More later, but...

I just got a box of beautiful finished hardcovers of Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter! So now all my family members and loved ones who have been waiting and waiting can finally have their copies... and I can also give some away to my loyal blog readers! Stay tuned...

Your Questions Answered, Part I

speak_candidly commented on my post of yesterday:

I don't know how comfortable you are talking about your life on the internet, but I always wonder what your husband's background is. And, as the only Canadian blogger I follow, what you like about Canada. And what your opinions are on childhood education/schooling/etc.

This sort of falls under the heading of "Seriously?" for me, in that I would never have guessed anybody was interested. But hey, sure, why not?

My husband emigrated to Canada with his family from Germany when he was a child, and grew up on a farm as the youngest of six children. He took his degree in Biology, and now works as an agronomist specializing in soybeans. Although he doesn't read for pleasure he enjoys being read to, so in the early years of our marriage I read him the complete Narnia series, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, among many others. We have a standing joke that the quality of any book can be improved and all problems can be resolved by bringing in an army of dwarves -- so when I'm stuck on one of my own books or stories that's always his first suggestion.

When I was younger and still single I always imagined that I would marry some tweedy English professor-type, probably ten or more years older than myself -- I didn't see much to respect or admire in the boys my own age, or even find most of them attractive, and it seemed inconceivable to me that I could be happy with someone who wasn't as passionate about reading as I was. So it is a great joke to find myself so happily married to a German farmboy three and a half years younger than myself, who did long-haul trucking to put himself through university and would rather do almost anything than sit down and read a book... 

But he has always been intrigued by and supportive of my writing, even back when I was writing practically nothing but Doctor Who fan fiction (and he'd never seen the show). And I am equally admiring of his talents for carpentry and design, and his scientific knowledge -- things I certainly don't possess in any great measure myself! But we are definitely united in our Christian faith and our convictions about the Bible, as well as in a generally laid-back approach to pretty much all the things that can cause conflict in a marriage, and on the whole, I think our differences balance each other very nicely.

...and the stuff about Canada will have to wait until tomorrow, as it's getting late!