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Upcoming Event
I hope to make an appearance at the Ottawa Romance Book Fair, when a date is officially announced for 2027. This is a one-day event held at the Conference Centre, so check back soon for updates.
I hope to make an appearance at the Ottawa Romance Book Fair, when a date is officially announced for 2027. This is a one-day event held at the Conference Centre, so check back soon for updates.
2026-07-30
Most recently, in speaking with a longtime friend, we touched on the subject of the raging fires, currently still out of control across Northern Canada, where he's located with his family. It's hard not to talk about this because every time I turn on the news, the lead story focuses on measures being taken to combat the fires, and to help those in need.
I've been trying to reach my friend for weeks, once word was being splashed across the news about these fires. Finally he called me back, to confirm that there was a huge outbreak of flames some 15 miles from where he's located in Blind River. Apparently, the air was so thick with black smoke, that if they hadn't hid inside with windows closed, the smoke would've choked them out of their home. Northwestern Ontario has born the brunt of these fires.
The variety of trees, like Black Spruce, Tamarack and White Spruce, are considered part of the Boreal forest region. Presently, and this is according to CTV News and other stations in Ontario, there is estimated to be hundreds of fires burning in this region right now, and across North America, in the range of up to 900 active fires. With prevailing winds, these fires are not only impacting Ontario but British Columbia and Manitoba, as well as parts of the USA, like the upper Midwest, the Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic. Cities like Illinois, Indiana, New York, Chicago and Detroit are all under air quality warnings. Again, all of this is being covered on the daily news.
A little background information, if I may...
Trees like the Black Spruce thrive in wet lowlands, whereas the White Spruce grows in dry upland areas. The Tamarack, a unique variety of deciduous conifer, grows best in the sun, in cool temperatures and it will drop its needles that turn yellow in the fall, and these in turn will fall off for winter. If you're wondering about conifer, note that these trees don't have flat leaves. Rather conifers have needles, that when bone dry and still on the branch, or resting on the ground, will act as an accelerant for fire, when lightning strikes. It's easy enough to research that a single bolt of lightning carries with it the power of hundreds of thousands of amps of electricity, up to one billion volts. That's freakin' power, extreme freakin' power that were it to hit a human, electricity would course through your body in a matter of milliseconds. You would die before your brain would tell you that this is your moment to die. Poof!
Imagine being a tree with needles, grouped densely together with other trees, also with hundreds of thousands of needles. One single lightning bolt can generate up to 10 gigawatts of power in one millisecond. You see how the trees don't stand a chance? All is takes is one spark to start a fire. According to records released by Parks Canada, at least 50% of all woodland fires are caused by lightning strikes, and this in turn causes fires to spread throughout the deep wilderness.
If you've never experienced the deep wilderness, the brush is so thick as to be impossible to go for a lovely stroll. There are no well-worn paths to make it less cumbersome. Not only will you be eaten alive by blackflies, deer flies (both of whom are nasty and have painful bites), but you'll also be dined on like the daily special by mosquitoes, and midges; the tiniest of insects that you can't see but which bite like hungry animals, leaving your skin itchy and red. Yet, and despite the range of carnivores in these deep woods (black and brown bears, wolves, cougars, wolverines), there are plenty of humans who refuse to meet death at the end of their lives, without having experienced 'roughing' it in Canada's boreal forests.
Then we have human activity, and the range of our destructive and careless behavior, to show zero regard to the forest, and every single living creature to include all mammals, insects, reptiles, fish and birds. To state that I'm beside myself with rage over the carelessness of selfish, idiotic humans, who want to experience deep woods camping, yet who fail to properly educate themselves, to stamp out their fires when they're ready to leave or who'll carelessly toss a lit cigarette... Well if these persons were brought before a tribunal and found guilty, I'd applaud their punishment. Here too is where I need to control myself and what I'm saying because I am guilty of suppressing my anger, until I blow my lid.
So, the claim that Canada's government is failing to prepare in advance for every year's season of fires is as crazy and as flippant a statement to make as to blame animals for failing to anticipate the fires, in order that they can evacuate the areas before burning to death. Canada utilizes advanced weather forecasting, as well as to support and assist with efforts in proactive community risk reduction, and also to engage in what is know in the industry as multi-agency coordination.
Campers are misguided and careless. Hunters, on the other hand, know their territory, and the same can be said of the indigenous First Nations peoples who live in these areas. Know that there are also Canadian and American campers, as well as international tourists who are thrilled to be able to camp in Canada, to experience our untouched wilderness. Personally, you couldn't pay me enough. I've done the wild thing when I was in my 20s, more than once, to go canoeing and camping in Algonquin Park. I've roughed it for days, returning to civilization, swearing never to do so again.
