Biographical info

by

SHARING SOME PHOTOS FROM IAN’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY, “FROM POVERTY TO POVERTY:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

(Gayle, Ian’s wife and editor here.) I decided to share some photos from Ian’s autobiography on this site. Though I wasn’t in the picture, so to speak, for any of these, it was my task to choose them from Ian’s pile of photos, scan and adjust them for the book. That was quite a feat for Ian’s photos from Egypt, of the Campbeltown Pipe Band and of his parents which were taken with the camera he purchased in Egypt. The existing photographs were just a little bigger than a large postage stamp, so it was a challenge to scan and save them to a size that could be printed in the book.  Since Canadian Remembrance Day and the USA’s Veterans’ Day has just passed, we’ve been inundated with photos of military men from the past. Ian’s are from the pre-Suez Canal crisis days in the UK and Egypt (1950-1954). He says he was in the Royal Air Force when they were “feeding them, not needing them.”

Today, November 15th,  we are giving a book reading and discussion at Vertigo Gallery in Vernon BC, as part of their weekly November series “Vertigo Voices.” Ian will be reading from his autobiography “From Poverty to Poverty: A Scotsman Encounters Canada” and we’ll be answering questions and discussing the book and the process of writing a memoir.

by

Why I’m Participating in MOVEMBER

Movember is a movement I’ve joined to grow a moustache (and beard) and to raise funds for men’s health issues. To prove that I really have started on this project I’m inserting a couple of photos my wife just took – she’s named them “Fuzzy napping” and “Fuzzy awake.”

The two main men’s health issues for Movember are awareness and research regarding prostate cancer and men’s mental health. Other issues of men’s health are also covered, including non-malignant skin cancer – and that’s mainly what caused me to want to participate. I have been undergoing treatment for numerous breakouts of non-malignant skin cancer growths on my head, face, ear, nose, etc. The reason for all these cancers goes all the way back to my time as a young airman serving in the Royal Air Force in Egypt during the pre-Suez crisis time (1951-53). I’ll quote from my autobiography “From Poverty to Poverty: A Scotsman Encounters Canada” to show you the connection.

“Our camp had a very high water tower, about a 120-foot climb, ‘Yours Truly’ decided to scale it one nice sunny day with a blanket over my shoulder. I laid the blanket on the roof of the tank, stripped absolutely bare and laid down on my back to get ‘nicely tanned all over,’ or so I thought. I was young and dumb enough at that time to ignore the fact that I’m a typical ‘Celt’ with a very ruddy complexion (described as ‘fresh’ on my military papers) and so, a tan for me was next to impossible. Anyway, I laid myself down and almost immediately fell asleep. I awakened approximately two hours later, burnt to a crisp! Ah, that bloody hot Egyptian sun!!!

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t report sick to get any treatment because all military personnel were classified as ‘government property.’ As I had damaged myself in my effort to get a sun tan, I could have been put on a charge and court-martialled for damaging government property! For days I walked about with my hands holding my pants legs out from my tortured thighs– even my ‘willie’ was sun burnt! It was terrible–even going for a pee was very painful.

“(I’ll never forget that episode in my life; doubly so because it left me with a condition called ‘Solar Keritosis’ in my later years–a pre-cancerous skin condition for which I now have to have regular sessions where my doctor freezes off the lesions, mostly on my head, with liquid nitrogen. Lately, I’ve had three surgeries to remove basal cell carcinomas from my scalp, on the tip of my nose and near my eye. Ever since, I always cover myself with long sleeves and a hat when in the sun. Just a wee bit too late!)”

I’ve just made a donation towards Movember health funds and invite you to do so as well. If you wish, you can join the initiative yourself as a Mo-bro or Mo-Sista or you can donate via my Movember site. The size of your donation depends on what you can afford, every little bit helps Movember to continue funding its world class programs.  If you want to know more about what you’ll be helping to fund, you can visit http://ca.movember.com/about/funding-overview/.

Take a look at these statistics:
•    1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime
•    This year 26,500 new cases of the disease will be diagnosed
•    1 in 5 men will experience a mental illness this year

  •  I will also add a statistic: There are about 230 non-melanoma skin cancers per 100,000 population in light colored skin as opposed to approximately 3.5 per 100,000 in darkly pigmented individuals. There are approximately four basal cell carcinomas to every one squamous cell carcinoma. The incidence has more than doubled in the last 20 years.

If you’d like to help make a change to these statistics, please donate. If you wish, go to my Movember site: http://ca.movember.com/mospace/5695601.

by

Editor’s Review of “Beyond the Phantom Battle: Mystery at Loch Ashie” in Goodreads

This posting is being done by Gayle Moore-Morrans, Ian’s wife, editor, publicist, etc. as Ian is hospitalized at present and waiting for an Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiogram and Pancreatogram, better known as an ERCP. Tests have indicated a possible blockage or stones in a liver duct and this ERCP should be able to extract the stones or insert stents to clear the blockage. Yesterday he was in good form, joking and visiting with his roommates and also selling copies of his books to hospital staff and visitors. Today he was not feeling as well and actually fell asleep as I was visiting. At least he’s getting a rest.

