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LV trainer publishes first novel

Nicole Palacios is best known in Lynn Valley for her personal training business. But that may change now that she’s also the author of her novel, Bel Air Bodies, available for sale as an Amazon ebook. We tracked Nicole down to ask her about her writing, her background, and her life here in Lynn Valley.

Tell us about your writing background…. has it been hobby, career, or both?
My writing career has been something that I didn’t realize I wanted to do until about seven years ago. I started writing fitness-related articles for magazines, then realized my passion for fiction. I always enjoyed writing fiction in my youth, but put it aside to focus on schooling and child rearing. Now it’s back in my radar.

Now tell us about your fitness biz! (And, while you’re at, it, the rest of your life, too!)
I am a North Shore personal trainer; I’ve been involved in the fitness industry since I was 17! I started as a fitness instructor, then got my personal training certification and received my degree in Exercise Science. I train people in their homes/ outside or in my gym facility. I mainly work with females looking to get into shape/lose weight/etc.  Since I was six I’ve lived on the North Shore (with a three-year break living in Minnesota of all places!) I have three beautiful girls, and an awesome husband. We are totally in love with Lynn Valley where we live!

What made you decide on the romance genre when you turned to fiction writing?
I wouldn’t classify this as romance per se, more of a “chick lit” novel. There is some element of romance, of course, but that is not the only theme. What fun is it to read a book without a little romance? It keeps things fun and light.

What other kinds of writing do you do?
I write health and fitness articles for magazines such as Alive, Pregnancy (when it was still being published!), Fitness Business Canada, Personal Fitness Professional, the North Shore News, and a few others. I also maintain a fitness blog at: http://ptfitnesswriter.blogspot.ca/

How did you find the self-publishing process? Why did 
you go with Amazon?
It’s very difficult to get published with a mainstream publisher; you really need an agent first. They are hard to please! Amazon made it simple and was very easy to use.

What were some of the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of self-publishing?
I would say all “pro”! It is very easy to do with a computer.

Did you have any help, or is this a solo project from start to finish?
This was my own personal project. I wanted to finish a book; there are a few others that I have started and left hanging for a few years.

What’s your goal for the book?
I would love to see it sell one hundred copies; that’s a goal. As well, it would be nice to just to have some people who I don’t know and didn’t tell about it to read it and hopefully enjoy it!

What are some of your other writing goals?
I am currently working on a non-fiction book on fitness for baby boomers. I hope to publish that the traditional way and have it “in stores”.

How will you be promoting Bel Air Bodies?
Twitter, Facebook, other blogs, word of mouth.

Any advice for aspiring novelists?
Stick with it! Don’t give up and don’t let negative comments get you down.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?
I am happy to be living on the North Shore and have such a great group of other writers and friends to bounce ideas off of! This community is so warm and welcoming and I really feel blessed to live here!


August 14, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Notable Neighbours

Teen’s injuries caused by drugs, not assault

According to RCMP Cpl. Richard De Jong, a mixture of marijuana and magic mushrooms were behind the Saturday, Aug. 11 incident in which a teenager was seen naked and bleeding in the Mountain Highway and Kilmer area.

Emergency services received several reports from people who saw the agitated young man at about 5 p.m. on an otherwise typical Lynn Valley summer evening. While some people in the neighbourhood were worried that he had been attacked, it turns out the man was not an assault victim after all.

Responders located the 17-year-old and learned that, after ingesting the illegal drugs while visiting a friend, he became “mentally and emotionally distressed,” stripped naked, and leapt through the residence’s plate glass window in an attempt to run home.

Police always find these kind of incidents concerning, said Cpl. De Jong, who noted that the teenager was taken to Lions Gate Hospital for treatment of the wounds he received during his drug-induced psychosis.

August 13, 2012 in Blog, Current News

Best ice cream cake recipe ever

From the kitchen of Lynn O’Malley – Summer is a time of great intentions; we want to hike the wilderness, build a backyard deck or tree fort, host a marvellous B.C. Day party, teach our children the Latin names of all the local flowers and catch up our photo album. Then a heat wave hits, and it’s all we can do to throw some Wonder bread and a jar of peanut butter at our children before retreating to the basement again with a wet cloth on our head.

