DiDi LeMay

In loving memory

2010-09-10T22:27:00.005-04:00

In the last week my life turned topsy-turvey. On Sept 4th my mother died in a car accident.
We, my brothers and sisters, supported each other in our time of need. We also needed to prepare for her funeral, which was today- September 10th.

Our friends and family and our mom's friends all gathered to remember and celebrate her life. Our minister had prepared a eulogy that touched our hearts. Made us laugh - made us cry.

The day was a beautiful one with sunshine, a few clouds and a gentle breeze swaying the trees that stood tall - as they protected her final resting place. As the sun playfully peeped out from the clouds once in a while we reminisced, celebrated and remembered the vibrant and dynamic woman who was our mom.

This is a poem I wrote in remembrance of our mother. She used to comment on the way she liked the rhythm of my poems.. I have dedicated this one to her.

A brief moment in time

It was a fateful day in early fall,

When life threw us all a curve ball

On that day our lives changed forever

When our physical ties with you were severed

The plane of your existence has been changed

The daily routine on our plane has been re-arranged

Our physical interaction has been interrupted

We, who love you dearly- our emotions have erupted

In time we’ll come to terms with how this came about

Our personal hardship- the sorrow we’ll overcome – there is no doubt

We- the ones to stay behind

We need to bear in mind

There is a trenchant and intense bond

That spans between us on any plane – and beyond

Our physical ties have been severed

And now you are on your way to new endeavours

You live in our hearts forever and ever

Forgetting you is not an option –never, no never

We will have our dearest memories of who you are

As we see you off – we will not bid you “au revoir”

But rather- an “a la Prochaine”

Because we know we will see each other again.

BlogTalk Radio Interviews

2010-08-18T22:56:00.004-04:00

My author assistant continues to promote me. As a result I've had a few blogtalk radio interviews and one blogtalk TV interview
On Tuesday, I had a blogtalk radio interview on the Renee Bobb show. It was a very exciting and fun interview.
here's the link. Check it out!

http://didilemay.com/interview-q-a/media/

When Fish Cry

2010-08-13T22:56:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone,

I would like to share this poem with you.

WHEN FISH CRY

As I reminisce about times gone by,
I cannot help but sigh.

Thinking back to when I was young,
The exciting adventures and the fun

We used to swim in bright clear waters, oh so blue
With patches of bright sunlight shining through

Frolicking, playing with my sisters and brothers
Such fun times we had with one and other

That was a long time ago
The ocean where I live has since taken a major blow

I now swim through the muck and the dregs of man
Wondering how and when this darkness began

My tears blend with the salt,
I don’t understand -who is at fault?

The bright clear world we had at one time,
It has all changed, what is all this grime?

No more, do I see the patches of sunlight
Now, darkness and murkiness is my plight

All around my old eyes see,
Lots and lots of debris

Gloom and darkness for miles and miles
Pale, bleached out coral around the isles

Where my beautiful home used to be
There is no plant life, no fellow ocean dwellers, nothing to see

I’m coming to my end, I am old
But, I hope that the our story will be told

A deep sadness fills my old soul
As I wonder - who was it that stole
The beauty of my world

By: DiDi LeMay

A Poem - When Fish Cry

2010-07-15T17:42:00.002-04:00

I want to share a poem with you that I wrote. I was inspired to write about the plight of the fish after I did a book reading and a young boy was concerned about the depletion of water in our lakes and rivers.

WHEN FISH CRY

As I reminisce about times gone by,
I cannot help but sigh.

Thinking back to when I was young,
The exciting adventures and the fun

We used to swim in bright clear waters, oh so blue
With patches of bright sunlight shining through

Frolicking, playing with my sisters and brothers
Such fun times we had with one and other

That was a long time ago
The ocean where I live has since taken a major blow

I now swim through the muck and the dregs of man
Wondering how and when this darkness began

My tears blend with the salt,
I don’t understand -who is at fault?

The bright clear world we had at one time,
It has all changed, what is all this grime?

No more, do I see the patches of sunlight
Now, darkness and murkiness is my plight

All around my old eyes see,
Lots and lots of debris

Gloom and darkness for miles and miles
Pale, bleached out coral around the isles

Where my beautiful home used to be
There is no plant life, no fellow ocean dwellers, nothing to see

I’m coming to my end, I am old
But, I hope that the our story will be told

A deep sadness fills my old soul
As I wonder - who was it that stole
The beauty of my world

DiDi LeMay

G20 weekend in Toronto

2010-06-27T17:44:00.001-04:00

Normally I don’t write about political issues, but I’m going to make an exception today because of what happened in Toronto these last few days. For me it was, even though unfortunate- expected, not wanted- but expected. Hope against hope, I, like a lot of residents of Toronto were crossing our fingers that we would skip the violence. But, when one follows the trends of other cities hosting the G20 summit, it is quite a “normal” part of the protests.

I feel very uncomfortable and upset that something like that would happen in Toronto. We generally have a peaceful city and as the media is quick to say, this is the first time that something like that has happened in Toronto. This, of course is a record we Torontonians are proud of and it is a shame that a bunch of people whose only agenda is destruction and violence should be the ones to break that record!

As a writer for children’s books, I’m always concerned about the impact of “adult issues” has on our kids and how they see these situations. It is an unfortunate circumstance that some of our kids were exposed to the dramatic situations this weekend.

I overheard a child ask his father: “Why are there were so many police here? Why do they have guns? Are cars that were on fire were part of a movie?” The poor father had a very hard time trying to explain the situation to his son.

Shocked by what the little boy had said and I started to wonder how the children saw what actually happened here this weekend. I was able to ask some children what they thought about the violence that they had witnessed.

There were circumstances under which these children were exposed. They live close to the area or were in an area that was deemed safe until the riots unexpectedly took a turn for the worst –literally. The children ranged from ages 8-12 and this is what they had to say:

“The people who hurt other people are not nice- they have to go to jail” Michael aged 8.

“Do those people want to hurt us?” – Allison 8 years old.

“Are the people going to come to my house?” Tyler – 10 years old.

“Some people have to shout and be angry because they want something they don’t have”

Jody – aged 12

How do you answer these questions? How do you quell the fear that is underlying those questions? Do we tell our children that the world at times is not safe? Do we protect the children and make sure that they live their lives with rose-coloured glasses firmly planted on their noses? Do we tell them what this is all about? Is it appropriate? What is appropriate?

When I brought up these questions to a few parents I realized that they were struggling with those questions and it became quite a discussion.

There are parents who feel that their children should see what happens in the world today.

“Because they need to know” was the answer.

Other parents want to protect their children from scenes like this.

“Because they don’t need to know, yet” was the other answer.

So the question is:

Is there a right or wrong answer for this issue and for that matter for other world issues? When do we expose our children to these issues?

