Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
Welcome Guest Blogger Donna Alward!
Canadian, Eh?
I remember reading a post by my critique partner – I don’t even remember where it was now – where she was talking about my Harlequin Romance debut, Hired By The Cowboy. And she made the comment that my cowboy story had a real Canadian flavour. That made me stop and think. Still does.
I mean, I’ve always thought that what Romance bought was my voice, and it’s mine, we all know that about voices, right? And that was great and I was happy and thought, gee, I have my own way of telling a story, fabulous.
But not once, until she said that, did I consider that there was a Canadian element to it.
And I’m stumped…what makes my voice Canadian anyway? What parts of my story make a reader go, ahhh, that’s a true north-of-the-border way of doing things?
I think it’s a case of not being able to see the forest for the trees, you know?
So, after long reflection, I’ve come up with a few things that I think make me Canadian.
1. We do say “eh” a lot. Or that could be replaced with “Hey”. Let’s face it, to us it just sounds better than “Huh”.
2. “OUR” words. Honour. Neighbour. Flavour. Despite becoming a Dominion in 1867, we still spell in the Queen’s English. Or at least we’re supposed to.
3. Tim Hortons. Keep your Starbucks. Timmy’s is where it’s at. Always Fresh, Always Tim Hortons. Cheaper than “fluff” coffee and nothing beats a large double double (2 cream, 2 sugar).
4. Pick your geography. We have forests, lakes, prairies, oceans, mountains, desert…you name it, we got it. In abundance. Our land mass is huge . Second largest in the world, in fact. When we moved to Alberta from New Brunswick (and that’s not even coast to coast) it took us 3.5 days, driving 15 hours a day.
5. Despite Lacrosse being the official national sport, hockey is our sport. Always has been, always will be.
6. We apologize a lot. I’m sorry, but we do.
7. Finally, Beer. Kokanee. Alpine. Alexander Keiths. Labatt Blue. And of course, Molson Canadian. Lots and lots of good beer.
If you care to, you can look up the I Am Canadian rant which appeared as a Molson commercial in 2000. It always makes me laugh.
But in all seriousness…I’m still not sure what it is about my writing that says “She’s Canadian.” So I’m going to put it to you.
For those who have read any of my books – what do YOU think makes my voice Canadian?
There’s a copy of Marriage at Circle M , my September release, for the person with the best answer. Don’t forget, you have to be registered here at Cigars to win!
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Canadian, eh?
Well, Donna, I'll be honest--yours is a new name to me but now that I know you're Canadian, I'll look for your stuff.
I'm an honourary Canadian. My adopted mum was born in BC. All of her relatives are in BC. I love BC!! It's the only province I've visited--yet. I've got a dear friend that lives in Ontario and I'm planning a trip to see her next summer.
When Harlequin prints your books do they use the OUR words or do they change them to the American spelling? I have a few Brit versions of Nora Roberts works (I'm originally from Britain) and everything is still spelt the American way.
I think the "eh" is more an East Coast thing. You don't hear it as much on the West Coast, although you do hear it.
When I got married, I honeymooned in Victoria, BC. One of the most romantic cities on the West Coast (US included).
Because of where I live, I wake up to a Victoria BC radio station. So every morning, I'm treated to the weather in celcius, I hear the adverts for Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire. It feels as if I'm still there.
Be proud! Be true! Be you.
Cheers,
ani
CANADIAN
I love everything Canadian. The gorgeous, fascinating country and the way that people speak in that unique Canadian accent. The spelling of words theatre, centre and all of the our ones. I especially love the West. This is the most amazing and majestic country on earth. B.C. and Alberta which I have visited are my favorite vacation areas. Your books are great.
Ani - now you're going to
Ani - now you're going to make me go look! LOL...Ok, hang on, grabbing the hardback which is the UK print and my paperback which is NA....drum roll....
The UK version does OUR and the NA version is OR. Right on the blurb on the back cover of HIRED BY THE COWBOY where Connor is described as honourable!
As far as "eh" - I grew up on the East Coast and transplanted myself to Alberta. :-)
Donna
O Canada!
