It was my week to hang out with some very
Cool Canuck Chicks. First up was Luba Goy, one of our national icons, whose Luba
Simply Luba was on at the Berkeley Theatre. Her one-woman show gave us an
afternoon of laughs and joy, Luba-style, as La Goy traced her roots from a
German work camp, where she was born and where her parents had been
incarcerated, all the way across the waves to Canada. Touching and true. And it
didn't hurt to tipple a glass or five with Luba and friends afterwards at the Distillery
District.
Next I had the great pleasure to hang out
with Farzana Doctor, author of Six Meters
of Pavement, currently
short-listed for a Lambda Award. We got together mid-week at the 40th
anniversary party of Dundurn Books in the Arts and Letters Club. The Farz and I
yucked it up in front of the camera and, amid all the frippery, managed to
carry on some pretty feisty conversations about the Recently Single status
we've both acquired. If we both go on to gain a Bit Notorious status as well,
it won't bother us one bit.
Finally,
my week was complete with a long-awaited visit from Canada's reigning Queen of
Crime, Gail Bowen, on tour with hubby and long-time companion (44 years!), Ted,
while promoting Kaleidoscope, Gail's thirteenth Joanne
Kilbourn mystery from M&S. Always the gallant host, Ted stirred and shook a
bucketful of martinis, while Gail and I yacked on (and on) about the current
state of Canadian publishing, and then some. Not only is she one of the great
mystery authors, she's also a terrific gal to know and hang out with!
