Montreal Botanical Garden in Winter

 

The best time to visit the Montreal Botanical Garden is in the months of May through October.  Note the Gardens of Light festival is held in the months of September and October. 

The Montréal Botanical Garden has twenty different themed outdoor gardens.  Don’t miss the stunning flowers in the exhibition greenhouses!  That’s exactly where I was heading on an icy cold day in March to enjoy the tropical plants, the cacti, and the stunning, beautiful orchids.  The exhibition greenhouses are open year-round and are a great way to get your flower fix during Montréal’s winters!

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Exhibition Greenhouses. 

These are one of the highlights of the Montreal Botanical Garden. The ten exhibition greenhouses make up one long interconnected building.  Each of the greenhouses is set to the conditions needed to best nurture the plants.  Some are very dry, some are humid, and some are continually being misted.

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From the hospitality greenhouse, if you turn left, you head to the drier zones.  Head right to visit the humid greenhouses, such as the tropical rainforest, orchid, and fern greenhouses.

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Layover in Montreal

Traveling always presents challenges…What to do when you have a 22-hour layover in Montreal? Book a hotel, get up early, and take an Uber to the Montreal Botanical Garden, otherwise known as Le Jardin Botanique de Montréal…after all, it is in the French-speaking province of Quebec.

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More Reasons to Visit in Winter

Although the garden is located at the heart of the city, there is ample room to enjoy another cherished local winter activity, cross-country skiing!  The garden includes approximately 3km of groomed cross-country ski trails.  Moreover, you can head next door into Parc de Maisonneuve to continue your ski along additional trails. Trails are groomed after enough new snow has fallen, so the best time to ski is a day or two after the last snowfall.

https://m.espacepourlavie.ca/blogue/en/making-most-winter-jardin-botanique

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View over to the Olympic Tower from the Botanical Garden

Entrance fees are from $12.25 to $23.75, $21.50 for seniors, minus discounts for Montrealers.

Natives and children under 4 years have free admission.

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Trump Dismantles Laws That Protects Your Rights

 

Excerpt from an article, a MUST-READ:

Hussein HallakHussein Hallak Wrote on LinkedIn

"By the time you finish reading this, Trump’s movement will have dismantled another law that protects your rights, and Democrats will still be in a meeting trying to figure out what to do.
It’s an organized, calculated assault designed to cripple democracy, and it's working.

Step by step, they’re following a ruthless strategy to sabotage their opposition:

Step 1: Cut off the money.

Step 2: Destroy legal defense.

Step 3: Tear down oversight.

Step 4: Control the media narrative.

Step 5: Flood the system with chaos.


And what’s worse?  They told us they were going to do this.  Trump’s allies announced their plan.  Project 2025 wasn’t a secret. They’ve been shouting their strategy from the rooftops, and Democratic leadership is still fumbling in the dark with no counterplan!

That’s why it's not enough to focus on your next vote it will be too late by then. That’s why it’s not enough to “just vote.” By the time you show up at the ballot box, it's already over!

So what can we do?

Stop waiting for politicians to save you.
Stop hoping the media will fix this.
Stop pretending someone else is going to figure it out.

We build our own systems, NOW.

- Fund new platforms. If they destroy ActBlue, we'll build something better.
- Support independent media. Back those who tell the truth.
- Defend key institutions. The courts, the agencies, and the regulators.
- Flood the system with truth. Expose the manipulation, break down false claims.

We need leadership that’s ready to act. Don't wait. Act now.

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SUCCESSFUL PUBLISHING NEWSLETTER May 2025

Content of this newsletter

• PUBLISHING NEWS & TIPS
• WRITERS RESIDENCIES, FELLOWSHIPS, & GRANTS
• WRITING CONTESTS
• FREELANCE WRITING 

Welcome to our May Writing and Publishing Newsletter! 

The month is often seen as a time of renewal and hope, a time when nature bursts into vibrant life and new beginnings are embraced. In many countries, the second weekend celebrates Mother’s Day.  

Why not offer “last-minute Mother's Day gifts” in the form of an ebook? Your novel can be ordered and downloaded for Mother’s Day.  And for sure, it will be a more useful gift than chocolates or flowers!

