Unless you’ve been living under a rock recently, chances are you’ve heard about Downton Abbey, the British television period drama series set on the fictional estate of Downton Abbey in North Yorkshire that is breaking ratings records and capturing hearts the world over. Boasting an impressive ensemble cast that includes Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern and Dan Stevens among others, Downton Abbey is the most successful British period drama since Brideshead Revisited.

Can’t wait until season 3 premieres in September 2012? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Read on for a list of period dramas to tide you over!

#1 The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

An unforgettable journey through generations and across continents as two women try to uncover their family’s secret past.

A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book—a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-fi rst birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, “Nell” sets out to trace her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell’s death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled.

Read chapter 1.

#2 Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman

Wildflower Hill is a compelling, atmospheric, and romantic novel about taking risks, starting again, and believing in yourself.

Emma, a prima ballerina in London, is at a crossroads after an injured knee ruins her career. Forced to rest and take stock of her life, she finds that she’s mistaken fame and achievement for love and fulfillment. Returning home to Australia, she learns of her grandmother Beattie’s death and a strange inheritance: a sheep station in isolated rural Australia. Certain she has been saddled with an irritating burden, Emma prepares to leave for Wildflower Hill to sell the estate.

Beattie also found herself at a crossroads as a young woman, but she was pregnant and unwed. She eventually found success—but only after following an unconventional path that was often dangerous and heartbreaking. Beattie knew the lessons she learned in life would be important to Emma one day, and she wanted to make sure Emma’s heart remained open to love, no matter what life brought. She knew the magic of the Australian wilderness would show Emma the way.

See the reading group guide.

#3 The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Grace Bradley went to work at Riverton House as a servant when she was just a girl, before the First World War. For years her life was inextricably tied up with the Hartford family, most particularly the two daughters, Hannah and Emmeline.

In the summer of 1924, at a glittering society party held at the house, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline and only they — and Grace — know the truth.

In 1999, when Grace is ninety-eight years old and living out her last days in a nursing home, she is visited by a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer. She takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories. Told in flashback, this is the story of Grace’s youth during the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege shattered by war, of the vibrant twenties and the changes she witnessed as an entire way of life vanished forever.

The novel is full of secrets — some revealed, others hidden forever, reminiscent of the romantic suspense of Daphne du Maurier. It is also a meditation on memory, the devastation of war and a beautifully rendered window into a fascinating time in history.

Read chapter 1.

#4 The Cousins’ War series by Philippa Gregory

The Cousins’ War series is set amid the tumult and intrigue of the Wars of the Roses. Internationally bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings this extraordinary family drama to vivid life through its women – first through Elizabeth Woodville, then Lady Margaret Beaufort, and finally through Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford.

More about the series. 

#5 The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

A long lost letter arrives in the post and Edie Burchill finds herself on a journey to Milderhurst Castle, a great but moldering old house, where the Blythe spinsters live and where her mother was billeted 50 years before as a 13 year old child during WW II. The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives looking after the third and youngest sister, Juniper, who hasn’t been the same since her fiance jilted her in 1941.

Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in ‘the distant hours’ of the past has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.

Read an excerpt.

#6 The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Lavinia, a seven-year-old Irish orphan with no memory of her past, arrives on a tobacco plantation where she is put to work as an indentured servant. Placed with the slaves in the kitchen house under the care of Belle, the master’s illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her new adopted family, even though she is forever set apart from them by her white skin. As Lavinia is slowly accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles an opium addiction, she finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When Lavinia marries the master’s troubled son and takes on the role of mistress, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare and lives are put at risk. The Kitchen House is a tragic story of page-turning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail.

Read an excerpt.

What if taking multivitamins and supplements significantly increased our risk of cancer over time? Or if sitting down most of the day, despite a strenuous morning workout, was as bad as or worse than smoking?  What about if regular stretching or yoga could prevent osteoarthritis? It’s all true, according to Dr. David B. Agus, one of the world’s leading cancer doctors, researchers, and technology innovators in his revolutionary new book, The End of Illness.

