Category: A Good Home

It’s almost five years since I published a story here about an Irish gardener and his two sons. Little did I know that one day I’d be working alongside him on an intriguing project!

Out of the blue, Ciaran De Buitlear sent me a first draft for what he hoped could become his first book.

Would I read his manuscript? he asked.

I did, and was bowled over by the charm, beauty and pull of the storytelling. Whole pages felt lyrical. It had that “show, don’t tell” style we authors aim for. And “the music” – that rhythm that casts a spell over its readers. Better yet, there was an unexpected revelation at the heart of the story.

I fell in love with it.

“This is a diamond in the rough,” I realized.

My next thought: “He needs a strong editor who will preserve his voice and make the book the best it can be.” So I sent him tips on potential next steps, including how to choose an editor.

~~

Ciaran is new at book writing, but he’s well-known in the world of environmentally friendly gardening. His love for gardening and Nature – and his concern over climate change – show up in his small home garden, and in his work with schools, his community, and online.

During the pandemic, he and his young sons Sam and Zack started a YouTube channel and website as part of Gardening Well. Now, between Gardening Well’s many social media activities and media coverage, they have a large following. And that’s not all. There has been another big development – but you’ll have to read his book to learn about it.

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Ciaran had read my books, including my own gardening memoir, Twigs in My Hair. He also liked the advice I gave him about next steps.

Would I be his editor? he asked.

I gulped. I had a full schedule already.

“What is your deadline? I asked.

He said he’d love to have the book on the market before the Christmas holidays, but realized this may not be realistic. He would wait for me if it took longer.

I made no promises about a deadline.

~~

My focus this last year has been on coaching other writers, especially memoir authors. But I’ve quietly edited other books over the years. I could do this, I thought, if my coaching colleague Fran Kolesnikowicz would work alongside Ciaran and me as Story Consultant. In addition to her literary skills, Fran has a way of reeling me in when I get in over my head.

Long story short: Fran said Yes. So I said Yes. And we three started work to make Ciaran’s book the best it could be.

We will not tell you the long hours that were involved – nor the weird schedule we three kept, what with Ireland and Canada being in different time zones. But what a joyful and interesting experience it was.

This week, both paperback and Kindle editions of Nature’s Acre by Ciaran De Buitlear were published. As the book description says: “His writing blends sustainable gardening with expressive storytelling and a wry sense of humour, drawing together plants, a sense of place, and a personal recovery.”

If you want a gem of a book that’s charming, short, and compelling, check out Nature’s Acre. It’s beautifully-written, powerful, and deserves to be a bestseller.

Congrats, Ciaran. May this be your first of many books.

It’s such a beautiful autumn day here in my little town in Southern Ontario.

The trees – including the Japanese maples shown above – are ablaze with colour.

But on this day, I’m preoccupied and praying for Jamaica, land of my birth, and for all the other Caribbean islands in the path of Hurricane Melissa. A pretty name but deadly, according to all the weather projections.

Melissa has been sitting in wait, gathering strength over the ocean. Like a predatory beast waiting to strike, someone said.

I have family and friends there. And millions of other people whom I also wish I could protect.

I’ve been praying. And doom scrolling, literally.

But comfort/distraction comes from surprising places.

Northumberland 89.7 FM chose this time to rebroadcast an interview I gave about what “home” means to me, along with an excerpt about my childhood home in Jamaica, from my book A Good Home.

To hear the interview and excerpt (read by me) on the Word On The Hills programme, visit:

Wordonthehills.com

And click on Recent Programmes. Mine is the first up.

My thanks to the hosts, Felicity Sidnell Reid and Gwynn Scheltema. Your timing is remarkable.

Cynthia.

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Hi Friends:

Ever noticed how certain words become ubiquitous at certain times?

Like the word ‘ubiquitous’ did a couple decades or so ago. Until then, very few people went around saying “ubiquitous”, when they could have just said, “It’s everywhere”.

Well, a few weeks ago, two new words made their entrance.

As the US president attacked America’s allies and cozied up to its enemies, the “in word” became “quisling”.

The term comes from Norwegian Vidkun Quisling, whose regime collaborated with the enemy during World War II.

But now the “in word” is Vichy, used to describe a party or government that collaborates with the enemy. Its roots are also in WW2, when a French marshal set up a collaborationist government in Vichy, France.

US Democrats who recently collaborated with the governing Republicans to pass a controversial spending bill were immediately accused of being “Vichy”.

Not “like Vichy “, but simply “Vichy”. And now “Vichy” has become ubiquitous, while “quisling” is losing its shine.

Do tough times bring out “new“ old words? Words that just lay there quietly dozing for decades, only to be shaken awake and pressed into service, over and over?

Or is there, unknown by me, always a hunt for the next new old word to make its discoverer feel special, more in the know? Like the person who discovers a cool new author, TV show or restaurant which her friends haven’t heard of yet.

I have no objection to either explanation. New or old, rare words have a way of expanding not just our vocabulary but our knowledge as well. Here’s to the next one, which, I hope, will be “Vimy”, meaning a courageous battle leading to a victory.

Or maybe that’s just me showing off.

I hope you’re doing well, in spite of what’s happening around us. I’m sharing a small flower bouquet that my granddaughter made one spring, to lift your spirits and mine.

Cynthia.

Hello, Friends:

What a joy to coach memoir writers! You’d think after years of holding memoir writing workshops and seeing my students publish both books and short memoirs, I’d no longer be bowled over by the remarkable stories people bring to this work, and the talents they discover they possessed all along.

But here I am again, jumping with joy right along with them. It’s the best kind of partnership, one which respects what each person brings.

Put simply, the writer brings the story. I bring the tools and techniques the writer needs to craft the story into a book others will want to read. Coaching individuals to tell powerful stories from their lives means sustained one-to-one work. I start where the memoir writer is, and we journey along together as the story takes shape.

As my “coachees” complete their manuscripts, spots open up. Right now, there are 2 openings.

If you’ve ever wanted to write your memoir, or a non-fiction narrative that combines your personal and professional experience (2 of my writers are doing exactly that right now), do contact me, please.

My best wishes to you on all you do.

Cynthia.