rebeccakool.com

With only days until the opening ceremonies for the Vancouver Winter Olympics, we’re basking in double digit temperatures and sunshine here on the west coast. Global warming you say?!

The organizing committee has assured us that there will be snow on the local mountains where some events will take place, even if they have to helicopter it in to cover the bare runs….and that’s exactly what they’re doing now!  Unbelievable.  In conrast, Whistler Mountain is pristine, white and quivering to welcome skis and snowboards.

The “no parking” signs are up and on Feb. 4^th you will be hard pressed find a car on the streets in the city until the 2^nd of March when our party ends.  Vancouver will be pedestrian-only.  Many people are canky about it; others laid out a plan B long ago and plan to enjoy all that’s offered.

So what’s up with Fly Catcher Boy gigs? Well, if you scroll down you can read a feature story that appears in the February issue of Senior Living Magazine, Vancouver Edition. I was interviewed for about 1.5 hrs. With the exception of details of my birth, there’s not much left out!  Hope you enjoy the read.  If you want to check out their website it’s www.seniorlivingmag.com.

Last Sunday I read to a group of kids in our Sunday School, ages 3 to 9. I was curious which age group would be bored but to my delight I held their attention for over 10 minutes!  Even the little ones who might not have understood it all enjoyed looking at the blow-up pictures I had arranged. I signed books during coffee time and sold a respectable number and will donate proceeds to the Primate’s World Relief Fund (Anglican Church) for work in Haiti.

On the 16^th I’m reading to kids age 6-8 yrs. who attend an after-school program at Camp Alexandra here in Crescent Beach. Mid-March I’ll be the guest lecturer at a noon “lunch and learn” for Japanese business owners in Vancouver. Good things happen every day.

March 8^th is my grand girl Cassie’s 9^th birthday. I missed last year’s so nothing can keep me away now that the family has relocated from Phoenix to Hillsboro, Oregon.  Gramma’s duty is to buy the birthday dress.  As I found out, this girl knows what she likes and goes for it.

Somewhere in the mix I’m planning a getaway to San Diego area to visit a fellow writer friend from my Mexico days.

Book #2?  The first draft is still languishing in the file cabinet, occasionally sighing audibly, and clammoring to get out and get an extreme makeover.  It’s a living, breathing thing, this manuscript.  I suppose all authors might feel the same way.  I can’t believe I’ll publish another one for 2011 release.  Geez…..I’m humbled, scared to bits, and feeling the deadline breathing down my neck.  At the same time, I want to keep on writing, publishing as often as I can.

 
  
By Kevin McKay
Posted: Friday, January 29th, 2010

 