The End of Illness is a bold call for all of us to become our own personal health advocates, and a dramatic departure from orthodox thinking, focusing on prevention instead of treatment. This is a seminal work that promises to revolutionize how we live. In The End of Illness, David B. Agus, MD, challenges long-held wisdoms and dismantles misperceptions about what “health” means. With a blend of storytelling, landmark research, and provocative ideas on health, Dr. Agus presents an eye-opening picture of the human body and all of the ways it works—and fails—showing us how a new perspective on our individual health will allow each of us to achieve that often elusive but now reachable goal of a long, vigorous life.

Hear more from Dr. Agus:

These are the issues faced by Decker Roberts in David Rotenberg’s new novel The Placebo Effect, first in The Junction Chronicles series.

Here’s a little bit more about the book…

Decker Roberts has the dangerous gift of detecting the truth. For years this talent has proven to be a lucrative sideline to his acting teaching. Only his closest friends know, and he keeps his identity secret from the companies that pay him to tell them if the people they are planning to hire are truthful.

But Decker’s carefully compartmentalized life suddenly starts to fall apart. His house burns down, his credit cards are cancelled, his bank loan is called and his studio is condemned. He realizes that he must have heard something in one of his ‘truth telling’ sessions that someone didn’t want him to know.

Decker has to go on the run and figure out what he’s being targeted. There’s also a government agent hunting him who seems to know absolutely everything about Decker Roberts’ identities, real and false–and other people of “his kind.”

How will Decker find out which truth is endangering his life? Who betrayed him and revealed all his secrets? Decker needs to find answers quickly, before knowing the truth turns from a gift into a deadly curse.

The topic of synaesthesia is dealt with in this book. It is something I’d heard of but never really understood until now. It lends a very interesting, very real quality to some of the more fantastical things that happen.

In addition to being an author, David Rotenberg is also a director and acting teacher and is the Artistic Director of the internationally renowned Professional Actors Lab. The roster of his students reads like a who’s who in ranks of Canadian actors, including Scott Speedman, Rachel McAdams, James McGowan, Polly Shannon, David Hirsh, Jonas Chernick and Shawn Doyle. You will notice the theme of acting and acting methods also feature prominently in the novel.

Here are what people are saying about The Placebo Effect

“I think it’s fantastic. Right, taut, lean, exciting, thrilling, really.” -Jurgen Gothe, CBC host & newspaper columnist

“…great storytelling, juicy characters, and a wonderful theatricality.” -Marc Routh, Broadway producer

“Kept me on my toes and awaiting the next turn of events.” - Erin Karpluk, actress and star of “Being Erica”

You can visit www.placeboeffectbook.com for more info about the author, his other books, and to read an excerpt. There’s also a reading group guide available here.

We are hosting a blogger tour for David and The Placebo Effect starting January 16th. Check out the following blogs on their corresponding dates for exclusive Q&A’s with the author and reviews.

Canadian Authors-Jan 16

Mysteries and More-Jan 18

BookBound-Jan 20

Workaday Reads-Jan 25

Beyond Books-Jan 27

Wicked Little Pixie-Jan 30

Wagging the Fox-Feb 1

The Crazy Bookworm-Feb 3

Serendipitous Readings-Feb 6

Purple Jelly Bean Chair Reviews-Feb 7

The Placebo Effect is in stores February 7th.

Count on Yourself by Canadian expert Alison Griffiths, the host of MAXED OUT and personal finance columnist for the Toronto Star and Metro, is the perfect place to start.

Does the word “investment” make your head hurt? Are you afraid to look at your RRSPs?

Are you worried that you’ll have to eat cat food instead of caviar when you retire?

Count On Yourself gives you easy-to-follow, prescriptive advice on how to take charge of your money.

Learn how to get organized. See how fees hamstring your investments. Discover the perfect low-fee, low-maintenance portfolio that lets you sleep at night.

This book provides easy, prescriptive advice on:

• Debt and credit
• RRSPs, RESPs and other investment accounts
• Your plan for the future
• Retirement planning
• Raising money smart kids
• How to survive in the sandwich generation

Check out Alison’s investment tips for students, young professionals, new parents and retirees.

Tips for students:

Tips for young professionals:

Tips for new parents:

Tips for retirees:

Join Alison in Toronto and Vancouver as she shows us how to take control of our finances. She will explore our attitudes toward money and the obstacles that stop us from being our own financial boss. When it comes to YOUR money there’s no one better to count on than yourself.