Struggling to find the correct way to answer those questions, I think we can all work together to raise our kids in a way that they become responsible, level headed adults, who are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in, but who also respect other people’s opinions, lives and livelihoods.

Busy life- Full speed ahead -Part 2

2010-06-17T19:28:00.005-04:00

In the past few months my career as a writer has grown in leaps and bounds! I've been busy, busy, busy!!

Last time I told you about "Freddy's French Fries Fiasco" The book is now published I've had some great reviews and a lot of interest.

My third book has been illustrated and we are now preparing the layout of the book. I am looking for a new publisher - I hope I find one soon.
"The Big Blue Bed Monster" is for younger children. I'll keep you posted on the development.

My web-site is ready! Very exciting! Go check it out. www.didilemay.com

The best decision I have ever made in my writing career is to work with an Author Assistant!

She has helped me with my web-site. She has helped me with the social media exposure. She has developed a media kit for both my books. Through her, I have gotten a few internet radio interviews and blog exposures.

We are now working on more exposure. My author assistant is a gem! If you are serious about being a writer, you need to find your author assistant!

In the past few months, my other job has also kept me busy. About a year ago, as some of you know, there was a fire in the building we manage. It took one full year to renovate and in April of this year we were able to move back. The building is beautiful. Of course part of my job was to re-populate the building - all 47 units. Quite a job.

I am now also the proud mama of a 6 month old Golden Doodle- Rosie. She has taken up a lot of my time with training and walking. It is truly like having a baby. The work and the joy!

Here's a picture of Rosie

Busy Life- full speed ahead

2010-03-24T06:38:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone,
I'm back!

Wow! What a few busy months I’ve had. My teaching job took over for a while. Interacting with my Brazilian students and showing them around Toronto, I certainly had my cardio-work out. We usually were walking and traveling the TTC from about 1 pm to six or seven pm, 6 days a week. I showed them, the CN Tower, ROM, Casa Loma, AGO, China Town to name a few places. And, of course we went shopping. Hunting for bargains- a great pastime

It was fun to show them around town, sharing interesting stories and other tid-bits about our great city. Now that they are back in Brazil, I’m back to my usual routine.

I have been very busy with the development of my next book “Freddy’s French Fries Fiasco which will be published by end of April, beginning of May.

Of course tax season is also upon us, so preparing for my tax guys kept me hopping as well.

Now I’m working on a new web-site and preparing my media visibility. Writing, editing and preparing my third book is now scheduled. My next book, “The Friendly Big Blue Bed Monster is a book for younger children aged 3-5 years old. I will introduce The Big Blue Bed Monster soon.

The anticipation of getting “Freddy’s French Fries Fiasco” published is very exciting. I had a few parents and children read it this is what they had to say.

This is what two moms had to say about “Freddy's French Fries Fiasco”:

Freddy’s French Fries Fiasco has it all!! It is filled with great lessons from eating healthy, getting exercise, working hard towards your goals to the benefits of great friends who are there to support and help you when you need it most. It contains loads of adventure and keeps you riveted to the very end. A great book for any parent to share with their children.
P. Neill
A Mom

Freddy and his three friends are very cute role-models. They have shown my two children the value of friendship, supporting each other. Freddy and his friends have given my kids an incentive to eat properly. Don’t get me wrong, we still eat French fries, but now my children have set their own menu during the week and they voluntarily decided to cut back on the french fries. “Freddy’s French Fries Fiasco” has a fun approach to eating well. Thanks DiDi, for such a fun and helpful tool.
A mom of two fantastic children

I'd like to invite you to join my page for Freddy's French Fries Fiasco at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toronto-ON/Freddys-French-Fries-Fiasco/192410934833

There you will also see -in their original writing what a few children had to say about Freddy's French Fries Fiasco

Hope to see you there.

Dreams do come true!!

2009-12-23T14:49:00.010-05:00

Last weekend, December 19th and 20th was very exciting for me. I had my first live radio interview- on the Dutch station http://www.dutchtouchradio.com CJMR1320AM. It was quite a challenge. Even though I do speak Dutch, I've gotten a bit rusty over the years. Nonetheless, it was fun and marked the next milestone in my writing career.

On Sunday, December 20th, I was at The McNally-Robinson Booksellers where I had a book-signing, for my book "A Winter Solstice Celebration". The staff in the children's book department were wonderful and helped me every way they could.

Doing a book-signing event is a dream come true for me. As a young girl, whenever I thought of being a professional writer, I had a vision of me sitting at a table signing my books. Through the years, my vision just thrilled me. You can imagine how I felt when it really came true! Another exciting milestone in my journey of professional writing. My first book-signing was a huge success, thanks to all the interesting and friendly people -young and old- I met. Thank you all for your support and I hope you stay in touch so I can share my progress as a writer.

A Milestone on the Road to Professional Writer

2009-12-13T09:05:00.004-05:00

In the past few weeks, my journey towards becoming a professional writer has exhilarated. Some very exciting events are starting to shape up for me.

One of them is that on December 20th at 11:30 am to 12:30 pm I will be signing my book, " Winter Solstice Celebration" at McNally- Robinsons at Don Mills and Lawrence. You are all invited and I hope to see you there!
To get more information check out this link
http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/event-9270/Kids-Event:-DiDi-LeMay

Another exciting event is that I’ve been invited for a live radio interview on the Dutch radio.
Yes, I did say, Dutch! I’ll be speaking in Dutch! For those who did not know, I speak Dutch, as I lived in The Netherlands for 12 years. There, I founded a children’s theatre group. I wrote and produced the plays and the children were the actors. We preformed for seniors and other children as well as on special occasions in the small village I lived in at the time.

For all of you who do speak and understand Dutch, you can follow me on CJMR1320AM - http://www.dutchtouchradio.com.
For my English speaking fans, a translation will be done asap and will be posted on my blog and my web-site!

About two weeks ago, I hired a Social Media Consultant/Author Assistant, This was the best thing I could have done! I’ve been exploding onto the Internet at a large number of social network web-sites. Check me out on facebook, linkedin, goodreads, librarything and in the near future on Youtube, to name a few. We continue to develop more and more Internet Publicity.
If you feel that you need someone like that check out her web-site at www.theyppublishing.com

As you can see, all the events are shaping up to be another milestone on the road to becoming a professional writer!

Becoming a professional writer

2009-11-08T16:02:00.010-05:00

It has been a few weeks now that my book
"A Winter Solstice Celebration" is in the book store.

McNallys -Robinson, in Toronto, to be exact. It is a very exciting event; one I hope will continue to develop momentum.

The day I delivered my books to McNallys was a very special and exhilarating one. I was giddy with anticipation of things to come. I had accomplished another step in my journey of being a professional writer. Excited, I took the rest of the day to wander around the city. I celebrated by treating myself. I had special lunch and while I sat in the restaurant, I remembered another unique day. The day I decided to become a writer.

