So. Nearly four months away from this blog, which makes me sad, because I really like blogging.  I spent most of the winter swamped in the innumerable, seemingly-unfinish-able tasks that dictate how and where I spend my time. That means either marking, or writing academic stuff.  In happy news, I’ll be presenting a paper on Insurgency & Commemoration at Batoche for CACLALS this spring, at UVic. I haven’t presented a paper since 2011, so it’s about time.

I’m teaching an extra section of composition, too, for January – April, which means I have 70 students instead of the 30-something I had in the autumn.  For the most part this is good news (for four months we’ve cracked the poverty line!) but it means I have no time. And so much to do. I try not to do the infernal mathematics:  70 students x 12ish assignments each = what was I thinking.

Of course, there are bright things, too, and pleasant news.  One of them is that my novel is coming out in May.  It has a cover!  It’s very very pretty.  I feel so lucky that the people at NeWest— editors, designers, marketers, managers– understand what I was trying to do, and have designed something that reflects & expands on the story.  I’ve been thinking a lot about collaboration for the last couple of weeks, as I realize how many people have contributed to turning The Paradise Engine from a secret word document I kept squirreled away on my harddrive, to an actual, real book. That’s pretty exciting.