February 2026 Update: Snow, Snow, and More Snow

Snow, snow, and more snow seemed to be the theme for January 2026. Though we’ve since relocated further south within Ontario, 2026 so far reminds me of some of the winters we had when we lived up in Mulmur Township—reminds in the sense of a distant echo, as we’re nowhere near the snow depth we “enjoyed” up there some years. 

This month’s photo is from a wintry day up in Mulmur when our border collie Emma was still with us. Winter didn’t deter her much, and I have many happy memories of snowshoeing, with Emma following my trail or sometimes racing ahead, and exploring the woods in winter.

Recent Publications

Fiction: 
“Cinderella Speaks Out at Last,” Flash Digest, Hiraeth Publishing, January 2026. 

Humour: 
“Welcome to Spin Class,” Little Old Lady Comedy, posted December 31, 2025, https://www.littleoldladycomedy.com/all-works/r8bgjt0kf9w8j45xng1d7whwkv0dhy

Nonfiction:
“Fens, Tobacco Fields, and Hopeful Cli-Fi,” an interview with Lynn Hutchinson Lee, Interstellar Flight Magazine, January 26, 2026, https://magazine.interstellarflightpress.com/fens-tobacco-fields-and-hopeful-cli-fi-e1e592878fea 

“Got fitness resolutions? Here are some tips,” Simcoe Advocate, January 15, 2026.

“Make mealtime family learning time,” Simcoe Advocate, January 29, 2026.

“Woodhouse, Long Point Christmas Bird Count Results,” Simcoe Advocate, January 15, 2026.

Poetry:
“Scenic,” “Snow Cat,” Sublimation, Volume 2, Issue 6, “Let It Snow.”

Reviews:
Better Not Burn Your Toast: The Science of Food and Health, by Dr. Joe Schwarcz, The Seaboard Review of Books, January 5, 2026, https://www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/better-not-burn-your-toast-by-dr-joe-schwarcz

Beyond Ken Dryden: A Memoir, by Oren Safdie, The Seaboard Review of Books, January 19, 2026, https://www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/beyond-ken-dryden-a-memoir-by-oren-safdie

On Sports, by David Macfarlane, The Seaboard Review of Books, January 26, 2026, https://www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/on-sports-by-david-macfarlane

We the Raptors: Thirty Players, Thirty Stories, Thirty Years, by Eric Smith and Andrew Bricker, Sport Literature Association, https://sportliteratureassociation.wordpress.com/2025/11/16/we-the-raptors-thirty-players-thirty-stories-thirty-years-by-eric-smith-and-andrew-bricker/

What I’m Working On
I’m continuing to work on book reviews as well as some essays and articles I’ve committed to.

Coming Soon
On February 3, for one day only, my flash fiction story “Centerfield” will be available free of charge on Havok Publishing’s site. The theme for the month was stories inspired by songs; this one took its inspiration from John Fogerty’s “Centerfield,” which I remember enjoying back in my fastball playing days.

 

 

January 2026 update: “Roxy” Revisited

To celebrate the holiday season, here’s a photo of our dog Chet, taken after he came home from a boarding session in December. Country Lane Kennel takes such great care of him. He’s happy to arrive there, and happy to come home. Hard to beat that.

 

Speaking of dogs, NewMyths.com made some very kind comments about my short story “Roxy,” which was first published in NewMyths Issue 32, September 1, 2015. NewMyths Issue 73 includes an “archives” link to that original story, and also provides my comments about “Roxy” and the stories that followed. You can find the link to NewMyths Issue 73 here: https://sites.google.com/newmyths.com/newmythscomissue73/issue-73-stories?authuser=3

 

Recent Publications

Cartoons and Illustrations:

“How Asteroids Get Off Track,” Scifaikuest, November 2025, print, Hiraeth Publishing, https://www.hiraethsffh.com/product-page/scifaikuest-november-2025-1

“Where Lost Socks End Up,” Little Old Lady Comedy, December 24, 2025, https://www.littleoldladycomedy.com/all-works/mlmbukrzrvmpdkishrxukij6nj3tus

Fiction:

“Saving TIM,” Havok: Multiversal, Ebenezer Scrooge theme, December 9, 2025.

 

Humour:

“Must-See Additions to the Bowl Game Season,” Little Old Lady Comedy, December 22, 2025, https://www.littleoldladycomedy.com/all-works/kgnsbhovby6o5zc5sd2cpypnt37zdh

Nonfiction:

“Pickleball popularity rising in Norfolk County,” Simcoe Advocate December 18, 2025, page 19.

Poetry:

“As Twilight Approaches,” Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction, Volume 3, Fall 2025, Ansible Press (poem first appeared in Dreams and Nightmares 127, May 2024), https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/years-best-canadian-fantasy-and-science-fiction-volume-one/c9741a96-6b59-3beb-b69e-29da6cff75e6.html

 

“At the Root,” “Even in Dark Times,” Transition, Fall and Winter 2025, Canadian Mental Health Association (Saskatchewan Division,” Inc.

 

[dragon in the studio], [final curtain call], “A Mother Waits for News…,” Scifaikuest, November 2025, print, Hiraeth Publishing, https://www.hiraethsffh.com/product-page/scifaikuest-november-2025-1

 

“The Ghost Town of the Past,” NonBinary Issue 42, Erased From History, December 11, 2025, Zoetic Press, https://www.zoeticpress.com/branded-merch/p/nonbinary-review-issue-42-erased-from-history

 

“Some News Can Wait,” “Until We Go to Mars,” Jupiter’s Eye, December 2025, Hiraeth Publishing, https://www.hiraethsffh.com/product-page/jupiter-s-eye-december-2025

Reviews:

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny, The Seaboard Review of Books, December 10, 2025, https://www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/the-black-wolf-by-louise-penny

 

“Magical Realism Series Continues in No Love Lost by Jane Glatt,” The Seaboard Review of Books, December 8, 2025, https://www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/no-love-lost-jane-glatt

 

The Second Greatest Show on Earth: Henry Bergh, the Protection of Animals, and the Evolution of the Modern Social Movement, by Darcy Ingram, The Seaboard Review of Books, December 15, 2025, https://www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/the-second-greatest-show-on-earth-darcy-ingram

 

What I’m Working On

Through 2025, I spent a lot of my writing time with nonfiction, including reviews and articles. Though I plan to make a more concerted effort to write fiction as well in 2026, I do have a number of nonfiction projects I plan to get to in the coming year, including some I’m working on this month. I’ve also been writing some short humour (some fictional, some nonfiction), so working on polishing up and sending out some of those items will also be a focus.

 

Coming Soon

An interview with Lynn Hutchinson Lee, author of Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens and the soon-to-be-released Nightshade, is scheduled to come out in Interstellar Flight Magazine January 26, 2026. Lynn provided some great answers to the questions I developed, so I’m looking forward to sharing her insights.

 

I also have a poem, and a review of Sandra Lindlow’s poetry collection Mother Hubble’s Cupboard and Other Poems About Inner and Outer Space, in Star*Line 49.1.