When people ask me: "How long have you been writing?" I stare at them, and then mutter something incoherent like, "As long as I remember". This is true.

I remembered I wrote a story when I was in the 5th grade. I wrote about a girl, who in the middle of the night, woke up because she heard a noise. She could see the time was 3 am on her alarm clock. The curtains were not closed and the beam of the streetlight fell in such a way that it highlighted the face of the clock. The teacher did not believe I could have written in such detail................. I got an F.

There were other details in my story which the teacher didn't believe and therefore she failed me.

She thought I had copied it from somewhere. But, I was not insulted or even angry. I was happy. Happy that my story was so good and that day I decided I was going to write. Be a writer! And writing I did. I wrote about my adventures, I wrote about fictional characters and I wrote about other peoples adventures. I got inspired by life itself. Then, I would just pile into a folder with the hopes and dreams of -one day- becoming a professional writer.

Another distinctive day was the day that I decided to become a professional writer. It was a calm day. Nothing exciting or unusual had happened. I was shopping in my favourite store... the book store, when I stopped and looked around. All these books, all these writers. Suddenly, a thought started to percolate from deep inside of me.

"Hey, you write! You can have your name on a book cover! You can have your own book perched on a bookshelf in the book store. Why don't you get serious with your writing? Let people read what you have to say!"

For weeks on end, this thought kept popping up in my head. I tried to ignore it, but like a bad song you can't get rid of, it kept bubbling up into my thoughts. Very distracting!

So one day, I decided to pull out one of my manuscripts and update it. I rewrote, edited and honed it. That was the day it all began.

It was the best thing I could ever have done! Look what it has brought me! Look where I'm going!

The journey of getting "there" is a thrill. Who knows what the future holds.

Word On The Street and other exciting things

2009-10-04T08:34:00.010-04:00

It has been a week, a very busy week since I show-cased my book at the book fair The Word on the Street in Toronto.

At WOTS I launched a new blog to promote my next book:
"Freddy's French Fries Fiasco" The book will be published in April 2010.

For Children and their parents I set up a new blog where I've posted the excerpt. This way they can follow along. Every 2 weeks I'll post another chapter.... up to Chapter 5.

It was a very successful day with a lot of attention , interaction with the children and a few sales. I made a lot of new friends and slowly but surely my "fan-club" is growing which is very exciting.

This past week I've been working hard on my biggest promotional season - Christmas. I've been sending out and handing out promotional materials everyday. This of course will continue. I'm working on book readings and other interactive activities for the children.

In November, I will be show-casing my book at the Miami International Book Fair. Wish me luck - or Break a ......pencil??!!

I have also started to write a few chapters of Minou de la Rue's adventures. I'm keeping you in suspense until the editing has been completed. I can tell you she is enjoying her adventures and her new friends.

Harley, my cat, has also been prodding me to write his blog for him. He dictates and I type on the computer. He tells me it is a bit difficult to type with his paws. They don't fit on the keys and he constantly makes typos. This frustrates him because he is a very intelligent cat and wants to make a good impression. This is his blog: harleysadventures,blogspot.com

We'll keep you updated on our progress.

Reflecting on my busy Summer

2009-09-19T22:24:00.006-04:00

As the summer is winding down, it is time to reflect on it.

I hope you all had a very interesting, fun and exciting summer doing all the things you wanted to.
For me, it has been a very exciting, fun and very busy summer. I've been working very hard with the preparation of my next book, "Freddy's French Fries Fiasco". In an earlier posting I presented Freddy and his friends to you. We are now finishing up the illustrations and the book will be published by April 2010.

I've been working hard on the marketing of " A Winter Solstice Celebration" and will be featured at the Miami Book Fair in November. I'm also getting a new web-site which will feature my books. I have a temporary one at the moment, which you can visit. It is: www.didisbooks.com.

Out of my sad and scary experience with the fire, comes a new book. Jesse, a 10 year old girl, who lived in a similar building as mine, talks about the night that her building burnt down. I've started to work on the book and hope to complete this over the winter. Deciding the structure of the book is an interesting process. I'm not sure yet if I want to write it in the third person singular or that I might write is as an auto biography written by Jesse herself. This is something I'm playing with.

I want to share my experience of the fire with the children and give them crucial information about how to react in such a situation. This is very important to me. I'll keep you posted on the developments of Jesse's book.

I've also been very busy with my ESL students- teaching English as well as showing them around Toronto. We've had a lot of fun. I've met some very interesting people young and old. In the last few weeks I've been looking after a group of 8 children from Nigeria- all under 12 years. They were lovely children, a bit rambunctious and they didn't know Toronto, so I needed to keep a sharp eye out for them. We had a great time going to Niagara Falls, the Beaches,CNE, ROM,CN Tower- where they stood on the glass floor, shopping (yes even young kids love to shop)and going to chuck-E-Cheez amongst a few things. We've become vast friends. One of the students has taken my book back to Nigeria and is reading it to his sisters and friends.

The last few weeks I've been preparing for Word on the Street. Again, very exciting!

On Sunday September 27th I'll be featured as one of the writers of WEN- Writers' and Editors' Network. I will be showcasing my most book "A Winter Solstice Celebration" Please come to visit us. We are at the north end of the park near Charles street and Queens Park.

I hope to see you there.

Introducing Freddy and his Friends

2009-08-02T08:29:00.005-04:00

At long last, I am able to introduce Freddy to you. I am also adding an excerpt of his adventures so that you get the real "feel" of who he is. So, ........................ here is Freddy and his Friends- Tommy the Tomcat, Alfie, Jeanie and Robby.

Chapter 1:

Freddy’s New Nest

Amongst the gravel and windblown leaves, Freddy, a young, chubby sparrow, stood back to check out his handiwork. With his wings on his hips and a big grin on his face, he sighed.

“Phew!” said Freddy, as he wiped his forehead.

He had worked very hard to build a new nest. Flying here and there, he had gathered twigs and bits of grass. He had also gathered pieces of greasy paper in colourful, funny-looking shapes. Freddy had stuffed the paper between the twigs and grass. He had also found Styrofoam to cushion his nest. Styrofoam was very interesting for Freddy. It was thick and warm and also waterproof. This was very important to him. After all, his nest was his home!

Freddy was very proud. This was the first time he had ever built a nest. His parents had given him permission to move from the family nest in the tree nearby to his own nest on the rooftop.

His new nest was hidden between the warm chimney and a small satellite dish that had bits of old paint and rust flaking off. Freddy proudly paced back and forth. He was so clever! His new nest would keep him warm in the winter because the steam and smoke from the chimney flowed past it. He would also be able to smell the delicious aromas coming from the chimney—this always made him really hungry.

