Going Meatless

vegetarianism2What do Ghandi and McCartney have in common?

Vegetarianism.

For the 20+ years that I have been a vegetarian I have tried not to push my views on anyone else. I felt it was a personal choice, and everyone has to make up their own minds about how they want to live and eat. But times have changed. Most of us now know the devastating effects of factory-farming on the environment. Many people are adopting eating practices like Meatless Monday, or Vegan before Six. It’s a start, and definitely a shift in the right direction.

While doing some research I was delighted to come across a list of quotes by many of the world’s greatest thinkers who are also vegetarians – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mahatma Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein – to name just a few. There are also some famous entertainers – Paul McCartney, Richard Gere, and even Alex Baldwin.

I am in good company.

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.”
― Paul McCartney

“You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“As custodians of the planet, it is our responsibility to deal with all species with kindness. People get offended by animal rights campaigns. It’s ludicrous. It’s not as bad as mass animal death in a factory.” Richard Gere

“Every time we sit down to eat, we make a choice: Please choose vegetarianism. Do it for animals. Do it for the environment and do it for your health.” Alec Baldwin

“To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body.” Mahatma Gandhi Continue reading →

Writing Pain

grievingThe theme of my current novel-in-progress is grief. Each morning when I re-enter the world of my characters I have to delve back into their pain, and it’s really hard. I wish I was writing about joy. That would bring lightness to my life, but that’s not the story that’s calling to me right now. I know that the writing will get easier towards the end as my characters work through their grief, and, (hopefully) find meaning in it but here in the middle it’s agony, which is exactly what grief is.

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.” (Robert Frost)

I struggle on, and in doing so I learn, for in the end that is why I write.

Where’d You Go Bernadette

Where'd You Go Bernadette2This novel falls into the category of books-I-wish-I’d-written-myself. Clever and funny it is told through a wide mix of emails, letters, documents and more – my favourite kind of story-telling. The characters are all eclectic and fun. The plot twists are brilliant and I think I was smiling the entire time I was reading. I especially liked how the author poked fun at Canadians and people of the Pacific Northwest  in general, especially those of us living in suburbs. An unexpected spin-off from reading this book is that I now have to put the Antarctic closer to the top of my list of places I want to visit, possibly right under the Galapagos Islands and Borneo. Who would have guessed?

Feeling Blessed

Book launchThe book launch for Allegra was a great success. So many of my friends came out to support me on this happy occasion. One of my daughters was unable to attend but she was there in spirit, and look at how much she resembles Allegra!Cara & Allegra2Cara & Allegra

Gentle Giants: Grizzly Bears and Mountain Gorillas

CharlieBoth of these magnificent animals have been on my mind because I was on a gorilla trek in January and will soon be back to helping care for the two grizzly bears at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife. I have also just reread Dian Fossey’s Gorillas in the Mist and I went to hear Charlie Russell speak about his many years of living with the grizzlies in a remote area in Russia. The accompanying pictures are of Charlie Russell with the bears and one of Dian Fossey.

Dian Fossey proved, without a doubt, that the Mountain Gorillas are gentle giants when they are treated with respect. Charlie Russell discovered the same thing about the grizzly bears he lived with. Both animals have an intelligent, playful and peaceful nature. They will interact in a friendly way with humans if they haven’t been abused.charlierussell bear 4

But humans have not always treated these animals respectfully. Both animals have been poached for body parts, or the young are kidnapped to be taken to faraway zoos. Ranchers have come into conflict with bears and they have been the target of trophy hunters. When the animals associate humans with violence, they can return the violence.Dian Fossey

I thought that this first picture of Charlie Russell must have been photo-shopped, but in his presentation he showed the series of pictures leading up to it. The bear was there first, and allowed Charlie to join him.charlie-russell

If only human nature was always so intelligent, playful and peaceful.charlie-russell3

The First Review for Allegra is in…

Book reviews…. and it’s pretty good!

Excerpts from Quill & Quire, April 2013…

“Allegra’s anxiousness and love of dance (and, as the book progresses, music) feed into each other, resulting in a character who might have little in common with the average teen, but is deeply sympathetic and interesting. As an examination of mental health troubles, the book is a sophisticated and subtle anomaly in a genre that often places emphasis on the ‘issues’ first and characters second.”

“Hrdlitschka’s prose is clean and clear as she balances Allegra’s school and home life, which includes the dancer’s complicated relationship with her musician parents. Avoiding the one-dimensional depictions often foisted on older generations in YA, Allegra’s mother and father are fully realized, flawed, and believable.”

“You can’t hear the music, but you can feel it in this fresh, engrossing story.”

Phew!!

Hurray! Hibernation is Over!

Rolling in the snow

Rolling in the snow
Photo Credit: Marieke L. van der Velden

Coola and Grinder – the grizzly bears that live at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife – are coming out of hibernation today. I have truly missed seeing them each week and helping care for them as part of my job as Wildlife Volunteer. They have been sleeping for the past 5 months, snug in their bear den at the top of the mountain. I expect they will be much skinnier versions of the bears they were late last fall when we last saw them as they have not had anything to eat or drink since then. Continue reading →

On Pins and Needles

pins-and-needles-purple-cushionI once sat on a panel of authors and we were fielding questions from an audience of teenagers. One of the questions was, “What is the hardest thing about being a writer?” My immediate response was “Rejection Letters”, but when the writer to my left said “Bad Reviews” I quickly retracted my answer to agree with hers. Continue reading →