Tag: niagara

For Two Weeks Only (give or take a day)!

Load up your Kindle with ‘Tales from The Escarpment (or Nearby)’ for $2.99, starting soon!

Tales from the Escarpment (or Nearby) is a collection of short stories inspired by the lives of Baby-Boomers of the Niagara Region. A force to be reckoned with in their prime, the characters in these stories still exert influence, culturally and economically, as they age. And despite aging, they are determined to call the shots. They, like the ‘Slow-dancin’ Blue Haired Lady, practice self-determination even in the face of dementia! At favourite watering holes, like ‘Pudgies’, the music just gets better and better because geriatric musicians really know their stuff. The stories illuminate vivacious people with a zest for life and a continued appetite for experiences. Some stories highlight the value and reliability of long-term relationships. And other stories, like ‘What Paulie Took Away’, reveal the intersections where Boomer and other generations collide.

For a taste of what’s inside, read the story ‘Regrets, I’ve Had a Few…’ posted on this website.

Illustration from ‘Regrets, I’ve Had a Few…’: Izzy and her confounding nemesis at the food court.

A Book is Dropping!! Pick it Up.

This collection of short stories, based on imagined lives in St. Catharines, Ontario, drops May 1 (that’s tomorrow!)

I’ve lived in St. Catharines since summer of 2023, having left my beloved Halifax, Nova Scotia because my living situation there had become untenable and I simply could not afford the market-value rents of the few rental units available in the city. My sister came to my rescue and offered me a home in St. Catharines. I settled in and chose to learn my new city and to love it.

St. Catharines is a lovely city of trees, beautiful gardens and vibrant, engaged and active people. It has a well developed and varied domestic architecture infinitely pleasing to this former practitioner of that art/technology – who can’t, by the way, resist speculating about what might go on within those brick or stucco walls – and feels compelled to commit those speculations to print.

This book of stories (the first of several, I think) is based on a combination of observations and imaginings of the culture and inspired by people I’ve come to know and appreciate.

I hope you will enjoy them.

Pre-order for new ebook

The ‘Tales from the Escarpment (or Nearby)’ ebook should be available on Kindle for pre-order by February 23, 2026 – release date remains May 1.

Tales from the Escarpment (or Nearby) is a book of short stories inspired by life in Niagara. I took literary liberties with the everyday experiences of some regular folks and created a cast of oddballs and characters then spooled out some twisty plots. Take a peek into pickleball culture and a closer look at your Meals-on-Wheels driver! Celebrate pub life among happily retired hard-rockin’ Boomers! You might see yourself in these pages if you look long and hard.

Tales from the Escarpment (or Nearby)

This lovely image was fashioned by Megan Garden, one of several she produced from which to choose a cover for my book of short stories. To me it expresses the geographic and therefore eternal features of the Niagara Peninsula: in the foreground are vineyards, middle ground features Lake Ontario and the horizon depicts the escarpment, that anomaly in the fertile flatlands of this part of Canada. We’ve chosen to ignore the part of the character of southern
Ontario that involves industry, canals and highways. Artistic license!

Tales from the Escarpment is scheduled for release in early May and will be available for pre-order in early spring.