Posts By: Deanna Roney

Deanna Roney

I live in a small town in central BC with my husband and my dogs. I love to get outside whether that is hiking, kayaking, taking the dogs for a walk, or spey fishing for steelhead. I have had the privilege to complete several backpacking trips from the historic gold rush Chilkoot trail in the north, the Brazeau Loop, to the West Coast Trail and many in between. I have also made the trip around the Bowron Lakes circuit a couple times and fully intend to go back.

When I am not escaping to the bush I am working as a Literary Intern, bookkeeper, social media advertising, and working on my own creative writing projects. I love learning about the publishing industry and the intricacies that work within it. I love working with agencies and being able to see the publishing world from their perspective. As might be assumed by now I am an avid bookworm and I am always working on building up my own collection. Some of my favourites include Suzanne by Anais Barbeau-Lavelette translated by Rhonda Mullins, Ru by Kim Thuy, The Vegetarian by Han Kang, and I could go on.

A Measure of Success

I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to succeed.  It can be blinding.  But what we consider success is an important question we need to ask, and answer, for ourselves. Often success is thought of as a salary, a title, how comfortably you live, or how well known you are.  Success is… Read more »

Minding Your Time

When you are working on a degree or working freelance it can be hard to manage your time effectively.  In this sense, I don’t mean being able to get everything done in a timely manner but to prevent yourself from overbooking. There are a limited number of hours in a day, and, as such, a… Read more »

Self Labeled

Last week I wrote about belief narratives and how the things that we are told sometimes, unknowingly, stick with us and alter how we see ourselves or what we can do.  There is another side to this as well, sometimes we are stuck on who we believe we are and what we believe we want… Read more »

Belief Limitations

Throughout our lives, we are told certain narratives like “strangers can be dangerous,” or “work hard and save your money to get ahead.”  Some of these are true, but sometimes the narratives are damaging.  We can internalize the things we are told, even as children, and unconsciously carry those forward. As strange as it feels… Read more »

Screen Break

I made a conscious effort over the holidays to take some time away from work and screens in general.  I gave myself permission to read some books in the daylight (currently reserving only after 10 pm for personal reading) I also took a few days and spent them baking and cooking.  It was a great… Read more »

Self-Care and Perspective

Regardless of where you work or study, it can be too easy to push how much time we spend on our occupation.  There is a feeling pushed on social media that if you want to get anywhere you need to work, be busy, stay busy.  If you take time off or aren’t busy all the… Read more »

Snow, At Last

It has finally snowed here.  Until a few days ago the only white on the ground was a hard frost.  This did have its perks: the ease of cleaning the yard, but it did not feel like winter, or Christmas.  We’d had a foot-or-so of snow over a couple days—which still isn’t much, but it… Read more »

Disrupting Your Routine

We can get stuck in routines, even find comfort in their consistencies.  We become comfortable and complacent in these daily routines that seem to be working for us.  And, while there isn’t anything wrong with having a routine, it can help us stay organized and motivated, sometimes we don’t realize just how stuck in it… Read more »

Dodging Christmas Dangers

The holiday season is descending.  The neighbours have their lights up and decorations out.  The stores are getting busier as people are starting to shop for those special someones in their lives.  I like to start shopping and planning early; it is a part of the season that I enjoy.  I like to take the… Read more »

Catching Up with a Break

It can be tempting to take the break around the holidays to “catch up” or “get ahead” on courses and work.  This is something I have done year after year.  It is extra time to get those readings in without the interruptions of regular life.  Though, one could argue that there tend to be more… Read more »