Year: 2019


A study on ageism by Professor Donna Wilson at the University of Alberta indicates, at last, the difficulties of growing old while being accepted as a viable member of society.

It’s no surprise that the images of the “sweet little old lady” are so strongly embedded in the nation’s psyche. We won’t address the “dirty old man” stereotype here! Just to say, that is not true, either!

Folklore and the media perpetuate this myth, as do some of the “old ladies” themselves.

Many years ago I sought help at the local mental health clinic for a personal problem. Being over 60 years old at the time, I was immediately shunted into a Geriatrics program and counseled by a registered nurse who first asked me what year it was, who the Prime Minister was, and if I could count backwards from 20. Annoying and demeaning as that was, I asked to be placed into a regular program where I could consult a doctor or psychologist and the nurse told me that for anyone over the age of 60 this was the only option. She told me also that all she could do for me was support me in my endeavors. Helplessly, she shrugged her shoulders.

Another situation arose when in my fifties I applied for what seemed like a fun job in a bird shop. The owner asked me first how old I was and although there is a law in Canada against discrimination on the basis of age, foolishly and passively I answered.

Sigh.

Since then, my own medical transcription business, first started in 1999, has become rather successful and this is how I support myself, with the help of a few royalties from writing books and – of course – a pension from the Canada Pension Fund and Old Age Security. That is called WHAT??? Yes, Old Age…Security… there are perks to being old!

There ARE perks to being old, like subsidies in apartments and for bus passes, and movies, and all sorts of people giving up their seats for me.

We live in a society where the population is rapidly aging. In a few years we will make up an alarming percentage of the country.

Grey Power, anyone?


A book called The Leap Process: the side hustler’s guide to getting the life of your dreams and creating a life you love! by Jess Kuemmerlin uses the phrase “side hustle”.

  • A side hustle isn’t meant to be your primary income.
  • A side hustle is a freelance independent gig where no one else can pull the plug.
  • You can have more than one side hustle.
  • A side hustle is an asset and ought to be something you love.

A side hustle is that gap between where you are and achieving your dreams.

My primary income is from my transcription business. More on that in later posts, with an overview of the three women who are part of Kenna McKinnon & Associates.

My side hustle is my books.

What about you? Do you plan to retire to a tropical island and write your way to fame and the gold at the end of the writing rainbow?

My plan goes something like this:

Move to Penticton, British Columbia for two months during the brutalist time of the Edmonton winters.

Write on the beaches and stay in a cheap condo for rent during December and January.

Move back home for the temperate summers and my friends here.


As an entrepreneur and author in her seventies, I wear many tuques (the Canadian version of a winter hat)!

Probably it would be hard but not impossible to get a job outside of the home. An interesting and kind young chiropractor has expressed interest in hiring me on a part-time basis, as suggested, as a sort of nurse to see patients to his office, clean up, and other tasks different from my usual life. He asked me to keep in touch and if I’m not being hornswaggled by this young fellow, then perhaps in the fall a situation might arise.

Good health and fitness rewards me for living a healthy life, as well as genes from my octagenarian mother who died in 2006 at 91.

With the professor’s permission, I’m going to include a link to a groundbreaking research study on ageism in future posts.

My talented graphic designer, Jennifer Johnson of JennJ Designs, provided a few outstanding ads for my transcription business, which runs hand in hand with writing books for a living.

If you’re a professor or graduate student on a tight budget, there are special rates available at Kenna McKinnon & Associates, a Canadian and worldwide transcription company. Initially, we were strictly medical transcriptionists. We love doctors, dentists, and nurses, and all health personnel!

See what you think at www.KennaMcKinnon.com.


Meet Mari Collier, passionate and original inventive author of Marika, a Western / Sci-fi novel of amazing proportions! The author has penned this latest in her Tonath series and I think it’s her best.

Read this 5/5 star review by L. Carmichael!

May 12, 2019 Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase “Marika is the 3rd book in the ‘Chronicles of Tonath’ series written by Mari Collier. While you don’t need to read them in order, it’s probably a good idea to give it a try if you can. I chose to read this one first (the latest) because I liked the plot line and wanted to sample something by the author. I can easily say that Collier is a wonderful writer, and I will continue to read more from her.”

#355 in Western Science Fiction

#21 in Teen & Young Adult United States Civil War Historical Fiction eBooks

#265 in Teen & Young Adult Geography & Cultures US Fiction eBooks

Tonath is a planet in danger of being torn apart by StarShifts. Only one individual will inherit the knowledge to one day save the Tonathian people and her name is Marika. It’s been seventeen years since her father passed. Coming of age she inherits a cattle hold, a trust account, and many gifts. The world will never know she has inherited his two hearts, and at maturity, a mind that can enter another’s, hear what they think and be able to control the other’s mind.

One special gift from her father is the chest, and it comes with instructions that will guide her to the Bergman Mountains. Her gift is a spaceship and the knowledge of three ancient civilizations. Will she have time to access it all or will the Star Shifts hide the information and drive her into the arms of her childhood love?

Marika is an action filled science fiction saga available in paperback or for your Kindle or #eReader at http://mybook.to/marika


LOVE A GOOD MYSTERY / SUSPENSE / THRILLER? FREE FRIDAY JUNE 14 to TUESDAY JUNE 18, 2019!

Debbie De Louise, talented and engaging author of “Sea Scope” featured today on my blog, offers this great deal:

“I’m gifting my readers with a copy of my new release, Sea Scope, featuring a murder by a lighthouse.  Don’t miss the chance to get a great summer read for free. Get your free book here from June 14 to 18″:

mybook.to/SeaScope

Sarah Collins needs an escape. Mourning her brother’s death and the impending breakup of her marriage, she accepts an invitation to return to her childhood home in South Carolina, where her family operated an inn.

She hasn’t been back to Sea Scope for twenty years; not since she and her brother Glen discovered a body by the nearby lighthouse. She never understood why her parents left Sea Scope so suddenly, or the reasons behind her father’s suicide.

After Sarah returns to the inn, she faces long-buried memories, text messages and strange clues. Something is not right in Sea Scope.

Reunited with people from her past, she tries to figure out what’s going on in her childhood home. As the past and present collide, she must face truths about her family, and what happened that summer day by the lighthouse. But will she survive to tell the tale?

Check out my other books and stories on my Amazon Author Page 

If you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, all my eBooks are free.