in-law said, when she invited me to play with her. Ha.)

Darby C: Okay, then, besides writing books, do you have a secret skill or talent you'd like to share?

Diana G: At the age of eight, I learned to fold paper hats out of newspaper.

Darby C: Hmm. With all the newspapers dropping like flies, I hope that is not a dying art! My own special talent seems to be one for walking through windows and getting myself into trouble and I know the characters in your books know a little something about time travel, too, don't they? If you had a chance to walk through a window into the past, where would you go?

Diana G: Well, I think I'd leave the window propped open behind me....but I wouldn't mind seeing the Battle of Thermopylae, provided I didn't have to be _in_ it.

Darby C: Ha! That's a good idea. Anyone special you'd like to meet these days?

Diana G: I meet special people all the time. Some of them are a trifle more 'special' than others, but that's what pepper-spray is for.


Darby C: Okay -- I'll try not to get too close! So, when Gramps throws a little spare change my way, I'm personally pretty fond of red licorice. What's your favourite treat?

Diana G: Right this minute, chocolate toffee almonds and chocolate-dipped fruit, because I have a small bag of each.

Darby C: Wow -- you know how to do treats up right! Can you tell me a bit about your latest project?

Diana G: Yeah, where do you want me to stop? I'm in the final stages of writing the seventh novel in the monster OUTLANDER "saga" (that's not really the right word, but I can't think of a better one)--AN ECHO IN THE BONE. I do nothing but sit at my keyboard and make faces (at least this is what my family claims I do when writing).

Darby C: I've seen other writers who do that very thing, so I believe you! If I want to learn more about you or your books on-line, where can I go check you out?

Diana G: Website is at www.dianagabaldon.com, and the blogs can be found at www.voyagesoftheartemis.blogspot.com , or www.panalba.com.

Thanks so much for sharing your time with us today, Diana -- specially when your new book is just about finished!

Now, if you'd like to win a copy of one of Diana Gabaldon's books, just leave your name in the comments and you'll be entered into the draw to win. How about if you tell us what YOUR hidden talent is? We have an amazing bunch of readers here at Darby Speaks -- let's compile a talent list!

The draw for this and the other interview books of this week will take place this Friday, March 27 after 8 pm. Tell all your friends!

~Darby

Book Launch Celebration Small Print Explanation:
Darby Christopher is the main character in kc dyer's new novel A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW. To celebrate the launch of this new book, Darby will be interviewing blogging authors on her own blog here. Every day, Darby and her guest will give away a book to celebrate! To win a book, just leave a comment, either on leftwriter or on the corresponding post on Darby's Blog. Book draws will be made every Friday night throughout the month of March. There is no limit to the number of books to be won, so comment often!

Teaser Today....with a little taunt thrown in

This mysteriously masked woman will be our featured interview guest tomorrow.

Care to guess her identity?

I see that kc dyer put up a clue in her latest post.


But since you are here, I will share just one more little hint to help you with her identity.

This author has more than seventeen MILLION copies of her books in print.

Yep. You read that right.

17,000,000

And if you'd like to own a signed copy of one of those books, leave your guess as to the name of the woman behind the mask along with your name in the comments section.

The interview will appear tomorrow!

~Darby

Tuesday Mystery Guest -- Naked Mystery Author Revealed!

I'm very excited about this interview today -- we will be meeting a TRUE mystery author -- one who writes mysteries!


But right now it's her identity that is still pretty mysterious. Those glasses are pretty wild -- and that's not the only thing, apparently. If you take a look over at kcdyer's blog, you'll see that this author has a reputation...


for being naked!

Let's unmask her and find out more, okay?


It's Patricia Smiley! Welcome, Patricia -- thanks for joining me today.

Darby Christopher: A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW is all about how different people came to live in Canada. I know your background is American. Where were you born?

Patricia Smiley: I was born in Washington State, which borders the Canadian Province of British Columbia, in a town called Yakima, named after the Yakama Indian nation.

The city is one of the premier apple-growing areas of the world, but has recently also gained recognition for its wine. My childhood home was just outside the city limits and seems quite rural to me now. I have fond memories of wandering through the nearby apple orchards and hop fields, often stopping to sail paper boats in the irrigation ditches. Many years later, I moved to Seattle. My friends and I took frequent trips to Vancouver, a city that was oh-so cosmopolitan and exciting.

DC: I've heard that said of Vancouver, though I'm a Toronto girl, myself. Where do you live now?

PS: I live in West Los Angeles, California in the neighborhood time forgot. The streets there have no curbs or sidewalks, so it feels like a small-town oasis in the middle of a megalopolis of 3.8 million people. Most people don’t think about L.A. in provincial terms, but I’ve met many neighbors by just strolling the streets with my dog and stopping to say howdy.

