ELBOWS UP CANADIANS!

An apology to my blog followers that my personal comments today are not addressing the usual writer/editor/reader posts normally shown here.

I am a proud Canadian whose father enlisted in the Military Police during WWII and spent years in France, England, Italy, and Holland fighting against Hitler's war atrocities. I am sharing my reaction to Trump initiating a Trade War that will affect people's welfare not only in Canada, Mexico, China, but world-wide, including our US neighbours.

Prime Minister Carney informed the U.S. President during their first formal negotiations meeting to discuss Canadian sovereignty, trade negotiations, and the United States and Canada's defence relationship this non-negotiable statement. "Canada is not for sale and will never be their 51st State!"

Donna J. Warner

AN ENCHANTING CHRISTMAS STORY

It's my pleasure to feature award-winning mystery author, Gloria Ferris' latest Cornwall and Redfern Series ... A Mystery Short Story. Sure to entertain her fans and first-time readers of her published work. Available in paperback and kindle formats.

Universal Buy Links for "Sugar Plum Bliss"

BLISS WILL MAKE CHRISTMAS HAPPEN, OR ELSE

Not feeling the Spirit this year, Bliss Moonbeam Cornwall nonetheless must organize Lockport’s First Responders’ Christmas Gala. She orders the appetizers and desserts. She warns the DJ not to play holiday music or risk non-payment. The bartender is advised to have plenty of beer on tap for the cops, firefighters, paramedics, and bylaw officers. Check, check, and check.

With irritating festive music blasting from every store, Bliss manages to buy the decorations to transform the hall. She goes with – plum, to match the dozens of sugar plums on the menu. Just like that, she creates a non-traditional theme! The four reluctant teenagers she recruits to decorate don’t hate it, a warning Bliss ignores.

The night of the Gala, Police Chief Neil Redfern, Bliss’s hot, blond husband, straps on his gun. Is he expecting something other than joyful merriment at the party? A trip to the emergency room forces Bliss to reconsider her priorities, not just for the Yuletide Season, but her future.

Will she and Neil have their worst Christmas ever? Or, their best yet?

Eastern Canadian Ringette Championship Tournament April 11-14 2024 Schedule

For those who enjoy playing, watching, or are interested in viewing the ice sport of Ringette for the first time, the games will be held in Charlottetown, P.E.I. April 11-14/24.

We are thrilled that our grand daughter, Brooke Warner, will be playing on the U19 ON2 Ringette team. We will be cheering her and her team mates on from the comfort of our living room. Wishing all these incredible athletes enrolled in this championship tournament a safe and fun tournament.

If you wish to register and watch live stream videos of this competition, I have included details below. Day 1 schedule is below. Please note the game times on the schedule are in Atlantic Canada time zone times.

#CanadaRingette

#Guelph

#Charlottetown

#EasternCanadianRingetteChampionship

#Wellingtoncounty

#Ringette

Craft Shows ... A Welcome Sign of Spring 2024

Attention #WellingtonCounty residents and anyone looking for day trip suggestions to visit beautiful #Fergus Ontario? Mark April 27/24 in your calendar to attend the Canadian Legion, Fergus Branch craft show and bazaar and shop for unique items from many local artists from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Bake sale and lunch bar. #crafts #shoppers #Fergus #Guelph #fiction #readers

"Targeted", a Crime Fiction Thriller Kindle and Paperback Book Sale

Mojitos, Moonlight….and Murder

Fifty-yards away from the airport bus, a set of binoculars shove aside blossoms in a red ginger shrub to focus on two young women’s bodies as they step onto the white sands of La Ceiba beach. The Watcher listens long enough to overhear which resort Jordan Blair and Ellie Cassidy will be vacationing at. The blossoms shudder back into place as the binoculars are roughly withdrawn.