Freddy settled into his new nest and squinted his eyes against the bright sunshine. He was curious and felt like a really grown-up bird. He looked around and listened to all the sights and sounds nearby. To his left, he saw the trees where his parents lived, with treetops full of deep green leaves that rustled in the soft breeze. The lake shimmered as the sun shone brightly in the clear, blue sky. A few puffy, white clouds lazily floated by.

In the distance, Freddy heard a few geese noisily arguing. He wondered what they were so angry about.

Turning and cocking his little feathered head to the right, he saw shiny cars humming along a grey ribbon of highway. He saw tall buildings, reaching up to the sky.

The sun reflected in the large windows, making them sparkle. The view was beautiful and very interesting. It was like watching TV.

Snuggled between the two tall buildings was a small rundown house with an overgrown yard. Freddy knew that an old grey tomcat lived in that house. His name was Tommy, and he was always on the lookout to catch the birds. Tommy’s fur was matted, and he had old battle scars on his nose. His eyes were bright green and he always glared. Tommy looked very scary! He knew that Freddy and his friends liked to fly around the yard, and Tommy would get very excited, and wanted to catch them. Freddy’s parents had warned him of the dangers of being in that backyard.

It gradually turned dark and cars continued to drive along the road. Freddy saw the pretty white and red lights. Sometimes there were lots of lights, and other times there were not that many.

All day long, humans had come and gone. They had arrived at the restaurant in shiny cars and jumped out. Laughing and talking, they had run into the building. After a while, they had come out, arms full of colourful bags filled with food. Very yummy food! Freddy had tried the food and it was very tasty! He smacked his yellow beak as he thought of the food.

During the past few weeks, Freddy had met and interacted with a few little humans— children. He especially liked the children. They had given him lots of little yellow sticks—french fries, the children called them. They had arrived with their mothers and fathers and sat outside to eat their food—the french fries!

Today was a very lazy day for Freddy. He had just met a few humans, and they had fed him a lot of french fries. “Oh, they are so yummy!” thought Freddy, as he fluttered his wings and smacked his little yellow beak.

A few minutes later, Freddy was lazily dozing off. “Hmm, this is so nice and quiet!” His little, black head nodded and he was soon fast asleep in the warm, bright sunlight.

“Hey, Freddy, hey!!” called out a small, brown bird. “Hey, come out and play with us!”

“Huh,” Freddy woke up with a start. “What… huh…what?”

“Freddy, over here. It’s me, Alfie!” yelled the little brown bird, waving his wings about.

Alfie was very excited and could not sit still. He hopped on his left leg, then his right leg, then on the left, then on the right one again. His two little friends, Jeanie and Robby, were waiting for him in the nearest treetop, where they lived with their parents.

“Jeanie, Robby, and I are going to play. We’re all going to play together! We’re going to fly over the lake!” squawked Alfie, to no one in particular. “I’m so excited. We’re going to catch some insects and spy on Tommy the tomcat. We’re even going to fly without flapping our wings. That is so dangerous! C’mon, Freddy, c’mon. It’ll be so much fun!”

Freddy slowly stretched out his wings and yawned. “Nah, I don’t feel like it. I’m tired. I want to take a nap.”

Alfie shrugged his little shoulders, turned around and yelled, “Robby, Jeanie, let’s go. Let’s have some fun!”

Chapter 2:

Tommy, the Terrifying Tomcat

Alfie’s two little friends took flight from the green treetop. There was a soft rustling sound as the breeze stirred the dark green leaves. Side by side, the three little friends headed to the lake. A few ducks and swans glided through the water enjoying the warmth and quiet of an idle summer’s day.

“Whoo-hoo,” yelled Jeanie as she swooped down to catch minnows.

“Hey, Jeanie, look at me! I’m floating through the air. I’m not flapping my wings!” shouted Robby.

Giggling, Jeanie swooped down to catch up with him.

“Oh, Robby, you are such a show-off!” squealed Jeanie, as she flapped her wings.

“Hey, guys,” called Alfie. “Look. Tommy the tomcat is sleeping! Let’s go drink from his water bowl. It is a really exciting game!”

“Alfie, you know that is dangerous!” gasped Jeanie.

“That sounds like so much fun!” chuckled Robby. “So much fun!”

“Oh Jeanie, it’ll be fun! Let’s go!” twittered Alfie.

Off the three friends went. Squawking and squealing, pretending to be dive-bombers, they headed directly towards the overgrown backyard where Tommy was lounging in a patch of sunlight.

Hiding in the thorn bushes, the three friends waited. The breeze rustled the leaves, and the little sparrows swayed on a branch, waiting for just the right moment. They could hardly stay quiet, they were so excited. This was a very dangerous adventure and their eyes shone brightly.

Tommy the tomcat stretched and rolled onto his back. His front paws were stretched out above his head. His head was rolled to one side and he had a peaceful grin on his ragged face. Once in a while he licked his lips, and the little sparrows could see that there were only a few teeth left in his mouth.

One by one, the little friends flew to the cracked ceramic bowl that stood next to an old rusty garbage can. Alfie stood on the edge of the bowl and took a sip of water. Jeanie gasped. Alfie was so brave!

Next, Jeanie quietly swooped down and landed on the garbage can. She hopped to the edge and jumped toward the water bowl. She was just about to take a sip when Robby loudly crash-landed on top of the garbage can. The sound echoed through the quiet afternoon and it woke Tommy up.

In one smooth move, Tommy jumped up and looked around. In an instant he saw the little sparrows and pounced towards them. His claws were facing the birds, and they glistened in the sunlight. They looked very big and very sharp. His bright green eyes were mesmerizing as he glared at the little birds.

Alfie jumped up and flapped his wings. Off he went to the bushes. Jeanie quickly fluttered to the nearest tree. But poor Robby looked around, dazed after his topsy-turvy landing.

Tommy saw Robby and quietly crouched down, getting ready to pounce. In an instant Alfie and Jeanie fluttered around Tommy. They needed to give Robby time to escape.

Tommy jumped up on his hind legs and swatted at them with his long front paws.

Robby got up and flew to safety. Jeanie and Alfie followed closely. Tommy didn’t give up, and, jumping and swatting, followed them. He was hissing and meowing. It was very scary.

The birds finally reached the fence and landed just on the other side. Their feathers were ruffled, and their little hearts were pounding in their chests. They were panting so hard that their tiny chests were heaving, and they couldn’t catch their breath. Their yellow beaks were thrown wide open to get more air. With a panicked look on their tiny faces, the three friends huddled together.

Tommy’s face was pushed against the fence.

“Next time I will get you!” hissed Tommy. “How dare you drink my water! That is my water. Get your own!” With that Tommy turned around, walked away, and went to lie down in his favorite spot in the sun.

“Phew, that was close,” panted Alfie.

“He was so mean!” chirped Jeanie.

“Let’s do it again!” chimed Robby.

Alfie had lost interest. “Nah, I think we should go see Freddy.”

