My own Frosty

I'm not all that obsessive about collecting things for Christmas - like Santas. I do have some but I'm not a collector.

This snowman was given to us one year along with a gift basket. He extends so that he stands taller but we usually just keep him short.

Not snowmen but these polar bears are so cute. My daughter and I saw them in Zellers (a now defunct department store) and we were both going to buy one. She talked me out of it and then, ended up giving me hers. They are not always sitting properly. Sometimes they topple so I try to put them somewhere the little ones can't play with them.

Book Review - Snowmen

Since I am a proud mom, I thought I would brag a bit here. There is a wonderful review of my son Mark's book Snowmen in today's edition of Canada's national newspaper, the Globe and Mail.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/snowmen-by-mark-sedore/article1938663/

The book is available at Chapters/Indigo, Amazon (both .ca and .com) Barnes and Noble, and Borders. It's also at many bricks and mortar book stores.

For the writer

I really wanted to sew garments again and Mark wears what I sew. I asked him if he wanted me to make him a short-sleeved shirt and he said yes, since he only had one (other than t-shirts.) So, I took some of this - beige, denim-looking fabric...

and I used this pattern. It had been hanging around for years and looked quick enough to do. There is no back yolk and the collar is in one piece. The sleeves are sewn together with the side seams so there is no set-in sleeves. Even then, after not sewing shirts for quite a while, I mis-sewed the hem. It was only the front quarter and easy enough to unpick.

Mark came over last night to deliver extra copies of his new novel, SNOWMEN and tried it on without the buttons. It fit well and then I had him choose his buttons. I had lighter ones picked out but they were a tad bigger. He preferred the little ones. He won't get it until after the long weekend since he is writing again and supporting his friends who will be doing the marathon 3-day Novel Contest.

Note: He informed us that there will be a review of his book in a "small" American publication around Christmas time. Perhaps you've heard of it - Playboy Magazine?

UPDATE:

Mark just dropped in on his way out of town and so he took his shirt with him. Of course I had to take a photo before he left the building. (those are my quilt frame boards behind him.)

IT IS HERE

Yes, it is! It's early too!! It wasn't suppose to be out until the 1st of September but it arrived yesterday.

 The BIG event had to be recorded  - regardless of what time it was...

Surprise!

Just a flip through. The very first time Mark has held his very first published book called Snowmen.

And, of course, every NEW BOOK has to be smelled. Yes there are two books there - these are the ones his brother pre-ordered but since he is in Spain, he lucked out.

WOW, it's even dedicated!

(To my parents, Clare and Dolores)

This is a commercial and a shameless plug, for all of you who didn't get it.

Here's the cover for a better look and ...

This is the invitation to the book launch - for those of you who are interested.

One more thing: Here's the very first review of the book from  

http://www.uptownmag.com/2010-08-12/page6355.aspx

A winner in more ways than one

Snowmen, which took top honours in last year’s 3-Day Novel Contest, is a fast-paced, gripping tale about brothers

Quentin Mills-Fenn

How are you going to spend the Labour Day long weekend? Last year, Mark Sedore wrote a novel.

Snowmen (3-Day Books) won 2009’s 3-Day Novel Contest, the annual literary marathon. Winning manuscripts get published and, like all the 3-Day winners I’ve read, Snowmen is really quite good. It’s a fast-paced read, but it still manages to delve into a complicated relationship between two brothers.

Charlie is a decent guy, a music therapist. His younger brother, Larry, is a genius with a social disorder — he’s wildly successful, professionally, but a disaster, personally.

Larry lays two bombshells on Charlie: he has a brain tumour and he wants to walk across the Arctic Circle to raise money for cancer research. When Larry is unable to undertake the quest, Charlie fills in for him. Larry doesn’t like this at all and sabotages his sibling.

The book alternates between the antipodal brothers’ backstory, which relates the circumstances of their falling-out, and Charlie’s interior monologues on his lonely journey. Not directly addressed but intriguing to consider is any connection between Larry’s deteriorating mental health and his increasingly aberrant personality.

Sedore has produced a gripping and satisfying story which betrays no clue to its origins.

If you’ve got the inclination, who not do something productive next month and whip up a novel? You can make an outline, even collaborate with another person, but all writing has to be done during the long weekend, wrapping up at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 6th. Register by Sept. 3 at http://www.3daynovel.com/. The winning entry will get published next year.

http://www.uptownmag.com/2010-08-12/page6355.aspx

Thank you for reading all this if you've made it this far. I am a proud and happy mom.

Note: The lovely young lady with me in the photos and wearing my favourite turquoise colour is Kate, proud wife of the new author.