TORONTO:
Location: Indigospirit First Canadian Place
Date: Tuesday, January 24
Time: 12:30pm

Location: Toronto Reference Library in the Beeton Auditorium (789 Yonge St, Toronto)
Date: Wednesday, January 25
Time: 6:30- 8:00pm

VANCOUVER:
Location: Indigo, 2505 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia
Date: Saturday, January 28, 2012
Time: 12:00pm until 3:00pm

Don’t forget to enter our contest to win a personal consultation with Alison Griffiths.

Visit Alison at alisongriffiths.ca,  on Facebook or follow her on Twitter . 

Each month, we will be featuring an independent bookstore from across Canada, proving what a special role these shops play in fostering authors,  community and a love of reading.

This is a photo of Collected Works before the renovation. Take a look at some of the photos of our demolition/renovation from last year.

Collected Works serves up two addictions that go together like a horse and carriage – books and coffee – and both are served with warmth by their knowledgeable and personable staff. Nestled among the shops and pubs on Wellington Street at Holland, in a vibrant community to the West of downtown Ottawa, Collected Works is one of the hubs of the neighborhood. And while it specializes in literary fiction, poetry and children’s books, Collected Works welcomes all book lovers with open arms. The store is also a venue for exhibitions by local artists, readings by writers, book club discussions, and workshops for aspiring writers. Check out their schedule of events here.

1. Tell us a little bit about the history of Collected Works.

Christopher Smith and Craig Poile opened Collected Works Bookstore May 5, 1997, just as Chapters was rolling out its first wave of superstores in the Ottawa area. Everyone thought it insane to be opening a new indie at the same time as some of the city’s best-known booksellers were closing shop in the face of the fierce competition. It didn’t seem rational to be opening a 1,200-square-foot store that didn’t discount. But we put our faith in the basics of quality bookselling: knowledgeable staff who are passionate about reading, carefully selected stock, and above all great (read: warm, personal) customer service. We figured a store where the customer is treated as an individual is more of a draw than any giant barn of discounted books. Our belief appears to have been well-founded. Fifteen years later, not only are we still here, we’ve also expanded, doubling our floor size. And we’ve become Ottawa’s leading independent bookstore, twice nominated for Bookseller of the Year by the Canadian Booksellers Association, and this year voted Best Bookstore—of any kind—by the readers of Ottawa Xpress, the city’s alternative weekly newspaper.

2. What made you want to open a bookstore? 

Christopher had been working as a bookseller for over 10 years for two different family-owned stores, where he rose through the ranks. When one of the stores went out of business, he and Craig had the opportunity to buy it. They didn’t have the funds to make it work, but it got them thinking that owning their own store was the best route to take. Christopher took business courses and a job managing a coffee shop after he figured out that he wanted a coffee bar to be part of the store. Together Craig and Christopher saved their money and scouted locations. It took two years, but on the advice of a friend they found both the perfect neighbourhood and location.

3. What do you like best about your job?

The people – the customers, the staff, the sales reps, fellow booksellers, the authors. Second-best is receiving. Every time you get to open those boxes, it’s like Christmas.

4. What does the book-buying public understand least about independent bookstores?

They think we sit around reading all day. It’s one of the ironies of bookselling that there is so much to do in a day that the last thing you have time for is to read, and when you do find the time, you are so tired you fall asleep. This actually makes you really picky about what you read. We try not to read not what everyone else is reading. Those books will sell themselves. We look for things that a bit off the beaten track – the ones you that need a good bookseller to hand-sell.

5. What’s the hardest part about being a bookstore owner in 2012?

Trying to stay focused on the basics: service and selection. With all the hype around ebooks, online retailers, discounters, superstores, and the like, it’s hard not to think like Chicken Little. Because consumers can now get whatever they want, wherever they want, it is more important than ever to focus on what makes us unique: really great personal service and superior selection.

6. What types of books does your store specialize in?

We are a general trade store that stocks what we consider the best in Canadian, American, and British books. We have strong fiction, children’s, and poetry sections, and try to emphasize things Canadian and small presses.

