Guest Post: Welcome Jan Coates!

Today I have the special delight of introducing you to my friend Jan. She’s an author/illustrator and all-around creative whiz with boundless enthusiasm for life. Oh, and she also has a blog and happens to live within walking distance of my house (though we usually meet at a beloved local coffee shop).

Let’s rewind for a minute. Years ago, I picked up a picture book at our local library called Rainbows in the Dark. The main character shares my daughter’s name and the book centres around thrifting. Not surprisingly, A and I fell in love with the book and I was shocked to discover it was written by a local author. After a few weeks, I summoned up the courage to e-mail her to express my appreciation for the book and a friendship was sparked.

Jan agreed to help me with my own early attempts at a picture book (shelved when I started a blog), and her charitable edits morphed into coffee dates. Whenever we get together we start talking immediately and surface for air a few hours later.

Jan is a married mother of two (her kids have flown the proverbial coop, but she and her husband have their lovely dog, Charlie, for company) and has two charming granddaughters upon whom she lavishes all sorts of affection. She loves to thrift as much as I do, so we always enjoy comparing frugal notes.

She has published one young adult novel, numerous middle-grade novels (my favourite is The Hermit, though the talking dog in Say What You Mean is pretty hard to beat) and picture books (I adore them all but have a very special place in my heart for Rainbows in The Dark and Karissa & Felix – which she wrote and illustrated to tell a gentle, yet profound, story about children grieving the loss of a loved one – and Dancing with Daisy). She tackles big (hard) topics with grace and humour. She also makes and sells incredible handmade cards called Soul Smiles. I couldn’t resist posting screenshots of just a few of my favourites:

Okay, that’s enough from me. Feel free to connect directly with Jan on her website; or, if you happen to live locally, say hello when you see her around town!

Q. What seemingly “little” moment have you observed or been a part of lately that brought a disproportionate amount of joy?

I was in Ontario for my granddaughter Ada’s second birthday recently. We had made monkey cupcakes, and after she blew out her 2 candles, and without being prompted, she cradled each one in her sweet little hands and then delivered them to everybody in the room, without ever taking a bite herself. No words for the gush of love that brought on:) And a second one – I was at a craft fair on the weekend, and a woman I didn’t know approached my table and said, “I just love everything you do – your books, your soul smiles cards, and your sewing.” My cards and books go out into the world, but I rarely hear from the people sharing them, so that was a treat.

Q. What’s one piece of advice you wish you had heard (or understood) at an earlier age?

As much as we think we can carve out the shape of our lives at an early age, it’s impossible. Things happen suddenly to change the course of your life dramatically – things you could never have predicted when you were planning out your life. (ie. the person you choose as a life partner, illness, or the job(s) you end up doing). Go with your gut and try to find work that excites and fulfills you.

Q. All-time favourite book? Favourite author? 

The book I’ve read the most times is Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. She’s such a genuine kids’ author – she writes books for kids, not for their adults. She’s funny, but her books also include the right amount of serious stuff, pathos, sadness and joy. And she seems like a really nice person, somebody I’d love to have coffee with some day:) [I really hope you get that coffee date someday. And agreed – Because of Winn Dixie is brilliant.]

Q. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

This one’s easy – people being dishonest, either with themselves or other people. My favorite people are those who are true to themselves, all the time, everywhere.

Q. What was your favourite recent purchase (under $200)?

Well, I got a new-to-me teal/turquoise ski jacket yesterday at Frenchy’s for $6.50, but mainly this holiday season, I’ve been walking around stores feeling grateful that I don’t have to buy much these days. Usually I start with FB Marketplace no matter what I’m looking for – Fisher Price Little People, for example. 

Q. If you could snap your fingers and have all the capabilities necessary to excel in any career or hobby (e.g. if your wish was to be a famous rockstar, you’d magically have the necessary vocal/instrumental skills), what would you choose and why?

I would love to be able to sing like Anne Murray. I like to sing, but like most of us, I don’t do it often enough, but singing with friends/family always makes me happy. But then again, it’s not like I work on it, trying to improve my range/ability, although I did spend about a week in the early days of Covid trying to figure out how to sing harmony. Despite watching tons of instructional videos, the only success I found was by doing – singing along to familiar songs, trying to hear the harmony. Definitely a work-in-progress.