But sometimes you have to step up and provide vittles for a crowd. For times like that, here’s a great, crowd-pleasing recipe that makes it seems like you’ve been working much harder than you have. Make it several hours in advance, or even the day before, so it’s well frozen when you unveil it. (And FYI, it’s a great birthday cake for the wheat-intolerant!) Do you have any favourite hot-weather recipes, an easy, stove-free main, perhaps, or perfect patio drink? Please send them to [email protected], and I’ll share them here!

The Best Ice Cream Cake

2 c. Rice Krispies
1 c. coconut
1 c. chopped pecans
1 stick melted butter
1/2 gal. vanilla ice cream
1 sm. bottle caramel syrup
3/4 c. brown sugar

Mix together Rice Krispies, coconut, pecans and butter. Bake on cookie sheet at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and mix 3/4 cup brown sugar to mixture. Spread about half the mixture in the bottom of 13×9 pan.

Spread with 1/2 of caramel (I don’t usually add nearly this much caramel …. and at this point I usually drizzle some chocolate syrup on top, too!) Cut and place ice cream until it covers bottom of pan. Pour more caramel to taste and the remainder of the mixture on the top of ice cream. Freeze and eat.

August 4, 2012 in Blog, Current News, O'Malley's Musings

LV pest pros tell you how to bug off

By Dylan Wendt, Coast Pest Control

If you have unwanted pests at home and want to try the natural approach before calling a pest control company; then try these tested home remedies.  If they don’t solve your problems, then give the professionals at Coast Pest & Wildlife ControlLtd. a call at 604-908-2040 for a free estimate.

Tip #1 Fruit Flies
For those pesky Fruit Flies grab a bowl and fill with ¼ cup warm water, ¼ cup vinegar,  and 3 to 4 drops of dish soap (be sure to mix with water to activate).  Then cover tightly with plastic wrap and using a fork puncture several holes.  The vinegar smell attracts the Fruit Flies and as they fly into the bowl they become trapped in the mixture and cannot find their way out.

Tip #2 Insects
Keep all foliage cut back from the home by at least six inches to prevent a wide variety of insects from entering the home.  This will provide a chemical-free barrier for the entire perimeter of the home.

Tip #3 Wasps
To help prevent wasps from building a nest in your backyard or patio area, try placing a fake wasp nest that can be purchased at your local hardware store.  This works as a deterrent because wasps are territorial; seeing a nest will prevent them from building another.

Tip #4 Travellers’ Bed Bug Prevention
When travelling, a constant concern for many people is bringing home bed bugs.  To help prevent this, always keep your luggage and clothing off the floor by using either hangers and/or the luggage stands that are provided my most hotels.

July 31, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Eco-Awareness & The Great Outdoors, Guest Voices, Merchant Mentions

Ass’t Fire Chief seeks seniors for home safety project

When North Van District Assistant Fire Chief Curtis Bremner set out to research preventable deaths in North Vancouver, he was surprised at some of the facts he discovered.

First, a report from the BC Coroner Office revealed that the average age of people who are victims of an “accidental” death in North Vancouver District is 60 years old. “I thought that was a bit high,” he says, and kept teasing out the numbers. It turns out that one factor pushing that number up is the fact that the average age of people who die in a fire in North Vancouver is 70 – fifteen years older that the average in the rest of Metro Vancouver.

That was just the kind of information Bremner was looking for. The assistant chief, in charge of professional development and training, is in his second year of the National Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program, and was searching for a research topic that would address some aspect of community risk reduction.

More information emerged from another source. During an energy audit program designed to assess the energy efficiency of residential homes in Blueridge, the Fire Department used the opportunity to assess the level of fire safety awareness in the typical residential home in North Vancouver.

