Colours in Her Hands in Toronto

On January 29th I'll be speaking with Christine Fischer Guy about Colours in Her Hands at Another Story Bookshop in Toronto. 

Come here what we have to say about Mina, about writing about people who are 'different' and what 'difference' means, about perceptions of art, and more. 

Details at this link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/colours-in-her-hands-alice-zorn-with-christine-fischer-guy-tickets-1133979105029?aff=oddtdtcreator 

It would be lovely to see you! 

More about Mina

Here's a link to Linda Morra's excellent podcast, Getting Lit With Linda, where she discusses BOOKS with keen interest and insight. For this, the last episode of the season, she recommends BOOKS -- and one of them is... Colours in Her Hands! Take note of each book since there are some good ones. 

https://shows.acast.com/getting-lit-with-linda-the-canadian-literature-podcast

And here is an interview that I did with Sharon Berg for The Themz Review. (Since I like finding points on a map, I want to tell you that Sharon is in Newfoundland, Themz is in London, Ontario, and I'm in Québec, and yet here we all are.) The interview is an excellent discussion about concerns in the novel. If you haven't read the book yet, there are some spoilers. You can still read the interview to whet your appetite, but read it again once you've read the book. Sharon asks good questions. 

https://www.thetemzreview.com/berg-zorn.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawHNQH1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHdWvCVpCyT_pZ4HkcXIvoWmc8gfKLMUXJIfjt-3l2aReKY9TcaJ7rjj6tA_aem_DAs5-1syBfRyRG2LIF875g 

If you're in a book club or you discuss books with others, then you've surely noticed how opinions differ. As a writer, I continue to marvel at how people focus on different aspects of the novel. What I hope is to touch readers in whatever way.  

Happy Holidays and all the best for 2025! 

20 Questions with Jeffrey Davies

Some years ago I met a boy who said he loved to read. He grew into a teen who wrote my Wiki page. He studied English and began writing, now works in a library, and with great determination pursues what he most loves to do. 

Thank you, Jeffrey, for inviting me to do 20 Questions with you!

https://jeffreyreads.com/2024/12/09/20-questions-with-alice-zorn/

Colours in Her Hands reader reviews

You publish a book and then you wait for reviews, but there are ever less venues that review books in Canada. 

This makes me all the more grateful for reader reviews. Writing is a lonely road. It takes years to write a book. At the end you hope to find readers who engage with the characters and their stories--and then take the time to think about their response and put it into words. 

If you've read Colours in Her Hands and are curious to see what others thought, NetGalley readers received advance review copies in exchange for their honest opinion.  https://www.netgalley.com/book/413116/reviews

There are also reviews on Goodreads, if you don't mind the advertising.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209536001/reviews?reviewFilters={%22workId%22:%22kca://work/amzn1.gr.work.v3.T5qZcS3IIfVZhDVN%22,%22after%22:%22NjEsMTcyODQxNTAzMzY0OA%22}

A resounding thank you to readers! 

Pics taken in the past week while out walking. 

Montreal Book Launch Sept 2024

Here I am speaking with Elise Moser at the Montreal launch of my new novel, Colours in Her Hands, which was published in September by the Freehand Books in Calgary. Ask for it at your favourite bookstore or library! I want people to meet Mina. 

 

Mina, the central character of the novel, has Down Syndrome. I don't think that's the most important fact about her, but it is what you would notice if you met her walking down the street. What I am hoping will happen as you read the novel, is that you will see the whole of Mina's life--everything else that matters. 

When the novel opens, Mina is living by herself, has a job and a boyfriend. This has been the status quo for almost 20 years, but Mina is now middle-aged and beginning to have difficulties. This raises the question for those close to her whether she is safe on her own. Autonomy and dignity as we age is an issue that we all have to deal with. 

I also explore creativity and disability--how an individual may not be able to explain in words but can still express herself powerfully. 

It felt important to write not only about Mina but also the people involved in her life: her brother and legal guardian, Bruno; his girlfriend, Gabriela; Mina's new friend, Iris, who designs and sews clothes and therefore appreciates the wildly inventive embroideries Mina creates. This is Mina's world.

 

In this clip, Elise has just asked me about writing in English and occasionally including French.   https://youtu.be/P9mnF2bKuec?si=Qrv1Bki-nOPHS8zM

The launch was held at Librairie Pulp Books in Verdun in Montreal. The top two photos were taken by Jack Ruttan who was at one end of the room; the last two photos and the video were taken by Robert Aubé who was at the other end of the room. Thank you, Jack and Robert.

Elise is well-known in the Anglo Quebec writing community and also farther afield. She's written three great books: Because I Have Loved and Hidden it, Lily and Taylor, What Milly Did: The Remarkable Pioneer of Plastics Recycling. I am also fortunate in that she's a friend. We often go on long tromps together.

Here's the star of the evening:

Alice Zorn talking with Kerry Clare about Colours in Her Hands

Kerry Clare, the beloved champion of Canadian books and fine writer of her own books, invited me to talk with her about my new novel on her podcast, Bookspo. 

 https://kerryreads.substack.com/p/season-two-episode-3-alice-zorn?utm_source=podcast-email%2Csubstack&publication_id=2195992&post_id=148968503&utm_campaign=email-play-on-substack&utm_medium=email&r=2anmxa&triedRedirect=true

Check out Kerry's books, Mitzi Bytes, Waiting for a Star to Fall, and Asking for a Friend; her substack Pickle Me This; her podcast, Bookspo, where she interviews authors about books that have influenced their writing. She is prolific!  

Colours in Her Hands / new novel by Alice Zorn

Here is the information for the launch: https://pulpbooks.ca/events/660420240924

If you can't come, please get the book from your local indie bookstore or library. If they don't have it, ask for it! They should. 

Or order it directly from Freehand Books who will happily send it to to you. https://freehand-books.com/product/colours-in-her-hands/#tab-description

If you must, order it from Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Amazon.de, Fnac... It is available! 

Reviews for Colours in Her Hands: 

"A moving meditation on love and art and the creative passions and impulses that are so much greater than anyone's disabilities and make us our best selves. An achingly real, compassionate and at times hilarious read, Zorn's novel shreds how we label people and art practices to show how deeply we and they are one. Heartbreaking, uplifting—brava!" CAROL BRUNEAU author of Brighten the Corner Where You Are: A Novel Inspired by the Life of Maud Lewis

"Alice Zorn has placed a singular woman at the heart of a vibrantly coloured world in this beautiful meditation on art and those who make it." CLAIRE HOLDEN ROTHMAN author of Lear's Shadow

"Mina is in my top-ten list of memorable fiction characters. It is fascinating to watch her make sense of the world through her embroidery and fairy tales. . . . a meticulously crafted novel." H. NIGEL THOMAS novelist, poet, essayist, and the 2022 laureate for the John Molson Prize for the Arts