Hi Donna,
I've never read any of your books either. But I would guess at some point one of your heroines has been "choked off" at the hero for standing in front of her in the "queue" and buying the last "pop" and "chocolate bar". :-)
MelissaL
Pop and chocolate bar, yes.
Pop and chocolate bar, yes. Choked off and queue are not ones we use though!
I just got back from London and believe me - there is definitely a language gap! LOL Fortunately I have scads of friends who are English and so didn't get confused...much. :-)
Cheers!
2 out of 3 aint bad, eh? *g*
I love London. Visited in '84. I have friends there too. I also have friends in Scotland and write brogue very well.
MelissaL
Hi Donna
I have to confess that so far I haven't read one of your books, because I just discovered this blog and found quite a few new authors for me. But I will definitely check out them, because I love Candian books.
Funny thing that you mentioned that with the spelling. I read so many American books that I always stop and think that there is a spelling mistake when I read a book by an Australian or British author, but it's strange that I never saw it in a Canadian book and quiet a few of my favorite authors are from Canada
I think what happens is the
I think what happens is the NA versions are for both Canada and the US, so we get the US spelling. If you were to buy a UK version you'd get "proper" spelling, lol. It's one of those things I don't notice much anymore. I do notice different terminologies though and I think it makes reading international authors that much more interesting!
Yeah could be. I live in
Yeah could be. I live in Germany, but I get the US version because I always have to wait for my next US trip to buy books. Amazon is not so friendly to us German readers.
You can learn a lot of new terminologies while reading international authors. I recently read a book by LuAnn McLane and I learned a lot about the southern vocaulary. LOL
Canadian
I haven't read your books yet, but I definitely will. I have been in Canada for a couple of times to see my relatives and I will go there again some day. And hey, you have something in common with us Finns: hockey is our national sport, too!
Hmmm...
Donna, count me in with those to whom your books are new--I'll have to go look for them! I do have relatives in Canada, and yes, they do embody your list of "what makes you Canadian." :) They also introduced me to some new flavors when I first visited, years ago--salt and vinegar potato chips (now available in the US) and french fries with gravy (still haven't had that here).
Oh fedora that made me
Oh fedora that made me smile. I love salt and vinegar chips and I got some very odd looks when I mentioned Poutine when I was in England. Mmmm, fries with gravy and cheese curds. It's a french thing but OOOOOH so good. And only to be enjoyed rarely. :-)
D
Yep...
Not an everyday kind of snack, but oh so tasty when you do indulge :)
I've relatives in Edmonton where we've visited several times. We've also been to Toronto, Niagara Falls on the Canadian side, and then driven through Banff and Jasper National Parks (we also stopped by Lake Louise)--SO gorgeous!
Our or Or
Hi Donna, great to have you playing at Cigars. As an Aussie, I have the same "our" versus "or" thing going on with my books. And lots of other differences, like the fact that a car hood is called a bonnet down here, and the trunk the boot (both English, I believe). We also have car parks instead of parking lots (I think I'm getting that right!) and a million other things that trip me up all the time. It's not a problem when I'm writing an Australian book, but when I am writing something set in the US, I feel a little vulnerable about getting those things right. Bless my editor, Wanda the wonderful. Working with another ed recently on a continuity, I was surprised by how many little sayings I just take for granted that she didn't get. Like "sticky beak" - meaning a nosey person who doesn't mind their business, and "shouting" someone a drink(buying them one), and a whole bunch of other things, I'm sure. So, I guess that being Australian is part of my voice, too!
I agree, Sarah! I love
I agree, Sarah! I love reading books set somewhere else. It took me a while to realize that people actually wanted to read books set in Canada...I probably took that for granted.
So what's the way you get around it? Do you bring in characters from outside, set it in a different area but use an Aussie as one of your main characters? There's tons of tricks to putting your own flavour in your books!
THE TRUE NORTH
By writing in your own unique way it is very appealing. I look forward to reading your special books. Love new settings which give the story a new approach. BTW, I have been to Canada many times and each time I enjoy it more. Especially Alberta and B.C. which attract me greatly with their gorgeous and incomparable beauty.