7. What are some of your favorite titles? Kids titles? Titles coming out this spring?

Our bestsellers are big on local heroes—authors that range from international bestsellers like Francis Itani and Elizabeth Hay to those that have made a name for themselves through small presses and self-published titles. The staff have a diverse set of literary idols and preoccupations: Neil Gaiman, David Sedaris, Joyce Carol Oates, Elizabeth George, J. M. Coetzee, anything with zombies!…too many to name, but all darn fine reads.

8. What are you reading right now?

Readme by Neal Stephenson.

9. What’s your most current best seller?

Requiem by Frances Itani

10. What have been some of your favorite (or most memorable) author events?

David Sedaris tops that list. We crammed over 120 people into our store and had another 200-plus in a marque tent in our back parking lot. He arrived at 5 in the afternoon and stayed until after midnight. He’s not only a great writer but a lovely man. He sent a thank you card a couple of weeks after the event addressed to each of the individual staff who worked the event.

11. Any strange, wild or crazy-but-true stories?

There are lots, but the best is the day someone came in and asked if they could by a rock off the street they found on the sidewalk in front of the store. We told the rock was free of charge but they insisted they needed to pay for it so we obliged.

12. What book are you, or will you, hand-sell with a vengeance?

Again, it’s our local authors that we tend to talk up, whether it’s a self-published title like The Baker’s Daughter (the memoirs of Ottawa icon Grete Hale), a play about the inhabitants of a neighbourhood just down the street from the store (Don Laflamme’s The Mechanicsville Monologues), or the new international bestseller by Francis Itani (Requiem).

And from our  booksellers, other titles include:

For Kids: Busytown Mysteries: The Missing Apple Mystery
Richard Scarry’s characters solve mysteries in Busytown! So much to love.

For Middle School: The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix
In the future, war is still an ugly, messy, costly business. As always, Haddix delivers a fast-paced page-turner that is as thought provoking as it is satisfying.

For Teens: Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
As one reviewer said, this is George Romero crossed with Catcher in the Rye. How could I resist? Well written and moving.

During the Holidays: Hanukkah Hop!
A refreshingly different Hanukkah book sure to please.

13. Is there anything else you would like to tell our blog readers?

I think I’ve said enough.

This month we’re hearing from Marie of Daisy’s Book Journal.

What made you want to start a book blog?

A number of years ago, I stumbled upon a publisher’s page on MySpace.  During one online conversation about books, the marketing representative asked me if I had a book blog.   I had posted a few things about life in general on LiveJournal, but didn’t write anything about the books.  As I started looking around at other book blogs,  I fell in love with the idea of being able to share my thoughts about the books I was reading.  That’s where it started.   As for the name of my blog, I get asked all the time why it’s called “Daisy’s Book Journal” when my name is Marie.  The name  Daisy comes from my love of gardening.  It’s been my online name for years.  When it was time to pick a name for the blog, I still wasn’t comfortable using my real name, so I opted for my online persona.

What’s your favourite reading spot?

This spring we converted some storage space on the 3rd floor of our house into a library.  There’s still some finishing work to do (painting, flooring, etc.), but the books are all on shelves and I have a nice comfy chair to sit in.  I don’t read there all the time, but it’s my favourite spot in the house.

Your favourite book in the last year?

I read so many great books last year that I couldn’t possibly just pick one.  Here are a few that I’d highly recommend: Map of Time by Felix D. Palma, Room by Emma Donoghue, Left Neglected by Lisa Genova, Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson.

Favourite book of all time?

Again, there are so many.  Just when I think I’ve found “the best book ever” I read another one that’s just as good, if not better.  Here are some of the more recent ones that I’ve loved:  The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Buchanan, The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian, We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver.

Favourite author?

Some of my favourites include: Lionel Shriver, Vikas Swarup, Chris Bohjalian, Lawrence Hill, John Verdon, Julie Hyzy and Alexander McCall Smith.  Much like my favourite all time books, just when I think I’ve found my favourite author, a new one comes along and I change my mind.  I love discovering new (or new-to-me) authors, so I’m constantly looking for  new ones to try.

Favourite movie adaptation of a book?

Other than the Harry Potter series, which I really liked, I haven’t seen that many movie adaptations.  There are a number of recent ones that I’d like to see (The Help, Water for Elephants, Hugo, etc.) but I haven’t done so yet.

What do you do when you’re not working on your blog?

