When Christmas was in sight, I was already run down and dragging my sorry carcass (since early November, really) to the holiday and some much needed time off. And once I’d gotten through all the events in the calendar leading up to and including Christmas Day, plus another one that had to be rescheduled for just after, then I could enjoy an extended period of writing, and some fun, too. Oh, I had grand plans! Knock out a few chapters in my current work-in-progress, for starters. Go out with friends. Visit the From Warhol to Banksy exhibit at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Ride the free Ferris wheel in Centennial Square, the whole place lit up at night.

Except that nagging little something in my throat, the something I thought I’d staved off (and I guess I did, a few times) finally got me and there were a thousand knives in there, stabbing me until I lost my voice for a couple of days. They left after that, replaced with coughing. And more coughing. And more coughing still. Which only really let up the day before going back to work.

And I was forced to cancel every single one of my plans.

I did get a couple of short pieces done, but for the most part, I had to convalesce. A mandated break was exactly what I needed, I suppose, even though I didn’t love it.

Maybe stopping is actually getting back to our nature of hibernating during winter. Taking things slower. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.

If your 2025 didn’t start off the way you envisioned, take heart that although you’re not where you want to be, you’re where you need to be.

Fairytale

Weekend plans to the Mainland in late December didn’t happen due to bad weather and ferry cancellations, but I made the best of it and went to Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria. It’s such a great place to visit, especially during the holiday season. Have a look at the Christmas table setting!

My favourite object inside? A 19th century bookstand, complete with candleholder to light your reading session.

Take Two

Did you know that a lot of Hallmark movies are filmed in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley? The sets at Martini Town are open over the holidays, and it’s like stepping into one of the charming small towns from the screen.

(The first go-around, scheduled for before Christmas, was upended due to wild weather and ferry cancellations, so the re-do came after Boxing Day—right before I got sick).

Feedback

If you’re ever in doubt about reaching out to an author about how their work has touched you in some way, DON’T BE. Believe me when I say it makes our day!

I received the loveliest comment on my December blog post/newsletter, and it was such a nice way to head into the holidays. 🥹

Tree of Life

I received the most amazing surprise gift in the post from my friend, fellow Osoyoos hometown girl and author Cristal Macor and her family company Humdinger Designs. This handcrafted piece of metalwork is absolutely stunning (the photo doesn’t do it justice) and it will look amazing in my writing space. I’m blown away.

(Even though Cristal and I grew up in the same town, we only connected and got to know each other in the last couple of years. I’m grateful that writing brought us together.)

Update: Here’s how it looks in my writing space!

Blast from the Past

Here’s a fun blast from the past: a 1996 tourism promo video for my hometown that recently re-emerged. (Great timing, since I have a book coming out sometime this year inspired by my time as Miss Osoyoos 1996-1997.) I love that this video captures the town as it was in my teenage years. 💕

Also, see if you can spot me at the 10:50 mark!

Stay Stripy

If you’ve been following my posts, you already know I’m excited for my first poetry book, coming February 25 from Stripes Literary Magazine, (watch for a cover reveal coming soon).

I would love, love to have you as part of my team! Sign up for a free advance copy of Asleep/Awake to read and review:

Reviews help both me as the author, and Stripes as the publisher — and they don’t have to be long. We appreciate the support!

Mail Call

My contributor copies of the December issue of Rivanna Review finally arrived. (Originally delayed by postal strike.) It includes my book review of Homing: Instincts of a Rustbelt Feminist by Sherrie Flick.

To purchase, visit their website.

Always Learning

I’m so glad to have discovered Art Explora and the opportunities they offer to learn more about art. I’m happy to share that I’ve completed their history of art certificate, validated by Sorbonne Université, and am looking forward to doing more classes.

(I’ve always been an art fan, but have recently rediscovered my appreciation for it, as evidenced by the books on my reading pile of late.)

Les Bouquinistes

Leonardo da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson

This month’s feature book is a recent thrift store find that I finally had the time to get into. It’s a long, long read, so be warned. But so far, it doesn’t feel long at all. In fact, it’s as fascinating as its subject. For example, did you know that the famous painter born in the 1400s was vegetarian? Or that curiosity drove his various interests, from designing theatre sets and costumes, to investigating water hydraulics?

Here’s the official description:

Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo da Vinci’s astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson “deftly reveals an intimate Leonardo” (San Francisco Chronicle) in a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.

He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. He explored the math of optics, showed how light rays strike the cornea, and produced illusions of changing perspectives in The Last Supper. His ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his drawing of Vitruvian Man, made him history’s most creative genius.

In the “luminous” (Daily Beast) Leonardo da Vinci, Isaacson describes how Leonardo’s delight at combining diverse passions remains the ultimate recipe for creativity. So, too, does his ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical. His life should remind us of the importance to be imaginative and, like talented rebels in any era, to think different. Here, da Vinci “comes to life in all his remarkable brilliance and oddity in Walter Isaacson’s ambitious new biography…a vigorous, insightful portrait” (The Washington Post).

As always, thanks for reading. Merci!

Sonia