Hello,

It has been a few weeks since I last wrote. A lot has happened. I am not quite ready to get back to writing about indexing and freelancing, but thought I should still write an update to let you know what has been happening.

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In Memoriam

Both of my grandfathers, Jan and Peter, died this fall, on October 1 and November 3, respectively. They were both in their nineties and in declining health. My family and I had been anticipating for a while that they were nearing the end, though we didn’t expect that they would die so close together.

The funeral for Grandpa Jan was in mid-October. I was also able, while en route to the funeral, to stop in Vancouver for a day to visit with Grandpa Peter one last time. I was then in Vancouver again last week for Grandpa Peter’s funeral.

A lot of emotions, of course. My indexing schedule has also been turned upside down with being away, as well as having a few days when it has been difficult to focus. Thankfully my clients have all been understanding and gracious with extending deadlines and waiting for indexes to be completed. Though this has also meant that indexes that were supposed to be done two weeks ago, for example, are now running up against indexes which are due this week. I am still trying to catch up. Fortunately, I had planned a lighter schedule for December. December isn’t looking quite so light anymore, but at least there is room for projects to be pushed back into.

My grandfathers were both remarkable in their own ways. Grandpa Jan immigrated to Canada by himself in the 1950s, looking for a fresh start after a couple of career and business failures in Sweden. Canada proved a good fit. He went back to school to become a chartered accountant. After accepting a transfer to Prince George (in northern British Columbia) he worked his way up to become a partner in his firm. He also loved the outdoors and built a rustic cabin on a small lake, where I enjoyed many summer holidays. Over Christmas holidays, he imparted his love for cross-country skiing, which he enjoyed well into his eighties. He met Barbara, my Nana, shortly after he immigrated. Nana was a young British nurse who was having the adventure of a lifetime backpacking and working odd jobs across Canada and the US with her two best friends. I don’t think Nana expected to meet her future husband while on a hike near Vancouver.

Grandpa Peter was born and raised in Toronto, descended from several generations of settlers. Though he graduated from university with an honours degree in math and physics, after a few years of teaching he decided to attend seminary and become an Anglican priest. And, while attending seminary, he met my grandma, Pam, also a nurse, who had decided to study at the Anglican women’s college. Grandpa Peter was a bit of a polymath. He played the accordion and piano, and composed hymns (three of which we sang at his funeral). He enjoyed solving math problems, especially geometric puzzles that he would devise for himself and then spend weeks or months solving. He was an athlete and outdoorsman, especially passionate about golf and track and field. He had an extensive personal library, with books spanning poetry, literary criticism, theology, mathematics, Canadian history, Arctic exploration, and childhood favourites, and always kept a stack of books he was reading on the side table next to his favourite armchair.

Despite Grandpa Jan being an accountant and Grandpa Peter an amateur mathematician, I’ve never had much of an affinity for numbers. But perhaps I did inherit from Grandpa Jan a sense for order and attention to detail, which I imagine is equally useful in both accounting and indexing. And from Grandpa Peter, a love for books and a curiosity that spans many subjects. My own library continually pushes the limits of my bookshelves, and I now count a few of Grandpa’s books among their number.

I miss them both, and am thankful for their presence in my life.
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Stark Reflections Podcast

My first guest appearance on a podcast has dropped! It is episode 330 on the Stark Reflections podcast, hosted by Mark Leslie Lefebvre, which was released on October 27. Mark is an author and also has extensive experience working within the publishing industry, especially on the retail and distribution side. I’ve long appreciated his insights, both through his podcast and hearing him speak at the When Words Collide writing festival in Calgary. So I was thrilled when he agreed to talk to me about indexing and my new book.

Since Stark Reflections is a podcast for authors, especially indie authors, Mark and I talk about why authors should care about indexes, how to write an index, and even discuss indexes for fiction. If you are interested, you can listen to the podcast here, on the Stark Reflections website, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Enjoy!
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Stephen

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PS. A heads-up about the Stark Reflections interview—Mark likes to begin each episode with a personal update and a word from his sponsor, so if you are only interested in the interview, just skip ahead a few minutes.