Orca Illustrator Graham Ross shares with us his story of running in the Boston Marathon.

“Qualifying for the Boston marathon has been a goal since taking up marathons 5 years back. The Boston marathon is somewhat mystical in running circles as it is one of very few marathons that you need to qualify to run. For my particular age group I needed to have a qualifying time of under 3 hours and 30 minutes. I have qualified two years in a row, but 2009 was the year I chose to head to Bean town to join 26,000 of my closest friends in a run from Hopkinton, Mass to downtown Boston.

Boston is notorious for challenging the runners with not only a tough course, but also the wild swings in potential weather on race day. Past marathons have been run in 32′C heat waves, Nor’easters  that bring with it torrential rain and winds that could knock you over. This years edition of the marathon was to be visited by cool temperatures and mild winds. I can deal with that.

Heading in to the marathon I had had some doubt as to whether I would be able to run the race. The previous month and half I had been plagued by a foot injury that I couldn’t shake. I only learned recently through bone scan that I have a stress fracture. No wonder my foot hurt!

Race day came with me biting my nails and whining about being able to finish. My wife, Jenn was probably glad to see the back of my head as I headed out the door to catch the shuttle to the race start.

I had no expectations of what I would experience along the course as we ran from 42 kilometres outside of Boston into the city core. I was completely overwhelmed by the cheering throngs  out three deep on either side of the course for the complete marathon. Buoyed by the unqualified support of all lining the streets I plugged away at the run, hoping my foot would hold out before letting me know that it wasn’t having anymore fun and it was going back to the hotel without me to sit by the pool.

Just at a point where I would consider packing it in. Someone in the crowd would yell “Go Canada”  in response to the maple leaf on my hat. 

Okay then, I’ll keep going. It was that support that saw me through to the finish, a little disappointed in my finishing time, but thrilled with the experience.”

Posted under Announcements, Authors, Guest Author Blog

Dinah Galloway is determined to sing one day at New York City’s legendary Carnegie Hall, or “Crumbly” Hall, as the redheaded sleuth called it when she was little. Recently her author, Melanie Jackson, stopped by Carnegie Hall – can Dinah be far behind? Not according to a mysterious, if slightly scattered, fortune teller named Madame Sosistris, who in Queen of Disguises definitely sees the famous performance venue in Dinah’s future.

Millionaire philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated $2 million for the concert hall’s construction, finished in May 1891. Famous for its rich, precise acoustics, Carnegie Hall seats 3,000. Its début concert was conducted in part by none other than Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. But the Carnegie Hall performance Dinah most likes to hear about – and listen to – is Judy Garland’s, from 1961, called “the greatest night in show business history.”

Posted under Authors, Books, Guest Author Blog, Writer Blogs

Okay, so some of us don’t ever land graceful hoops like in this photo. Some of us don’t even land ungraceful ones. Educators and fitness experts alike are now saying, “So what?” The point of fitness, they assert, isn’t to look cool, or make every right move, or least of all to impress others. The point is to have fun – to get fit without getting terrified. We have to remove schoolkids’ long-held concept of phys ed as an ordeal. For example, if kids aren’t comfortable running five times around the track field, maybe they can walk briskly instead. And what’s wrong with skipping rope as exercise? Even Dinah Galloway, who very grudgingly comes to love – well, like, fitness in the health-themed mystery Queen of Disguises, can manage the occasional double-under.

Posted under Authors, Books, Guest Author Blog, Writer Blogs

In Summer of the Spotted Owl, Dinah Galloway and her buddies save a family of spotted owls from crooked developers in the North Vancouver rainforest. Spotted owls are among the world’s most endangered animals – but they just got a glimmer of hope. In a recent story, the Los Angeles Times reported: “President Obama [recently] overrode the Bush administration on a key step in applying the Endangered Species Act, restoring a requirement that federal agencies consult with experts before launching construction projects that could affect the well-being of threatened species.” CTV News recommended Summer of the Spotted Owl for young readers seeking to learn about fragile ecosystems.

Posted under Authors, Books, Facts, Guest Author Blog

Johannes Gutenberg would be pleased. The German goldsmith (1398-1468), who invented the printing press in 1439, can rest easy in his grave. Computers will never replace print, avers Jeremy Klaszus in the Calgary-based Fast Forward Weekly. Never mind those exciting paperback thrillers that it’s fun to cuddle up by the fire on a rainy day –  as one news vendor points out, even a good-sized newspaper would be too much for your eyes if you tried to read it all onscreen.

Posted under Facts, Guest Author Blog, Writer Blogs