• PUBLISHING NEWS & TIPS

Get Paid to Write - 23 Sites That Pay Freelancers $100+

Find them here: https://makealivingwriting.com/23-sites-that-pay-100/

WRITING CONTESTS 

Governor General’s Awards

Books must have been written by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. They do not need to be residing in Canada. The Governor General’s Literary Awards are given annually to the best English-language and French-Language book in each of the seven categories of Fiction, Literary Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Young People’s Literature (Text), Young People’s Literature (Illustrated Books).  Prize: $25,000.  Deadline: May 15

https://canadacouncil.ca/funding/prizes/governor-generals-literary-awards/guidelines-governor-generals-literary-awards

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RTE Short Story Competition 

Short story competition - open to Irish writers and residents of Ireland.  Prize: Up to 5,000 Euros.  Deadline: May 23

https://rteshortstorycompetition.submittable.com/submit

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Indie Author Project Annual Contest
For authors, this contest is a powerful way to elevate your careers and writing goals, powered by the library community. The winners of this contest will receive: $2,500 to the 1st place winner and $500 each to two runner-ups in each genre. Must be indie published in Mystery/Thriller, Romance, SciFi, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, General/Contemporary, Fiction, Memoir, or Young Adult. The author must live in the U.S. or Canada.

Deadline May 31

https://indieauthorproject.librariesshare.com/iap/

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WOW Flash Fiction Contest

Seeking flash fiction of any genre between 250 and 750 words. Open internationally. Limit: 300 entries. First Place: $400, publication, interview, and a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Second Place $300 and same.   $10 Entry Fee.   Deadline: May 31 

https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php

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The Hope Prize
The winner will receive $10,000 AUD, and shortlisted stories will be published in a Simon & Schuster anthology, with royalties supporting our charity partner. A maximum of 5,000 words (no minimum). The Hope Prize is a short story competition, and we accept prose short stories only. Either fiction or narrative nonfiction (including memoir).  Entry Fee $20 AUD

Deadline October 31.     https://www.thehopeprize.com/

• WRITERS RESIDENCIES, FELLOWSHIPS, & GRANTS

Anne Labastille Memorial Writers Residency
The Adirondack Center for Writing offers a free, two-week residency annually in autumn to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers at a lodge on Twitchell Lake in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. Six residents will be chosen: three from the Adirondack region (aka “The North Country” and three from anywhere in the world. Quality of written submissions is the primary consideration when accepting applications.   Deadline May 19

https://adirondackcenterforwriting.org/residency/

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• FREELANCE WRITING

 

Chicken Soup for the Soul:

True stories and poems. "Habits. Attitudes. Breaking bad habits and replacing them with good habits play an important role in self-care. Change your attitude and you can change your life. And self-care - It's probably what we neglect the most." 

Payment: $200.   Deadline: May 30

https://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics/

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Foodism
They pay for print-first features and travel guides, which are then repurposed online. Familiarize yourself with our past Foodism and Escapism issues, and any upcoming themes. Feature flat rate of $600 for 1,200 – 1,500 words. Travel feature flat rate of $600 for 1,200 – 1,500 words. Travel guides are around 500 words and up, and we pay $0.40 per word.

https://foodism.to/write-for-us/

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SFWA Blog
The ideal article length is between 800–1000 words. Pay is $0.10/word on final draft word count. The SFWA Blog is open to pitches for original nonfiction articles on topics that might be of interest to creators of science fiction and fantasy (SFF) throughout the globe. No fiction.

https://www.sfwa.org/sfwa-publications/sfwa-blog-guidelines/#open-calls

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Last but not least, an interesting full-time job offer:

At The New York Times, the Book Review is “looking for an Assistant Editor to guide news coverage across the desk, assigning and editing breaking news and enterprise stories on the publishing industry and the literary world at large.

Working with our reporters to produce scoops and compelling narratives, this editor will be able to identify major storylines and personalities in the book space as well as the best angles and digital formats through which to cover them.

This is a hybrid position based in New York City and includes regular attendance in the office each week per your departmental guidance.” Salary: “The annual base pay range for this role is between $150,000 – $175,000 USD.” No application deadline indicated.

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May Quotes 

"As full of spirit as the month of May, and as gorgeous as the sun in Midsummer."

~ William Shakespeare

"Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date."

~ William Shakespeare

Have a wonderful time during this Spring month!

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