Canada Day Special!

As the Canada Wench -- you can picture me with a few strategically placed maple leaves if you want, but I wouldn't recommend it! -- I want to wish everyone a very happy national celebration of choice, especially in North America where this long weekend serves both.

As Mary Jo said, July 1st is Canada Day, so it would be great to hear from any and all Canadians reading here. Leave a comment! As an incentive, I'll give away a signed copy of an Advance Reading Copy of my only (thus far) Canadian set book, THE ROGUE'S RETURN. Yes, I know it's out, but an ARC is a very limited edition, so it's special.

The rules? I'll randomly pick from those Canadian residents who leave a Happy Canada Day comment between the start of July Ist as it's recorded on the blog message and three pm, July 1st, same system. We want to be sending those good wishes while Canada Day is still rolling along, and this is the fairest system I could come up with. Canada has an extra hour and a half out there in the east, so the Maritimers get some extra time to enter.

One entry only per person. May the best Canadian win.

Bon chance!

Jo :)

Comments

[Sherry Ramsey]

Happy Canada Day, Jo (and other Canadian readers)! It's already a beautiful sunny morning here on the east coast, shaping up nicely for our traditional family barbeque. Here's hoping the sunshine spreads across the country as the day rolls on. And thanks for the invite to check out this blog.

[Joe Mahoney]

Happy Canada Day Jo! From another Joe (and the husband of an avid historical romance fan...)

Joe

[Loreth Anne White]

Happy Canada Day, Jo :) ... and to my fellow Canucks -- I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and spare a moment to cherish what the vast land means to us.

[Robert Runte]

You know, I've never actually read a romance novel...(well, not counting Connie Willis SF) so maybe this is the time. Happy Canada Day. Is there a distinctly different Canadian subgenre of Romance the way there is for SF?

Did I ever mention that one of my coworkers is a former Harlequin editor? She's pretty cool.

[Shereen]

Happy Canada Day, Jo,

I woke up at 5:20 am in Victoria, BC to admire yet another clear blue sky, lush greenery and summer flowers and watch my sprinkler system run its course. Yes, I live an exciting life.

Got more exciting when one of the spouts started spewing water all over the road. So I ran to get a replacement and tried to fix it by screwing a new stopper on, while the system was still running.

This resulted in those few early risers walking their dogs getting a wet t-shirt show that should mark this Canada Day in their minds, at least until next year.

Hope the rest of Canada had a more propitious (that's my wench word for today) start to this special day.

Shereen

[Susan Mayse]

Happy Canada Day, Jo!

We're off to a wedding in Cordova Bay (near Victoria) on this beautiful day of unclouded deep blue sky. The groom is first-generation Canadian, the bride is Hungarian -- a true Canadian wedding, celebrating the global family.

Susan

[Sheryll]

Happy Canada Day! I echo Loreth Ann's sentiments that I hope everyone takes a moment to think about how fortunate we are. It's going to be a scorcher here, and perfect weather for fireworks tonight. Enjoy, everyone!

[Brenda Kinnear]

Happy Canada Day from Vancouver BC! It is a beautiful morning and my beloved German Shepherd Oksana is panting in her heavy fur coat to go on an early walk before it's too hot to enjoy it. This year we are celebrating across the country. My husband Jay is with his mother and sister-in-law at her cottage on the shores of Lake Erie, our daughters are at their cottage in the Haliburton Highlands and I will toast the day with my sisters and stepmother sitting amid blooms around the pool in Jane's garden. We are indeed blessed to live in such a Paradise. Have a wonderful day.

[Teresa]

Happy Canada Day, Jo :-) And the same to my fellow Canucks!! Here on the Sunshine Coast, it's wall to wall sun and already plenty warm. Looks to be a perfect holiday weekend - our first July 1 spent out here in BC.

[Sharron]

I've done a bit of travelling outside Canada recently. Makes me so glad to be back home. Let's celebrate Canada, land of many peoples, who believe in a country which encourages individuality, permits differences and hopefully embraces peace.

[Molly]

Happy Canada Day, Jo and Everyone

I hope everyone will have a relaxing, fun-filled holiday. Don't forget to put on sunscreen if you go outside.
Enjoy your day!

[Lisa Lange]

HAPPY CANADA DAY from Victoria BC!
I hope to spend this afternoon writing, while my kids are playing outside, before heading downtown to watch fireworks. But in true school's-out-form, i doubt i will get anything done....but here's to trying!
Lisa Lange
Victoria BC CANADA

[Jo Beverley]

Thanks for all the Happy Canada Day posts so far. :)

LOL, Shereen, on the wet T-shirt. Brighten everyone's day. :)

Hi Robert. I'll answer about Canadian Romance as a main post, it being Canada Day.

