Top Ten Reasons I love being an author

It's been almost a year since I debuted with my novel Dead Frog on the Porch a mystery adventure for children ages 8-12. The second in the Megabyte Mystery series Dead Bird through the Cat Door will be out in November - stay tuned for deets of a book launch! Needless to say it's been an eventful year.

I've learned a lot, eaten cake with the book cover etched in icing and had some great emails from young fans. I thought I'd share what I've learned with my bloggowers and in a nod to David Letterman, it's written as a top ten list.  

The top ten reasons I love being an author:

10. I can call myself an author or a novelist.

9.  I can divert all attention to me in a conversation by uttering a random phrase like: "... last year when I was on my book tour."


8. I can furnish my house with random vagabond furniture and friends excuse it with a wave of the hand and a mumbled "she's a writer." 


7. I never have to dig out my weeds. 


6. Reading books and watching movies is homework.

5. The official beverage of writers' world wide is red wine. 





4. Bloggers who are teachers and school librarians, who love books for middle grade readers, do reviews of my book like: The O.W.L. (Outrageously Wonderful Literature) and FernFolio.   


3. I can wear a multitude of multi-couloured bracelets that stretch the length of my forearm and call it artistic. 


2. I love, love, love using the phrases: my publisher and my senior editor! 


And the number one reason I love being a writer is:


1. I can get my ISBN number tattooed on my butt!


Using a 'top ten' list is one technique to get more funny out of your writing. This is one of the exercises I do with my adult students in the Writing with Humour class I teach at Chinook Learning Services Calgary Board of Education. The course runs for a full day on Saturday November 20th and again on November 22 and 29th in the evenings.