I consider myself “retired” from the computer industry.  When I’m not working on my blog or reading, I like to take photographs, do all kinds of crafts, surf the web, cook and garden.

Do you seek reader engagement on your blog? If so, how does this affect your ideas about books and authors?

I love comments, especially on my reviews, and would love to get more of them.  However,  I don’t really seek them out.   I’ve tried a few times to get a conversation going about a particular topic or book, but so far I’ve only had a couple of bites.   I love it when someone pops in and comments about a particular aspect of the book that I hadn’t thought of or recommends a book that is similar.  That’s just awesome!  I love hearing/reading different views on things and love book recommendations.

Do you read other blogs? Which ones?

My Google Reader is overflowing with so many good blogs.   Some days I don’t have time to read that many, but I always try to keep up with the following:

Tami at Just One More Thing…
Heather at Book and Quilts
Karen at Quilts…etc.
Colleen at Lavender Lines
Marci at Serendipitous Reads
Judith at Leewammes’ Blog
Cathy at Kittling: Books

My apologies if I left someone out.  It was unintentional.

How has your blog developed or changed since you first started?

I’d like to think that my reviews are better.   In the beginning, I had a list of questions I used to answer.  I’d throw those answers together in a post and call it done.  I’ve now abandoned those questions and just write what I want about the book.   I’ve also starting posting more photos and a little more about myself and my life.   I hope others have noticed (and like) the changes.  Right now, I’m planning a few things for new year to spice things up a bit.

The New Atkins for a New You Cookbook has over 200 recipes that will help you take the extra pounds off and keep it off. But, of course, you need to stick to the Atkins program in order to see results. Fortunately, sticking to the program is easy, especially when you can indulge in comfort food like cheesecake! The recipes in this cookbook are low in carbs, easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. To start you off, here are two recipes straight from The New Atkins for a New You Cookbook: the savoury Chili-Cheese Crisps and the zingy and fresh-tasting Speedy Spinach Dip. They go great together!

If you want to read more about the Atkins program, you can read an excerpt here. Happy eating everyone!

Check out our January Wellness sweeps on our Facebook page and enter to win a library of wellness books, including The New Atkins for a New You Cookbook!

Meet Unjunk Your Junk Food: Healthy Alternatives to Conventional Snacks.

Let’s face it. Snacking is a way of life. In a given year 97% of us buy candy and chocolate; 96% buy pop and chips and 89% eat ice cream! That’s why the founders of NaturallySavvy.com, Andrea Donsky and Randy Boyer with Lisa Tsakos, have written Unjunk Your Junk Food, a fun, full color reference guide to eating ‘healthier’ snacks–natural foods free from artificial ingredients, preservatives, food colorings, and trans-fats. This book is for readers (like me!) that aren’t willing to give up junk food but don’t want to expose themselves and their families to toxic food additives.

Each chapter focuses on a different type of junk food such as ice cream or cookies, making it easy for you to quickly reference the foods you’re craving. The book offers a side by side comparison of natural/organic recommendations against popular conventional brands, complete with pictures of the products so you know exactly what to look for as you navigate the aisles at the supermarket.

At the beginning of every chapter, you’ll find a list of specific ingredients to be avoided in each junk food category. The book contains the latest research, advice, tips, and trivia about junk food and info on healthy ingredients and dangerous additives. The authors also reveal some of the most crafty and misleading marketing tricks behind certain food products, including confusing serving sizes, advertised health benefits and deceptive wording on ingredient labels.

Unjunk Your Junk Food uses icons to easily identify products that suit different lifestyles. The book identifies foods that match certain dietary restrictions (such as food allergies, including gluten intolerance); medical alerts to specific health conditions (such as heart disease and trans-fats); and production values (such as organic and fair trade).

Andrea Donsky and Randy Boyer have a combined 35 years of experience in the natural health arena. Andrea is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Randy has been a natural health and wellness advocate to the public for over ten years, and Lisa is a Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, and Chief Nutrition Expert for Naturally Savvy.

Check out their website NaturallySavvy.com and follow them on Twitter @NaturallySavvy.

Don’t feel bad about eating junk, just eat informed!

