I am thrilled to announce that Of Grief, Garlic and Gratitude won the Speak Up Talk Radio Firebird Book Award in the category of books about grief!

To learn more about the award, please visit: https://www.speakuptalkradio.com/author-kris-francoeur/

This time of year is such a glorious time in the natural world. As I walk around our land, I see the vegetable gardens bursting with produce; the flowers are showing their colors, and the fruit bushes drip with ripe berries.

There is the absolute advantage of being able to walk out the back door and pick much of what we want for each meal. There also is another advantage, one that I didn’t fully recognize until the last few years. That is the emotional joy and peace nature gives. Walking amongst the rows, weeding them, picking the bounty — these are a form of almost meditation for me.

I encourage you to take a walk outside. Look at the colors. Take in the sounds and smells. Breathe deeply. Take a moment to revel in the wonder of nature.

As you know, I am readying my first three novels for re-release with a new publisher.  An interesting part of that process is that I was able to tweak the books, and update them if I wanted.

I did want to update them. What I didn’t realize was what an emotional journey it would be to do so. Why? Because those stories, those characters, and the books themselves all have places in my life, they are part of my heart and soul.

My first novel, The Phone Call, which will be re-released as That Missed Call, is the one pulling on my emotions the most. First of all, it was my first novel, and it was my first publishing contract. Both facts would give it emotional significance, but the real reason for how much it has touched my heart is that it was the book I started back in 1993, right after Sam was born.

You know the story, Sam wouldn’t nap, but he would self-amuse for a bit each day. I used that time to write stories, stories which became this book. Now I am reworking it, and I can see the ways to improve it as a book, but that doesn’t come without some angst. Sam was here for those original words, and sometimes it feels wrong to cut them. But I can feel his presence here now. Frankly, I can hear him laughing, telling me to stop being so melodramatic, and just cut those painfully long and wordy scenes that could be so much tighter. So I keep editing.

In the next week, that book will be through its last major set of revisions, and be submitted to the publisher for its re-release. I can’t wait to see its final form!