Not every author gets their first book published at the age of 65, but neither do they receive inspiration from a remarkable orphaned cat named after their husband’s grandmother! Unlikely as it sounds, that is what happened to Rebecca Kool, though there were a number of other steps along the journey.
Perhaps the most important was Rebecca’s decision to move to Japan, a life-altering choice at the age of 50 that saw her land at the airport in Nagoya in October 1994 unable to read, write or speak Japanese. “My kids wondered if I had gone off the deep end!” she says.
Prior to leaving everything behind and moving to a new country, Rebecca was working in Victoria for a seniors’ retirement complex as the on-site manager. She started before the facility even opened, helped show suites and worked on marketing and promotion.
“It was an interesting job and I loved it,” she says. “I was in my heels, tottering across planks over the mud to get into the display suite. Once we had a full building, my job became the day-to-day management of the hotel. I oversaw food services, maintenance, staffing and all other aspects. I worked 12-hour days, seven days a week. I had an apartment, but only slept there.”
After six years on the job, Rebecca’s wanderlust surfaced. Fate, in the form of some chance encounters, pointed her in a new direction. First, she became good friends with a scientist and his wife who did contract work in Japan for six months each year. Then, an official from the Japanese equivalent of the Ministry of Health dropped by to look at the facility as part of a study on how seniors are cared for in Canada. Finally, Rebecca’s colleague mentioned a friend who had lived in Tokyo for a year in a home-stay situation.
“My friends assured me I would have no trouble finding work in Japan,” says Rebecca. “I wanted to travel. I took a deep breath, sold my house, packed a couple of suitcases and left.”
Rebecca recalls clearly when the move hit home. “I woke up to the captain of the plane telling us were landing in Nagoya. I lifted my window shade and looked down to see Japanese kanji characters written on the rooftops and thought, ‘I am really here.’ I was excited beyond words.”
Rebecca settled in and started to meet other non-Japanese people, mostly Canadians and Americans. These contacts led to various part-time jobs teaching English. For three years, she taught English at an all-girls junior and senior high school.
“I was told not to speak Japanese to the girls,” she says. “I had to devise all sorts of ways to communicate with them as I could not speak the language. I was a popular teacher because I let them let their hair down a bit. My classes were quite raucous and we moved all the desks around and things like that.”
Rebecca also taught a Sunday evening class for Japanese teachers who taught English.
“I was a resource for them. We discussed current events or interesting topics then went to drink beer,” she says with a laugh.
It was while teaching this class that Rebecca met Takeshi, a Math teacher who had received special permission to take the class in order to maintain his English skills. Shortly after, the couple started dating and, in March 2000, they were married in Japan. A month later, they married again, this time in Portland, Oregon.
Needing a place to live, American-born “Air-Force Brat” Rebecca, who had lived most of her adult life in British Columbia, and her new Japanese husband settled in Mexico.
“We lived in Ajijic for four years. It’s a little village on a lake, full of Canadians and Americans,” says Rebecca. “I had studied Spanish in high school for four years, so I thought I could do better with the language than I had in Japan.” An active opera group in the community caught Takeshi’s interest since he enjoys singing opera, so the couple jumped right in. “We were privileged to see Jose Carras perform live in the opera house in Guadalajara.”
Rebecca also got back into writing during this time, managing to get her first published works included in the local paper. Back in 1996, while visiting family and friends, Rebecca signed up for a four-day writers workshop on Cortez Island with noted Saskatchewan author Sharon Butala. All of the participants were asked in advance to submit a short piece of their own writing, so Rebecca submitted one related to Japan and food.
“We were to get our piece back during a one-on-one exit interview with Sharon,” she recalls. “During my interview, we talked briefly about my stay in Japan. She told me she liked the piece I had done and dashed out ‘intriguing’ and ‘a fresh voice’ at the bottom of the page. I was stunned. Here was Sharon Butala telling me I had a ‘fresh voice.’ It doesn’t get any better than that! I credit her with unlocking the door for me to continue pursuing writing.”
And then her muse came without warning.
“We adopted three cats in Mexico,” says Rebecca. “The first was a long, lean golden tabby that leaped in the air to catch things that flew. We named him Tama: he was usually successful catching hummingbirds and butterflies. The day we saw him catch a fly, I went straight to my computer and wrote this story. The boy in it is my husband, and the cat is Tama, of course. You see, my husband could catch flies with his hands. He had been taught by his mother as she had been taught by her mother, whom the cat was named after.”
Before publishing success would come her way, illness forced Rebecca and Takeshi to abandon Mexico. She was worried she had Multiple Sclerosis but, after travelling to Portland for a diagnosis, she was informed she was suffering from environmental bad water and bad food in the country resulting in high levels of metals in her blood. She also suffered typhoid while in Mexico, as well as four stings from scorpions. “We had to leave and decided it was time to come to Canada,” says Rebecca. “We packed this little trailer with boxes, sold everything else and drove all the way. Neither one of us had ever driven a trailer before. Because our left signal didn’t work we only made right turns. We never mastered backing up so it took us 17 days to make it to Canada. I will never forget pulling up to Peace Arch, crossing with all our papers. The border guard said, ‘welcome home,’ and I burst into tears. It was so sweet. Canada really is home, and though I have affinity for my birthplace, I have a great love for this country too.”
After settling back in the Lower Mainland, Rebecca set out to find a publisher for her manuscript. She managed to get her story in the top five finalists by one publisher in 2006, but did not make the final cut.
The following year, Rebecca’s perseverance finally paid off.
“I met the publisher of Gumboot Books at the Surrey Writers Conference,” she says. “I talked with her and showed her the manuscript for Fly Catcher Boy. She asked to read it, and we made the deal a couple of days later.”
The publisher accepted the manuscript as Rebecca had written it, and then found an illustrator for the book in Toronto, a young man named David Namisato.
“The illustrations are so lovely that even if you don’t read it, you will love it,” says Rebecca. “There is colour and action, but you know it takes place in Japan. It is important for kids to have a global perspective. The more we can get them reading and understanding other cultures, the better.”
In addition to writing, Rebecca is an avid photographer and loves to cook.
“I’m an excellent cook,” she says. “My son, who became a chef, is so much better than I am, but if you ask him what his favourite dishes are, he’ll tell you Mom’s chicken wings and Christmas fudge with marshmallows. Not only a good cook but a creative one: who else puts marshmallows in fudge?”
While getting word out about Fly Catcher Boy, Rebecca is already planning a second children’s book, and is working on memoirs of her time in Japan. She has even started a website and a blog to expand her audience. She says of Fly Catcher Boy, “This one has been so well received by educators. I want to keep writing and publishing as long as I can. It was always my heart’s desire to write and be published. I am proof that it’s never too late. Hold on to whatever passion you have. Be patient. If you don’t give up it’s sure to happen. I’m living proof!”
To purchase Fly Catcher Boy, visit Senior Living’s online bookstore at http://www.seniorlivingmag.com/bookstore
 