After settling into their unit at the boutique resort on Roatán Island, Jordan discovers that the former occupant of their room has vanished. When she questions the charismatic resort manager about what investigation is in place to locate this woman, he slides the missing woman’s suitcase behind his desk, suggesting she may have left for a romantic adventure. Given the police presence, Tate’s dismissing her concerns, worries her.

A male guest they met while waiting for the ferry ride is determined to spend time with them. Although, his interest delights Ellie, Jordon finds his play-boy demeanor and covert activities arouse her suspicions. Could he be involved with the missing woman’s disappearance? Plagued by unanswered questions, they let their guard down. Now, they must flee into the rainforest and fight for their lives. Will Jordan’s survival training save them or result in a fight she can not win?

#gangs #mysterious #booksbooksbooks #cops #privateinvestigator #romancereaders

Amazon.ca Buy Link

Buy link for eBook sales by many other on-line book vendors.

Adjusting a Presentation on the Fly

As fiction authors, Gloria Ferris and I were delighted to be guests of the Writers' Club at the Guelph Lake Commons Retirement Community on November 9/23. In addition to displaying our books for sale, we selected this agenda topic, "What's Intriguing About Reading and Writing Mysteries?"

I've posted notes below to describe amendments we made to our proposed agenda to match audience interest.

Gloria Ferris Web Site

Donna J. Warner Author Page

Post-Event Comments

We were pleased, and surprised in a good way, with audience interest in our presentation at this beautiful retirement home in Guelph, Ontario. People attending our open forum discussion included members of their writers' club and others who were avid readers or kind enough to drop by. Many interesting discussions arose other than the one we initially proposed. It was fascinating to hear about writing projects tackled by the writers' group; several voiced interest in writing memoirs.

Gloria and I shared details of aspects of our journey as writers published with traditional publishing houses and with inde-publishing; mentioned various types of publishing options; explained the different roles of beta readers versus editors, and even disclosed our confussion regarding advancements in new technology re. Artificial Intelligence (AI) that will affect writers. We have been told there will be many positive aids for writing and book marketing projects available through AI, but we're concerned over reading negative media posts and comments from some of our colleagues about their work being pirated for unauthorized AI databank utilization. When this occurs, the author isn't compensated with royalty payments and an illegal act has occurred. We are hopeful that the many professional writers' organizations and publishers currently focussing on establishing policies and guidelines to protect authors' rights and ensure copyright infringements are not allowed or encouraged are successful in their endeavours.

BOO! LIFE CAN BE STRANGER THAN FICTION

A request during my October visit to my family doctor’s office surprised me. My permission was sought to allow my private conversation with my care giver to be recorded. It was explained that this tape would be converted to text on their computer system by an Artificial Intelligence software they are utilizing. I hesitated briefly before giving my consent. After all, verbal dictation isn’t perfect either. Right?

That evening, as I tried to settle into sleep mode, these questions romped through my mind:

What if a blooper in software AI transcription resulted in an error on a health diagnosis or plan of treatment action?

Could this private conversation about my health issues be hacked?

Are doctor/patient recorded discussions revised before storage to edit out small talk? What if I made some off-colour or humourous comment? Would that be recorded on my health file? You can see where I’m going with this concern.

Another grey area of AI usage surfaced as I tossed and turned. As a published fiction and non-fiction author, I’ve been following concerns posted on social media by fellow writers. Many have had their books pirated and used in on-line AI data bases for others to copy when they have writer’s block. This illegal practice steals royalty payments due authors and allows others to take credit for their work.

I’m struggling to keep an open mind and enjoy learning more about the tremendous benefits that AI is introducing for the benefit of mankind. However, I sincerely hope regulations are put in place to ensure these incredible artificial intelligence advancements are not misused.

Since I previously aired my trials and tribulations over allowing, on a trial basis, an additional AI tool into my home to buddy up with my iPhone and iPad, I wanted to share my latest AI experience quandary.

Click to read my article, “Home Assistant or Privacy Invader?” that was first published in a Canadian magazine, Cloud Lake Literary, in Volume 5 on March 14/23.