Check out these sample pages from the Chip, Dips & Party Food chapter:

2012 is set to be a very exciting year for Toronto author and illustrator Kevin Sylvester and his middle grade series The Neil Flambé Capers.  Not only is the second book in the series, Neil Flambé and the Aztec Abduction nominated for the 2011 Silver Birch Award (Book #1 won last year!), but book #3, Neil Flambé and the Crusader’s Curse is set to hit stores in May!

We caught up with Kevin to talk about the inspiration for Neil Flambé, writing for kids, and what it’s like to be nominated (AGAIN!) for the Silver Birch Award.

1)   Your character Neil Flambé  originally made his debut on CBC in Neil Flambé and the Case of the Caustic Cumin as part of an ongoing summer morning broadcast.  How long had you been thinking of this character or story or was it almost more of a choose your own adventure where the story and character took on a life of their own?

In some ways Neil is a character I’d been playing around with for years, and in some ways he was a completely new creation. He’s a smart young man with attitude… kind of like a Bugs Bunny or Spiderman in the kitchen. I love the cockiness and the ability of those types of characters. Neil is less self-aware than these guys, but he is confident and good at what he does.

I also like making up stories where kids have to deal with adults on their level and be better than they are. I think a lot of kids see themselves this way anyway. Adults keep messing up their plans and then lecturing them. If kids could just be left alone the world would be great! (That’s what they think, anyway).

          Once I set Neil in the very adult world of haute cuisine he started to take specific shape. His backstory (watching Julia Child instead of the teletubbies, reading cookbooks instead of Robert Munsch) started to pop into my brain.

          I love to cook myself and chefs have become rock stars, or celebrity artists. Neil wants that so badly he can (pun intended) taste it and that’s something we all have to deal with. How far will any of us go to be great at the thing we care about most?

          Having said all that, the radio play was really an adult story, and Neil had to become younger, less mature, less “in control” of himself.

2)  How did you develop the look of Neil Flambé?

Neil sort of popped into my head when I was thinking up the original story, even before I’d written a word. He was a gangly kid in a chef’s hat and chef’s coat. After I wrote the first installment of the work I sat down at my cousin Shauna’s kitchen table, where I was staying, and started drawing a picture for the website we set up.

          Essentially I drew an oval and a triangle. The triangle is his big nose, and the oval is his head. I originally wanted to make his hair blue, like the flame in an actual Flambé, but my cousin’s daughter Rowan was sitting next to me and said I had to make it red. Good call.

          I’ve made Neil a little younger looking since that original picture (which is still on the web in some places) but that also fits with the rewriting of the story.

3)  What made you want to write for this age group (Grades 3-6)?  How do you have such a good understanding of not only what kids want to read, but how they interact with the material of a story, from the characters to the illustrations?

I don’t set out to write for a specific age group. I write the kinds of stories I like to read and liked to read when I was a kid. I have always loved fast-paced narratives that have humour mixed in to keep things light. (See earlier reference to Spiderman!)

          Having said that, if I were only writing for an older audience I might dabble in more experimental plot lines and would certainly have more obscure food references. That was how the Caustic Cumin developed and I had to streamline it for a younger audience.

          I have to say that I have had amazing editors along the way who helped me hone and shape the books for this age group. My wife Laura and Charis Wahl were the first to see that the Neil stories needed to be less food-heavy, for example.

          Neil needed a foil for the non-foodie kids to have a way to connect to the cooking without knowing the terminology. Voila, Larry! (Larry wasn’t in the radio play.) Larry has become much more than that, of course, but that was his reason for being “born” into Neil’s life.

          Linda Pruessen and now Ariel Coletti constantly challenge me to defend the plotting, dialogue and references.

          But I’ve also been very edified to see that many adults, and adult bloggers who don’t even have kids, have enjoyed the books as well.

4)                  Kids obviously love not just your books, but your whole “multi-media” presentations, with you drawing illustrations, reading the books, and wearing the chef’s jacket and hat. Do they ever give you input for the next book or how they think Neil should be developing as a character (though maybe not in so many words!)?

I sometimes tell the kids that I set the series in a kitchen because there are so many possible murder plots involving food (just wait until you see the deadly duels in Book #4!). Then I ask them if they can think of some possibilities themselves. Let’s just say that kids have very active imaginations… think blenders and meat tenderizers.

