Sylvia McNicoll

Canadian Author for Young People
A great year ends!
Making a shortlist and/or winning an award can make a difference in the life of your novel but it's not anything you have control over. I always tell everyone that I work just as hard on books that somehow don't hit a note with critics or readers as I do on ones that...
read moreReviewing Diamond Mistake Mystery Goes to Dogs
Because dogs and dog walking feature so prominently in the entire Great Mistake Mystery Series and because recently everyone in my family adopted dogs, we decided the canines needed to earn their kibble. We joined paws with epilogueproductions.com to get Rosie, the...
read moreWhat I think about series
At talks I gave in Seoul and Bogotá on a standalone novel called Revenge on the Fly, the same question arose: "What do I think of series?" It was clear that the answer was supposed to be that they were a lesser form of literature that you shouldn't encourage or even...
read moreA Writer’s Tool
Time to dream, think, re-envision and write--that's what writers need most. But then for some reason you're away from your project for a long time--say a few signings, a book tour or holiday. Or even another book. You need to get back into your...
read moreVisiting our MP, Hon. Karina Gould
This is our second trip to the Honourable Karina Gould since she's been elected. We wanted to respectfully request that our government address the suggestions that the House of Commons Standing Committee on Heritage submitted in March of 2019. Four months may not seem...
read moreA Perfect Day in the Life of a Writer
When I tell people I'm heading in to Toronto to meet my agent and publicist, I feel like Lady Gaga. But writers are only celebrities in a quiet, have-you-read my-book, kind of way. What I mean by that is if you haven't read anything I've written, of course I am not...
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