Category Archives: Inspiration

Aug16

GOOD OLD BOAT NEWSLETTER BOOK REVIEW AUGUST 2017

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GOOD OLD BOAT NEWSLETTER BOOK REVIEW AUGUST 2017

It has happened again! WHO’S the CAPTAIN? has been reviewed by GOOD OLD BOAT’S Newsletter Reviewer, Carolyn Corbett.  I am so thrilled with how she caught the complete essence of this humorous picture book targeted for  boating families, that I just had to share it with you!

GOOD OLD BOAT -August 2017 Newsletter

 

WHO’S THE CAPTAIN?

BY MARY LAUDIEN, ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVE ALAVOINE (CREATESPACE, 2016; 56 PAGES, PRINT $13.99 USD/$14.99 CDN; EBOOK $7.99)

REVIEW BY CAROLYN CORBETT (LAKE SHORE, MN)

Who’s the Captain? is a 56 page picture book of sailing life according to Dad and his crew. The humor in the text is accentuated by clever, colorful cartoons. Older kids who are familiar with the ins and outs

… Read the rest
May2

TENDER TUESDAYS – SURVIVING MY HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT #6

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TENDER TUESDAYS – SURVIVING MY HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT #6

THE L_O_N_G CONVALESCENCE

Let’s just say that once husband and Prairie Girl woke up after the operation, the fog took some time to clear before reality set in. Comprehending what had just happened took some time to digest. Husband and Prairie Girl were never so relieved to be TOGETHER! The 14 days spent in the hospital was a new journey for both of them. Never being on any medications or being diagnosed with anything serious in their years together, had led them to believe that illnesses and accidents happen to others- not to them.

Amazingly, PRAIRIE GIRL found  it to be second nature to care for her FREEDOM 69 husband.  This surprised even her! Prairie Girl, immediately … Read the rest

Nov23

IT’S a BOOK LAUNCH in a MARINE STORE!

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IT’S a BOOK LAUNCH in a MARINE STORE!

HEAD– It’s the BOAT TOILET, okay?

FINALLY! A FAMILY SAILING BOOK that cracks the code of nautical terms through humourous cartoons and a cheeky glossary! Mary Laudien, a fourth time B.C. children’s author and former Principal of West Bay and Cypress Park, has just released, WHO’S the CAPTAIN? Anyone who has ever sailed or cruised with kids aboard will relate to the cartoons and reminiscing of those adventures on the water will be inevitable!

mary-anim-character

Mary didn’t start sailing until her late forties, missing out on the fun of cruising with her sons, as children. Many of her school families had extraordinary sailing adventures to share with her. As she cruised the Pacific NW on their Catalina … Read the rest

Oct25

TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #8

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TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #8

A COZY MEMORY…

                            ABOARD THE ON EDGE

It’s a rainy, dark October day, and as I write this TENDER TUESDAY post, adding to my collection of early sailboat ownership experiences, it felt like the right kind of day to share a magical New Year’s Eve memory.  (It may just inspire my readers with sailboats to plan a romantic evening on their boats at dock on a cold, dark winter night.)

New Year’s Eve arrived quickly, a few months after purchasing our old/new Catalina, the former Y KNOT (later renamed the ON EDGE).   Husband had been working his way methodically through his TO DO LIST, in preparation of sailing in the spring.

The boat was still moored in North … Read the rest

Oct4

TENDER TUESDAYS

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TENDER TUESDAYS

KOMBUCHA PUSHER

My kitchen has been transformed into a Kombucha factory! Before I know it, husband will be starting up a new business.

kombucha_lab

Some of you reading this may not even know WHAT this brew actually is! Simply defined: it’s a fermented tea, that hasn’t, necessarily, a “proven” health benefit… Nevertheless, husband is holding onto the miracle of hair growth- preferably on the TOP of his HEAD! So far I’ve noticed a significant sprouting of new growth hairs: nose hairs,… nostril hairs,… ear hairs… since he started up his KOMBUCHA production process.