DC: That sounds really nice! Do you remember any special stories about your family that you heard when you were a kid?

PS: Once upon a time in yon years of yore, there was a five-year-old girl named Patty who loved cars—the smell of the leather, the rumble of the engine, and the creaking of the doors as they opened and closed.

One afternoon as she played in her front yard, an overwhelming desire to take a road trip overtook her. She crawled inside the family car, cranked the steering wheel to-and-fro, and made loud “vroom-vrooom” engine sounds. When she arrived at her destination, she tried but failed to open the car door. Having learned to make the best of a bad situation, she fell asleep.

Meanwhile back at the house, her parents organized a search party. Sometime later, they found her still conked out in the driver’s seat. The moral of this story? Take no road trips until you are strong enough to get out of the car.

DC: That sounds like a good moral! How about a different kind of 4-wheel vehicle -- can you ride a skateboard?

PS: I never mastered the art of skateboarding because speeding downhill without brakes is dangerous. I prefer skiing. Skis don’t come with brakes, either, but at least you can go splat into a soft snow bank rather than on a hard sidewalk.

DC: I kind of agree with that, actually. Besides writing books, do you have a secret skill or talent you’d like to share?

PS: No secret skills but I believe in experiencing life at all levels and will try almost anything except sky-diving. Jumping out of an airplane with a sack of flimsy cloth on my back? I think not.

DC: You have got that right! But what about if you had a chance to walk through a window into the past? Where would you go?

PS: I would go back far enough to see my beloved Westies Dottie and PJ and Tigger-boo the Wonder cat, before they speed back to heaven with the angels. I miss them terribly and would love to hug them one more time.

DC: I have seen the picture of a Westie on your website. They are so cute! Speaking of your website, can you tell me a bit about your latest project?

PS: I’m writing a police procedural based on my experiences working with the Los Angeles Police Department. Also, you can find me posting every Monday at The Naked Truth about Literature and Life (www.nakedauthors.com), a blog I share with Jacqueline Winspear, Paul Levine, James O. Born, Ridley Pearson, James Grippando, and Cornelia Read.

DC: Hmmm. I'd heard something about nakedness. I'm glad it's just about writing! So, when Gramps throws a little spare change my way, I’m personally pretty fond of red licorice. What’s your favourite treat?

PS: My fourth novel, COOL CACHE, takes place in a chocolate shop so, of course, I had to do some research. The result? I’m now addicted to anything chocolate, especially the brownies in a book called The Essence of Chocolate by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg. Yum! But the truth is, if I have spare change I’d much rather spend it on ruby red lip gloss.

DC: Those brownies sound delicious! If I want to learn more about you or your books (or brownies!) on-line, where can I go check you out?

PS: You can find out more on my Web site www.patriciasmiley.com or if you are game for adventure, just Google Patricia Smiley and see what comes up.

DC: Thanks so much for talking to me today, Patty. I'm going to go Google you right now!

And if you'd like to win a copy of one of Patrica Smiley's very cool mystery books, be sure to leave your name in the comments. Why not give YOUR favourite type of chocolate treat?

We'll do a draw for Patty's book this Friday, March 27th. This will be the final draw of our celebration month for A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW -- but not the end of my interviews or our special draws. More on THOSE mysterious changes, soon.

In the meantime, leave your Patty Smiley chocolate-love comments below!

~Darby

Monday Mystery Guest -- Revealed!

Here we are again (after a brief weekend pause) to enter into our final week of celebrations for the launch of my story A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW.


Sharing our celebration today is this mysterious horsewoman, author, mother, teacher and editor. (Whew!)

Let's unmask (and in the case of the horse, unmoustache) them both, shall we?




It's Anita Daher! Anita is the author of a whole pile of books for kids and teens -- her most recent middle grade adventure story is called POACHERS IN THE PINGOS, and just last week her young adult novel SPIDER'S SONG was nominated for a Manitoba Book Prize.

Darby Christopher: Welcome, Anita! A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW is all about how different people came to live in Canada. Where were you born?

Anita Daher: I was born in Summerside, PEI, but left there when I was five years old, and continued moving. Seventeen times thus far. I consider myself pretty lucky to have lived in some pretty amazing places growing up—Baker Lake, NU, Churchill, MB, Moose Jaw, SK.

It was tough “reinventing” myself with every move, but this probably helped make me the writer I am today…scattered, confused about where I am at any given moment, and constantly shifting personalities. Oh…did I say that out loud? Kidding!

DC: Summerside! My new story takes place very nearby, in Charlottetown, PEI. So where do you live now?

