Banned Books: “The Court of Mist and Fury” – Sarah J. Maas

Just when you thought the battle for women's rights, abortion, and free speech was a thing of the past, the battle is beginning anew. This includes the battle for banned books. The Globe and Mail, June 5, 2023. I read in the Globe and Mail today (June 5, 2023) that "The Court of Mist and...

Writing Process – Putting It Out There

I hate marketing. I hate everything about it -- the people, the talking, the push to get customers, the repackaging something to suit someone else's needs. Blech. I'm an introvert, as well as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and empath. I don't do well with any of this. However, like most introverts, if you get...

Scattered, Episode 19 – Cognitive Bias and Forensic Anthropology

Scattered, Episode 19 is now live! I reached out to Sherry on a whim. She is a Lecturer in Crime and Forensic Science at University College London Centre for the Forensic Sciences, and she's doing some really neat stuff regarding cognitive bias and how it may impact decision-making in forensic contexts. Now I just want...

On Destruction and Loss

This morning, I awoke to the smell of smoke. Yesterday, it had been a bright, clear-blue sky day. This morning, Calgary's sky was dark and orange at 8am, much like the sky on Mars. Smoke and ash from wildfires had enveloped the city, even though the closest wildfire is 200 kilometres to the northwest. I...

Writing Process – Experience as Art

Another night of restless, light sleep. Another bout of anxiety. Another counselling session. I'm sitting on the leather sofa, spouting a river of conscious thought, vomiting verbal diarrhea all over the room and my counsellor. What it comes down to is that I'm, once again, attempting to impose other people's ideas and expectations about my...

What the f*** do I do now??

I'm at it again. Once again, I'm a guest mentor with the ACE for Anthros Prime Earth folks, and holding "office hours" Thursday, May 4th. Are you approaching graduation and looking at the foreboding vastness of the unknown once you collect your parchment ? Are you looking at a stack of PFO letters from institutions...

Writing Process – Choosing What to Write

I envy those people who can choose what they write. Is your romance series not selling enough? Switch to thriller and watch your Kindle profits soar! These are the type of posts I see on the 20Booksto50K Facebook page. This is the kind of advice I see written in blog posts, in articles, in books,...

Scattered, Episode 18 – Predictive Modelling with DNA

Scattered, Episode 18 is now live! I read an article in the newspaper. I sent a cold email to Parabon Nanolabs. I got my mind blown. Scattered Episode 18: Predictive Modelling with DNA - Interview with Dr. Ellen Greytak You can listen and subscribe to this podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and Amazon...

Writing Process – Cycling & Drafts

I mentioned previously that I write organically (aka pansing, writing into the dark). I don't write with an outline or with any idea of where I'm going. I've tried outlining, planning, making my characters stick to what I want to do, but it always backfires. Catastrophically. I'm slowly closing in on Draft 2 of my...

Scattered, Episode 17 – Collaboration with Community and Respect for the Dead

Scattered, Episode 17 is now live! After many, many months of coordination and patience, I finally chatted with Andrew Bernie of the Unrecovered War Casualties unit of the Australian Military. He and his unit collaborate with many other organizations across the world to locate and recover Australian war dead. https://yvonnekjorlien.com/2023/03/10/scattered-episode-17-collaboration-and-respecting-the-dead-interview-with-andrew-bernie/ You can listen and subscribe...