The Infinite If:
The chess of writing & publishing

Year of the Fire Horse.

It's asking me to simplify. The kids are grown and both will be in a different city next year.

So I'm simplifying. I gave away almost all my furniture and a lot of my clothing, moved house, deleted over 100 books. Said goodbye to 25 years' worth of journals, poof: to the landfill. Old stories that have done their work.

I'm trying out a friend's Kindle because I want to travel more, mostly by road, and physical books are heavy.

I'm in the midst of simplifying the business, too. Smaller packages, smaller deadlines. Still high-touch, but in shorter intensives. Less invoicing. I don't think I'm going to bother with contracts anymore, either. Everybody I've ever worked with has been good for their word—never had someone stiff me in over 30 years in business.

2026 is asking a lot of us. And it's asking a lot of us to change. To shed old ways of being. To get more courageous in choosing. To let go of relationships, jobs and perspectives that aren't working. To rest, ground, be deliberate.

To strip away what isn't truth.

Where are you feeling it? What are you ready to let go of? Where do you need more space and ease in your life?

Where do you need a good swift kick from the Fire Horse?

What I'm paying attention to in the industry

I'm paying attention to relationships. They're what makes the publishing world go around.

In-person attendance at writing conferences is a terrific way to build your literary citizenship and make connections that will support your authorial journey.

I'm going to be at When Words Collide in Calgary this August, with a whole bunch of my Book Coaches Canada colleagues. I'm super excited to meet literary agents Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra, who host The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast.

The Surrey International Writers Conference is coming up this October in Vancouver, and registration is open now. SIWC is definitely Canada's "big" writing conference. I plan to be there!

Upcoming: workshops, courses, other coaches' offerings

Write On 2026 blew our minds

First off, Write On 2026 was a roaring success. We had hundreds more people than we expected at Book Coaches Canada's first-ever writing conference. !!! You can read the wrap-up and find links to the replays here.

September memoir retreat in Ontario

My colleague Jen Wilson will be running her memoir retreat in cottage country again this September. It's a lovely week-long retreat at a family cabin in Huntsville, Ontario, facilitated by two skilled coaches of memoir. Daily learning sessions and outside time paired with plenty of time for your work in progress.

This month's hippie flip

...is all about earthing. Get your feet on the ground—literally. I go walking barefoot on the beach near my house (bonus points if you put your feet in the water), or lie at the top of the small mountain that I climb several times a week. Give it 20 minutes for a total reset. Being in direct contact with the Earth will leave you feeling emptied out and calmer; Gaia literally exchanges your energy for hers.

Want to work with me? Here are three ways:

WAY #1: A NEW, SMALLER COACHING PACKAGE 📦 I haven't put this on my website yet, so you're getting the unboxing here. I've just created a smaller package for people who want regular coaching without the strenuous deadlines. Short, lower-priced, deep-dive intensives where I read 10 pages, then work directly WITH you for two hours, going through your pages together and coaching along the way. $300 USD / $350 CAD per session, sold in bundles of six that you can use anytime. Reach out if you want more information.

WAY #2: A BLUE-PENCIL SESSION ✏️ You can still sign up for a blue-pencil session through Write On 2026. $49 for me to review 2500 words, make notes on the page, and then have a quick little coaching call.

WAY #3: COME WRITE WITH ME 📜 Our Saturday morning writing group runs from 10–11:30 PT every week. Free, fun, a bit of coaching, and you'll get work done on your WIP.

Thanks for reading The Infinite If. ♾️