Back to the Printer!

This cover still takes my breath away.

SO EXCITED! 

Family of Spies: Paris is back to Friesen Press for a second print run!

Thanks to all who have purchased copies or have borrowed the novel from a library. Finding an audience is every writer's dream.

AND it is now available in the United Kingdom and most of Europe!
We're working hard on U.S. distribution. Inches away from a green light.

Happy Dancing around my house. Need to get my extra hyper out or I'll never get back to my current work in progress. These stories don't write themselves, after all.

To the Library!

View from our Toronto Airbnb.

What a whirlwind trip. 

I arrived at our Airbnb in Toronto at 1:00 a.m. with fellow author, pal and absolute perfect travel companion Colleen Nelson, and was out again by 7:30 a.m. to get to a full day in at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference.

This cover created a lot of buzz,
thanks to Relish New Brand!

I met lovely authors, teachers, publishers and the reps from Publishers Group Canada, the distributors for Yellow Dog titles. Bronte, Margot and Michael graciously hosted us in their booth and for a feverish twenty minutes I signed books and chatted to teachers and librarians about Family of Spies:Paris and the school visits available through the TD Canadian Children's Book Week Tour.

Key Conference Takeaways:

• Middle Grade. Middle Grade. Middle Grade.
• Shorter Middle Grade is needed
• Middle Grade Fantasy remains high in demand
• Manitoba stories are being very well-received
• Great Plains Publications has an extremely good reputation

On a personal note:

• I need to produce more words if I want to grow my writing career.

To get those words onto paper, I plan to take my mobile office to various libraries around the city as I complete the first draft of my next book. I need zero distractions and household chores always scream for my attention, so beginning Monday morning I am off to the Fort Garry Public Library to write for the day. Funny. My love of literature is coming full circle. When I was a child, we spent hours at the Fort Garry Library reading everything we could get our hands on. In fact, years ago I wrote a piece about this for the publisher of Spaghetti is NOT a Finger Food and Other Life Lessons, Little Pickle Press. You can read that article here: Featured Library: Fort Garry Public Library

Makes me think of that old John Denver song,

Back home again, I just can't wait to get home again...

Fort Garry Library.
Library Sweet Library.

And finally, my deep gratitude goes to the Manitoba Arts Council and their ongoing support of Manitoba's writing community. Without their grant, my journey to Toronto would not have been possible.

Looking to book an author?
Click here!

Ontario Library Association Super Conference 2019

Look out people, Flatlanders are coming to town  

...erm... 

to the Ontario Library Association Super Conference 2019!

Hmm. I need to work on the slogan. Doesn't roll of the tongue, does it. Maybe a song? A riddle? Or what about a limerick!

Ahem.

Portage Avenue Collides with Yonge Street

by 

Jodi Carmichael

There once were three writers from Winnipeg.

They really liked to pull your leg

But their jokes soon fell flat
Even rhymed cat with kitkat
And got bonked on their heads with a shillelagh. 

Think I'll stick to novels.

Let me get straight to the point. Three Manitoba authors will be signing books at the Ontario Library Association's Super Conference the last week of January to showcase prairie talent and to represent publisher, Great-Plain Publications. Anita Daher, award-winning author, presenter and The Writers Union of Canada Vice-Chair, will be arriving old school, via ViaRail. The second award-winning author to make the trek is a contender in the Forest of Reading once more, Colleen Nelson. She'll be climbing aboard Westjet with me for a quick flight from Winnipeg to Toronto.

I'm signing copies of Family of Spies: Paris
at booth #421 on Friday at 10:30 am!

Next up: Family of Spies: Paris Bookmarks!

Are we ready? Yes we are.

I am in full-on marketing mode:

• Designing business cards
• Printing marketing sheets for my presentations
• Preparing a binder of speaker testimonials 

I'm also mulling over questions like:

*Can I bring back list books for teachers to look at?

*Should I bring some sort of marketing piece - maybe a postcard with a blurb about my middle grade fantasy manuscript, A Time of Peril? Is that tacky or is that being a smart business person?

*And of course, most importantly...

what should I wear? 

I strongly feel a new outfit is in order. 

Nothing like new clothes confidence to set the day off right.

And now that I have my priorities in order it is back to writing

Rise of the Dark Faeries

Spooky, yes?
This middle grade novel follows A Time of Peril
and precedes,
Return of Dragons

Please pop by, say hello and pick up some fabulous novels from Manitoba authors. 

We'll be at the Publishers Group Canada's booth #421!