I live in a tiny, magical chocolate box of a seaside town tucked away on the south shore of Nova Scotia. I look after my kids and pets; I write; I read scores of books in my sunroom perched over the Atlantic Ocean. It is easy to forget that the world outside exists.
Last weekend, Dear Reader, I ventured out. And not only that. I flew to Montreal, one of my most favourite cities in the world- pedestrian friendly, not too big, filled with enchanting people and wonderful food.
And there I met up with a slew of amazing YA authors at the very first Montreal YA Lit Fest (organized by the Jewish Public Library, and more specifically Talya Pardo with the able assistance of Nicole Beaudry, and a great team of helpers).
Check out this stellar line-up:
I was lucky enough to connect with old friends and make some new, scintillating ones, like J.F. Dubeau and S. (Samantha) M. Beiko who sat next to and across from me at the gargantuan Italian dinner we attended on Saturday night. True to my own cultural familial experience, it went on for hours and the conversation never flagged. Sam and J.F. were delightful and intriguing and their books (Scion Of The Fox and A God In The Shed, respectively) are killer reads.
I picked up both their latest and also E.K. Johnston‘s Exit, Pursued By A Bear because she is a fantastic and always surprising writer. I highly recommend all of them. Please patronize your nearest independent bookseller.
Livres Babar Books (established in 1986!) were the bookseller for the festival and they were amazing, even bringing in our back catalogue. Bless them!