Jo

[Bel Bachmann]

Happy Canada Day from Niagara, everyone! I generally am working on Canada Day at the Welland Canals Centre, always so busy on this weekend of joint Canadian and US holidays. But today I'm just enjoying the sun in my own backyard and thinking about the joy of being CanaDDian! Have a great Canada Day, Jo. With or without strategically placed maple leaves!
Bel, under the shady maple tree

[EC Sheedy]

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

We've got the red and white flying here in Nanoose Bay, BC. And what a beautiful sight it is, fluttering proudly in a soft breeze under a warm sun.

We live in a wonderful country; it's good to have a day to celebrate it and count our unique Canadian blessings.

Here's to ya, Canada!

[Claire Eamer]

Hi Jo and all,
Happy Canada Day from Whitehorse, Yukon, in the upper lefthand corner. It's a beautiful, sunny day, and I'm about to head down to the park for Canada Day fun. Plans include playing in a mahjong demonstration with some friends (Chinese, Japanese, plus the usual mixed bag of other francophones and anglophones), lunching on the satay chicken skewers the Filipino Assocation always makes, and maybe topping them off with bannock. Multiculturalism rules!
Peace to everyone,
Claire

[Pat Barker]

Hello Everyone, and Happy Canada Day out there! It's a beautiful day in the Niagara area, with a surprising (well, it is Canada!) number of Canadian flags flying in the area! My thoughts are with everyone in this wonderfully compassionate country! Happy Birthday!

[Meg Fraser]

Happy Canada Day to all!

If you take a boat to the north end of Indian Arm (just 20km out of Vancouver) you'll find me ghostwriting an additional piece for a biography at the historic Wigwam Inn. It is another world here, tucked away in the quintessential Canadian wilderness -- lush green mountains, waterfalls in the rain forest, eagles soaring overhead and seals playing in the ocean. Boats (yachts really) continue to arrive to celebrate Canada Day with the maple leaf fluttering proudly from their sterns. Children are playing, beer is chilling, and there will soon be the smell of bbq smoke.

I am grateful for my freedom of lifestyle in our vast land of diversity, peace, and tolerance. It is something to celebrate, and don't worry I will be doing just that later : ) Meg

[Joy Isley]

I'm not Canadian but i have alot of you that winter here in Arizona as friends, so Happy Canada Day

[Bonnie Edwards]

Hi Jo,

Everyone here have a great Canada Day...land of giant trees, huge lakes, and the biggest mosquitoes known to man.

From Nanaimo, BC where the skies are dry (today at least) and deck's baking...

Have a wonderful day, Canada!

[Marilyn Barry]

Hi Jo,

Thanks for your good wishes for Canada Day. I'm wearing my red T Shirt with Canada printed on it in white and bought originally in our capital, Ottawa. Makes me feel Canadian! Grandkids phoned early this morning to remind us to wear Canada shirts. Best to all of you reading and posting, especially our neighbours in the US soon to celebrate their national day, too.

Marilyn Barry

[Kay Gregory]

Having scored 47 out of 75 in the Vancouver Sun's Canada Day questionnaire today, I'm not sure I'm a very good Canadian - but hey, it's a pass, isn't it?
Happy Canada Day, Jo, and everyone.

Kay

[Denise]

Not a Canadian, but Happy Canada Day to all of our friends up north. We've got a scorcher of a day here in Oklahoma and not a blip on the radar that looks like a promising cool breeze. Time for the sprinkler and swimsuits in the yard, I think.

[Anita Birt]

Happy July 1, 2006. The sun is shining and the sky is blue in Victoria. I planted four flowers this morning to celebrate. Before July 1st was called Canada Day, it was known as Dominion Day. A reminder of our heritage as part of the British Empire.

[talpianna]

Happy Canada Day from a Yank sweltering in 111-degree Arizona! I wish I could celebrate by rereading Dick Francis's THE EDGE, set on a trans-Canadian railway trip, but alas! it's still packed away.

[Christine Carter]

HAPPY CANADA DAY, EVERYONE! I know I'm too late for the contest (it's 9:26 p.m. PST), but I couldn't resist putting my two cents in. After all, it's still Canada Day here in beautiful North Vancouver, British Columbia! Hope everyone had as wonderful a day as we did! My 20 month old enjoyed his first Canada Day parade today (a little bewildered by it all, but with a little smile and a wave for everyone). He got to see pipe bands, cheerleading squads, Irish dancers, Filipino ladies in traditional costume (old and young), men and women in traditional Korean dress as well as the military, police, fire and search and rescue people that we're so proud to support! It was a great way to celebrate our diverse Canadian culture. Vive le multi-cultural Canada!

[Tina Dallas]

In the better late than never category, sorry I missed the Canada Day deadline, Jo, but hope everyone had a great one and is enjoying the end of the long weekend.

Tina