Thanks to Ursula Mawell-Lewis, who wrote a very kind article for the Reporter; see it here: http://www.bclocalnews.com/lifestyles/116365029.html

Working hard toward the upcoming launch in the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 6, 17567-57th Ave, Cloverdale on March 2nd at 7 pm. I have sent out 300 emails today, according to hotmail, as they have now shut me down for 24 hours! “Only” about 250 of those were invitations to the launch, so lots more to do tomorrow if the system lets me continue.

Here I am with “Soldier of the Horse”–the first copy out of the box. It has been an exciting trip, especially as the publication date approached. What with the launch set for March 2nd, in the Cloverdale Legion, and the book in distribution at this time, I am anxiously awaiting reaction from readers. It is 93 years since the cataclysmic events that inspired this story; I hope I have done it justice.

Here are the memers of the first readers’ editorial board, without whom the project would not have happened. Thanks, Ross, Pat and Scott.

There is barely a month left before the book launch for “Soldier of the Horse.” The event is set for March 2nd, in the Cloverdale Branch No. 6 of the Royal Canadian Legion, 17567 57th Avenue, Cloverdale. I am looking forward to seeing lots of family, friends, and fellow writers; and to telling them a little about the book, why I wrote it, and what’s on tap for the future. Not that I have actually seen the book yet, but I am assured it is in the pipeline!

A good friend, hearing about the book I was then writing, suggested I join the Western Front Association, and I am very glad I did so. The WFA is based in the UK, and was “formed with the aim of furthering interest in the period 1914-1918, to perpetuate the memory, courage aond comradeship of those of all sides who served their countries…” The Association publishes an excellent journal, “Stand To!” as well as regular bulletins, both of which are very authoritative and informative.

(Photo: Messrs Allinson, Patten, and Broznitsky; past president, founder, and president respectively of the Pacific Coast Branch)

Even better, from my point of view, is that there is a Pacific Coast Branch of the WFA headquartered in Victoria with informal get-togethers in the Lower Mainland. The main event, however, is the annual Seminar and AGM, to be held this year on the first weekend in March, the 2nd through 4th. Speakers will include Colonel (Retired) Keith Maxwell on “Canada and the Last 100 Days of WW I;” Charlotte Cardoen, who is a certified battlefield guide; and a number of other distinguished presenters.

I will be the last presenter, on the Sunday, on the topic of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade in WW I. I am looking forward to sharing the research I have done.

CAA Vancouver’s monthly meeting, held January 12th at the offices of the Alliance for Arts and Culture, 100-938 Howe Street, had an enthusiastic crowd of members and prospective members turn out to hear an animated reading by novelist Ian Weir. Ian is also an accomplished TV and screen writer, and he spent a busy evening fielding questions and reading from his debut novel, “Daniel O’Thunder”. Ian is currently working on his second novel and is a long-time member of the Canadian Authors Association.