Chapter 3:

The Delicious French Fries

Freddy had just woken up from his nap. He had stretched and yawned and looked about. He had seen his three friends being chased by Tommy the tomcat who lived in the garden.

“Oh no!” called out Freddy, as he had anxiously watched Tommy chasing his friends.

When his friends finally reached the other side of the fence, Freddy relaxed.

“I’m hungry again, and thirsty, too,” thought Freddy. With a sigh, he struggled up from his nest made from Styrofoam, twigs, and paper. He waddled through the gravel and tar to the edge of the roof. Freddy carefully peered over the edge to see if any of the children had left those wonderful yellow sticks—french fries. He also just loved that brown water they called pop. That was so yummy, too.”

While Freddy was peaking over the edge of the roof, he did not notice that his three friends were sneaking up on him. Step by step they quietly crept closer and closer until suddenly…

“Boo!” they yelled out in chorus.

With a yelp, Freddy jumped and nearly fell off the roof. He flapped his wings vigorously so he would not topple to the ground below.

He turned to his friends. With a frown on his face, he yelled, “Hey, that is not nice!”

Alfie chuckled, “Well, okay,” he admitted. “What were you doing anyway?”

“I was looking to see if the children were down there eating some food,” said Freddy.

“What kind of food?” Jeanie asked curiously.

“Real yummy food,” replied Freddy.

“Is it dangerous to get that food? asked Robby.

“No, not at all. The humans really like us. They give us food, and they laugh and say it is cute.”

“Really?!” chirped Alfie. “This sounds interesting.”

“Let’s go check out those humans,” squealed Jeanie.

“Oh, look, there are some children now,” Freddy pointed out.

Brightly dressed boys and girls sat at the tables laughing and talking while sipping on delicious pop and munching on long, crispy french fries.

“Well, let’s go!” called Robby impatiently.

“Oh, what is that red stuff? cried Jeanie. “That looks awful,” and she puffed out her feathers to show her disgust.

“Ha, ha,” laughed Freddy. “That is really tasty! The children call it ketchup.”

“Ketchup,” giggled Jeanie, “that is a funny word.”

Robby had already flown to the tables. He boldly landed right in the middle of the table where the children were eating. One of the boys, dressed in blue shorts and a T-shirt, pushed back a shock of dark brown hair. With interest the young boy leaned forward to look at Robby, his brown eyes wide with curiosity. Robby ruffled his feathers and boldly stared back. He tried to look like a big mean bird!

It was a bit scary and Robby tried to be brave. Far away, from the rooftop, the children were small, but this close, they were really big!

Slowly, the boy picked up a french fry and held it up to Robby. The french fry shimmered in the bright sunlight as a drop of fat dripped to the table. Timidly, Robby leaned forward and stretched his neck to reach the french fry. Cautiously he took a nibble and swiftly flew off, to the safety of the rooftop.

“Wow, this is good!” yelled Robby, as he smacked his small beak. “This is sooooo yummy!”

Knowingly, Freddy nodded. “Yup, I know, they are very good, huh.”

“I want more! More!” squealed Robby, and flew away.

Robby was so excited about the french fries that he did not watch where he was flying. He swooped down towards the table and started to land. Poor Robby did not see that he was going too fast and landed on the table with a big thump. His little wings spread out like an eagle.

He skidded across the greasy tabletop and landed head first in a blob of ketchup.

His head was covered with ketchup. Shocked, he tried to shake off the red sauce, but it was too sticky. One at a time, he opened his eyes and peered through the ketchup to see where the other french fries were.

The children had stopped talking and were staring at the little bird covered with ketchup. A little girl with bright red curls, blue eyes, and freckles burst out laughing.

“What a funny bird! Look, look!” she pointed. “He looks so funny.”

Poor Robby! He just wanted another french fry. He shook himself, and, without looking at the children, he walked over to a paper plate where the french fries were spread out. Robby picked one up in his beak and quickly flew away to enjoy his meal.

Chapter 4:

Freddy’s Nightmare

In the darkness, Freddy huddled in his Styrofoam and paper nest, snug against the warm bricks of the chimney. In the distance he could hear the steady hum of the cars driving along the highway, their lights flashing brightly as they slowed to steer through a curve. He squinted his eyes, and the lights looked like a long, long sparkly necklace.

It had been a very exciting day. His friends had come to meet him, they all had met some friendly children, and Robby had tasted his first french fries. Freddy chuckled to himself when he thought of how Robby had skidded through the grease on the table and had landed headfirst in the ketchup. That was so funny!

With a soft grunt, Freddy shifted his weight to get comfortable and scratched his belly, but…but could not reach his belly button. Puzzled, he looked down and saw a large, round belly sticking out. Bewildered, he scratched his head and looked at his belly. He hadn’t noticed that he couldn’t reach his belly button before! His belly hadn’t been that big…or had it?

Come to think of it, he wasn’t as comfortable in his little nest anymore. Not like a few weeks ago, when he first built it. Had it shrunk in the rain? Or maybe Alfie, Jeanie, and Robby had played a trick on him and changed the size of his nest.

“Maybe… maybe…” mumbled Freddy. With a sigh, Freddy shifted one more time to get comfortable, and then his little, black head nodded and his eyes slowly closed as he drifted into a deep, deep sleep.

Once in a while, his eyes fluttered and Freddy flapped his wings, moaning softly. It seemed that he was having a very bad dream…

It was a very warm humid day. The sky was a deep blue and the sun shone cheerfully. There was no wind, and the leaves of the trees lay heavy and limp on their branches.

Not feeling the heat, Jeanie danced around in the sky, enjoying herself. “Look at me!” giggled Jeanie. “I’m flying higher and higher! Wheeee! This is so much fun.”

Robby sat on a branch, his little, yellow beak thrown open. He did not like this warm weather. He was tired and listlessly watched Jeanie diving and twirling in the sky, when all of a sudden he saw a big hawk coming her way.

“Hey, watch the hawk!” screeched Robby. “He’s coming to eat you!”

“Robby, come up here, it is wonderful! You can see everything! I see boats on the lake, far, far away! And, the minnows are way up here today!” squealed Jeanie.

“No, Jeanie, no! Come down here! Watch out for the hawk! He’s coming!” yelled Alfie, who was perched next to Robby on the branch in the nearby tree.

“Oh, you boys are so scared!” laughed Jeanie. “Look at me! Weeee!”

Jeanie was not aware of the danger. The hawk was diving right at her as she danced through the air, giggling and catching her minnows.

Freddy was watching from his nest and tried to get to the edge of the roof to take off and warn Jeanie of the danger she was in. He slowly waddled to the edge and flapped his wings. And… nothing. He could not get himself into the air. He tried again, desperate to help his little friend. He flapped his wings but nothing happened. The hawk was getting closer and closer.

Freddy started to yell, trying to get the hawk away from Jeanie. “Hey, hawk, over here! Over here! Come get ME!”