These home inspections revealed that all but one home had a smoke alarm. However, none of the smoke alarms were tested regularly and only a few residents actually changed the batteries annually. Many of the alarms were past their expiration date and 35 per cent of homes had inadequate coverage.  When he found that the unknowing home owners were often seniors, Bremner knew he’d found his project.

Now he will be investigating smoke alarm programs for seniors, and is looking for volunteers who are 65+ to help him out. Since Lynn Valley has the highest density of seniors in all of North Vancouver, he’s hoping LynnValleyLife readers will answer the call.

Whether you live in a single-family home, a garden apartment (ie a three-storey walk up), a highrise or a townhouse, Bremner and the District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services are offering to come out and do a home safety audit, check your existing smoke alarm or match you up with a better one if necessary, answer questions and give information on fire safety in your home and  how to respond correctly in the event of a fire.

It’s all part of his research, which will be turned into a stringently reviewed, published paper that will add to the body of knowledge shared by firefighters throughout North America. Once that’s done, he will be halfway through the demanding four-year program.

If you’d like to help Bremner with his project, and improve your own home safety, please contact him at [email protected]. He will be out of the office from Aug. 17 to Sept. 6, and hopes to begin the project Sept. 15, so the sooner you get in touch, the better. No doubt we’d all like to see those preventable death statistics drop dramatically in the future.

– Peggy Trendell-Jensen, editor

July 31, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Getting Involved, Governance and Services

Lynn Valley mom itching to share eczema tips

When a pediatric nurse told Shula Klinger that her incessantly wailing baby boy was “going through a rough patch,” she didn’t realize how prophetic those words would prove to be.

Months of crying jags, rashes, breathing difficulties and ER trips later, Joel was finally diagnosed with atopic dermatitis (eczema). Finally, she and her husband could start to understand what would and wouldn’t help their child, and would gain him – and themselves – some uninterrupted sleep. A bubble bath at bedtime? Forget it – even a few minutes in the tub would cause a horrible itchy reaction. But organic home cleaners, and plain, non-appliqued baby clothes? Those would help.

Now the Lynn Valley mom is sharing all her trial-and-error tips with the rest of the world in a new blog. Says Shula: “A ROUGH PATCH chronicles the day-to-day struggles of an infant with eczema, asthma and allergies. The site is packed with personal anecdotes, tips and tricks for families in a similar predicament.  But it’s not just about the daily rigours (or agonies) of life with these health problems; you’ll also find light-hearted entries, product reviews, interviews, guest essays and recipes.”

Shula will be pulling in international guest bloggers, medical experts, and parents of fellow sufferers in the posts to come, and the blog itself is being profiled in an upcoming newsletter of The Eczema Society of Canada.

Shula is a well-published writer already; after coming to Canada to pursue a PhD in Education at UBC and later developing online curriculum for the BC school system, she turned her focus to her creative life. Her young adult novel, “The Kingdom of Strange,” was published in 2008 and she has also illustrated “Best Friends Forever: A World War II Scrapbook.” She continues to work in print and radio journalism, most often for the CBC.

Shula, her husband Graham, son Benjamin (age five),  Joel (now 20 months) and their “eccentric dachshund, Moby” moved to Lynn Valley last October, where she says they all feel very much at home, despite ongoing home renovations. Shula says her neighbours are wonderfully relaxed and welcoming (Ed. note: They no doubt appreciate Shula, as well – she is apparently a prolific baker!) Other favourite pastimes include visiting the library and taking Benjamin and Joel to the local parks.

Check out A Rough Patch to learn more about this family’s experience with eczema; to learn more about Shula’s writing life, visit her website. Shula invites people with questions and comments to post them on A Rough Patch – she’s happy to be a sounding board!

– Peggy Trendell-Jensen, editor. Photo by Laura Lui of http://www.dolcepics.com / Laura Hana Photographer: http://www.facebook.com/LAURAHANAphotographer

July 29, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Notable Neighbours

Visit Maplewood Farm online, or for real at Open House

As of this moment – July 25, at 21:16 precisely – I can tell you that the goats at Maplewood Farm are either tucked away fast asleep, or they’ve staged a coup and made their grand escape.