AD: Winnipeg, Manitoba. My husband was born and raised here, and early in our marriage would go on and on about how Winnipeg produces the best in Canada—best chocolate, best sausage, best artists, best speed-skaters, best politicians, best media moguls, best TV game show hosts…it went on and on and drove me crazy! Now that I’ve lived here five years I see his point.

DC: Do you remember any special stories about your family that you heard when you were a kid? Can you tell me one?

AD: Sure! One of the things that happens when you move around as much as we did, is you talk a lot about where you came from. There are many interesting stories, but the one that has intrigued and confounded me most is the mystery of my mom’s family name.

The story goes that many years ago during times of conscription, two brothers from Ireland were away attending school, and one day while walking down the road in Liverpool, minding their own beeswax, they were scooped up and forced to join the British Navy. They didn’t want to be there, and after docking in Nova Scotia in 1819 they jumped ship. So that they wouldn’t be easily tracked (and no doubt executed for desertion) they took the name of their oldest brother—who was still in Ireland—as their family name: Job. Over time the name morphed to “Jobe” and for my cousins, “Jobes” (mistake on the birth certificate). The original family name has been lost, though my mom’s aunt remembered hearing the name when she was a child.

Beyond family story I have a record of Nova Scotia pioneer families called Cape North and Vicinity by Rev. D. MacDonald published in 1933. In it he writes: “Donald Job Shipped on a brig in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in the spring of 1819, bound for Quebec, but calling at Sydney, C.B. (Cape Breton), on the way, he deserted, and hired for a year with James A Wilkie.” The accounting carries on with an accounting of Donald’s spouse, children, and his children’s children. It is an amazing record to have.

DC: That is a very cool mystery! In my new story, I got a taste of what it was like to immigrate to Canada from Ireland. It was NO FUN at all. But to bring us back to the present, can you ride a skateboard?

AD: I am famously uncoordinated, so no. My characters can, though!

DC: AND the characters in your story TWO FOOT PUNCH can do Parkour, too. So I guess that makes up for it. Besides writing books, do you have a secret skill or talent you’d like to share?

AD: Well, I am very good a baking, and not terrible at playing my guitar when no one is around to listen. My music talent is like the magic carriage that turns back into a pumpkin after midnight, except it is after midnight as soon as anyone enters a room I am playing in. I am an excellent horse groomer (the owner of the stable where my daughter and I board horses keeps offering me a job), and I’m learning to be a much better rider.

DC: I have to admit, I am a city girl, so horses make me a little nervous. But when I was in Charlottetown, I had a chance to take a peek into the past. If you had a chance to walk through a window into the past, where would you go?

AD: Europe, early 20th century: Ezra Pound, DH Lawrence, James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway…oh yeah!

DC: Anyone special you’d like to meet?

AD: I would like to sit down at a café table with James Joyce and D H Lawrence. They might not have cared for each other, but I’ll bet they could still have an interesting and stimulating conversation. I’d also like to meet Johnny Depp. Can you help me out with that, Darby?

DC: to tell you the truth, not one of the pirates I met on board The Elizabeth looked anything like Johnny Depp. Sorry about that, Anita! Can you tell me a bit about your latest project?

AD: Oh gosh, which one? I will launch the 3rd in my JCR series on April 29, am finishing a northern teen thriller, and am researching a next teen book. This last I am very excited about, as in the name of thorough research I will be helping to herd and work with free-range horses in northern BC this summer! It doesn’t get much better than that!

The next JCR book is called ON THE TRAIL OF THE BUSHMAN. JCRS Tommy, Jaz and Colly are all back, and while narrowly avoiding disaster at a summer camp south of Whitehorse, Yukon, they end up in the mountains on the trail of a bushman…who might actually be trailing them. But, is it a bushman, or is it the terrifying Windigo?

DC: WHOA! Now that sounds exciting! I'm going to have to meet Tommy, Jaz and Colly one day. So, when Gramps throws a little spare change my way, I’m personally pretty fond of red licorice. What’s your favourite treat?

AD: Mmmm…nothing beats jellybeans. I LOVE jellybeans!

DC: If I want to learn more about you or your books on-line, where can I go check you out?

AD: http://www.anitadaher.com Actually, I’m pretty much all over the Internet. You can find out a whole lot if you just Google my name…but don’t go believing those rumours about me and Johnny Depp. They aren’t true! Well, not all of them…

DC: Okay, if you say so. I'm going to go look you both up, just in case. Thanks for being here, Anita!

And if you'd like to win a copy of one of Anita's very cool books, why not leave your name in the comment section below. How about letting me know which scares you the most -- skateboarding or horseback riding! Special bonus points for those who have tried parkour and want to tell me about it.

Back tomorrow with our Tuesday Mystery Author. See you then!