Try to visualize the size of our Canadian territories that've been affected by fires: estimated to be at least 3.1 million acres impacted in the Northwest Territories alone. So, how does a government monitor such an expansive territory if there are over 26 million tourists, from over 100 countries (this includes the USA), as tracked by Parks Canada? Upwards of 3.4 million Americans made trips to Canada in 2025 alone. I don't believe it's even possible to throw out a percentage total of visitors by country, only to say that this is often the dream of many tourists to camp in the wilderness in Canada, as well as to own a cottage.
Yet, these cockamamie ideas of assigning blame to Canada for failing to get ahead of these fires are being pushed out, leaders who are ironically happy to accept the help of Canadian firefighters in their country, when we're already dealing with our own fires. It's not really funny, though it's telling of the level of ignorance when threats are thrown out to levy penalties on Canada for causing their poor quality of air. It's times like these when I want to reach for a gin and tonic to quell my rage, the type of anger that bubbles over and makes me want to hurl obscenities at others for siding with these individuals who make preposterous threats and claims. 🤬
But this post is more about the terror, the visceral fear being experienced by the helpless animals, who know of no other life than to exist in the deep woods, where they were born to live and die, and where their territory is regarded as impenetrable by any man-made form of land-equipment. These forested woods, many of which are on Native reserves are so dense with the variety of trees I had previously mentioned, that the only means of helping to put out these fires is to use airplanes, to dump as much water and fire retardant as possible. Sadly, all it takes is a fierce wind to help spready the flames, or another storm with thunder and lightning, to start new fires in as yet another untouched section of the wilderness.
Mostly domestic pets are being rescued when their owners have been ordered to evacuate their homes. Now, and thankfully, there are also mobile veterinary units that help to provide emergency services to the worst-off. Bush fires in Australia, as another example, are also a regular occurrence, and one of their worst seasons had occurred back in 1974-1975 when 15% of Australia was burned down. It's not just Canada.
I feel the fear when I watch the latest clips of animals attempting to escape, or being released by owners, to give them a chance to run for their lives, to flee from fires in Europe, in countries like France and Spain, Greece and Albania, Montenegro, and Italy. If it feels like the world is burning, this isn't too far off and, anyone witnessing this level of destruction shouldn't be judged for falling into despair. This too accurately describes my present state of mind.
Out of all possible fears, when it comes to perishing, fire is right up there, as one of the worst, maybe the worst of the worst. Don't flick your cigarettes, puh-lease! Ensure your camp fire is put out. Every. Time.
I've been trying to reach my friend for weeks, once word was being splashed across the news about these fires. Finally he called me back, to confirm that there was a huge outbreak of flames some 15 miles from where he's located in Blind River. Apparently, the air was so thick with black smoke, that if they hadn't hid inside with windows closed, the smoke would've choked them out of their home. Northwestern Ontario has born the brunt of these fires.
The variety of trees, like Black Spruce, Tamarack and White Spruce, are considered part of the Boreal forest region. Presently, and this is according to CTV News and other stations in Ontario, there is estimated to be hundreds of fires burning in this region right now, and across North America, in the range of up to 900 active fires. With prevailing winds, these fires are not only impacting Ontario but British Columbia and Manitoba, as well as parts of the USA, like the upper Midwest, the Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic. Cities like Illinois, Indiana, New York, Chicago and Detroit are all under air quality warnings. Again, all of this is being covered on the daily news.
A little background information, if I may...
Trees like the Black Spruce thrive in wet lowlands, whereas the White Spruce grows in dry upland areas. The Tamarack, a unique variety of deciduous conifer, grows best in the sun, in cool temperatures and it will drop its needles that turn yellow in the fall, and these in turn will fall off for winter. If you're wondering about conifer, note that these trees don't have flat leaves. Rather conifers have needles, that when bone dry and still on the branch, or resting on the ground, will act as an accelerant for fire, when lightning strikes. It's easy enough to research that a single bolt of lightning carries with it the power of hundreds of thousands of amps of electricity, up to one billion volts. That's freakin' power, extreme freakin' power that were it to hit a human, electricity would course through your body in a matter of milliseconds. You would die before your brain would tell you that this is your moment to die. Poof!
Imagine being a tree with needles, grouped densely together with other trees, also with hundreds of thousands of needles. One single lightning bolt can generate up to 10 gigawatts of power in one millisecond. You see how the trees don't stand a chance? All is takes is one spark to start a fire. According to records released by Parks Canada, at least 50% of all woodland fires are caused by lightning strikes, and this in turn causes fires to spread throughout the deep wilderness.
