Monday, May 4, 2020

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 50th 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 :)


 

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Greetings from Canadian Artist & Author, MLHolton



Yikes! What a Spring!


mlh 2
Canadian Author & Artist - MLHolton

Who knew that 2020 – a red-letter year that once held so much promise - would prove so challenging?

Out of necessity, we’ve all become monks as we isolate away from our loved ones.

Many try to communicate through screens and cell technology, but clearly, it’s not the same. We want to embrace the warmth of family and friends. We want to be able to see them with our own eyes and just be with them in ‘real time’.

If there is any consolation, this ‘alone time’ has forced us to reflect on what really sustains us. Many are aware of a massive psychic shift happening on many fronts.-- What are we wiling to give up now to live better later?

Jens Hansen

At this end, I continue on with my work -


Many of you have asked when an audio version of my last novel, TRILLIUM*. would be available. With luck, SOON! The wonderful local actor, Jens Hansen, has long been my preferred narrator for this story. We are about half way through now. You are in for a real treat!
Watch his brilliant rendition of 'The Cremation of Sam McGee.'
.. It really is so very gratifying that my tale of Canadian manners and mores continues to accrue positive reviews from as far afield as Australia, Montana, the Yukon and the coastal shores of Ireland - "epic" - a "thoroughly enjoyable read!" - "Powerful page-turner!" - and my all-time favourite - "Magificent!" 
Seriously, it is very gratifying when others deeply enjoy a family-centric story. 


So, what's it about?


TRILLIUM starts in 1756 when young Tom Hartford, a British foot soldier of George II, crosses over the mighty Niagara River. The evolving tale focuses on three very distinct families who arrive, strive and interlock over desires for land, lust and loot within the wine-making region of Niagara in southern Ontario, Canada. - It all ends with a bang 250 years later, in 2001 - WHY then?  Find out  ... :) 

Otherwise, in isolation, I have compiled a fun musical #playlist  to compliment the changing social landscape as it churns thorough-out the historical periods depicted in TRILLIUM.

Travel back in time through two World Wars. - Trip down memory lane through the rock'n'roll 50s & the hippie-dippy 60s!

Tune in to 380+ tunes
- or 20+ HOURS - of listening pleasure. 

(You might want to Bookmark the site!) 

--- 
I  must also take a moment to thank many of you for your thought-filled book reviews - especially on Amazon CA and Amazon COM, and on dedicated readers' primary book site, Goodreads. 

Your kind words help. A lot.

If you haven’t already done so, please add your two cents to the sites above.  It means the world to me to have your support.


... Meanwhile, older projects continue on ...


An unexpected 5-star review of my second novel, THE GILDED BEAVER (winner of the Hamilton Literary Awards in 1999), was a delightful surprise! On the strength of it, I have decided to transform that older novel into an updated e-book. I’m working on that now and should have it ready for you by the fall. - If you like Canadian stories with plot twists, this one will be for you!


Tangentially, my 2014 short story, THE FROZEN GOOSE (now adapted into a short 25 minute film) has just been picked up by renowned voice actress, Jacqueline Belle. 

From her studio in Manitoba, she recorded and broadcast it on Youtube. Listen-in to her 13 minute wonderful & unique style of story-telling here


As artists, we are helping each other out.

Overall, 2020 - an annus horribilis is there ever was one - is proving to be a very unsettling and tough year - especially for those of us who live on the fringes - but we WILL get through it! 

With faith and fortitude, this imposed 'slow lifestyle' will reset how we choose to live on this amazing and life sustaining planet. 

In the short term, please do pass along TRILLIUM to those you think would enjoy a good spring or summer read. (Why not send the e-book version as a gift to a loved one in isolation? --- Know that helping them, helps me too.)

Stay Safe, Stay Strong and Stay Healthy! 
With warm regards, 
Margaret Lindsay Holton





Thursday, April 9, 2020

Rites of Spring, 2020



Lake Ontario, Spring, by MLHolton
For many, early April marks sacred ceremonies that honour ancient rites of renewal & rebirth.

2020 is no different. I have been watching from my window as buds emerge on trees, daffodils pop up and rhubarb patches emerge from the damp soil.

I've ventured out a few times, in solitude, at dusk, when there are no other humans about, to just marvel in the continued resurgence and re-emergence of OTHER Life on this, our amazing home planet. Spring smells are so aromatic, especially down by the lake ...

Over the past few weeks, as we've all been confined to our homes for our own and others health and safety, I have, like you, seen numerous videos of how the near terminal ceasing of human activity has impacted the Earth.  Dolphins are swimming in the canals of Venice for the first time in decades. Los Angelos is smog free, as are many of the major industrial cities throughout China. Cumulatively, it's a vivid reminder, not only of our impact, but of our responsibility to the fundamental health and well-being of this place, our collective home.

Who cannot see the OBVIOUS benefits of fresh air, access to clean water, and the varied fruits of cultivated lands for our own health? 

This connection to the planet, more specifically, to the rich land beneath our feet, is very much a substrate of TRILLIUM,  my third novel. I was delighted when it was recently listed in Hamilton's largest newspaper as a recommended #SPRINGREADDamn right: The Time Is Now!


When I started TRILLIUM in the spring of 2018, I had a palpable sense of urgency to 'get the message out' as soon as possible so others could prepare. ... No guff.
Spring Rhubarb, by MLHolton

TRILLIUM is, aside from the surface story of three entangled and entertaining families, a blueprint about the necessity for #localfood harvest and networks. It outlines, through fiction, how generations of neighbours help each other in the planting, gathering and harvesting of needed crops. Agriculture and animal husbandry is an activity as old as humankind itself. TRILLIUM demonstrates how these grassroot alliances establish human bonds thicker than the loftiness of any grander 'national identity'.

Our immediate civil society is built on these links. Families grow when families cross-pollinate and germinate. These deep generational roots are what bind us together in our communal humanity. It is times like this that we truly come to understand and appreciate the recurring and rejuvenating aspect of what makes a #goodneighbour. 

SPRING! - TRILLIUM by MLHolton
To be clear, globalization does not offer this sense of community. In contrast, globalism is an airy scheme that profits jet-setters, bankers, billionaires and rootless tax-avoiding corporations. It does not bind us, the commoners, within the locality of #families.  Globalism does not know your voice or your face. That kind of intimacy only comes from day-to-day interactions at the grassroots level where 'I know you & you know me'.

As we do emerge from the devastation and impact of this horrific and horrifying pandemic, please let us remember our #goodneighbours. Remember what really makes our unique local civil communities work in times of crisis.

If you need a friendly reminder, please do pick up TRILLIUM.  Share it with your #family - your grand-parents, your spouse, your children and your grand-children. Re-establish a deeper understanding of #families, and the tangible blood network of kinfolk.

Work harder at sharing your isolated and alienated Self in real ways with those who stand near you in real life. - Live in the Real World with all your Senses Wide Awake and Active.  The Time is Now! 

Spring Blessings to you All. 
Margaret Lindsay Holton / Canadian Artist & Author

---

Extract from The Spec article ....

5. 'TRILLIUM
By Margaret Lindsay Holton

TRILLIUM, no modest undertaking, is a novel whose action stretches over 250 years of #Niagara peninsula history, as it follows the branching out of three diverse families - the Hartfords, O'Sullivans and Di Angelos. Short-listed for the 2019 Hamilton Literary Awards, the book is divided into nine parts with titles like seed, roots, harvest, second harvest. It covers much changing ground, from the agricultural to the industrial to the computer age in the sweeping way that Holton is known for.' Get it now > TRILLIUM.

Monday, March 30, 2020

Spring 2020 - Two Paintings by MLHolton

The euphoria felt at Spring's arrival is undeniable. It's like everything is waking from a great long slumber and S-T-E-T-C-H-I-N-G - WIDE AWAKE!

Two paintings follow, one painted last week -'Spring - from the Mountain Brow, 2020'.

The latter is an older Spring painting, when the warmth of the air and soil nurtures tulips to bloom.

#EarthDayEveryDay

Spring -from the Mountain Brow, 2020 - by MLHolton - (Signed and Dated)

Tulips in the Garden - by Canadian Artist, Margaret Lindsay Holton

Friday, March 20, 2020

The Writer's AIM - by M.L.Holton

'Protect Your Spirit', by MLHolton, 1991
There is a certain inevitability that a writer will have a reading critic who hates your work.

I encountered this last year when I learned that an assigned book reviewer for a local newspaper was intending to publish a disappointing '3-STAR' review of my latest novel.

It would have been the first '3-STAR' review after numerous '4 to 5 STAR' reviews from destinations as far flung as the UK, Germany and California.

Naturally, it was upsetting. It hurt.

I could not understand why the author would bother writing a review if she didn't like the book. So, naturally, I asked her why she did.

She responded quickly saying that it was no reflection on me as the author, but rather, a response to the work. (---huh?) When I queried further, she got defensive and said that she writes reviews for her audience not mine. (---huh? That was an odd thing to say. What became apparent was a telling lack of the 'meeting-of-the-minds'. We were not going to 'click', then or ever.

But my writer's mind could not let it go ... I wanted to understand WHY there was no bend in her opinion. Yes, I understand her opinion is her prerogative. But equally, there seemed no desire on her part to understand how and why I had written this work. There seemed no basic interest to empathize  - and this lack of empathy raised more questions than it answered ...

The bigger issue soon became, for me, about a writer's insatiable desire to be liked. Writers want our words to resonate with our readers. We want them to 'get it': to affirm our perspective, to applaud our insights and efforts. At a very primal human level, we want them to 'like', not only our work, but us.  

Well, clearly, Life just doesn't work that way. Critics critique: good or bad.
What's more, I know I have my own prejudices and blind spots too.

I do not, as example, care for 'horror'. - (There's quite enough of that in 'real life' : why would anyone want to amplify that in books or film?) - Because of this dislike, I know I could never write a unbiased review of a work of horror. I know my antipathy would reflect back badly in any review. So, I just wouldn't bother. I also know I am in the minority about the love of this genre. There are far more horror fans than there are historical fiction fans out there now. This fact invariably leads to the notion of 'popularity' and that quickly leads to the question of Why a Writer Writes ...

Am I writing to be popular? No. That's not my aim.
Am I writing to be understood? This is the most likely.

Novel writing, in particular, allows long-form exposition. It allows authors a chance to draw a large picture for readers of a constructed reality where characters act out their vices and virtues within fixed perimeters. The twists and turns of plot make sense within that invented world. As writers, we are offering a 'whole package' to readers of our personal vision, unique to our own experience and times. Our finished works represent our singular voice.

Writers generally aim for a kind of universality as chroniclers of the human condition. - As example, most writers compose with 'a sense of knowing' of familial relationships. They write with first-hand knowledge of the dynamics between mothers, fathers, daughters, brothers, siblings, sons and grand-parents. We expect readers to resonate with these depictions - not only because they are commonplace - (everyone has a mother and father) - but because #families represent the common human framework from which all human life has emerged ... until very recently.

Emotional Empathy Shift - Example
Have you noticed this SHIFT too? 

There seems a growing propensity amongst a certain crowd to identify with fake 'super-humans' and #scifi #dystopian plots filled with #alien and #horrific characters.

They're not as interested in the earth-bound interactions of our common human family as they are in the antics of their own disenfranchised peers. The reasons for this jarring and fanciful Emotional Empathy SHIFT are manifold and not really the point of this post.

Even so, this observation does explain, to some degree, the 'off-reading' between the above noted book reviewer and myself. We will not, and perhaps fundamentally, cannot, see 'eye-to-eye'. We may be from the same typographical region of Southern Ontario in Canada. I know that we drink the same tap water from the Great Lake and breathe the same air - but we, as humans, are not 'like-minded'.

At core, the element that seems to distinguish our preferred 'likes' and 'dislikes' seems to be our age. We are separated by decades of generational 'screen' influence and life perspective. Her current lived 'reality' is not my 'reality', anymore than my current lived 'reality' is hers. Call it #AGEISM if you will.

And yet, this is the point where I start to realize and recognize that perhaps my writing ambition has, indeed, failed. If I have been able to conjure a believable fictional world filled with engaging characters that she could empathize with, then my writing craft would be as universal as I had aimed and hoped.

Or, perhaps it's just a lot simpler than that. - I hate horror and nonsensical alienating tropes and she doesn't like my way of writing. We are who we are - at this time and in this place - and that's that.

On a lighter note, I did just receive another 5-star review for TRILLIUM .... this time from the southeastern shore of Ireland by delightful, family-loving, Irish novelist, Mary Crowley.

So, all's good. Life really does go on - as we like it, or not.

---

Apropos the above, some #writers and #readers may find this link useful ... > https://selfpublishingadvice.org/finding-the-right-readers-for-your-book/


Tuesday, February 25, 2020

The Zeitgeist of TRILLIUM by MLHolton


Hamilton, Ontario, Canada - circa 1800s
Very excited to share two recent events that capture the 'zeitgeist' of my latest #canlit novel, TRILLIUM ---

TRILLIUM on TRIP FICTION
First, TRILLIUM has recently been listed on tripfiction.com - a thoroughly engaging website that links books-to-place.

TRILLIUM scores 5 stars for LOCATION and CONTENT. It is a wonderful acknowledgement that my words are deeply rooted to the landscape on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. The tripfiction website is an ideal site to send to anyone coming to the wine-making peninsula of Niagara.

Shoot visitors this link to TRILLIUM as a preparatory read!

Filled with distinct characters over a span of 250 years starting in the mid 1750s, TRILLIUM explores the rural roots of three principal & distinct families - the Italian Di Angelos, the Irish O'Sullivans and the Anglo-Canadian WASPs, the Hartfords. As their lives intertwine over the decades of centuries, their children inter-marry. - But there are secrets: deep, dark family secrets ...


Second, one of my ambitions vis a vis this book project over the past year was to create a 'playlist' that captures the zeitgeist of the novel. After a few false starts, I think I've finally got it! With a mixed medley of nearly 300 tunes, (or 16.5 hours of listening pleasure), I am very happy to share this zeitgeist mix on SPOTIFY.

TRILLIUM on SPOTIFY
I have just recently learned that SPOTIFY also has a computer and TV streaming app option. The TV streaming option is fabulous way to listen if you've got a good sound system hooked up. A very popular music site, listening-in is free on Spotify, with ads. I'd say it is well worth the small membership fee for uninterrupted listening pleasure! - If you love music, it will be hard to leave!

For those who have read TRILLIUM, tune into the TRILLIUM PLAYLIST on SPOTIFY.
 
For those who haven't read it yet, TUNE IN and see if you might like to ...  (One character, Kieran O'Sullivan, has an extensive record collection from the 1930s, 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s ... Fun!)

Let me know what you think! Is there a good representation of music that wafted over southern Ontario from the mid 1750s to 2001?! When compiling it, I believed that contrary to current trends and influences, music that arrived south of the lake in the past two centuries would have come in by ships first, and then by radio stations from the States, principally Buffalo and Detroit. Thus, many of the East Coast sea shanties and popular American tunes in the playlist. -- Am I missing anything that you think is absolutely essential to reflect the decades from 1750 to 2001? -- Let me know!

Putting this list together has been a real labour of love: I had to listen to hundreds of fantastic, memorable - and dance-inducing - musical tracks. Hurled back in time, I stumbled on old favourites & all-time classics . Oh my - 'House of the Rising Sun' - CLASSIC!!! - Tune in to the TRILLIUM playlist!

If a regular on Shopify, be sure to follow the playlist.
I'll be adding more tunes as time allows.

My one regret is that I didn't set up the playlist chronologically. But after listening for awhile, I rather like how Spotify's algorithms 'shuffles'. Tunes lead naturally into each other. (Does it really matter that they may be decades apart?)

The main IDEA is to capture the zeitgeist of several evolving eras in southern Ontario ... I think it does do just that.

--- ENJOY!

Read more - TRILLIUM - by MLHolton
 
LISTEN IN to the TRILLIUM playlist on SPOTIFY!

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Sunshine Blogger Award Nominee - MLHolton Arts Blog

Lake Ontario - by MLHolton   

 

How flattering to be nominated for a Sunshine Blogger Award by Veronica Cline Barton with her always entertaining writing and travel blog - My American Almost Royal Cousin Series.  It is a delightful treat to be included in such august blogging company!

The Sunshine Blogger Award empowers bloggers to celebrate other bloggers who are creative and bring positivity to the blogging community.

Veronica was nominated by Welsh writer and book blogger, Jessica Cahalin, who runs the charming book blog, 'Books in My Handbag'. And now Veronica is nominating me - and 10 others. Hoorah! 

In order to showcase the Sunshine Blogger Badge, the rules are simple.

Link back to your nominator, answer their 11 questions, then, select 11 more good bloggers and ask them your 11 questions. Pass it on! 

All nominees are under no obligation to play, but, remember, kindness begets kindness.

It is hoped that blog-wandering visitors will find engaging new content and possibly a few new friends along this Sunshine Bloggers trail.

Once posted, don the Sunshine Blogger Award Nominee badge with pride! (Found on the lower right-hand corner of my blog.)

Here are the 11 questions Veronica supplied to me:

1.        A fav travel destination?
 I’m a surprising home-body these days, after several decades of wanderlust. One spot I loved was Wales and would go back in a heart-beat. Very fond memories of the people and the scenery there.
2.        Favorite outfit or fashion accessory?
A ring given to me by my father before he died. It means a great deal to me. I remember once when I thought I lost it on the streets of Toronto and was inconsolable until it was discovered in a cloth nap at the bottom corner of my cloth coat pocket. Awful feeling to think I'd lost it. 
3.        A subject you’d like to learn more about?
Hmm. I always wished I leaned to speak Italian properly. I have some German, Spanish and French. I also wish a knew more about continental Asian and Indian history.
4.        Architectural style that fits your personality?
Elegant, classic Georgian. Proportions are so GOOD.
5.        Are you better writing or speaking?
Definitely writer, I choke up at public speaking events.
6.        Do you think aliens exist (the truth is out there!)?
No, though ‘aliens’ is a pretty all-encompassing word. Humanity only knows a fraction of what the universe holds. Even at our feet: how well can any of us NAME what is there?
7.        What’s your proudest achievement (non-family)?
I was inadvertently involved with a court battle to save a public park from an injection of plastic grass. We lost, but we put up a damned good fight at the Environmental Tribunal, even forcing City Council to fly in ‘experts’ from the States to attempt to refute our claims for safety and good sense. (Those experts had the gall to attempt to hood-wink the Hearing Officer with a ‘false’ product submission. We called them out and it was removed! The gall!)
8.        3 photos to capture where you are today ?
Studio by lake, with an open Hearth  and A Sunshine Award Nomination on my mind! 
9.        Top 2020 goal?
Finish and produce Audio version of TRILLIUM. Then, package up Screen Producer’s Package. 
10.   Winter snow or sun and sand?
I wilt in the hot sun. - Love the layering, light and coziness that winter brings.
11.   Outlander or Downton Abbey or ???  -- 100% Downton Abbey. 


Now, Part 2. Nominate 11 other bloggers ...
1. I used to follow quite a few good bloggers when I ran my writing-specific blog over a decade ago, but not so much anymore. That said, I have just recently become affiliated with Sally Cronin's lively blog in Ireland, Smorgasbord Blog Magazine. So, I am passing along a Sunshine Blogger Award nomination to her. - Sally, I nominate you! 

2. There's another great blogger in #Ireland who I have been following for years, Colette O'Neill. She runs a very engaging website and Youtube channel - Bealtaine Cottage. You'll love her engaging videos, still photographic images and grassroots philosophy of life. I wholeheartedly pass along another Sunshine Blogger Award nomination to her. - Colette, I nominate you! 

3. A wonderful semi-anonymous blog/diary from Paris by a clear veteran of the culture scene and written in a lively and informed tone. Sample here: A Paris Diary by Laure - Laure, I nominate you! 

4. Another wonderful & entertaining blogger is in the UK. David Ellis has created a dense blog full of writer/reader resources, author interviews & regular updates for #creatives working throughout the world. Here's an example of an 'update' he did with me, an author interview for my third novel, TRILLIUM. - David, I nominate you! 

5. I stumbled on this blogger's site recently, and was instantly beguiled by the playful sense of formatting. A poet, writer, teacher and evidently a 'bon vivant', mid-career William Alegerzza, is a fearless explorer of the 'word' and the 'technology' that now enshrouds it. Have a gander.  Bill, I nominate you! 

6. Love the idea behind this blog, The Protagonist Speaks, managed by Assaph Mehr. Authors can explore the thoughts, feelings and perceptions of their main characters in the first person. I'm slated to let 'Anna' from Trillium speak in October.  Assaph, I nominate you! 

7.  This is a bit of an odd suggestion, but might be of interest to readers. My old blog, now moth-balled. When I started out I didn't 'identify' myself by 'name'. Instead, I used the blog as a testing ground for ideas and stories in various states of evolution. Looking back at it now, I enjoy it still and happily share it with you now. Canadada.   Yeah me! :) 

 
As for the 3 others, give me some time to get their links up ... They are coming!

Log On - Photo by MLHolton
Nominees! 
If game, here are my 11 questions for you:

1.  Cat or Dog? - why?
2.  Favourite Colour - why?
3.  Favourite footware - why?
4.  Favourite piece of music today - why?
5. Where were you this time last year?
6. Where will you be this time next year?
7. Favourite mode of transportation - why?
8. Favourite chapeau - why?
9. Favourite 'first name' choice, male.
10. Favourite 'first name' choice, female.
11. Your happy place - why? (3 photo optional)



Here's to A Great Gaggle of Communicators!