How do I know this? Because I am checking out the Maplewood Farm WEB CAM, the existence of which I did not know until scant moments ago. It turns out the web cam (which is currently showing a very empty-seeming goat pen) is just part of the farm’s very family-friendly website.

Just some of the things I learned from it are that (a) kids can now rent pedal tractors on which to tour the farm ($4 for 30 minutes), (b) you can request an ‘autograph’ from your favourite farm animal and have it emailed back to you, and that (c) Lynn Valley’s Argyle alumnus Derek Palmer (woo-hoo, Class of ’83) is still going strong in his farmer post, a job he says “never gets old” and always puts a smile on his face.

I also learned the farm is having an open house this Friday, July 27th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to discuss plans for its future and seek feedback from its many visitors and supporters. This suburban farm has been a highlight for Lynn Valley families for years, so if you’d like to make sure your grandchildren and their children and their children can all have the Maplewood experience, please have a look at the information materials and give your comments.

The info and questionnaire will be posted on the farm website after July 30 if you can’t attend in person. (And while you’re on the site, check out that web cam and see if the goats have come back!)

– Peggy Trendell-Jensen, editor

July 25, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Eco-Awareness & The Great Outdoors, Getting Involved

Giving blood is now even easier

Looking for a good summertime tune? How about Buddy Holly’s 1958 hit “It’s So Easy to Fall in Love”?

Now, instead of the usual lyrics, “It’s so easy to fall in love,” let’s sub in a new chorus: “It’s so easy to give some blood; it’s so easy to give some blood…” ‘Cuz you know what? IT IS.

Regular readers will know that Lynn Valley mom Erica Harris has an ongoing need for blood transfusions while she and her family hope and pray that a suitable donor can be found for a bone marrow transplant. Erica has been through two rounds of chemotherapy since her early June diagnosis and has yet to find out if treatment has started to help reverse her situation.

In the meantime, Erica’s friends have mounted a gone-viral media campaign to encourage people to register with Canadian Blood Services’ OneMatch program and provide a cheek swab (via mail, or in person) to see if they could be the one-in-a-million match for Erica or someone else on the transplant list. Details to do so are in an earlier post, and we know the response all around has been great.

The Harris’s situation is a wake-up call to all of us that the need for donated blood and blood products is constant. There are thousands of “Ericas” out there, each with their own desperate need for our help. So, as Erica’s husband Harley has already reminded people, please don’t just sign up for the bone marrow list – please, please, please GIVE BLOOD, for the sake of many.

We’re pleased to tell you that the process is much more convenient than it used to be, as donors can now browse and book clinics and appointment slots online. It’s user-friendly, they’ll send you a reminder email or phone call, and you can cancel and re-book if need be.

We tried out the permanent downtown clinic in the Standard Life Building (at 888 Dunsmuir), and were in and out within an hour. It’s best to book ahead, but if you’re lucky they’ll be able to take you if you just walk in off the street (try to avoid lunch hour). Hours are 8 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., Monday through Wednesday, and the staff and cookies are both great.

Of course, travelling clinics come to the North Shore, so if you don’t get over the bridge often, visit Canadian Blood Services to find out when one will next be at North Lonsdale United Church.

It’s so easy to give some blood.

 – Peggy Trendell-Jensen, editor

July 20, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Getting Involved

New group welcomes ramblers and rovers

If you’re the type of person who instinctively prefers the term ‘rambling’ to ‘hiking,’ you might be interested to hear about a new informal walking group that meets twice a month.

Jane and Leo are friends who have made a habit of meandering Lynn Valley trails, learning about the flora and fauna they encounter, chatting along the way, and – in short – making the journey an end in itself.

Now they are inviting others to join them every second Sunday, beginning at 2 p.m. at the End of the Line store at the top of Lynn Valley Road. They pick a ‘theme’ for each walk (the next one, July 29th, will be trees, while the following one on August 12 will be logging lore) and spend an hour exploring the trails, and the theme, at a leisurely pace. (See our Events Calendar for upcoming walks.)