If you've never experienced the deep wilderness, the brush is so thick as to be impossible to go for a lovely stroll. There are no well-worn paths to make it less cumbersome. Not only will you be eaten alive by blackflies, deer flies (both of whom are nasty and have painful bites), but you'll also be dined on like the daily special by mosquitoes, and midges; the tiniest of insects that you can't see but which bite like hungry animals, leaving your skin itchy and red. Yet, and despite the range of carnivores in these deep woods (black and brown bears, wolves, cougars, wolverines), there are plenty of humans who refuse to meet death at the end of their lives, without having experienced 'roughing' it in Canada's boreal forests.
Then we have human activity, and the range of our destructive and careless behavior, to show zero regard to the forest, and every single living creature to include all mammals, insects, reptiles, fish and birds. To state that I'm beside myself with rage over the carelessness of selfish, idiotic humans, who want to experience deep woods camping, yet who fail to properly educate themselves, to stamp out their fires when they're ready to leave or who'll carelessly toss a lit cigarette... Well if these persons were brought before a tribunal and found guilty, I'd applaud their punishment. Here too is where I need to control myself and what I'm saying because I am guilty of suppressing my anger, until I blow my lid.
So, the claim that Canada's government is failing to prepare in advance for every year's season of fires is as crazy and as flippant a statement to make as to blame animals for failing to anticipate the fires, in order that they can evacuate the areas before burning to death. Canada utilizes advanced weather forecasting, as well as to support and assist with efforts in proactive community risk reduction, and also to engage in what is know in the industry as multi-agency coordination.
Campers are misguided and careless. Hunters, on the other hand, know their territory, and the same can be said of the indigenous First Nations peoples who live in these areas. Know that there are also Canadian and American campers, as well as international tourists who are thrilled to be able to camp in Canada, to experience our untouched wilderness. Personally, you couldn't pay me enough. I've done the wild thing when I was in my 20s, more than once, to go canoeing and camping in Algonquin Park. I've roughed it for days, returning to civilization, swearing never to do so again.
Try to visualize the size of our Canadian territories that've been affected by fires: estimated to be at least 3.1 million acres impacted in the Northwest Territories alone. So, how does a government monitor such an expansive territory if there are over 26 million tourists, from over 100 countries (this includes the USA), as tracked by Parks Canada? Upwards of 3.4 million Americans made trips to Canada in 2025 alone. I don't believe it's even possible to throw out a percentage total of visitors by country, only to say that this is often the dream of many tourists to camp in the wilderness in Canada, as well as to own a cottage.
Yet, these cockamamie ideas of assigning blame to Canada for failing to get ahead of these fires are being pushed out, leaders who are ironically happy to accept the help of Canadian firefighters in their country, when we're already dealing with our own fires. It's not really funny, though it's telling of the level of ignorance when threats are thrown out to levy penalties on Canada for causing their poor quality of air. It's times like these when I want to reach for a gin and tonic to quell my rage, the type of anger that bubbles over and makes me want to hurl obscenities at others for siding with these individuals who make preposterous threats and claims. 🤬
But this post is more about the terror, the visceral fear being experienced by the helpless animals, who know of no other life than to exist in the deep woods, where they were born to live and die, and where their territory is regarded as impenetrable by any man-made form of land-equipment. These forested woods, many of which are on Native reserves are so dense with the variety of trees I had previously mentioned, that the only means of helping to put out these fires is to use airplanes, to dump as much water and fire retardant as possible. Sadly, all it takes is a fierce wind to help spready the flames, or another storm with thunder and lightning, to start new fires in as yet another untouched section of the wilderness.
Mostly domestic pets are being rescued when their owners have been ordered to evacuate their homes. Now, and thankfully, there are also mobile veterinary units that help to provide emergency services to the worst-off. Bush fires in Australia, as another example, are also a regular occurrence, and one of their worst seasons had occurred back in 1974-1975 when 15% of Australia was burned down. It's not just Canada.
I feel the fear when I watch the latest clips of animals attempting to escape, or being released by owners, to give them a chance to run for their lives, to flee from fires in Europe, in countries like France and Spain, Greece and Albania, Montenegro, and Italy. If it feels like the world is burning, this isn't too far off and, anyone witnessing this level of destruction shouldn't be judged for falling into despair. This too accurately describes my present state of mind.
Out of all possible fears, when it comes to perishing, fire is right up there, as one of the worst, maybe the worst of the worst. Don't flick your cigarettes, puh-lease! Ensure your camp fire is put out. Every. Time.
2026-07-28
Illusions and delusions are not one and the same. An illusion tricks the senses, a misrepresentation to your eyes or it can also be a form of cognitive dysfunction, such as when you operate on a false belief.
Whereas, a delusion is an unshakable belief that isn't based on reality, typically viewed as a mental state of disorder. I've had my illusions and my delusions, what some might call delusions of grandeur. Sometimes I can't tell if I'm tricking my own eyes with an illusion or if my delusions are blinding my good sense. The jury is still deliberating.