          That shows me that they can make the connection to the danger of the stories without taking it too seriously and that gives me some leeway to explore some of the darker areas of life.

          I’m also a big believer in matching words and images. Everything from comic books, to The Hardy Boys and even Charles Dickens is a combo of words and pictures. I don’t understand people who think that pictures “dumb down” real literature.

Those are the books that made me love reading. I think they give a lot more people a chance to enjoy the book. I’m not saying all books have to have pictures, but don’t criticize books that do.

As for wearing my chef’s outfit, I like authors who demystify the process and don’t take themselves too seriously. It’s fun to write and I hope people have fun reading my books.

5)                  I know you have daughters, do they influence your stories? Do they ever read them or give any suggestions?

My daughters are two of the most voracious readers that I have ever known, and they are very critical. They read my stories long before I ever gain the confidence to send them to an editor. Once they sign off I also know that the books don’t stink….

          They introduced me to many of my heroes – Ken Oppel, Eoin Colfer, Jean Little, Eva Ibbotson… so many others.

          I’d already many of those authors, but seeing what my girls enjoyed allowed me to be more conscious of the elements that I wanted to include in my stories.

          Reading to them when they were younger – everything from Goodnight Gorilla to The Hobbit – gave me a sense of the rhythms and cadence of good writing.

6)                  How has your career as a radio broadcaster influenced you as a writer?

It’s been huge, for so many reasons. For one thing, I think the approach I take to telling a story on the air is perfectly suited for the way I write my books. Simplicity is a key value of both mediums.

          I use simple language and tell my stories in a straightforward way. On the radio you have to do that because you can’t rewind live story-telling. My books are laid out in the same way. I always imagine my books being read out loud by someone next to a fireplace, in an old rocking chair… sort of a mixture of the Friendly Giant and Jim Henson’s Storyteller.

          The other advantage of my radio work is that I’ve been able to visit and experience the flavours of some amazing places – Torino, Mexico City, Athens, Sydney, Moscow… and all those elements sneak into my books one way or another.

7)                  The Silver Birch Awards are really neat because they are like a combination of the Librarians’ and the Kids’ Choice Awards. How did it feel to win for Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders last year?

It was amazing. Authors know that just being nominated for the award is the real prize – and that’s totally true. Just seeing all those young readers holding onto your book like some magic talisman is overwhelming. To be on stage with so many amazing authors was great. I read the other nominated titles and let’s just say the kids had a tough choice to make. Canadian writers are the best in the world right now… let’s put it that way.

          Winning was like the whipped cream on a banana split. It means more to have kids pick your book than to have critics pick the book. After all, we all write for those kids.

          It had a special resonance for me last year because the books were in serious danger of dying. The original publisher had gone bankrupt, so it was very emotional for me. And a huge thanks to S&S for riding in and saving Neil!

7a) You are nominated again, this time for Neil Flambé and the Aztec Abductions. Is it as exciting as the first time?

Hecks ya! It’s an honour and the ceremony itself is a blast – win or lose (and I’ve been on both sides of that and still had a great time).

And one of the great side benefits of the nomination is that I get asked to visit a lot of schools. Kids love to read, if they are excited about the books. The Silver Birch committees pick titles that do this. To have a chance to meet the readers and to get them interested in the books is amazing. If they already know the books it’s a different thrill. Kids have made me some amazing artwork based on Neil and it’s all up in my attic studio.

8)                  What are your plans for Neil Flambé? Will you continue with the series, especially now that you have such a great following, or do you want to move onto something new? And either way, will you continue to write for the same age group or will your characters get older as your readers get older?

Neil and Larry are very real to me. I hear them talking together at night – not even stuff for the books but just the minutiae of their lives. So they will be with me for a long time.

          I don’t have an “end” in mind for the series. I could write a hundred books (a la The Hardy Boys) or stop at six or seven. I think I’ll stop once the stories themselves feel thin or tired to me. Nothing is as disappointing as reading a series that’s gone on too long.

          Of course I also have a number of other books in the works. I have a couple of non-fiction books due in 2012 on show business and the economy. I have also started at least four other books that I’m just waiting for the right time to finish. Look for Medieval Mark, Mr. Green, Cicatrice and MINrS sometime in the future. 

Coming May 2012:

Find out more about The Neil Flambé Capers.