~Darby

Apologies...and Congratulations!

*

Before Maurice gets to his job of picking the winners with a twitch of his calico tail, I want to apologize to Jill Murray and all my readers for the typesetting snafu of this morning's post.

The spacing has now been de-wonked and all is back to normal.

Thanks for your patience.



And now...to this week's winners!



Lucky winners please send kc dyer your address at kcdyer@telus.net and signed books will be winging their way to you soon...

James McCann's book goes to H
Vicki Pettersson's novel goes to Pissenlit (*special accolades for your handle, too...)
Micol Ostow's lucky winner is Nora
Robert J Sawyer's jumping jetpacker is A Novel Woman.
Shelley Hrdlitschka's book goes to kayla
Diane Haynes novel goes to MJ

And the grand prize winner of a copy of MS. ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK and a copy of A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW is .... Erika Lynn!

Heartiest of congratulations to all!


Now, tomorrow's blog post may come a little late as the scribe has to work all day at a CWC camp -- but it will be up, so never fear. Check back to see our mystery guest then.


~Darby

*photo displayed with thanks, subject to creative commons agreement, shot by SkyWideDesign and displayed on Flickr.

Friday Mystery Author ...Revealed!

This poor thing -- she's looking really broken up.







Any idea who this blogging author could be? She hails from the East and does a lot to keep young adults authors connected in Canada. And if you want to learn all there is to know about b-girls...read on!

But first, this skater girl needs to lift the veil on our guest:





Hey! It's Jill Murray! Welcome, Jill.

Darby Christopher: My new story, A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW, is all about how different people came to live in Canada. Where were you born?

Jill Murray: I was born in Toronto. My parents were Maritimers. My family on my mother's side has been in Canada for a few hundred years. I suppose they would have arrived by boat.

DC: Hey -- same as mine! You can read a bit of my family's story in my new book. So where do you live now?

JM: I live in Montreal now. The city is a part of me.

DC: Cool. I've heard it's an awesome city. Do you remember any special stories about your family that you heard when you were growing up in Toronto?

JM: My great grandmother on my mother's side was Acadian, and as legend has it, they had a rule in their house that at the dinner table, you spoke in French, or you didn't speak at all. Consequently, dinners were silent. And if the story is true, that's how my family personally helped crush its own little parcel of Acadian culture. I guess that's a little depressing, but its the first thing that came to me.

DC: My friend Gabe is Acadian. His story shows up in my next book. So, you may not know this, but as a Toronto girl, it is my greatest ambition to skate down Yonge Street. Can you ride a skateboard?

JM: No! I cannot! I've always been a rollerblades girl, and thus I am the scorned enemy of skateboarders. You can't win 'em all.

DC: Hey -- it takes talent to ride those rollerblades. Besides writing books and rollerblading, do you have a secret skill or talent you’d like to share?

JM: Baking and web code. On days when I take brownies to work and then write on my lunch hour, my life is pretty much complete.

DC: Any girl who codes is a geek after my own heart. Now my particular talent seems to lie in walking through windows. If you had a chance to walk through a window into the past, where would you go?

JM: Since you've got me thinking about my skates: to just after I turned fifteen, but just before I took a rubber speed bump on my rollerblades and was rewarded with a face full of pavement, a knocked out tooth, a root canal, a false tooth, surgery, and stitches. We get to make different decisions when we go back, right? Otherwise... yesterday or the day before yesterday, so I can extend my vacation.

DC: You've got to talk to kc dyer about the whole knocking-out-of-teeth thing. I think you two have something in common! Other than her, anyone special you’d like to meet?

JM: I would like to meet an amazing landlord who wants to rent me a gorgeous one or two bedroom apartment in a great neighborhood in Montreal, for not too much money.

DC: Can you tell me a bit about your latest project?

JM: BREAK ON THROUGH is the world's first and only b-girl novel. A b-girl is a breakdancer, and my book follows Nadine from downtown Toronto to the outer-outer suburbs, where she has to remake her life and her breakdance crew from scratch at a time when the whole world seems to be against her.

Nadine is the kind of girl who would ride a skateboard. She can also spin on her head and intimidate you using only her posture and a well-pointed glare.

DC: She sounds like my kinda girl. I hope to get to meet her one day soon. If I want to learn more about you or your books on-line, where can I go check you out?

JM: I'm at JillMurray.com. Break on through is at JillMurray.com/break-on-through. I also host a Canadian YA and middle-grade book community blog at y-eh.ca.

Well, thanks a lot for talking to me today, Jill! And if you'd like to win a signed copy of Jill's book, leave a comment below. Which do you prefer -- skateboard or rollerblades? And hey -- no bias to be shown to the winner -- judging will be blind, I promise!

~Darby