Everything in its place
As an indexer, I tend to be obsessive about organizing things alphabetically—the books on my shelves, the spices in my cupboards, the DVDs and CDs in the basement . . . Of course Joan Aiken should come before Kate Atkinson,…
Prize-worthy books
It’s always a thrill when a book that a WCEA partner has worked on, whether as editor, proofreader, or indexer, is shortlisted for—or wins—a coveted book prize. Well, we’ve been extra thrilled recently to see so many books that we've…
Upcoming presentation: Writing and Publishing Children’s Books for a Niche Audience
We’re excited to announce that partner Rowena Rae and her sister, Elspeth, will be presenting at Editors British Columbia’s monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 21.
A nuanced look at Nature Out of Balance
Congratulations to our partner Merrie-Ellen Wilcox on the launch of her new book, Nature Out of Balance: How Invasive Species Are Changing the Planet. Merrie-Ellen’s third book, and her second in the Orca Footprints series, looks at how invasive species—humans…
I read to you, you read to me
It’s late afternoon. I’m in the kitchen making supper, and my daughters are in the living room doing homework. Suddenly, giggles break the silence. Then, the two girls barrel upstairs to their bedrooms. More giggles and the odd whoop funnel…
Cover story
We’re delighted to see partner Rowena Rae and her sister, Elspeth, are the cover story on BC Booklook. The pair are the authors of the Meg and Greg series of chapter books for six- to nine-year-olds who struggle with reading…
Celebrating a new book: The Larder of the Wise
Every so often, a project arrives that hits an editor’s sweet spot, the topic a perfect fit with the editor’s own interests. Such was the case with me and The Larder of the Wise: The Story of Vancouver’s James Inglis…
Watching our language
One of our neighbours has been downsizing recently, and discards from her bookshelves have shown up on the curb by her house. One volume I snapped up was Watch Your Language by Theodore M. Bernstein, described on the cover as…
Frances Peck, novelist
Writing informational prose, training others how to write and edit, and working with other people’s words is a great way to make a living, as most writers and editors will agree. But for some of us, like our recently “retired”…
“You are not a To Do list”
I recently finished reading The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, by one of my favourite authors, New Yorker staff writer Atul Gawande. I’ve been interested in using checklists since the book was first published, in 2009—and increasingly find…