I'm massively behind on the WIP so it's time for a social media hiatus, except perhaps for the odd photo on Instagram (undoubtedly rare as I won't be doing much except taking a Carleton U course and writing). Please stay safe out there and by the time I return in a couple of months' time we'll be that much closer to a vaccine and will be able to say "President Biden and VP Harris" and it'll be a reality and not just a fervent wish so many of us are sending out into the universe! 

 

 

 

If there's one time of year you want to lose yourself in a book that will make you shiver, it's October, when the light is fading and the spirits raise their voices loud enough that we can hear them. 

It's also the month that I was thrilled and honoured to be a finalist for the Ottawa Book Awards in the English fiction category for my YA horror, Shantallow. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists in the event which happened on Zoom and was aired on Facebook live this past Wednesday!

 

Award night jitters in my apartment before signing in!

Enormous thanks to the Ottawa Book Awards and the Ottawa Public Library for including me! Here's the jury statement for Shantallow: "With its sparring prose, inclusive cast and difficult themes, Cara Martin’s Shantallow  is crackling YA. It addresses themes of revenge porn, abuse, drugs and sex, but at its heart is a message all young people should hear: there’s life after transgression, and while it may not include forgiveness, personal amends can be made, behaviour changed and community rediscovered."