SENIOR LIVING MAGAZINE VANCOUVER AND LOWER MAINLAND

In 1999, the Canadian painter, Robert Genn, started emailing personally addressed letters to some of his friends.  One by one, in the viral nature that is the Internet, these letters were copied, shared and generally passed around.  Gradually at first, Robert’s list grew until tens of thousands now go out in nanoseconds from a state-of-the-art dedicated server to creatively-minded people in 115 countries.

These totally free letters trace Robert’s artistic pursuits, his wide range of interests, the struggles of his profession, and his remarkable travels. They also inform, inspire, motivate and give tangible meaning to Robert’s abiding faith in the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Artists.

Robert lives in Crescent Beach, not too far from me. We met through his dog Dorothy and now have a good kinship with art/writing and dogs. Robert’s book “The twice-weekly Letters” (from July 10, 1999 to September 25, 2009) was published last year.  We personally signed and presented our respective books to one another last November.  I don’t paint; I can’t even draw a decent stick figure but I take inspiration from his email letters that arrive faithfully in my inbox twice a week. Robert’s words are for everyone, no matter what artistic medium you ascribe to–writer, painter, sculptor, musician….his words resonate for all artists.

Check out his website at www.robertgenn.com and subscribe to his twice-weekly letters at www.painterskeys.com to check out some of his past letters. It’s free; if it’s not for you, unsubscribe.  I think you’ll enjoy his letters.

During my dog/house sitting days I’m enjoying some good books I’d like to share with you:

16 GUIDELINES FOR A HAPPY LIFE-the basics- by Alison Murdoch & Dekyi-Lee Oldershaw.  In this short but profound text you will find all the building blocks you need to create a happy life, both for yourself and those around you.  The guidelines are based on the inspirational values and principles that King Songtsen Gampo, a great Tibetan King in the 7th century, introduced to his people.  They are “ideas to make life better” and they played a cruical part in the transformation of Tibet from a warlike nation into a civilisation renowned for its peace and serenity.

TRAVELING WITH POMEGRANATES by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor.  A mother/daughter journal written during Sue and Ann’s travels between 1998 and 2000 to sacred sites in Greece and France.  A sensitive chronicle that touches on a mother’s new awareness of aging, and a daughter’s angst over the classic question of what to do with her life.  This book will find shelf space in my very cramped bookcase.  I need to have my own copy to mark up and highlight;  it’s one that I will go back to time after time.

ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MIRACLE by Barbara Kingsolver with insights from husband Steven and daughter Camille.  As only Kingsolver can, she sweeps readers along the family  journey away from the industrial-food pipeline to a rural life in which they vow to buy only food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it.  Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, AVM makes a passionate case for putting the kitchen back at the center of family life and diversified farms at the center of the American diet.  ABSOLUTELY fascinating reading!  Get it, read it, think about it. 