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Whereas, a delusion is an unshakable belief that isn't based on reality, typically viewed as a mental state of disorder. I've had my illusions and my delusions, what some might call delusions of grandeur. Sometimes I can't tell if I'm tricking my own eyes with an illusion or if my delusions are blinding my good sense. The jury is still deliberating.
Read More
2026-07-27
Bleed me dry.
Leave me on the canvas,
the essence of myself
expunged and used.
Bewitched and seduced,
I care not if I suffer,
quietly bearable
because of you,
I am bare, beside your desire.
Let my lips kiss your lips.
Let my gaze rest upon the vision,
of your heartful love.
COPYRIGHT © Patricia K McCarthy
Leave me on the canvas,
the essence of myself
expunged and used.
Bewitched and seduced,
I care not if I suffer,
quietly bearable
because of you,
I am bare, beside your desire.
Let my lips kiss your lips.
Let my gaze rest upon the vision,
of your heartful love.
COPYRIGHT © Patricia K McCarthy
2026-07-23
Not everyone is designed the same way. In fact, we revel in our uniqueness, and what sets us apart from the madding crowd, until we're all alone, and then we're all the same. For when we spend long periods of time alone, a part of ourselves begins to unravel, that part we get to ignore while in the company of others.
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2026-07-21
There's only so much I can take before I blow my stack, to rant and rave over the world's complacency or lack of intestinal fortitude to speak up, to challenge those in positions of wealth and power, and not just the injustices of this world but the hypocrisy that is piled up like some kind of thriving anthill.
Of late, I've been rounding the corner to a newer and higher grouping of smoke-stacks, and these have long surpassed their ready-to-blow point. 🤬
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Of late, I've been rounding the corner to a newer and higher grouping of smoke-stacks, and these have long surpassed their ready-to-blow point. 🤬
Read More
2026-07-20
He is the only one who rides the mare.
Unrestrained,
he rides her in wait,
neighing, biting.
She clenches her teeth
as her thighs spread out.
Against his legs
she moves in tandem.
There is no one,
to prevent him
from mounting his mare,
this time of now is all that is known,
in the senses of equine,
his soul shall awaken
in the depth of her power.
She is the mare to his stallion.
COPYRIGHT © Patricia K McCarthy
Unrestrained,
he rides her in wait,
neighing, biting.
She clenches her teeth
as her thighs spread out.
Against his legs
she moves in tandem.
There is no one,
to prevent him
from mounting his mare,
this time of now is all that is known,
in the senses of equine,
his soul shall awaken
in the depth of her power.
She is the mare to his stallion.
COPYRIGHT © Patricia K McCarthy
2026-07-13
She leaves behind thoughts
of human acts,
in photos of bared flesh
on covers of paper lust
held high above,
The reach of hands and love.
Thinking with a gaping mouth
to where else,
can this act be taken,
between strangers in privacy?
And every drunk,
who thought he could
keep it up, keep it hard
before the shorter moment
is erased in one swallow.
COPYRIGHT © Patricia K McCarthy
of human acts,
in photos of bared flesh
on covers of paper lust
held high above,
The reach of hands and love.
Thinking with a gaping mouth
to where else,
can this act be taken,
between strangers in privacy?
And every drunk,
who thought he could
keep it up, keep it hard
before the shorter moment
is erased in one swallow.
COPYRIGHT © Patricia K McCarthy
2026-07-06
And you believe
you are beyond blind passion
for a thing,
unattainably
holding your image of him.
A lover,
so close to you
you feel him,
however far apart
he is from you.
The miles of limbs and hearts
are fused together,
concerned
only with spirited love.
COPYRIGHT © Patricia K McCarthy
you are beyond blind passion
for a thing,
unattainably
holding your image of him.
A lover,
so close to you
you feel him,
however far apart
he is from you.
The miles of limbs and hearts
are fused together,
concerned
only with spirited love.
COPYRIGHT © Patricia K McCarthy
2026-07-02
This morning I came across a review of my second novel The Crimson Boy: A Fantasy Continued which was written by one of the editors of a website based in South Australia called The Erotic Woman. The site is sadly no longer active. However, and given that there are many writers on this platform, I wanted to share the review, to give authors a reason to solicit reviews online from other bloggers, book and movie reviewers. Why? Because every little bit can help vs sticking your head in the sand and hiding. Much as We authors are very good at hiding behind our keyboard, while we work on the latest work-in-progress, we still have to dig deep to push ourselves more than ever to dip our baby toes into the well of marketing. Yes, the well is very deep, dark and scary and if you fall in, you may never be able to claw your way out to the top again.
Just don't forget your bottle of lotion or your basket. And for those who get this sly poke, good on you.
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Just don't forget your bottle of lotion or your basket. And for those who get this sly poke, good on you.
Read More
