Author

Maya Kavita
Maya Kavita (J I Kendall aka – Joan Weston) worked for many years in the IT industry. She began writing with her books, The Greater-Than-Riches mystery series. Based in Toronto, Maya says, “I spent many years in an HR job, helping our company downsize. My work was harder than George Clooney’s in the movie Up in The Air because I had to fire a lot of people that I had hired and trained, whose families I had met. I even had to choose who would be fired. I had to help them carry their personal belongings to the door, and I searched their boxes while they watched because I was instructed to make sure they hadn’t stolen anything from us. I write from my experiences.”
A lifetime of knitting has ingrained certain lessons into my personality. And I've come to see that they apply to…
Lucy! You Got Some ‘Splainin To Do!
Lucy and Ethel on the assembly line at the chocolate candy factory - who could forget that episode?
Shakespeare Said It Best
Friends, writers, authors - We're going to have to be techno-geeks if we want anyone under forty to ever read our…
The Word Made Flesh
Finally, after years of finding them creepy, I understand why some people get tattoos
Self-Publishing: Pay It Forward
Would you be willing to give people your hard work, your intellectual property, for free?
Let the Wookiee Win
The sidekick's there to help the hero complete the task, solve the problem, or even
Fire Away
There's nothing easy about firing someone. I know. I had to do it a lot
CSI: Cabot Cove
The TV has been playing in the background. Murder, She Wrote was on when I started, then Castle
How Many Books Are You Writing?
I found a literary agent who found me a mainstream publisher. It’s sounds like a straightforward process
Ice and Fire
Even under the best of conditions, complaining about the weather is a national past-time in Canada
Rest in Peace, Dear Elijah
We regret to announce that three-year-old Elijah has died
Brian Williams, Abraham Lincoln, and Ratings
The evening news is dominated by talking heads who determine what constitutes news for their audience
Who Tells You What To Read?
Who to trust? - that's the question isn't it? Who knows books and you well enough to act as matchmaker?
Michelangelo, and The Art of Writing
Michelangelo didn't want to paint the ceiling of The Sistine Chapel. He considered himself a sculptor. He didn't…
Lather, Rinse, Repeat: The Process of Writing
It takes me 6 drafts to write one of my books. I thought I'd summarize the process for you...share some of my…
A Lesson Learned at Grandmother’s House
The word "civility" has been bandied about a lot lately - by media people or politicians who find other people's…
The Anniversary Of The Day Hillary Cried
One of the reasons Hilary Clinton lost the nomination to be her party's candidate for President of the USA a few…
I See By Your Outfit That You Are A Writer
I think we writers need an outfit, you know, like a uniform. So that when people look at us, they'll know that…
Owed To Joy
There can be a pretty low downside to being an independent author: You feel rejected, because you have been…
Reality Cheque
I imagined myself like John Grisham, Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, and other authors who'd been obscenely…
Las Meninas
Las Meninas is one of my favorite paintings. It was painted in 1656 by Diego RodrĂguez de Silva y Velázquez - you…
Mission Possible
"Because you write, you show the rest of us that there is life after work - that you can retire and have a…
I’m Not A Good Writer
Occasionally, someone will read one of my books and exclaim, "Wow, who knew you were such a good writer!" It's a…
Take It – It’s Mine
Remember plagiarism? Remember how bad it was to copy some else's work without duly referencing and crediting them?…
This Week, I Held My Breath…
This week, I Held My Breath For 22 Hours, 47 Minutes And 15 Seconds
Between October 14 and October 16, 1987, I…
The Pillars Of The Earth Are At The Mall
The other day, I was in a ladies clothing store and met a friendly woman who quickly engaged me in conversation.…
If You Write A Book In The Forest…
If you write a book in the forest, and no one is there to read it, does it tell a story? The question's not as…
What It Is Is The End Of Grammar As We Know It
"Is is" is making a comeback of sorts, and Warren Clements of the Globe and Mail is careful to document its use in…