The Easter weekend saw me, Linda and the two doggies in Cold Lake, and it certainly was cold. Unseasonable weather for April was not in our plans when we booked the hotel, that’s for sure. Our last trip here was early July and it was very warm and crowded.
However, we made the best of our long weekend, with walks along the dock and day trips to explore. Funnily, a lot of the range roads and township roads we tried had no exit signs, so we went back and forth a lot. The retreat of No Exits, we have called it.
This was only my second visit to Cold Lake and I really love it there. Any large expanse of water always makes me happy. Being in landlocked Alberta, I miss the seaside of England, where a quick thirty or forty minute drive got me to salty air, waves, sand (or pebbles) and rock pools.
Sammie and I were out to walk in the early mornings and could hear the deep cracking sound of the ice echo across the lake. We also enjoyed watching the rising sun reflected on the ice. On one walk, we found a cute free library, so on my next trip I must contribute one or two of my books.
The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell. The dark side of family secrets, the repercussions and finding a way to deal with them. A fascinating story, of a family finding the truth of themselves in contrast to their ‘idealist’ childhood. Shadows at every turn and revelations keep you turning the pages. There is redemption, love, sadness and above all a family linked to one another.
I am currently reading The Smart One by Jennifer Close.
Both of these books involve family dynamics. It is interesting to read the different approaches by each author.
What are you reading?
Apart from reading, walking and exploring, over the weekend, I did read through my fellow novel workshop participants comments on the first thirty pages of book two of The Delphic Murders – The Tainted Search. Having four other writers read my work, gives me diverse feedback, which is so welcome and helpful. This trilogy will take some time to complete, but will be worth the effort. I hope once it is published you will enjoy it too.
Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers 