My Future Writing Projects

I’m the kind of writer who has several projects on the go at once. My next novel in the publishing queue is a WWI historical fiction. I was inspired to write it after reading Emma Donoghue’s novel, Pull of the Stars about the WWI Spanish flu outbreak in Dublin. I trained as a homeopath and thought, “Why not write a WWI novel about Spanish flu from a homeopath’s perspective?”

(Emma Donoghue happens to live in my city of London, Ontario. She also was the Finalist Judge for Out of the Woods: Voices from the Forest City, an anthology. Three of my poems and a short story were selected for the publication.)

1918 was an interesting time in Canada. Politically, conscription divided the nation. The practice of placing children from Great Britain in Canadian homes and on farms as laborers and domestics was ongoing. (These youngsters are now known as Home Children.) Women were starting to practice medicine. Homeopathic physicians belonged to the same medical college as allopathic physicians, although it was a contentious union. Records show that homeopaths were quite successful in treating Spanish flu on the home front, and homeopathic doctors served in the U.S. military treating soldiers on the front lines. I even wove my grandfather’s history into the story as he was conscripted at the time.

This historical fiction, yet to be titled, will be released in 2027.

Also in the works is a sequel to my first novel, Breathing With Trees, which was YA fiction, coming-of-age story. Tentatively titled Dancing The Earth, it takes place during the covid years with scenes in Ottawa amid the truckers’ Freedom Convoy. I have written several chapters of the first draft, while the third and final book in the series is still just a nugget of an idea.

In addition to these projects, other ideas include a series of finding-love-late-in-life romances and a contemporary re-imagining of Mary Poppins.

But if another great idea presents itself, I’m happy to let it jump the queue.

My Favourite Parts of When Harry Met Charlie

One of the characteristics that defines Nora Ephron’s writing is the witty repartee between the lead characters. I wanted to mimic that banter in When Harry Met Charlie.

Repartee is first heard in the 1977 scenes when Harry and Charlie are taking a road trip from Vancouver to Toronto. In romance terms, this would be a “forced proximity” trope. It’s where the characters are getting to know each other for the first time, pushing each other’s buttons a bit, and defending their own opinions, sometimes gently, sometimes without any tact. These are the moments that make for comedic jousting.

Besides the movie When Harry Met Sally, another great rom-com starring Meg Ryan was the 1995 movie French Kiss, written by Adam Brooks. I deliberately inserted a heated discussion about the actors of the 1995 movie into the conversations between Harry and Charlie in 1977. It’s anachronistic, yes, but it made for some intriguing mind-bending—a movie within a book mimicking a movie—for readers to puzzle out.

In a later scene from 1987—the sweet decade for saucy dialogue—Harry is trapped in an elevator with two elderly women, Gladys and Ethel. This pair of sassy and impudent matrons spout some ribald, irreverent comments in Harry’s direction.

Nora Ephron is also known for one-liners, her most famous being, “I’ll have what she’s having” spoken after Meg Ryan loudly fakes “the big O” in the middle of a restaurant. Of course, I couldn’t pilfer that well-known line, but there is a scene in which savouring delicious food becomes…orgastic.

Writing When Harry Met Charlie was a lot of fun and, I hope, a worthy homage to Nora Ephron and rom-coms through the decades.

Which Novel Would Make A Movie?

Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?

Since my rom-com is patterned after the movie When Harry Met Sally, the obvious answer would be When Harry Met Charlie. But I don’t actually see it as a movie. I see it as a play, specifically for local theatre.

The first live theatre I attended in the 70s was Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. I was in high school and our class was studying Hamlet, so our English teacher arranged a field trip to Stratford, Ontario, world-renowned home of Shakespearean plays. (Well, known for that and being the birthplace of Justin Bieber, but he wasn’t on the scene when I was a teen.) I have loved live theatre ever since that show.

Here in London, Ontario, we are fortunate to have numerous live theatre options in the city and surrounding areas, especially during the summer tourist season. A friend was a regular actor at one theatre that regrettably closed during covid years, but we loved attending his performances, seeing the local talent on display, and having a connection to the community.

Local theatre brings people together, supports local economies, and helps budding actors gain experience. I encourage everyone to partake of this great form of entertainment.

Would I object if When Harry Met Charlie was to be made into a movie? Of course not! I’d be thrilled. And I’d be equally as proud if it were to grace the stage of local theatre.

Fun Facts

Fun Fact: I once trained and practiced as a homeopath.

This is why you will see homeopathy pop up in my novels. In When Harry Met Charlie, there’s a scene where Charlie administers arnica for shock and another scene where Harry gives nux-vomica for a hangover. These are two common, homeopathic first aid remedies. I like to sprinkle tidbits like this in my stories to familiarize readers with homeopathy for healing.

Fun Fact: I once worked in aviation.

I was the departmental secretary, primarily in Flight Operations, supporting the Director and other managers of the pilot group. This familiarity is one reason I chose Flight Attendant as the career for Charlie. As they say in writing circles, “Write what you know.”

Fun Fact: I once climbed a mountain.

I was 50 years old at the time and climbed Tamborine Mountain in Queensland, Australia. I spent a year in that gorgeous country which I write about in my travelogue In the Land of Oz: Diary of a Canuck Living a Year Down Under.

FunFact: My great grandfather was a circus performer.

My great grandfather, William Beilstein, was part of Ringling Brothers’ Circus (1890-1896), Barnum and Bailey Circus (1898-1899), and then returned to Ringling (1900-1903). He performed as an equilibrist with hand and head balancing acts, and as a clown. He was most popular for his acts with performing pigs. You can read about my search for my great grandfather on Substack, Unhiding: My Writerly Life.

FunFact: I once dreamed of writing romances.

Back in high school, I read a LOT of romances and wrote many tropes in my head. When Harry Met Charlie is my first published romance, 50 years later! (My first book Breathing With Trees was YA fiction and also contained a sweet romance.)