Suddenly, Jeanie noticed a shadow hovering over her and looked up. She realized it was the hawk and knew she was in danger.

“Oh, please, please help me!” wailed Jeanie, as she scrambled to get out of the hawk’s way.

Freddy’s screams had distracted the hawk and confused him. The hawk looked up and bumped into Jeanie, who went tumbling through the sky. In an instant, the hawk shook his head and directed his attention to Freddy.

“Hmm, this is a nice chubby one,” thought the hawk, “nice to eat!”

With a gulp, Freddy understood that he was in trouble. He flapped his wings to fly away but could not get off the ground. He flapped and flapped.

He now saw the hawk’s beady eyes and oh, he looked hungry! The hawk came closer and closer, and Freddy kept flapping his wings. The hawk threw out his large talons and…

“Huh,” Freddy woke up with a start, his little heart pounding in his chest. His tiny, yellow beak was damp with sweat. His feathers were damp too. He shivered and looked around to see where the scary hawk was. There was no hawk to be seen. Freddy sighed and groaned in relief.

It was early morning and he saw his three friends sleeping peacefully with their parents in their warm nests. Dewdrops hung from the branches and spider-webs. The sun started to peek out from the horizon, making the lake a deep orange.

“Phew, that was a horrible nightmare!” thought Freddy, and he shivered again. He sat for a few minutes to calm down.

Then he remembered that in his nightmare he could not fly. That could not be true. With a grunt, Freddy got up from his nest and tried to flap his wings. He was curious to see if he could get off the ground. He flapped and flapped. Nothing! He could not fly! Confused and puzzled, he tried again. He could flap his wings, but he did not leave the ground.

Freddy was shocked. He stared down at his round belly and frowned. What was the problem? This had never happened to him before. His wings worked fine, but they were not strong enough to carry him up into the air because his belly was too big.

What had happened? Then he remembered what his mother had told him. She had said, “Freddy, you cannot eat so many french fries. That is human food, and not good for you!”

Freddy had laughed and told his mother, “It’s okay, mama. Don’t worry.”

Now he realized what had happened. He had not listened to his mother and had eaten too many french fries. Now he could not fly.

“Oh, no! This is awful!” cried Freddy.

Now, he wished he had listened to his mother and had gone to play with his friends

instead of eating the french fries. Sitting in his nest, he had watched as his friends were having fun, catching the minnows and visiting Tommy the tomcat.

“Humph, french fries are much tastier than those silly minnows,” muttered Freddy defiantly. “I’m sure it wasn’t the french fries! It can’t be the french fries!”

He sighed. He knew he had eaten a lot of fries. Too many were not good for you. He knew it. His mother had told him. He had eaten far too many of them, and now he was a chubby bird.

Realizing he was chubby, he hung his head and slumped his shoulders, and waddled back to his nest. With a few grunts and groans, Freddy lowered himself into it. He tried to get comfortable but realized that the rain had not shrunk his nest—he had outgrown it!

Slowly a single tear slid down his chubby cheek, then one more, and then another. He started sobbing and sobbing. His little shoulders shook as he wept.

Chapter 5:

Freddy Can’t Fly!

The sun chased away the soft morning mist that lay on the surface of the lake as a protective blanket. The dewdrops from the branches and spider-webs had disappeared. A few regal swans serenely swam by as they headed towards the middle of the lake.

Alfie, Jeanie, and Robby woke up. They stretched and yawned and stretched again.

Now, they were eager to start their day filled with lots of fun and adventure.

“What do you want to do today?” asked Jeanie, hopping from one foot to the other.

“Alfie shrugged. “ I don’t know! Maybe we can go visit Tommy. We can try to drink from his water bowl again. Last time was so thrilling!”

“Let’s get some more french fries!” chirped Robby.

“That is a great idea!” squealed Jeanie, but I want to show that I can drink from Tommy’s water bowl. Last time, I didn’t get a chance, because of Robby. Right, Robby?”

Robby grinned sheepishly, “Yeah, right!”

The three friends took off in the direction of the lake. Laughing and shrieking, they chased each other through the air, flying up, and up, and up, and then diving down again.

“Let’s see if Freddy is awake yet!” called out Alfie.

“Yes, let’s go tease him!” chirped Robby.

Flapping her wings, Jeanie looked over to the chimney where Freddy had made his nest. She could see the colourful paper in Freddy’s nest perched between the chimney and the satellite dish. She could see Freddy and it looked as if he was awake. But something was wrong. He was huddled in his nest and looked miserable.

Let’s go cheer up Freddy!” giggled Jeanie. “He doesn’t look happy. I wonder what is wrong.”

With that, Alfie, Robby, and Jeanie turned and flew towards the rooftop where Freddy lived. Side by side, the three friends stood in front of Freddy’s nest tilting their heads from side to side as they looked at Freddy curiously. Freddy looked so sad and forlorn. He didn’t even notice that his friends had arrived. Why was Freddy so sad? Alfie, Robby, and Jeanie looked at each other and shrugged their feathered shoulders.

“Hey, Freddy, Freddy,” murmured Jeanie. “Why are you so sad?”

“Yeah, Freddy, why you are crying?” asked Alfie.

“Yeah, Freddy, why are you sad? joined in Robby worriedly.

“Well…, well…,” stuttered Freddy, “I had a bad dream and a hawk nearly ate Jeanie.”

“Ah, that was just a dream! See, Jeanie is still here.” And with that Alfie tapped Jeanie on the shoulder.

“I know!” wailed Freddy. “That isn’t why I’m crying. In my dream I couldn’t fly!”

Jeanie giggled.” That is so, so silly!”

“Birds can always fly,” chirped Robby.

“It was just a dream.” replied Alfie, patting Freddy on the back.

“No, no it’s true. I can’t fly!” moaned Freddy. “Look!” With that he pushed himself up, waddled to the edge of the rooftop, and demonstrated. He flapped his wings to show his friends that he couldn’t fly. Sure enough, he did not get off the ground.

Alfie, Robby, and Jeanie gasped. They were so surprised. A sparrow that could not fly— they did not know what to think.

“See,” said Freddy with a deep sigh. “I cannot fly!”

“Hmmm,” muttered Alfie, “hmmm,” This was a serious matter, and he sank down on the rooftop to think. Robby sat down beside him and propped his fist under his chin.

“But why Freddy, why can’t you fly?” asked Jeanie curiously.

“Because, because…oh…,” cried Freddy, “I… I ate too many french fries! My mother told me it wasn’t good for me. And I was too lazy to play with you. I always wanted to nap and just sit and look around. Look at my plump belly.”

With a sad, sad sigh, Freddy pointed to his round belly. Jeanie’s eyes grew big. Now she understood why Freddy could not fly. She turned to Alfie and said, “Alfie, we need to help Freddy. He needs to fly again. How can we help him?”

