The Wednesday interview

Reading time: About 2 minutes Judy LeBlanc cherishes the Chekov quote: Chekhov quote, “To make a face out of marble means to take away everything but the face,” because she appreciates the sculpting metaphor.  Judy LeBlanc’s stories and essays have appeared in magazines, most recently Geist, 2025, and in Don’t Tell: Family Secrets. She’s the author of The Promise […]

Reading time: About 2 minutes Ashraf Zaghal says that true originality comes from how a story is told, not from the novelty of the concept. Born in Jerusalem, Ashraf Zaghal moved to Toronto in 2006 to study Environmental Engineering. Between 1998 and 2016, he published four poetry collections in Arabic: Wheels of Ashes (Ramallah, 1998),

Reading time: About 2 minutes Christopher Amato likes to take writing advice from Ben Franklin, who said, “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” Christopher Amato always dreamed of working in law enforcement. After earning a degree with honors in criminology from Florida State University, he served as a federal agent. Upon

Reading time: About 2 minutes Joe Siple says he’s been able to make writing a habit — something he does every morning — no matter how he’s feeling…. Joe Siple is the author of the USA Today bestselling novel The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride. His other books include The Final Wish of Mr. Murray

Reading time: About 2 minutes Pamela Taylor says that being a successful author involves a lot more than just writing a book… A self-professed history geek, Pamela’s trip-of-a-lifetime may have been the one that allowed her to touch a 700-year-old book. Her novels include the nine-volume series Second Son Chronicles, The Rest of His Days

Reading time: About 2 minutes Rhona McAdam says she deliberately avoids streaming and other television services, which can eat up too much of her thinking, reading and writing time…. Rhona McAdam was born in BC, has lived in Edmonton and London UK, but now makes her home in Victoria. She spent a memorable year in

Reading time: About 2 minutes Laura Gale embraces the message “kill your darlings,” because she knows favourite phrases are often unclear or overdone… Laura Gale started her career as a publicist at a global publishing house, promoting books by Nelson Mandela, Tina Fey, J. K. Rowling and many more. She now works with founders and

Reading time: About 2 minutes Bill Arnott likes to inspire himself with a quote from Australian novelist Tim Winton, who advised: “Watch, listen, remember, wonder, and READ.”  Bill Arnott is the BC Book Prize bestselling author of A Perfect Day for a Walk, A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water, the award-winning Gone Viking

Reading time: About 1 minute Melanie Jackson says that writers would benefit from adapting the Hemingway strategy of “less is more.”  Melanie Jackson is a freelance Vancouver writer/editor. As well as corporate-communications work, Melanie contributes to The Seaboard Review of Books. She’s also the author of such middle-grade/young-adult suspensers, mostly with Orca Book Publishers, as The Big

Reading time: About 2 minutes When Ryad Assani-Razaki doesn’t feel like writing, he still positions himself at his computer desk. “Whether or not I end up writing, I’ve put myself in the right conditions to do so,” he says. Born in West African Republic of Benin, Ryad Assani-Razaki moved to North America in 1999, to study