OLIVE KITTERIDGE, by Elizabeth Strout.  Still devouring this one.  A great read for sure.  Something about Olive resonates with me.  A  2008 pulitzer prize winner.  Start it on a weekend so you can finish it in two days!

So, there you have it.  Four of my favourites this week!  What are YOU reading?  Maybe it’s something I’d like to add to my list.

I ran over a squirrel the other day.  I didn’t mean to.  Driving along minding my own business, I saw the squirrel running across the road but I figured he’d be on the other side by the time I got anywhere near him.  That’s what they always do, right?  Not.  This fuzzy little thing STOPPED on the centre line, shook his tail, turned around and ran back his starting point.  BUT, half way there, he turned again…and again.  He had NO idea where he was going.  He was confused.  What could I do?  I couldn’t swerve;  he was still on the move.  I hit him.  I felt it.  Thud…..Squirrel meets his maker.

Of course I felt awful.  I’ve never run over any living thing.  Ever.  In fact, I often swerve to avoid impact.  There wasn’t any time to take evasive action.  It all happened so fast.  Then I got mad, ranting to the road kill, “why on earth would you stop in the middle of the road?” “Don’t you know the rule about not changing direction?”

This squirrel was obviously untrained and should not have been let loose.  That just made me feel worse. A young squirrel, perhaps his first road crossing after squirrel training school.  His parents standing behind him, cheering him on, encouraging him as he set out on his first crossing.  Once they realized he was turning back, well, they had to know he was toast.

What a way to start the new year.

When I’m not writing you can find me living in someone else’s home caring for their animals while they are away on sun-drenched beaches drinking cold, colourful drinks with chunks of fruit and an umbrella.

“Don’t quit your day job”!  Sound advice given to artists—singers, writers, painters, performers.  Aside from creating extra income,  pet/house sitting is something I like to do.  Why?  Well, I currently live in a verrrrrry small apartment.  Not that I mind; I kind of like that I can locate everything I need by scooting on my office chair from my desk to whatever it is I need.  But a change is as good as a rest, isn’t it?  The homes I “sit” all have good beds;  I have a good bed and that’s pretty much my number one requirement.  If I can’t sleep well, I can’t do my job well. Simple.  Aside from good beds, the home probably has a dishwasher;  I don’t.  Maybe a hot tub?  Waterfront views?  A huge flatscreen TV with 4 remotes which requiring a tutorial ? Likely all of these amenities plus.  Another plus is lots of space!  And let’s not forget…a four-legged friend. I can’t have animals where I live so I get my cat/dog fix in a different way.

I can still write while carrying out my tasks.  I’m out walking two hours a day and have all the rest of the time to complete projects I might bring, create some website posts, or work on correspondence and, yes, the next book.  Have laptop, will travel.  In fact, I’ve just fed the dog and while she’s occupied grooming herself, I can toss off this post! Pretty nice.

Now, did I lock the basement door?  What about lights?  Don’t forget to turn down the thermostat.  Oh, yes, one last bathroom break for my charge. Bedtime comes early; my doggy likes to be out and on the road just before sunrise.  She can tell time and knows exactly when to wake me.  Honest.  Who needs a gym membership when you’ve got a dog!

My clients return tomorrow and I go back to my nest.  I enter my apartment saying “tada-ima” (I’m home!). It will be good to be back after a week.  Everything will be just as I left it.

Now, where was I…..

As the clock winds down to Christmas day, I want to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas…and a Happy New Year, filled with everything you wish for in 2010.

I’m packing to spend a week dog/house sitting locally.  The job comes with a 45″ flatscreen, a dishwasher, a real live Christmas tree, and an 18 month old Golden Retriever named Lucy who thinks she’s a lap dog!

Seriously, going to someone else’s home is kind of like a mini-vacation, especially when the amenities are things I don’t have in my own life.    All the frenetic activity surrounding the book has tapered off as retailers, book stores, and authors alike  hunker down for some quality time off.  Me?  I’m content with a supply of JiffyPop and 5-DVDs on a 7-day rental.  Now, that’s what I call a good time!  I just hope Lucy is into my brand of humour as 4 out of 5 movies are comedy.

See you in 2010!

Good heavens, what a mess!  I am NOT well versed in uploading, posting, revising, re-organizing text and photos…..you’ll simply have to take it as it is.  I hope you can figure out what goes where!