“Hmmm,” mumbled Alfie. “Hmmm.” He scratched his head. “Hmmmm,” he said for the third time.

“Is that all you can say?” yelled Jeanie impatiently. She hopped up and down. “We need to help Freddy! Freddy needs our help!”

The four little friends huddled together in the early light of dawn, each deep in thought.

“I’ve got it! I’ve got it!” shouted Alfie enthusiastically. He jumped up and hopped from one foot to the other.

“What?!” cried Freddy, Jeanie, and Robby in chorus.

“Well,” said Alfie, as he ruffled his feathers and puffed out his chest. “Do you remember when we were flying over the park a few weeks ago?

“Uh-huh,” said Jeanie. “So what!”

“Do you remember that we were teasing a human who was running?” asked Alfie.

“That was so much fun!” snickered Robby, remembering.

“And do you remember how we made him run faster when we began to dive towards him?” continued Alfie.

“So, you want to tease Freddy and dive towards him?” Jeanie crossed her wings and sniffed.” That is not nice, Alfie! We want to help him, not tease him!”

“No, no, you don’t get it, cried Alfie impatiently. “Freddy needs to run!”

“Run?” squealed Jeanie. She toppled over and rolled on the rooftop, laughing and holding her own feathered belly. “Run! Have you ever heard of a bird that runs? He needs to fly!”

“I know, I know,” shouted Alfie, annoyed, “but he needs to start with a little bit of exercise. He needs to lose his chubby belly.

“Uh-huh,” chimed Jeanie, “and he has to stop eating those french fries. I heard my mother talking to Robby’s mom and they said that too many french fries aren’t good for us, just as eating too many fries is not good for humans. But they do taste good!”

“Yeah, they are really good! cried Robby.

“Well, we need to help Freddy. So we can all stop getting the french fries and encourage Freddy to run!” said Alfie.

Poor Freddy! He did not like the idea of running. He wanted to fly again! And continue to eat that yummy food! Freddy groaned, no, no, he could not give up his favourite food. The yellow sticks—the french fries. He smacked his beak just thinking about them.

Oh, this is so horrible,” sobbed Freddy. Robby hopped over to Freddy and put his wing around his friend’s chunky shoulders.

Don’t you worry,” said Alfie, determined. “Freddy, we are going to help you fly again!”

“Yes,” nodded Jeanie. “We will help you, for sure.”

(continues)

Having a fun Summer

2009-07-26T09:34:00.005-04:00

During the last month I have been very busy with my other career as ESL teacher. During the summer months we have a program for children and as I'm a children's book author, the director of the school thought it would be a great idea for me to work with our kids in the ESL summer camp.
He was right, I'm having a great time. Oh, and so are the children!

My students have gone to a cooking school, they've gone hiking, watched movies, created a few art masterpieces. They are scheduled to do a few more very fun activities before they leave at the end of August. They have also learnt some basic English, such as Simple Present, Simple Past and Present Progressive and they are practicing everyday.

In the afternoons I take some of our older students around to see the sights of Toronto and other areas well worth seeing.
We've gone to Niagara Falls,Niagara -on- the -Lake, saw a winery and got soaked on the Maid of the Mist. We saw The Distillery district, the CN Tower, went to a Baseball game to see the Blue Jays( sadly they lost that game). We've gone shopping, bowling, toured the University of Toronto, went to a movie and saw the St. Lawrence Market. We also had a fun day at Canada's Wonderland.

The fun part is that I get to play tourist or better yet tour guide in my own city. Toronto is a great place to visit............. even now when we have a garbage strike where well paid city workers throw a temper tantrum, which we are the brunt of. I strongly feel that all the BIAs ( Business Improvement Areas) should work with the locals of that area and hire private garbage pick ups that listen to us, their employers. Then the city workers can strike to their hearts delight............we don't need them anymore!

On a lighter note, I have another 2-3 weeks of playing tour guide . Then, I get the chance to work on the publication of Freddy. I hope to introduce him and his friends soon.

Introducing Minou de la Rue and her Friends

2009-06-28T21:01:00.009-04:00

As I continue to work on publishing Freddys French Fries Fiasco, I am already working on my next book, Minou de la Rue and her Friends. That is the working title, as I am not sure how it will develop. My books end up telling me what their titles will be once they are ready.

As a professional writer, I usually start with the development of the story itself, as if I need to write what I saw in my mind. The characters talk to me, telling my what they want to do.

This time, I am starting my next book with the development of the characters. It seems to be the right thing to do with Minou de la Rue. Let me introduce you to Minou and some of her friends.

Minou is an adventurous cat who enjoys life and meeting all her friends, animal and human a like. She is a very beautiful gray cat with long fluffy fur and great big green coloured almond shaped eyes. In one of her adventures, when she was very young, she hurt her tail, and now it flops down to her side. She is very proud of this goofy tail and prances around proudly showing it off.

She meets Ausland, a big dog, who is very protective of her, when she is looking for adventures.
Nozum is her brother, who teaches her a lot about life, as he is older than she is. Minou does not always listen.
Minou meets up with Ricki the Raccoon, who loves to wander through the night and find treasures. His mother is always close by to protect him and Ricki is a little bit rebellious.

She also meets a new cat on the block. His name is Harley. He is a very excitable and rambunctious little cat who already writes about his life on his blog, harleysadeventures.blogspot.com.

There are a few more characters that are developing, they are still maturing.
I will keep you posted and introduce you to the rest of the characters when they are ready.

My personal outlook of life

2009-06-20T16:56:00.007-04:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak in front of a fine audience. In my speech, I approached my philosophy of life.

As a 10 years old, I had an epiphany. I realized that life was one great big adventure after another. I envisioned my life and saw great adventures ahead and I wanted to experience them them head-on.

And that I've done! There have been exciting adventures, happy adventures, dangerous ones, sad and unhappy ones and just plain fun adventures.

With the happy, exciting and fun adventures I, of course, wanted to be able to live them forever and never let it end. But with the unhappy and sad times I wanted to speed up time to get through it. In those dismal days, I always kept in mind "This too shall pass"

As a writer, I have been able to see adventures in all nooks and crannies of my life bring them into existence and sharing them with others in my short stories, plays and books. I have been able to create and "meet" a number of characters.

Soon, I will introduce you to my latest character, Freddy. A young bird, who ate too many french fries and it too heavy to fly. With his little friends, Alfie, Jeanie and Robby, he has some very exciting adventures while he loses his big belly and learns how to fly again.

Please stay tuned!

Harley- a rambunctious 3 month old kitten

2009-06-07T08:36:00.008-04:00

I'd like to introduce you to Harley. He is the newest addition to our family.
He is a small 3 month old kitten who has charmed his way into our hearts. The first evening he was with us, he jumped on my pillow and with his nose firmly propped into my ear started purring.

