Diane Jarvis-Schuller

Do you know your rights as a writer or as an artist? If you are not a writer, illustrator, photographer, artist, musician, do you know how NOT to infringe on those rights?

I’ve written posts before about photographer’s rights, but as a writer as well, I am amazed at how people give no value at all to the rights of writers. Without professional writers there would be no history books, no newspapers, no news at all, no novels, no books of poetry, no comic books, no children’s books, no textbooks, no how-to books or reference books, no greeting cards, none of it. Protecting, or even enhancing, copyright laws is vital. With the Internet, people have become numb to or choose to be ignorant regarding the rights of the creators of words, photographs, or music. All of these works are created by someone and those “someones” should be compensated for their work, not forced to work for free.

Even if you know nothing about copyright — in fact, especially if you know nothing about copyright — this very short video puts copyright issues in very simple and easy-to-understand terms. I urge you to please watch it, understand its importance, and support the copyright of writers and artists of all venues. Please.

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For those who may not have seen my original post on “Posting Photos Online”, it deals with every person who posts photos on the Internet, whether it’s Facebook, Flickr, or other venues.

A few posts ago, I shared a photo of a novel I was reading, Resistance. It was excellent! and I highly recommend it — actually anything by Anita Shreve is well worth reading.

Currently my bookmark is resting between the pages of the novel, The Dogs of Babel. The first chapter went along quite easily so, so-far-so-good (UPDATE on The Dogs of Babel: I gave the book away after reading a few more pages. I definitely did not like where it was going and disgustedly set about to give it away while I was in Edmonton.)

As you can see, I’ve already baked a couple batches of old fashioned, buttery shortbread. Melt in your mouth goodness!

I leave for Edmonton shortly and before turning the computer off and getting my packing done, I thought I’d post a few more photos until I return on Monday. Despite the treacherous highway conditions, I am really looking forward to taking my son and his wife out for a really nice dinner over the weekend. We’ll be celebrating both his and her birthdays. I hope your weekend is safe and full of joy — enjoy the treasures of the season. What are you looking forward to this weekend?

I definitely recommend this novel whether for yourself or as a gift, Resistance by Anita Shreve

Who are your favourite heroes (heroines) in fiction?

This is one of the questions posed by CBC in their version of Proust’s Questionnaire. One day I would love to play the questionnaire and respond to each question. In the meantime, here is my off-the-cuff response to this one question (that’s the idea of doing the questionnaire; the responses are meant to be what first comes to mind without having a lot of time to give it thought).

My favourite heroine is Penelope, the sixty-something protagonist in Rosamunde Pilcher’s The Shell Seekers. I found her spunky and honest in the way she examined her life and her connection with her adult children. There’s more but that’s what stands out in my mind. A very memorable woman.
I do have a second heroine — not sure why male characters are not immediately coming to mind — in Sue Monk Kidd’s delightful novel The Secret Life of Bees, I was absolutely smitten with the teenage Lily. Despite her situation, she had such a delightful and forward-moving attitude and she sometimes had me smiling so much that my cheeks were sore.

Quick, who are your favourite heroes (heroines) in fiction?

Earlier today I stopped in at my friend Karen’s place to pick up two autographed copies of her most recent novel, Summer of Fire. I have two teenage nieces that we’ll be seeing on Christmas Eve and wanted to have a gift for each of them. I immediately knew I’d give them each a copy of Karen’s most recent Young Adult novel. Books are one of my favourite gifts, whether to receive or to give. When I picked up the books Karen and I chatted for a while and then I returned home to wrap up the books. I knew Karen had already personalized and signed the books for me but it wasn’t until I arrived home that I saw what she wrote. It was so perfect and, as is apt for such a wordsmith, there is a double entendre in what she wrote, “Get fired up about reading!”

Here’s to getting fired up this Christmas season. May you and yours enjoy a Christmas that is filled with love, laughter, and special moments. Be sure to capture those moments with your camera too!

