Next book underway

I thought I would try a different approach with the writing of my next book, Dance With Me. I found WEbook, a new online writing website that lets authors post their latest unpublished work to get feedback. They're promoting themselves as a type of American Idol, for aspiring authors. Annually they run a contest, which invites readers to vote for their favorite works. The story that receives the highest number of votes could be published by WEbook.

Here is a link to my latest story on their site: WEbook

Canada Coast to Coast - The Video

We made it across Canada in our 14-year-old van. The trip took 13 days in total. We spent some extra time in Alberta to see the badlands and the fourth largest mall in the world, West Edmonton Mall. Below is a short montage of video taken while on that trip.

We've bought a house in Metro Halifax.

The house hunting trip was a success. We found a place about a 1/2 hour commute outside of Halifax. What attracted us to the place was the quietness. We couldn't hear any traffic noise. The birds were chirping. The sun was shining. The kid's high school is about a ten minute walk away. There's a lake, with a beach close by, just down the road, where I can kayak too. So that's a big bonus.

We found the home we wanted, and put together an offer the second day so we had some free time to enjoy some of the touristy things in the region like eating lobster, and visiting the Halifax fort. Peggy's Cove is only a 45 minute drive away from where we'll be living. We drove over there in the evening to take some pictures and walk around the famous lighthouse. The scenery was amazing. Inspiring. This place will give me some great writing ideas I'm sure.

We're moving out east to Halifax

We've been blessed to live these past seven years on Vancouver Island. Close to rain forests, white sand beaches, with great skiing and hiking at nearby Mount Washington. It has been a rich experience. The people too are warm and welcoming. I've made some great friends. The first week of June we're going as a family to Halifax for a five day house hunting trip. There are so many options for buying there, it is a bit overwhelming. It would be great if God would point out where we're to go - give me a vision of a street name or his finger pointing to some place on a map. Maybe he will. I shouldn't worry. If God can find a home for a sparrow or a deer I know he can provide for me.

Sasquatch Doritos - It's Gotta Bite!

My sons talked me into helping them to make a 30 second TV commercial for a new (undecided) Doritos chip flavour. Since I had a Sasquatch costume rented already for next weeks shoot, we decided to use that. And I ended up being the one to wear it. At one point I picked up my youngest son and twirled him around on my shoulders, throwing him down several feet away. It was a great feeling. But since he's 112 pounds, I felt it later, before bed. It was worse in the morning. The completed version, I uploaded at 5:00 a.m. is below. Have a look for a good laugh, and give it a vote.

Guerrilla Film Festival Competition Time Again

Last year we won the Mount Washington Guerrilla Film competition with the short we made, entitled, Free Spirit. Is was adapted from a portion of the book I'm working on now. We had only 48 hours to shoot, edit, and submit the 4 minute production. We overcame the problems of technical mishaps, an injured lead actor, endured very little sleep and were able to finish it. This year, thankfully, they are giving us more time. We can shoot over days, or even weeks, as long as it is shot on Mount Washington, and doesn't run over eight minutes in length, and is submitted by March 28th. So now the pressure isn't so great. But were trying something a little more challenging this time around. Larger cast, more props, bigger budget.



We're doing a Sasquatch Film. The idea came to me about a month ago, when I was thinking about the idea of a movie about a born-again Yeti. I wrote it down, and had almost forgotten about it when, one day, suddenly, a seven foot co-worker stepped into my office. The light came on. "There's my Sasquatch!"

I just happened to bump into this big guy a couple of days later and asked him seriously if he wanted to play the role, and he said, "Yes!".

I went out this past weekend to find a costume that will fit our lead tall. Not an easy task. I was able to find costume rental place in Campbell River, about forty-five minutes drive away. I've negotiated to have it for until the 22nd of March, and I only have to pay $45.00. God's favor is on our side. Should be fun, no matter how it turns out.

Celebrating son's 16th birthday with sushi

It's hard to believe that my son Andre is 16. Soon he'll be able to drive. Time has passed so quickly. To celebrate this occasion I took him and eight of his friends out for sushi. I thought it would be a nice memory to take into manhood, eating raw fish, surrounded by friends, using chopsticks, in an oriental atmosphere. They had fun, but one of them ended up sick-to-his-stomach, so I left the evening wondering if maybe I should have gone with the standard pizza and burgers. Below is some video clips of the night. Enjoy.

Free The Children

If you haven't heard about this organization yet, you should. It's called Free The Children. My sons high school is raising money to build schools for children in Kenya, Africa through this program. Reaching out to the Maasai Mara. One of the characters in my latest book is Maasai, so I was happy to see this. They're selling cards and other art work to raise money and they will be hosting a dinner in March to raise more funds to build schools and provide clean water there. It's great to see the youth of this generation getting excited about social outreach. If you have the time take a look at the video below, it will touch your heart.

Davos, Switzerland debates

When I heard about the Davos debate competition taking place on YouTube this week I was moved to put in my two cents by responding to their question of a possible economic recovery in 2009. In many ways it relates to the topic covered in my book "A Silent Violence" - the extreme poor. I believe they need a bail out just as much as the car industry and the banks of North America. They have been living in crisis mode for decades, and they've been dying of disease, starvation, AIDS and malaria. There is so much untapped potential in the developing world - future doctors, inventors, teachers, and artists are there, but they require investment, they need schools, and proper health care for them to be able to reach their potential.

The better videos submitted to YouTube will be shown to those attending the World Economic Forum - C.E.O.'s world leaders and non-profit executives. Who knows, maybe my little video will catch their attention.

Highlights of 2008

I spent the first week of 2009 looking back on 2008 with a heart of thankfulness, remembering all the good things that occurred this past year. I've attempted here to rank the top three.

1) One highlight that really stuck out was the fun two week summer vacation we took visiting some of the tiny gulf islands and the west coast of Vancouver Island. It was quality time with my wife, Olivia, and our teenage sons, Andre and Colt, along with some of their friends; camping, hiking and jumping off cliffs and waterfalls. There's just something about that adrenaline rush you get when you're flying through the air that makes cliff jumping so invigorating. Nothing else compares. Maybe it's the realization that you're still alive after falling 40-50 feet into fresh water. I also had my first solo kayaking adventure this summer too, while researching the book I'm presently working on. An overnight journey that went around Valdes island. Beautiful weather. Surrounded by nature. Coffee made over a hiker's gas stove. Who could ask for anything more. Times spent with family and friends rank the highest in my highlights for 2008.

2) We took top prize at the Mount Washington 48 Hour Guerrilla Film Festival with our 5 minute short, Free Spirit. Cast and crew worked together in miraculous ways to see this completed.

3) A Silent Violence was published, after working on it for three years. Two spent writing and one year in editing.