When we started discussing names, he told us he likes Harley. He thought it was a cool name. We agreed and because he purrs like a well oiled Harley Davidson bike, we did name him Harley. Dancing around the apartment, Harley told us he was delighted.

He is now is very busy exploring, chewing on plants, fighting dangerous hair scrunchies and watching the birds fly by. Great adventures await him.

He has enchanted me into setting up his own blog, so stay tuned for Harley's blog and his adventures.

Getting back to normal life and looking forward to it

2009-05-03T09:57:00.006-04:00

It has been a while since I've been able to post.

It has been about 4 weeks since the fire and life is slowly but surely getting back to normal.

The first month we stayed in a hotel , which had some of the comforts we were used to. On Friday, we moved into a new apartment, close to our old building. ( The building will take about 6-8 months to renovate)

The last few days, I've been shopping up a storm. It is very interesting how we take things for granted. On Friday afternoon, we realized we didn't have a bed, or pillows, sheets and towels. Well, time to shop!

On Saturday, I was very happy to finally cook for myself again but realized.... I have not pots or pans to do so. Off to the store once again.

We are literally starting over again. My husband and I look at it as a new beginning. We were very lucky to come out alive and also that we had insurance. For those of you who don't have content insurance, I would stongly advise to get it. It will be the best $20,- per month that you will spend.

Next week, I will get a new computer and I hope to get back into the swing of things. I am looking forward to writing again. I have so much to say.

I am looking forward to starting up again with the promotions of my first book "A Winter Solstice Celebration"

I am just finishing Freddy's story and hope to introduce you to him fairly soon.

I am also working on a story to honour my beatiful cats. They both died in the fire, but will live on in their adventure book (s).

'till next time
DiDi

Caring nature of our fellow human beings

2009-04-13T14:15:00.003-04:00

When I posted my last blog, I was leading a very busy and hectic but very good life. On April 4/09 my life turned up side down. The building I lived in burnt down. We all got out in time except for one person who sadly died. Also 4 cats, of which one of mine also died.

To tell you about the goodness of our fellow man, I had to start with this horrible story. My husband and I are- thank goodness- alright. We are a bit emotional still, but in time we will be able to go on.

It has touched my heart how all the people in our community and in the rest of the city have reacted. There was a lot of concern for our well-being- physical and mental. The city officials were also very concerned and helpful and I know that other tenants are also very grateful to all who have helped and are still helping.

When I ran out of the building I has no shoes on. I borrowed a pair that were too big and when I went to the Eaton Center to buy a new pair, someone gave me a coupon. Another person paid for our breakfast one morning. Everyone asks how we are and wants to help. We had to put posters up for the cats that got lost and everyone was helpful. we did get calls and found my youngest one. I know that in the scheme of things they are small things. But, they meant a lot to me and my husband.

One of my main concerns, after I knew what was going on was that my computer- where I have my manuscripts- won't work. I have been told that they can recover the information so keep your fingers crossed. I will in due time introduce you to my next character, Freddy.

I want to thank everyone for all their help and concern. I will keep in touch and work on the last little bits of my manuscript with Freddy. He is also very eager to meet all of you!

I'm back again!

2009-03-21T21:13:00.005-04:00

Hello Everyone,

It has been a while since I have posted a blog.
My only excuse is that time has passed me by.
I've been working very hard on my next book as well as developing my new web-site.
I've also been planning my marketing and PR strategies so that more children and their parents can hear about "A Winter Solstice Celebration" and its environmental message.

The development of my web site is coming along and will be more children friendly than the one I have now.
I hope to have it up by the the middle of April. I will certainly send a blog to you when we have the launch.

I am very excited to meet with a team of PR experts next week who are going to advise and help in this area.

Last but not least, I would like to introduce you to Freddy. Freddy is the character in my next book. He is a small sparrow who likes his french fries too much. He ends up too heavy and cannot fly. With his friends, Alfie, Jeanie and Robby he has a lot of adventures as they try to help him lose his big belly.

A Successful WEN First Annual Showcase!

2009-02-24T20:53:00.004-05:00

Hi Everyone

The WEN First Annual Book Showcase was a great success. Thank you all for showing up and supporting me!

I would like to welcome all the new people who have signed up for my blog! I look forward to sharing my book adventures with you.

There were a lot of people to talk to and introduce my book to. The Showcase generated a lot of interest for "A Winter Solstice Celebration" as well as for my next book which I will introduce to you in the next few weeks.

We had TV coverage and once I know when it will air, I will certainly post it so that you can all watch.

DiDi

Book Showcase at the Gladstone hotel in Toronto

2009-02-13T21:31:00.005-05:00

Very Exciting news!
On February 18, 2008 I will be featured in the FIRST ANNUAL AUTHOR SHOWCASE
at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto.

Below is the invitation: Hope to see you all there!! I'd like to meet you all!

Host: Writers and Editors Network

Location: The Gladstone Hotel

1214, Queen Street West

Toronto, ON M6J 1J6 Canada

When:Wednesday, February 18, 7:00PM

Phone:905-823-9174

WELCOME TO OUR FIRST ANNUAL AUTHOR SHOWCASE

Featuring 19 authors and their books.

Meet the authors and get your own signed copy of the book.

Admission: Free

Music: Howard Lopez,

Courtesy:Soundscape Productions

Light refreshments will be served

Expansion into Quebec

2009-01-26T20:24:00.002-05:00

As a Christmas gift, I gave my French mother-in-law, who lives in Quebec, my book. Even though English is her Second Language, she took the time to read "A Winter Solstice Celebration". When she came to visit us this week, she told us, that she laughed at the funny antics of the animals and she smiled to see how Miya helped the animals. She really enjoyed the story.

Now my book is doing the rounds through the rest of the Quebec part of my family, young and old.
This of course has set the stage to go forward to translate into french for all of the Quebecois to enjoy "A Winter Solstice Celebration"

Fans on the subway

2009-01-17T13:40:00.002-05:00

Well, today I took the subway. As always, I'm very aware of the children, so that I can promote and share my book with as many as possible. I have an "avtivity flyer" for the children that has crossword puzzles and other word games on it. The children like it because it is fun. The parents like it, because it is educational.

I gave the two girls my flyer and they immediately started to solve the crossword puzzle. While at Christie station a little boy and his dad entered the train. I gave him a flyer as well. He sat near the two little girls and they started talking to him. They put their heads together and were working together to solve the puzzles. When the train arrived at the Yonge/Bloor, I waved good-bye, but the children were too busy and hardly waved good-bye. I was very honoured that they were too busy with my flyer.

new web-site

2009-01-12T14:32:00.002-05:00

Hi

I'm excited to tell you that I am developing a new web-site for the www.didisbooks.com
I'm just learning at the moment so please check out my web-site on a regular basis. It will be posted at one point.
Talk to you soon,
DiDi