Wonderfully Thought Provoking - The Gilded Beaver, SecondEdition

 A wonderful Amazon Review shout-out! 

Thank you dear readers! 
Plus, a wonderful profile of the title & author - from #Ireland.

 THE GILDED BEAVER - Get it HERE.

     

Author & Fine Furniture Designer, MLHolton

Cover Design - The Gilded Beaver E-book

Writers as Performers: Some thoughts by MLHolton

Instagram: @thelesliejordan

Over the last few months, as a result of the COVID19 pandemic, everyone is adjusting as best they can through the proliferating portals of #screenculture.

... Some are more adept at adapting than others ... 

Many have jumped onto ZOOM, Facetime or similar video platforms to compensate for the current lack of 'LIVE' social interactions. This phenomenon is especially evident on Facebook and Instagram where short clips are shared by nearly everyone - including a larger array of professional and amateur actors.

As a result, some surprising 'old school' performers are experiencing sudden break-away 'social media' success, like former B-List actor, Leslie Jordan, (Instagram @thelesliejordan), who has sky-rocketed to 4.9 million followers (!), with his quaint and amusing 'pillow chats' ... A close second is Sir Patrick Stewart (of former Star Trek fame) who has begun a series of Shakespeare sonnet readings under the hashtag #ASonnetADay on his Instagram feed @sirpatstew.

Instagram: @sirpatstew

... It got me thinking about this whole idea of PERFORMING ... of going 'LIVE' .... 

For those who are introverted by nature or unaccustomed to 'acting' for a living, all this jumping on the 'New Normal' screen-culture bandwagon is a somewhat bewildering twist on Everyday Reality ... I mean, must we all become part of the BORG now? 

I, personally, am not comfortable 'performing on-demand' for anyone. Not family, not friends, and certainly not a bunch of unknown strangers from anywhere on the planet ... It's just not the way I want to engage with people, near or far.

Still, during this unprecedented pandemic, 'Necessity has become the Mother of Invention'.

Recently, I was invited to read for the Oakville Public Library's Author Series. The following video was the result...


Sigh. And Arg. ... Let's not kid ourselves. I am not a very comfortable or an inspiring 'performer' ... Why? Because I am a WRITER, not an ACTRESS!!! -  And yet, such is the Nature of the Beast these days. Acting - aka selling - is not just a requirement anymore, it has become a Necessity ... 

#Bookem Hostess with the Mostest

The following link is from an writer I very much admire, Veronica Cline Barton. Veronica has stepped into this Brave New World by recently launching, with two other women writers, a YouTube book channel, #Bookem, to promote their writing as well as written works by others.

Is dear Veronica a 'good actress'? In truth, I think that depends a great deal on what one might expect from someone not trained in the discipline, (like me!), but who clearly understands the Necessity of self-promotion.

I think it safe to say that my darling friend is no Katherine Hepburn ... BUT - Veronica is very much her Self. And, at the end of the day, surely that IS the greatest of accomplishments. Veronica is very much, and authentically, her Self.  

In the following clip, Veronica  offers a very kind and generous shout-out for my 3rd novel, TRILLIUM.  There is a curious moment when she slides from 'performing' to 'thinking aloud' at the conclusion of why I undertook this latest work ... WATCH it HERE. 

It's a revealing little tidbit. Because, for all her effervescence, tiaras, bright lights and southern charm, Veronica is clearly a thinking writer who is working very hard to fit in with the never-ending array of Hollywood/YouTube/Facebook/Instagram and TikTok performers. To my mind, it is brave and a courageous undertaking. It is a fearless 'get-it-out-there' endeavour ... And it deserves the greatest respect from this admittedly performance-shy author ... Thank you V! 

p.s. Amazon link for TRILLIUM

Two more shout-outs for novel TRILLIUM by MLHolton

It's always so gratifying when readers resonate with the efforts that an author makes!

A 'GirlfromNiagara', (on Instagram & Twitter), recently tackled TRILLIUM and emerged with -

"TRILLIUM is beautifully written ... the story captivates and mesmerizes." She goes on to describe "some characters are endearing, some repulsive - all compelling." She closes with "Holton's imaginative voice and rich verbiage produces vivid imagery in the reader's mind."  

Authors can't ask for much more than that!

University College at the University of Toronto also gave a shout-out in their mid-July e-mailer to Alumni. Identified as an 'Alumni of Influence' beneath the boost of Canadian director, David Cronenberg, I've been tagged as the artist and author of TRILLIUM.

"Pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy TRILLIUM" that "portrays the intertwined evolution of three families in the Niagara wine-making region." - YES, that's what it does! - Drink up!

Have you added TRILLIUM, a southern Ontario saga to YOUR reading list yet? Available as an ebook or paperback on Amazon  - find your preferred link below -

TRILLIUM in Canada  
TRILLIUM in the US 
TRILLIUM in the UK 

For alternate e-book editions
go HERE 

Canada Day ... 2020

Canada  - A GOOD IDEA

Yup, still here, still at it. And still enamored by this fine and good country that I am fortunate enough to live in. Is #Canada perfect? No, not by a long shot. But, seriously, what is?

And, perhaps more important during these troubled and troubling times, where else in the world is BETTER? China? Russia? The United States? .... What about the Netherlands? Sweden? South Africa? New Zealand? Vietnam? Germany? Turkey? Sudan? Ethiopia? Iran? Pakistan? ...

All in all, Canada is doing pretty well for a youngster on the global stage. That's due, in no small part, to the millions of immigrants who have come from all over the world seeking a BETTER life for themselves and their families ... Kudos to you all!!

It is the DREAM, and the DESIRE to WORK HARD to BUILD a BETTER place that drives us on.
We know we are not perfect, but we do try our best, most often.

Enjoy this wonder-filled day: Enjoy your lives. Live Well -
And thank you Canada and all Canadians for being such Good People.
 - mlholton

p.s Still not convinced this is a fantastic country? Consider these statistics:

https://www.who.int/countries/can/en/
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/standard-of-living-by-country
https://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/Details/Economy/income-per-capita./
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Giving_Index
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/slideshows/countries-with-the-most-well-developed-public-health-care-system?slide=11
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/30/the-10-most-educated-countries-in-the-world.html

The Gilded Beaver by Margaret Lindsay Holton, Second Edition - June Release, 2020

NOW AVAILABLE on AMAZON

It is with both sadness and delight that I can now able 'reveal' that yes, I, Margaret Lindsay Holton, am the author of the award-winning 1999 novel, 'The Gilded Beaver by Anonymous'. 

It's sad, because the 'verbal deal' that I made with the antagonist of this quasi-fictional work died this March of natural causes in his 80th year. Yet, I am delighted because, now, I can rightfully claim this 'story' as my own.

Why did we make this 'deal'? 
It's complicated, but suffice it to say, that on successful completion of an ambitious design commission, I wrote about the nit-grit of what REALLY happened during the process. When I asked the client for permission to publish our story, he agreed, on one condition: we were both to remain anonymous, until, quote, "one of us dies."

'Anonymous' 1st Edition  

- I agreed to that, and soon released 'The Gilded Beaver by Anonymous' in a limited-edition paperback under my own artists' imprint. It did well enough, even though, at the time of release, no-one had any idea where it had come from.

Newspaper reviews, at the time, had some fun with it, calling it 'a mysterious psycho-sexual tug of war in the design world' and 'a dance of intellect and eros that expertly unfolds ... closes with panache'.  I was eventually outed as the author by The Ottawa Citizen, but by then, the initial interest had subsided, and life went on. For all intent and purposes, the title remained 'anonymous' and has sold that way for the past twenty years. However, overtime, I began to regret my 'anonymous author' decision. Why?

Because, in simple terms, very few people understand what transpires when an artist - or designer - interacts with a client. It is often so much more than just a financial transaction or a power dynamic exercised by one - (who has money over one who does not) - to 'do what they want'.

Carving Detail on the Winter Chair

When a self-professed mover & shaker, (in this instance 'G'), offered an ambitious designer, (in this instance, me), the opportunity to do BETTER than their BEST, the design dynamic changes dramatically.

'G' did offer an opportunity to do something spectacular to ADD to 'Canadian Material Culture', and I did just that. But, on route, there were bumps, lumps, periodic disagreements, confusion and personal upsets.

We did manage it in the end, but, believe me, it was not easy. As a client, he was imperious, moody, petulant, demanding, and in the end, a bit of an a**hole primarily because of the money issue ...

Money is an on-going concern for small business owners to keep 'cash flow' going. (It's not of such concern for big-wig financiers who always have easy access to bank credit.) One of my reasons for initially writing this work was to articulate - and demonstrate - what a fine line it is between feast and famine for those who live, out of necessity, paycheck to paycheck.

