There is a broad appeal for stories about Canadiana. You take a unique look at a prevailing problem throughout northern and rural Canada in the 1960's - prejudice.
How do you think the rise in Canadian patriotism since the Olympics helps the kinds of stories you tell? Will there be newfound love for your genre of books?
Grandmother, mother, daughter - describe the dynamics of a strong willed Irish/Newfie/Northern pioneer family.
Have relationships changed over time? Are grandmothers, mothers and daughters as close to each other today as the were? What has changed?
Living in the north - the culture, humor, colloquialisms, slang and expressions, the will and hardships endured - is it really a tough life in the north?
Growing up in a small town versus a big city - which is better? How do you measure better?
Writing historical fiction - in a humorous way. Explain that one.
It's how a character reacts to a real situation that is humorous. Everything I write about is based on a real incident. I may be witty, but I'm sure not as clever to think up some of the stuff I write about. We lived it. And we got by - the people of the north still get by - having a good sense of humor. Thankfully, our family had a lot of things happen around us so I got a head start on my research. Just had to sit and watch. Why, I've got so much material it will keep me busy for a few more stories, for sure.
How important is humor in fiction about topics that can be sensitive, like relationships?
How important is humor in delivering the moral of a story? Does there need to be a moral?
Your style of writing - creating characters that are so real, readers want to get to know them better, or think that they knew them.
Tell me about your book in a sentence or two.
How did you come to write this book? What was your motivation?
Who does the book appeal to, and why?
How is you book different from other family memoirs?
What was it like living in a small town? How did Telkwa - How did Terrace - differ from other small towns?
What was it like to have a grandmother like Nana Noonan?
You say your stories are part fact, part fiction. Who's going to sue you? Is someone going to get mad at you? How does your family like being featured in your stories?
What three words describe your story? Its characters?
What was the most challenging part about writing the book? The most rewarding part?
What next? Are you going to write another book?
NEWS + EVENTS
Canadian Authors Association Vancouver Branch Monthly Meeting Feb. 8, 2012
It's Open Mic Night. Members and non-members are invited to read their work. read more...
Excerpt from Margo's New Book: The Funeral Follower
Maggie Mulvaney is the social columnist for the Terrace Herald Newspaper. Funerals are taking on a life of their own in Canada's Pacific Northwest. read more...
P.S. Don't Tell Your Mother a story of love, tolerance and lessons learned between a 13-year-old girl and her Irish-Canadian Nana
Margo Bates' debut novel, P.S. Don't Tell Your Mother, brings to life the rough-and-tumble world of Canada's frontier northwest in the late 50s and early 60s. Part fact, part fiction, P.S. Don't Tell Your Mother is based on hundreds of letters Margo excha read more...
Book Clubs
Margo is available to speak to Book Clubs in the Metro Vancouver area, or via Skype. read more...
Workshops for Writing Groups
Margo Bates is available for private workshops for writing groups. Her topics include Character Development, Humour Writing and Personal Publicity for Authors read more...
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