If you’d like to become a Lynn Valley rambler, contact Jane at [email protected] or see the notice posted at the End of the Line.

July 15, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Eco-Awareness & The Great Outdoors, Getting Involved

Knee Knacker just latest challenge for elite LV runner

Some of the world’s top ultra-marathoners will be participating in this Saturday’s infamous Knee Knacker, a 30-mile run from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove along the Baden Powell trail, and Hilary Ewart is excited to be amongst them.

It’s the second Knee Knacker for this Lynn Valley mom, and though she doesn’t consider herself a natural runner – “I’m not built for it, “ she claims – she says there is a mutual feeling of equality and respect at the starting line, regardless of ability.

“I’ve never been made to feel that I shouldn’t be there,” she said this week as she reflected on some of the races she’s tackled. “Though I sometimes question myself.”

It’s hard to imagine anyone questioning Hilary’s credentials when you look at her running CV. While she says she wasn’t particularly sporty as a youth (“Honestly, if I can do this, anyone can”), once she started running, there was no holding her back.

She started as a recreational jogger, then decided to join her husband Ian as he trained for a half-marathon. That was semi-successful – she liked to chat the whole way, which drove him nuts – but it was the start of a pursuit that would end up changing her life and how she lives it.

Her determination (or, in her own words, her “obsession”) kept pushing her to longer and more far-flung running adventures, encouraged on by the friendships she developed with other women keen to travel to races.

One of her favourite memories is accomplishing her very first marathon in her native Scotland, with her parents there to cheer her on. She still gets goosebumps recounting the pride with which her father congratulated her after her triumphant finish.

She’s raced in Big Sur, in Paris, and in Wales. Along the way, she became bored with road running and decided to try her hand – or her feet – at trail running. “I can still remember my first run with the Knee Knacker training group,” she recalls now. “It was humbling… it was really challenging.”

But this is clearly a woman who likes a challenge. In August 2010, she decided the 15 months ahead would include the Dirty Duo race in Lynn Canyon, the Diez Vista in Burnaby, her first Knee Knacker, and, to top it all off, a three-day, 85-mile run in Wales. While she was admittedly burnt out by the end of that time, she says the Welsh race was one of her best.

“I don’t know why, but I just felt wonderful,” she says. “At times along the way, I was feeling euphoric.”

People are always searching for that “runner’s high,” she says, although it tends to be elusive. It’s more common to encounter the lows when you’re running a tough course.

“You know the gremlins are there,” notes Hilary. “Sometimes they don’t appear; sometimes they spend the whole day with you. But you eventually learn that the bad feelings go away.”

Hilary’s health routine includes twice-weekly yoga, pre-race massages at Canopy Health, and keeping well fuelled during a run. She finds that her ‘away’ races can be easier, in that she’s divorced from her daily responsibilities and can be “a bit selfish,” focussing just on her challenge ahead.

She has spent this week getting over her jet lag from a trip to South America with husband Ian, catching up on her human resources job at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C., and dealing with a few butterflies as she contemplates Saturday’s Knee Knacker – one of the toughest trail runs in North America.

She’s done it before, but not in the heat that is forecast for Saturday. Between Horseshoe Bay and Deep Cove, she’ll face 16,000 feet of vertical climb and descent, and hopes to complete the course in somewhere between seven to nine hours. “I’m a back of the packer,” she chuckles, saying she is built for endurance, not for speed.

Anyone who tackles this run is an elite athlete in our book, regardless of their final time, and at LynnValleyLife we wish all 200 runners good health and good spirits. We’ll be reporting back with Hilary’s experience, and tell you all about her next adventure – a six-day stage race in the Himalayas this fall!

– Peggy Trendell-Jensen, editor

Update: We checked in with Hilary on Sunday afternoon, and were delighted to hear she completed the race despite the heat and the record number of runners who dropped out along the way. Our congratulations to anyone brave enough to cross the starting line, and all those determined enough to reach the finish line!

 

July 12, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Eco-Awareness & The Great Outdoors, Notable Neighbours