Autumn, The Four Canadian Fireside Chairs by MLHolton

When the anonymous first edition come out in 1999, I was not able - or permitted  - to 'claim' the good work that was done by so many skilled craftsmen. Nor was I able to promote these new furniture pieces for their good design and exemplary workmanship that would have legitimately positioned them in the international global arena of FINE #DECORATIVEARTS. I was just not permitted to speak about them because of the aforementioned 'deal'.
Admittedly, this is all very obscure to most, but for those 'in the trade', they understand that fine decorative objects artfully reflect the culture from which the items spring. Ultimately, well-designed decorative art works honour the precise hand-skill traditions of solid eye-hand-and-heart co-ordination. My hired hands did an exemplary job - and those craftsmen deserve the recognition and reputation for doing so - even if it is 20-years late.

My specialty, at that time, was the designing and making of 'Canadian Fine Furniture'. I had learned the rudiments of this craft from my cabinet-making father, Luther Janna Holton II, and had refined my skills and interest with further self-study and application. By the time I was doing this 'commission' for 'G', aka Gordon, I was, without exaggeration, one of the best 'fine furniture designers' in Canada. I always worked with the best hands I could find to make beautiful 'things'. The revealed chairs in this post, and other items that I produced in the 1990s, attest to that.

'Winter' Chair, The Four Canadian Fireside Chairs by MLH

But, again, life goes on ... I finally left this discipline, after spending 10 months on another high-end commission, when the client ran their hand down the beautifully french-polished and intricately-carved mahogany 16-foot dining room table and asked if it was 'oak' ...

That was it for me. I just lost interest in designing and making 'things' for people who had absolutely no idea what they were getting, or what was involved in the design and crafting process. I soon left the 'business' of designing 'Canadian fine furniture'.

That's not to say that my own interest in fine craftsmanship and good design waned. It did not. I still swoon over a beautifully made object - from any culture or from any era. I am just no longer willing to do it - or sell it. 

In the late 1990s, I started to do other things and developed other marketable skills, like my ever-popular pinhole and photo-collage photography, and, as always, I continued on with my signature paintings and my writing, found all over this site.

'Autumn', Four Canadian Fireside Chairs by MLHolton

So, that's the backstory ... 

The final - and most relevant - reason for releasing this title again - with my name on it - is to DIRECTLY and DELIBERATELY tie this book to 'The Four Canadian Fireside Chairs'.  These four well-made chairs now exist in Time & Space. This book, The Gilded Beaver, intimately explains how they came to be. There is, finally, some faint hope that someday, someone, somewhere will finally 'get it'. It is hoped that a few decorative arts connoisseurs will recognize this #Canadian #design contribution for what it really is ...

There are no other chairs on the planet like this set of four.

The Four Canadian Fireside Chairs are a  fusion of English-French and Inuit IDEAS that place them squarely IN CANADA at the end of the twentieth century. Made of blemish-free hardwood, selected from a private mill in Ancaster, these black walnut chairs should easily last for 300 to 400 years, with, perhaps, a restoration or two on route.

I know, without any doubt, that they are GOOD chairs. They will stand the test of time. In the end, I was happy to have designed and created them. I am now, with this new release - with my name attached - willfully putting them into the broader arena of the DECORATIVE ARTS FROM CANADA at the end of the TWENTIETH CENTURY.

2nd Edtion - E-book -NOW AVAILABLE

Yes, they were designed FOR Gordon, but more importantly, they were done FOR CANADA and our own 'material culture'  heritage. 

I hope you will now consider this revised title, by yours truly. Give the story a read, or even a re-read, knowing now that it is a 'true story'.

Consider what went on, and why. Consider this title knowing that what artists and designers build - as 'cultural artifacts' - comes from inherited and invented narratives that manifest in material form. Yes, we artists 'make things', that not only mark our time on the planet, but we also make things to WITNESS and DOCUMENT the dominant stories of our own times for future generations.

Have a read. Learn more about this grand & beautiful country of ours, Canada, on this amazing planet, Earth.

Now Available as an E-book on Amazon
The Gilded Beaver, Second Edition, 
by Margaret Lindsay Holton

BOOK LAUNCH of The Gilded Beaver by Margaret Lindsay Holton

Hamilton Arts Week - 2020 - Margaret Lindsay Holton

HAMILTON ARTS WEEK! 

