Hi – my name is Fran Guenette and I’m a writer! Yes – this is another blog about writing. My philosophy is that writing about writing is writing about everything so you can expect to see posts on this blog that cover a variety of topics.

I am the author of three books in, The Crater Lake Series, Disappearing in Plain Sight, The Light Never Lies and Chasing Down the Night. I’ve also collaborated with my mother to bring a book of short stories to publication, Strands of Sorrow, Threads of Hope. Readers can look forward to a novel in which I radically rework an unfinished manuscript my mother began when I was a child. Maelstrom should be out in the winter of 2015. You can read book descriptions and find links to all my published works on the My Book page of this blog.

My novels are character driven and I write in the genre of contemporary fiction with touches of romance and the occasional hard-hitting social issue or two or three. The Crater Lake Series handles bullying, rural life, family dynamics, dealing with grief and loss, First Nations realities, some of the challenges faced by gay youth, a lesbian relationship and the complicated ways in which young people and adults work out relationship dilemmas against the backdrop of life in a small, coastal community.

In 2012, I was advised to start a blog to promote my newly self-published books. Over time, this motivation has morphed into so much more. These days, I do throw out the occasional post promoting my own work – I have learned that people want to know what my next writing project is, when it’s coming out and where they can get it. I also share my experiences of writing, self-publishing and living my life. With a few works out in the world and more on the way, I’ve had my share of ups and downs. The beauty of the blog world is our ability to learn from one another – cascading mentorship – each one teach one. As they say at the Mondragon Cooperative – we build the road as we go.

I live in a small, off-the-grid cabin with my husband, Bruce. The location is remote, on the shores of a lake. Can you imagine a better setting for a writer? I can’t. We have an alternate power system for our home – a combination of micro-hydro and solar electric panels. I write with a panoramic view of the lake every, single day.

Most days between May and September, Billy Bob the Bear (or our yearly versions of Billy Bob – sometimes it may be Billy Jean – I don’t get close enough to find out!) drops over to graze on the green cover (we don’t have the nerve to call it grass), eat huckleberries and salal. Life is good here in the hinterlands for the wildlife.

I have a daughter and son – both happily married and pursuing interesting careers and two beautiful and wildly funny granddaughters who constantly provide me with inspiration for writing.  For most of my life I have been an educator of one type or another. I have a BA in psychology, an MA in counselling psychology and an almost completed PhD in educational psychology. Enough said about the educational journey! I have worked in the fields of special education, trauma counselling and educational research. I freely draw inspiration from all past experiences into my fiction writing. So beware if you knew me when!

I hope you enjoy the blog. I look forward to reading and responding to all your comments. Here’s to all of us learning as we go.

(Lake photo credit goes to Darrell McIntosh – many thanks!)