So, what else have I been doing for these past weeks? Events are one thing;  marketing is another kettle of fish.  Due to its bi-lingual nature, there are things that only Tak and I can do to promote the book, specifically to the Japanese community.

Along with my illustrator, David Namisato, I have an interview coming up this month in the Canada-wide Nikkei VOICE, a bi-lingual newspaper. Coincidentally, the English editor, Mika Fukuma, went to school with David!  There’s that small world thing again!

Jennifer Hashimoto of  Nikkei Books, featured Fly Catcher Boy at recent book events in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Hamilton, Ontario.

David also got books to several newspapers found on line—e-Nikka and Bits, both of which can be translated into English with a click.

Locally, the Nikkei Centre Museum in Burnaby is featuring Shiwasu, a collection of crafts by local Japanese artists. I was welcomed to participate and feature Fly Catcher Boy; Takeshi has also entered his hand-made calligraphy cards for the show/sale, running until December 19^th.

Outlets for the book in Vancouver:

RICE TERRACES, everything Japanese & South Asian. Owner, Yoko Aljama is featuring the book for sale. 1441 W. Broadway in Vancouver.

ONCE UPON A HUCKLEBERRY BUSH, 4387 Main Street, Vancouver

KIDSBOOKS, on W. Broadway, Vancouver

BLACKBERRY BOOKS, Granville Island, Vancouver

Local White Rock/South Surrey outlets:

KIDSBOOKS, 32^nd Avenue shopping centre

WHITBY BOOKS, 14833 Marine Drive

SOL YOGA STUDIO, Crescent Beach

Of course, it’s available on Amazon: Canada, USA, Japan, UK, Germany, France…..so far!

Bulk orders? Get onto www.gumbootbooks.com and check out “how to order”.

In the works….

*readings at all Japanese language schools in the lower Mainland.  We will be telling the story in the old Japanese tradition of “kamishibai” (see recent blog to find out more)

*working on several more Japanese retailers to handle the book on consignment

*postings on “annoucement boards” on two Japanese business organizations’ websites

*featured speaker to Mokoyouku’s Lunch & Learn program in January 2010

*January interview for Senior Living Magazine plus book featured on their website and in their magazine

*reading for 6-8 year olds in after-school program, January

*working on getting FCB onto the B.C. Ferry gift shops

*present the Japanese Consul General with a book (photo of course)

*continue to work at getting book into the hands of Japanese, in Japan; we have some elves working on this as we speak. Our eyes are focused on the goal of getting multiple copies of FCB into every public & private primary school library across Japan.

*pre-Christmas filming of yours truly reading the story; to be posted on Youtube hopefully by the end of the year.  SUGOI!!!! Pretty busy….

Reading to the fans

Michiko reading at the dinner table!

Official launch at Huckleberry Book store, Nov. 8th/09

Official Launch: Heidi and Phyllis, first in line to buy books

Brian and sister Kat, pre-wedding lunch

Book signing with good friends, Dr. Bill and Cathy

More, you say? I finally found where I’d stashed some photos on events I already wrote about.

Here they are, in no particular order…

November 28, 2009. Victoria, B.C. CWILL (children’s book writers/illustrators of B.C.) features

VICTORIA KIDS’ BOOK BASH at the Fairfield Community Centre.

Victoria, for the second time in November! Thanks to my B&B hosts/dear friends, the Birds, I was happy in my Tuscany theme bedroom, with private bath, and sustenance any time I needed/wanted it!  Shortbread cookies and mince tarts were being baked by the dozens. 

Future author

Author Fiona Bayrock, author, and my BFF Beth of Victoria

What? Beth again? Modeling her headband

Of course, taste testers are needed and I was happy to volunteer!  Miss Yvette is famous for these jewels; her pastry melts in your mouth.

The Sunday prior to this event, Penny Draper, author/reporter for the Victoria Times-Colonist, wrote a full-page article on the event, the authors/illustrators, and their books. I was super thrilled to see Fly Catcher Boy’s cover along with six others, and a very favourable review. Thank you, P enny!

Sales were brisk with many children, all avid readers, visiting each table. Enjoy some photos from the event!