You are a new author to me,
You are a new author to me, but I will be looking for your books now.
Alberta and BC
The mountains are gorgeous, aren't they? And there's something about the vastness of the sky over the prairie. And BC reminds me very much of home in some parts...we tend to vacation in the Okanagan and Shuswap area a lot and love it - lots of lakes and trees.
I love using settings in my books even if I do have to use a light hand...not much room for tons of description in a lot of category length fiction. But I think I'm a visceral person...it's the feeling I get in certain places that I try to articulate.
It's been really fun here today...and I want to know more about you so why don't you tell me where YOU'RE from and if you've visited Canada and where specifically?
CANADA, MY HOME
Donna,
I have been enjoying this wonderful post today. I am Canadian, and moved permanently to the U.S. 12 years ago. I do miss Canada since I lived there all my life. I travelled to the East, and the West. I enjoyed seeing the Maritimes, P.E.I. and N.B. as we drove there from Montreal, where I was born and lived for 30 years. Another year we flew from Montreal to Vancouver and then drove through the Okanagan Valley, Shuswap Lake area and I fell in love with the area. Scenic, natural beauty and unsurpassed majestic mountains. We stayed near Banff at Moraine Lake and this was memorable. We moved to Ontario for 18 years after Quebec and I enjoyed Lake Huron, Niagara Falls and Stratford. Sorry that this sounds like a travelogue. Wish you much success with your books. Love to read your blog.
CANADA
When I read a book that has Canada in it or a Canadian individual, it is extremely interesting since I relate to that very easily. I have a cousin who has retired to Nanaimo and another cousin who lives in Saskatoon. Both totally different places of course. When I was young we used to visit Canada every summer and stay in a little town in Eastern Ontario near Ottawa. This experience was very meaningful and still resounds with me.
All the best with your writing and I look forward to reading your books.
Canada, My Home
Not like a travelogue at all! Moraine Lake is gorgeous. I like Waterton as well...less touristy but no less stunning.
Last year we were home for 2 weeks and went across the link to PEI and then around the Island, taking the Wood Island Ferry over to Nova Scotia and then drove back to Moncton from there. I love the ocean. Just love it. And Canada has so much to see that's different!
When I am "home" in NB I get accused of speaking like a Westerner. Then out here, I get asked where I'm from in the Maritimes. ;-) Seems I don't fit in anywhere! LOL.
Hi Donna!
Hi Donna! Welcome to Cigars! It's so great to see you here! Sadly, I haven't read your books (something I intend to correct), but I do love Canada (does that count?).
We've been to Montreal on several occasions, and when I was a kid, my parents took two Harley Davidsons (with us kids riding behind them) up to Nova Scotia for a week, where we did a great motorcycle tour of the area. I'll never forget the beautiful colors of those coastal homes, and the brightly painted boats. Someday, I'd love to see the west coast!
As far as being able to distinguish a Canadian voice from an American voice, I think it does have a lot to do with the spelling, and the local venacular. I noticed the differences in speech when reading Sarah's books set in Australia, too. For me, it adds to the charm and makes it more real. If I were attempting to write a book set in either country, I think my readers would definitely figure out that I wasn't a native!
Hi Donna!
Karen - you're absolutely forgiven - after all, I'm pretty new! And loving Canada goes a long way. ;-)
Your post about going to NS reminded me how much I love this time of year. I grew up on an apple farm and the harvest and colours this time of year are what I miss most.
Funny
I bought your first book at Samhain and it never crossed my mind that you were Canadian. Of course, I'm as far north as you can get without crossing the border, so maybe it just seems normal to me. *g*
Funny
LOL Charli...where are you?
I keep getting distracted by Karen's book cover directly to the left. *fans self* Mmm mmm mmm. We don't get those covers in Romance! LOL
Your left, my right. Ggggg.
Your left, my right. Ggggg. Long day.
Yep. Hot cover!
Whichever side it is, it's distracting. *ggg* I'm on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, a ferry ride across the Straits from Canada.
I'm pretty far north, too!