“The beauty of the written word is that it can be held close to the heart and read over and over again.” ~Florence Littauer

I’m so immersed in my photos I haven’t been doing nearly as much reading as usual. Other than a couple of technical books (on Lightroom for instance), I haven’t read some good fiction for a while. I’d love to know where your bookmark is currently resting.

I’ve mentioned my friend Karen Bass in a previous post, but thought I’d mention her book again for anyone who may be looking for a good read. Karen’s novel, Run Like Jager is classified as Young Adult but I can guarantee it’s every bit an interesting read for adults as well!

While I’m at it, a fellow dog writer/photographer recently sent me a copy of her lovely picture book, Salty Dogs. Jean Fogle has some fantastic photos of dogs at the beach paired with apt and interesting quotes. This would be a great gift book for anyone who simply loves dogs or those who love being near water.

The reason for not reading some good fiction lately is definitely not because I don’t have some at hand; no, I have two piles of promising novels sitting in abeyance waiting for me to crack their fresh spines. As an avid reader, I’ve read a lot of really powerful, well written novels (and a few that weren’t so great too). I can never list an all-time favourite or even a top 5 or 10 for instance. That said, here is a sampling of some of the novels I’ve read that do make my list of favourites though I couldn’t put them in any kind of order — each was a favourite for different reasons. (These are simply notes I made on these novels and are by no means any sort of review.)

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: Outstanding. I read and loved this book long before Hollywood got a hold of it. I’ve purposely not seen the movie because I know they could never do the book justice. It’s a feel-good book full of interesting facts on bees, wisdom of life, humour, and intelligence. It’s truly a book every mother and every daughter should read. Kidd writes with lovely descriptive prose and turns of phrase. More importantly, she is adept at characterization and the voice of this protagonist (Lily) is delightful. I loved Lily! She made me smile despite her circumstances.

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry: a bountiful epic told in the most richly woven prose. Mistry is an artful wordsmith. Not a dry spell to be found in this book. I learned so much about India, their culture, politics, and everyday life in their different social castes. His writing is so full of imagery and so well wrought that I could smell the streets and see the colour as I read page-by-page. The fine balance was that fine line between despair and hope. A book I can never forget. (I also read it years before Oprah discovered it )

The Kite Runner Illustrated Edition by Khaled Husseini: An excellent book with great storytelling and total involvement in the characters. The protagonist, Amir’s shocking betrayal of his loyal friend Hassan is at the root of this novel’s intensity. Highly recommended.

No Great Mischief: A Novel by Alistair MacLeod: A really pleasing read. Plain (in a simple/good way) lucid writing which used landscape as a prominent backdrop. A well told story of family, the historical parallels, and the strength of family ties — “always take care of your blood” as the characters would say. I really enjoyed a line used in the novel, which was repeated as the closing line, “All of us are better when we’re loved.”

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III: a page turner. The fog, and sand to a degree, are characters in this moving story. I found the characterization of Colonel Behrani exceptional. Constant, and building tension, together with adept storytelling made this an engaging novel to read. I’d classify it as a contemporary tragedy. (I think I’m flattered that Oprah selected some of the books I had already read!)

The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart: The unique characters and subject — wood & stone carvers — were dealt with such clarity in this novel. As in past novels I’ve read by Urquhart, she uses the underlying theme of “a trace”. In this case, it’s the trace of the carver on the wood or stone, although I also saw the trace of a man on a woman theme. Each of the characters also had obsessions, which tied in so well with their adventures in life. A detailed, yet enjoyable literary novel.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden: Beautiful language. What an engaging novel, full of voluptuous prose; an extraordinary story that was hard to put down. His indepth research has made the building blocks of an exquisite story. I didn’t want the book to come to an end and actually remember holding on to the book and not wanting to let it go when I finally did finish it. It flows like gentle ripples on a pond. I was so intrigued by her story and in learning so much about a life of which we all have far too many misconceptions.

Oh dear, I could go on and on. See! It’s hard to pick just a few favourites  What books have you immersed yourself within that inspired you, made an impact, or even altered how you view your life?