Pre-Christmas Ramblings

A lull in my Christmas preparations, so thought I would make a few jottings.

I'm very excited. Just received my copy of the Christmas issue of Mystery Scene with my article about RED ICE FOR A SHROUD. Entitled 'The Ice Storm', I talk about how my experience with the 1998 Ice Storm helped shape this second Meg Harris mystery. Check it out on page 61.

Fans have asked for a photo of my black standard poodle, DeMontigny, the model for Meg Harris' Sergei. So I have included his photo in several taken a few weeks ago when I was tramping along the trails that surround my West Quebec log cabin. He is looking particularly gorgeous having just had his 'hairs cut and placed' -to coin an expression of a friend- by his favourite groomers, Jackie and Tracey. Check out the photos.


These were the woods, the trails I had in mind when I wrote the opening chapters of RED ICE FOR A SHROUD. In fact, the book's opening action is based on the trail clearing that my husband and I, along with many others do every year in the fall to ready our network of over 25 kilometers of cross country ski trails. However, our annual effort has never been as exciting nor as traumatic as Meg's turned out to be.

And speaking of skiing, I'm not sure how soon we will actually be able to shuss down our trails. Very unusual for this time in December, the trials are looking much like the photos, brown with only a few splotches of white. And the forecast doesn't augur well for skiing over the holidays, something we always look forward to. So it looks as if hiking will be become our only means for ridding the pounds gained in the Christmas festivities.

And on that note I wish you a safe and happy holiday, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.


Our log cabin during a much snowier Christmas past