And people whom I talk to in other parts of the US always say I sound "Canadian". And I'm only from Wisconsin. Go figure. :) I can't say, aside from the "or's" and the "our's", that I can tell whether an author is Canadian and not American and that could very well be because I apparently "talk" like the characters do myself. :)
And I too must hang my head in shame and admit that I haven't read anything by you yet, Donna. I do intend to, though! And I really can't wait until the marshall story comes out because you know how much I love Lucky/Greg!! You don't happen to have a release date or anything do you?? And I thought about you the other night when watching Maks on Dancing with The Stars (another of my faves). I'll definitely be reading The Italian, too! It'll be so much fun to read and know who you had in mind when writing the stories!!
:)
The Marshal
Sassa, actually I do, only I haven't made it official because I'm waiting on a title. But I found out last week that the Marshal is going to be out in August of next year. :-)
I have to say, the Italian changed a bit after the conception...but Maks was a really good starting point. And that happens a lot.
D
Have to say goodbye....
I have to take off for now as I have to feed the family and also have choir practice tonight...I'll be back first thing in the morning and I'll post a winner for a copy of Marriage at Circle M then!
Cheers and thank you ALL for being here!
D
Um...
Hi Donna,
I don't think there is something in your writing that has a Canadian element. I am a Canadian too... I live in Montreal and I think your critique partner just said that because she knew you were Canadian. Usually Americans or people from the UK see us a bit differently... we are the unknown for them because we are a smaller country in population and are less in the media. And, as you must know Americans love to joke about Canadians, their little neighbors from the North... and it is usually not funny at all and they think we still are stuck in the Ice Age!!
PS: In Quebec, as we like to rebel a bit, we don't have the OUR... we write honor, flavor :)
Neighbors to the North
This is a timely discussion, as a good friend of mine is on the last leg of a trans-Atlantic cruise, and has spent the past three days cruising down the east coast of Canada, from Newfoundland to Halifax, and had this to say:
"I could easily move to Canada and be happy. The country is clean and attractive. The people are pleasant. Everything--the shops, the gardens, the pubs, the parks--are artistically designed and aesthetically pleasing. The Harbour Walk (in Halifax) was a foodies’ paradise. I didn’t find the prices high, even though the value of their dollar has risen to match our dollar 1:1 for the first time since 1975. Retirement, here I come."
She loved the local craftsmanship, the food, the pubs...so please don't believe that all Americans consider Canada to be stuck in the Ice Age. I think that's the exception, and not the norm (at least in the Boston area).
Thanx
Hi,
Thanx for reassuring me! It is clear your friend has not visited Montreal or Toronto. These cities are not peaceful, not clean, with not much parks, and really quite expensive!!
Boston is a quaint city. I visited it this city and it really reminded me of Montreal :)
You are Canadian too!!
I agree with Lily. I am Canadian too and some Americans or foreignes in general don't seem to know us. They sometimes easily assimilate us to Americans, thinking were are their clones or think because we are Canadians, that we are unimportant. However I agree that the eastern Us cities must know more about us!
Nonetheless, Donna, I don't think there is anything really Canadian in your writing... maybe when you talk about the cowboys, you make some digressions that I am not aware of... not exactly like the ones in Texas, though there must be some cowboys in Alberta ;) Anyway, when I read your book Hired by a Cowboy, I really enjoyed it and at that time I didn't even know you were Canadian, so I don't think there is something Canadian about your writing; well maybe I am biaised too!
You are Canadian too
Well..there goes that marketing angle then. LOL
Sorry to say I haven't read
Sorry to say I haven't read any of your books yet, Donna. If your books are as well-written and witty as your post, though, I'm going to love them. Thanks for being here with us.
A Winner!
Aw, thanks Cheryl! I had tons of fun.
And I drew a winner, and I couldn't pick any one answer so I went the random route. And the winner of a signed copy of Marriage at Circle M is.....*eensy weensy drum roll*.....
Pearl!
Pearl, e-mail me at donna@donnaalward.com with your mailing address and it will go out with the million other things I have to take to the post office on Monday! Congrats!
Thanks everyone for popping in!