3. Writing needs heart-fire to be compelling, its intentions clear. Is your message authentic? Is it coming from your heart?

I've edited or consulted on more than 200 books during my 30+ years as an editor and had the pleasure of working with writers who indeed write from the heart. Here are a few of my favourites:

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The Irish Country Doctor series by Patrick Taylor, Forge, New York From 1995 to 2020, I did developmental editing, line editing and consulting on all of Patrick Taylor's books, including his highly successful Irish Country books, which have sold more than three million copies since the first one was published in 2004. The books grew out of the former physician's own experiences as an apprentice doctor in Northern Ireland in the 1960s and have regularly appeared on bestseller lists in the New York Times, The Globe and Mail, Barnes and Noble and USA Today. The first book in the series, an Irish Country Doctor, was shortlisted for the 2005 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize when it was released in Canada as The Apprenticeship of Dr. Laverty.  “Patrick Taylor has become probably the most popular Irish-Canadian writer of all time.” —The Globe and Mail 

​The Horizontal Everest: Extreme Journeys on Ellesmere Island by Jerry Kobalenko, Penguin Books Canada This book was named Best Adventure Travel Book at the Banff Mountain Book Festival. I helped Jerry, an inveterate trekker and adventurer in the Arctic, with the overall structure as well as developing consistent voice and thematic approach. “The Horizontal Everest is refreshingly free of the hubris that marks much of adventure writing, and the reader never feels assaulted by Kobalenko’s daring, only inspired by it.”--The New York Times Book Review

More books I've worked on: 

In Search of the Miraculous, Eliza Mada Dalian (Expanding Universe Publishing;  recipient of seven book awards)

​The Gallant Cause: Canadians in the Spanish Civil War, Mark Zuehlke (Whitecap Books)  

In a Country Garden, Noel Richardson (Whitecap Books) 

Clara and Me, Deanna Kawatski (Whitecap Books; nominated for a BC Book Prize) 

Rants, Raves and Recollections, Rafe Mair (Whitecap)

Naomi Wakan, Haiku: one breath poetry (Pacific-Rim Publishers; a Canadian Children's Book Centre Choice ​)

Messing About in Boats, Will Millar (Whitecap Books) A Globe and Mail bestseller.

Ted Harrison: Painting Paradise by Katherine Gibson, Crown Publications 

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Written by a bestselling author whose caring for the late artist comes through in the writing, the book skilfully merges Harrison's compelling life story with images of his most important works. It is the first-ever biography of the painter whose vivid paintings of the Yukon have transcended regional art to become iconic of Canada itself. "This biography of renowned artist Ted Harrison is itself a work of art." --Edmonton Public School Board

Us and Them by Sid Tafler, NetBC Publishing  Written by popular Victoria writer, playwright and media consultant Sid Tafler, this memoir traces the evolution of Canada's racial ethos over the past 50 years through the experiences of his Montreal family. Sid and I worked closely together on early drafts of the manuscript to create a structure, theme and approach to this highly personal and thoughtful memoir. "The story is told with skill and sensitivity, with a clear eye back and an optimistic eye forward." --Times-Colonist, Victoria