ON-LINE - JUNE 11th to JUNE 20th, 2020 

Artists, performers, authors and entertainers from around the Golden Horseshoe Region of Southern Ontario, Canada, are offering a variety of different on-line events from classic opera to crochet-making for those housebound during the Covid Crisis from June 11th to June 20th.  I am thrilled to be included in the line-up with a 'broadcast' on June 15th, at NOON, of my 2017 spoken-word & electro-pop album, CANADADA: TAKE TWO. In it, I explore and examine what it means to be 'Canadian'. In many ways, the thoughts and ideas are as relevant today as they were when I first created & produced this work. Check out the extensive and diverse line-up during the 9 days: bookmark what interests you, add the event to your calendar to 'tune in' at the appropriate time.

Community Event Listings are here ... 

and here's a direct link to my offering.

(And YES, you can tune-in to my offering at any time. Here's a wee sample, SHAREWARE, by yours truly.  
Now, go listen to the SHAREWARE poem.:) ) 

ENJOY!

CANADADA:TAKE TWO by MLHolton

 

 Sample of other events & workshops 'on deck' from June 11th-20th:

Month of May Blasts Off!

The Month of May started off with a bang: three new book reviews of my latest novel, TRILLIUM, and two new print inclusions in on-line news-and-views sources. Plus, two on-line art exhibits.

BOOK REVIEWS: It is so gratifying when another author writing #historicalfiction acknowledges, reviews and promotes your title on their website. It’s a vote of confidence. Malve Von Hassell is no slouch.  Her bio follows: – 

Malve von Hassell was born in Italy and spent part of her childhood in Belgium and Germany before moving to the United States. She is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research. Working as an independent scholar, she published The Struggle for Eden: Community Gardens in New York City (Bergin & Garvey 2002) and Homesteading in New York City 1978-1993: The Divided Heart of Loisaida (Bergin & Garvey 1996). She has also edited her grandfather Ulrich von Hassell's memoirs written in prison in 1944, Der Kreis schließt sich - Aufzeichnungen aus der Haft 1944 (Propylaen Verlag 1994). She has taught at Queens College, Baruch College, Pace University, and Suffolk County Community College, while continuing her work as a translator and writer. She has self-published a children’s picture book, Letters from the Tooth Fairy (Mill City Press, 2012) and her translation and annotation of a German children’s classic by Tamara Ramsay, Rennefarre: Dott’s Wonderful Travels and Adventures (Two Harbors Press, 2012). The Falconer’s Apprentice (namelos, 2015) was her first historical fiction novel for young adults. Her most recent releases are Alina: A Song for the Telling (BHC Press, 2020), set in Jerusalem in the time of the crusades, and The Amber Crane (Odyssey Books, 2020), set in Germany in 1645 and 1945.

An up-and-coming book-blogger and author from the U.K, Melissa Hawkes, gave a shout-out to TRILLIUM, my 3rd novel, in her ‘May Book Recommendations’ post. Her first novel is coming out next year. She's gong-ho and jumping in!

ENVIE, a new on-line literary journal that engages directly with the Twitter #writingcommunity, also included TRILLIUM in their useful & informative May edition. -- No review, but a serious four-colour ‘plug’. - I’ll take it! 

 WRITING:

--- In the writing department, I have been invited to write a column on how the art world is faring during the #COVID19 pandemic. A rather broad topic, but I took a swing at it. It’s coming out shortly in the local news blog, The Burlington Gazette. The publisher and I have a long and somewhat cantankerous relationship, but we struggle on together to inform and delight local readers. 

Sample of graphic & poetic design ...

Finally, an older poem of mine, Pond Life, was recently included in an on-line Eco-Arts zine entitled, ‘The Materialist – In Honour of the 50^th Anniversary of Earth Day’. It was compiled and designed by Lauren Frick, an undergraduate at Indiana University Northwest pursuing a BA in both English and Spanish. She is also a 2020 Sierra Club Climate Justice League student fellow and a contributor with EcoLit Books. -- It is always so much fun to see how other readers ‘get’ what I’ve written. In this instance, Lauren ‘played’ with the syntax to create a unique graphic visual that amplifies the words. It's an interesting choice that focuses the mind.

VISUAL WORK: 

In the visual department, my art work is in two on-line exhibits with the Women’s Art Association of Hamilton. The first is dedicated to SPRING 2020, (shown here) and the second is related to #COVID19 and Social Distancing' ...

  

'Spring Thaw' by MLHolton - NFS/SOLD  - NB: Naive-Surreal-FOLK-abstracts ...

 ... In sum, I’d say Spring has officially begun …

May the Fourth Be With You!

... Now back to work. - mlh :)