Archive for October 2025
Open to the Skies: a new novel by Jane Tims
Since I retired, one subject has particularly interested me – the loss of older church buildings from our landscape. As new buildings are constructed to house congregations, and older buildings become less useful because of small size, aging construction or antiquated heating systems, decisions are made to retire and deconsecrate historic churches. As with other older buildings, the choices are few: rehabilitation, repurposing, or demolition.
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My new book, published by Merlin Star Press in New Brunswick, is the fictional story of one of these churches. In ‘Open to the Skies,’ a couple in transition to a simpler way of life, encounters an old church about to be abandoned and perhaps demolished. Sadie and Tom decide to purchase the church and move it, a few kilometres down the road, to their new property. They intend to turn the church into a writers’ retreat.
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In the process, they encounter a community uncertain about how it wants to proceed. Some want to give the church a new life, others are dead set against repurposing a building where their children have been baptized and married. Others in the community are motivated by a conservationist mentality and one very difficult fellow has an ownership claim against the property where the church has stood for over one hundred years.
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The church itself has a history and mythology, to be understood by anyone taking it over. In the church’s story includes a mysterious blue toy truck and a young boy who turns up at strange times. The threats of fire and violent protest also haunt Sadie and Tom as they undertake repurposing of the church.
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I will be presenting my new book at launches and signings in the coming months. These will include a signing event at Dog Eared Books in Oromocto, New Brunswick on November 15th and a reading in Fredericton later in November. I would be so happy to see you there! The book is now available from Dog Eared Books in Oromocto and from Merlin Star Press https://www.merlinstarpress.com/home/bookstore
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I’ll be keeping you up to date on my book, its availability, and any readings.
All my best!
Jane (a.k.a. Alexandra)
Writing a Novel: the chapter table
I have a tool I have used to help my writing process. I have used it for years, so I know it works. I think of it as ‘my chapter table.’
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After I have finished my first draft and have done at least one edit of the entire draft, I create a table. I usually do this before I choose my chapter beginnings and endings. Part of the purpose of the table is to determine those beginnings and endings.
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The table records information about many aspects of the novel: chapters, chapter title, chapter length (page numbers), includes characters, settings, and (because I illustrate my books) possible topics for illustration.
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Here is a sample table, used for my in-progress Rural Mystery, The Road. The Road is an adventure/mystery about a woman on vacation who visits the places marked on a map, left by her Aunt Beth when she died.
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| chapter | title | pages | vacation day | characters | drawings |
| Prologue | — | 1 | 0 | Aunt Beth | none |
| 1 | vacation | 5 | 0 | ChelseaMason | Karmann Ghia |
| 2 | the plan | 5 | 0-1 | Chelsea Mason | Map and red dot |
| 3 | the chimney | 9 | 2 | Chelsea MasonJed | The chimney in the woods |
| 4 | cemetery | 9 | 3,4 | Chelsea | Cemetery |
| 5 | Money Point Road | 9 | 5 | Chelsea Mason | Lily of the valley Glamping dome Trail and mountain Soldier lichen |
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I can put the table to almost any use. So, for example, if I want to track a symbol used throughout the novel, I can indicate the occurrences here. I can also insert dates, if those are important to my story. As I think about changes to the action or characters, the table helps me find particular areas of the novel, without searching the entire draft.
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When you work at your next story, try my table method of keeping track of chapters, characters and action. I know there are many uses for such a table.
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All my best!
Jane (a.k.a. Alexandra)
nichepoetryandprose 