Nonetheless, husband’s persevering, even though he may have just missed that opportunity with his timing. Hopefully it isn’t too late for his fine- haired, balding … Read the rest

Jul4

TENDER TUESDAYS

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TENDER TUESDAYS

MEET INSPIRATION – Instalment #3

I know… I know…. it isn’t Tender Tuesday-it’s Marathon Monday.  That’s the point, I had to write my Tuesday post today…

I want to share how easily it is for me to relate to Dave Alavoine’s cartoons, as well as being inspired. In the PACIFIC YACHTING MAGAZINE (JUNE 2016 edition of COCKPIT CONFESSIONS), his cartoon illustrated a submitted story, entitled, SHORT WHITE WATER. The minute I read it, I was compelled to write about one of our early sailing experiences going through a pass in the Gulf Islands. (I’d love to scan this published cartoon here for you, but don’t want to break copyright.Please look it up!)

Several years … Read the rest

Jun28

TENDER TUESDAYS

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TENDER TUESDAYS

MEET INSPIRATION #2

I’m finally getting back on track after a chilly Spring Cruise with SCYC (our yacht club), an overhaul landscaping job of our front yard, a trip to Portland, setting up publishing files for my picture book, WHO’S the CAPTAIN? … just to name a few distractions from TENDER TUESDAYS!

On FREAKY FRIDAY, I explained how meeting Dave Alavoine (the cartoonist for COCKPIT CONFESSIONS in PACIFIC YACHTING MAGAZINE) and starting our collaborative process together was inspired. I had already written this repetitive language picture book with a sassy nautical glossary, and had prepared notes for what the action in the cartoons would look like and the dialogue that the sailing family on vacation would be … Read the rest

Jun23

TENDER TUESDAYS

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TENDER TUESDAYS

MEET INSPIRATION

AN APOLOGY TO MY FOLLOWERS: I know this isn’t Tender Tuesday or Wacky Wednesday, and not even Theatrical Thursday… Please accept my apology for publishing this on Freaky Friday! (I’ve been a little busy….)

Many of you may not be aware that I’m in process of publishing my first Picture Book! I waited for months to have the carefully chosen publishers respond to my query and tell me how anxious they were to get the project to print. I dreamt of bidding wars over my manuscripts- seriously! You’re shaking your head right now, thinking another disillusioned novice gets a dose of reality. Not exactly! I have had some experience with publishing in a former … Read the rest

Jan28

MEET the AUTHOR: Mary Laudien

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MEET the AUTHOR: Mary Laudien

photoFrenchie X2 Author PhotoMary's visit

After reading the article entitled Meet the Agent- Barbara Lowenstein in Writer’s Digest (Feb., 2013), it occurred to me it might be helpful for my blog readers to know more about Mary Laudien, the Middle Grade Author. I decided to follow Kara Gebhart’s simplified format to provide this info to my blog followers (All 3 of you, but I know there are many more of you who were just waiting for an invite to subscribe!). If you seek more detailed information, you can always go to my website: http://www.twocandobooks.com

Who is Mary Laudien? 

  • a retired innovative educator  (Known for successfully transforming the public schools she was principal of into International Baccalaureate World Schools)
  • a newly appointed International Baccalaureate
… Read the rest
Jan15

Pudsey YouTube Video Hilarious!

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Pudsey YouTube Video Hilarious!

Authors find inspiration for their writing from all sorts of places.  It just so happens, as I finish revising my third Middle Grade novel of the humorous Frenchie Series, that watching the Ashleigh and Pudsey YouTube video from Britain’s Got Talent, helped me create the best ending ever.  Each time I re-read those final three chapters, I end up laughing hysterically.  This amuses my husband to hear the belly laughs coming from my office upstairs. I don’t want to give anything away, yet, but give yourself a treat and watch this humorous video.  It will make your day.  Share it with others who would enjoy some pet humor and love.

If you enjoy Ashleigh and Pudsey, why not … Read the rest