Q. List five things that would happen as part of your idealized “perfect day”.

a) waking up to see my granddaughters’ smiling faces – Ada and Noelle; b) a long sunny walk in the woods or on a beach, or maybe a bike ride with Don [her husband]; c) a comfort food meal with my people; d) tea with a couple of good friends and e) reading a good book. Nothing too extravagant there. [Sounds perfect!]

Q. If you could give new parents one piece of advice, what would you say?

Don’t blink – it all goes by far too quickly. (okay, maybe not the diapers) This is a bit of advice all new parents receive regularly, but then you get caught up in the day-to-day, but it’s good to think about it when you can find a minute. Savor the moments; they’ll be leaving the nest before you know it.

Q. If you could only wear one colour for the rest of your life, which colour would you choose?

Various shades of purple – indigo, eggplant, mauve, etc.

Q. What was your favourite book to write? Which book was the most challenging? Rewarding?

A Hare In the Elephant’s Trunk is my first novel (2010), and it was, therefore, the hardest to write. I had a mentorship with a seasoned novelist, and in three months, he taught me how novels work. Thank you, Gary Blackwood! The novel is set in South Sudan, and it’s the fictionalized story of Jacob Deng, who I know. It’s a story of war, but it’s written for young readers so the violence is below the surface. I’ve never been to Africa, so I had to rely heavily on the internet for research about the Lost Boys of Sudan and the Dinka people. Recently, I had fun writing Jessie and Me: Hat People as a resource for the good people of Camp Triumph on Prince Edward Island, both because CT is incredible, and because I got to do both the words and the art. Camp Triumph is for children who have one or more family members living with a chronic illness.

Q. Did you have any pets as a child? Can you tell us about Charlie!

We always had a dog when I was growing up, most notably Toby who lived for more than 20 years. Charlie is our Golden Irish (like a retriever, but not pure-bred by any stretch), and sadly she’s now 12, which is pretty elderly for a golden. Since the kids left home, she’s been a big part of our family trio, and we all believe she is in fact human. Her love is unconditional and unfailing. We hope she beats the odds and lives for a long time.

Q. If you were doing it for fun – and money was no object/didn’t factor into your decision – what would your dream job be?

When I was a library-loving kid, I would never have believed I could become a writer of books for kids, so I think I’ve been lucky enough to be engaged in my dream job for almost 20 years now. 

Q. What is the best gift you’ve ever received?

Hands-down – my granddaughters, Ada and Noelle (who are now 2). A close second would be our son-in-law, Peter, and daughter-in-law, Rachel.

Q. How and when did you meet your husband?

He was already a teacher, and I was doing my student teaching – so I guess we met in the staff room of Horton High. But it was actually on the last night of student teaching that we got together at The Anvil in Wolfville (as so many Acadia relationships did). We were 26 and 28, and we married 10 months later.

Q. What is your favourite time of day?

In the winter, I love when I’m running a hot bath, peeling an orange and getting my latest audio book set up. When I’m near a beach, I try to take in the sunrise every single day – maybe because despite all the horrible stuff in the world, the sun is a constant; even when we can’t see it, we know it’s there.

Q. What words would your friends use to describe you/your personality?

I hope they would describe me as being honest, loyal, helpful and someone who cares about their lives. Now that I’m 63, I choose to spend time with the people who are genuinely interested in my life, as I am in theirs. I don’t have time for conversations wherein the other person does all the talking, and you walk away knowing A LOT about them, and they know nothing about you:)

Q. What is the first thing you do in the morning/last thing you do at night? 

Not very interesting, but go to the washroom:) But I still have to get up 2 or 3 times in the middle of the night anyway.

Q. Do you have a go-to reset when you’re feeling overwhelmed or cranky?

Reading or listening to an audiobook (my new habit developed during Covid isolation), or if the weather is nice, I like to get outside, walking or biking. I find sitting down at my art desk can take me away from whatever negativity I’m feeling, too. I only started playing with art about 5 years ago, and it is so much fun!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet, Jan. Time spent with you is always a treasure.

Your turn. Any questions for Jan? Are you Team Bath or Team Shower (you know I’m 100% shower)? Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets? What’s your go-to reset when you’re cranky? Have any “little moments” lately brought you a disproportionate amount of joy?