Welcome to the Blog!
In these pages, you’ll find more about my travels to Italy, Spain, and England for my books, as well as other travel tales from around the world. Plus you’ll uncover more about my daily drama as not only a self-published author, but also as a TV writer for ET Canada. Plus find articles about other minor matters in the world of movies and television.
Back in Rome
The first time I was in Rome, I fell for a girl. We had met in Salzburg. She was leaving the hostel with her friends while I was just arriving. But we bonded quickly and agreed to meet again during our European adventures. We missed our connection in Venice but...
Banff World Media Festival #2 Starring Larry King
Last week, I reflected on my first two years of writing all the award shows at the Banff World Media Festival. After the thrill of creating jokes that made Ricky Gervais and William Shatner laugh, I fully intended to leave on a creative high and end my Rocky...
Banff World Media Festival #1 Starring William Shatner
Beyond the marketing of my first book, the creation of my second one, and the daily task of writing all the studio material for "Entertainment Tonight Canada," I also freelance around and write for other producers, particularly award show producers. It started with...
The TV Show Showdown
Previous posts featured my TV interviews on CTV's "Canada AM," Global's "Morning Show," and CHCH's "Morning Live." While I have given some brief context about each interview and added some (self-deprecating) play-by-play accompaniment, I haven't really compared the...
The Book Leaves My Apartment AKA Validation Part 2
It was August 2011. And with my new books stacked neatly around my condo, it was time to get the word out to the media—months in advance of the actual launch date. In an earlier post, I mentioned that the hardest part of publishing is breaking down the traditional...
First Year Anniversary of Decision Day AKA Validation Part One
It was at Christmas time that I made the fateful decision to publish my first book. It was one year ago today—almost to the very moment. In previous posts, I’ve described the inspiration, the creation, the inherent obstacles, the long waits, and the gate keepers. But...
Storm the Gates & Bang Your Own Drum AKA Resolution to Self-Publish
I didn’t exactly idly wait around while agents and publishers mulled over my manuscript and then concocted creative letters to let me down easily. I started to outline book number two. And then in the summer of 2009, I traveled to England and Spain to inspect the...
Return Home to Write the Book AKA So What Took You So Long?
After my research trip to Italy, I returned to Toronto with a basic plan. I had to transcribe all my handwritten notes into my computer. And organize them properly. And research some more. And then actually start writing the thing. I had no idea on how long it would...
Return to Rome AKA So What is a Fictional Travel Memoir Anyway?
I had already toyed with the idea of writing a book. Not a travel book. And not a novel. But something in between. I had read several travel books and was usually left a little… wanting. The authors were often a little pretentious—writing about the unrefined locals...