Since I’m the one who has developed this blog for Ian and do most of the manual labour to put this on the website, I’ll take the opportunity of his absence to post the review of his novel that I recently entered on Goodreads, a great site for readers. I recommend it to anyone interested in reading and passing along or getting book recommendations. I’ve found it a great way to connect with the world’s largest community of readers.

*****Review of “Beyond the Phantom Battle: Mystery at Loch Ashie” by Ian Moore-Morrans. Posted by Gayle Moore-Morrans on Goodreads.

*****A tale of adventure, time travel, fantasy, historical fiction and romance set in the Scottish Highlands. As I’m married to the author and have edited the book myself, perhaps I’m a bit prejudiced. However, I don’t think you’ll find a better read that will take you from the 21st Century back to the 12th Century when Vikings were invading the Scottish Highlands. The author grew up and lived in Scotland, in some of the area of which he writes. Geography buffs will enjoy his knowledge of the highland area from Inverness south to Argyll. Historical fiction buffs will enjoy his depictions of 12th Century Scots and Vikings. Fantasy buffs will relate to his turning the historical claim by “witnesses” (to have seen a ghostly conflict taking place over the years around the first of May at Loch Ashie near Inverness) into a tale of two brothers from Edinburgh traveling to that lake and attempting to witness the battle for themselves. Adventure enthusiasts will thrill to the battles, intrigues, trials, discoveries and voyages the brothers endure. Fans of the supernatural will relish the character of “Ancient One” or “Aeoh” as the brothers call him – a wizard-like being with both good and evil powers which he uses with gusto. There is also a wee bit of romance as the brothers fall in love with two 12th Century lassies. Mystery buffs will speculate if Aeoh will really succeed in helping them to return to the 21st Century. Readers invariably mention how they enjoyed the surprise ending.

 

by

Book Readings in Winnipeg, May 2012

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Gayle and I traveled to our old stomping ground in Winnipeg in May. First we celebrated my 80th Birthday with most of my family – daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and their spouses and great-grandchildren. I presented hardcover copies of my autobiography to my daughters, Shirley and Audrey, and had a bit of a book reading for the “elder” members of the family. Audrey and Shirley were ages 8 and 10 when they emigrated with their mother, Mary, and me from Scotland to Canada. Since they had “lived” part of the story of “From Poverty to Poverty: A Scotsman Encounters Canada,” it was only fitting to dedicate the book to them as well as to my present wife and editor, Gayle.

Then, before Gayle traveled to Norway for over a month to visit her daughter and family and I remained in Winnipeg, we held a book reading at my daughter’s house.  This was a great way to reconnect with old friends that we knew from former Winnipeg days. They seemed to enjoy the readings, especially the tales I’ve entitled “Jig-a-Jig in the Desert” about the ‘invasion’ by Arab prostitutes at the water filtration camp I was supervising during my RAF days in Egypt and “More Than Slightly Sloshed” in which I recount my first encounter with “poteen” or home brew whisky made by my Irish stepfather, Bill Moorhead. The tale concludes with this paragraph: “Somehow, it seemed, my Salvation Army days were really over. To quote my mother, ‘Since ye joined the Royal Air Force, ye’ve gone tae the Devil!'”

by

HOW TO HOST A BOOK READING/SIGNING WITHOUT THE AUTHOR PRESENT

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

While I was laid up at my daughter’s house in Winnipeg this summer, my wife and editor, Gayle, made a whirlwind book reading tour to North Dakota and Minnesota. She visited her two sisters and did a book reading at each of their homes, to which they invited friends and other family members from the area. A longtime friend of Gayle’s from her days in Heidelberg, Germany in the late 60s, Leah Droubie, also came to the Frazee event all the way from St. Paul, Minnesota. Thanks, Leah, I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you but have heard all about your visit. The slide show includes a photo of Gayle and Leah  displaying the two books which were featured.

If you are wondering how Gayle managed to pull off a book reading and signing without me being present, hears how: I signed a couple boxes of books before she left, leaving space for her to personalize them and also add her name as editor. I really did read from the books, though not “live.” We had recorded several videos of me reading from various parts of “From Poverty to Poverty: A Scotsman Encounters Canada” at a previous book reading in Vernon. She also showed a book trailer video that had been made for my novel, “Beyond the Phantom Battle: Mystery at Loch Ashie.” After showing the videos she then answered questions about the books.  Though this was an experiment, Gayle tells me it worked well.

At her sister Barbara’s house the first glitch was that Barb didn’t have wi-fi on her Internet. However, Gayle was able to “borrow” Barb’s neighbour’s wi-fi, bring the U-tube videos up on her iPad and then hook them up to Barb’s television. Slick!

The next day, Gayle was able to use her sister Doreen’s laptop computer to show the videos. Not quite as good as using a large TV, but adequate, as they had a smaller audience. Luckily the sales were similar, as attendees at the latter reading were buying for others who weren’t able to come. Thanks, Gayle for your efforts. I’m glad you were able to see your sisters again, visit with other friends and relatives and also have a nice boat ride on a Minnesota lake.

You’ll notice some amused reactions among a few of the guests. This was in response to the story I’ve named “More Than Slightly Sloshed” from the autobiography. It tells of my first leave home to Campbeltown after I had joined the Royal Air Force and of my first and only encounter with my Irish stepfather’s “poteen” or home-brewed whisky. Janice, we especially love your guffawing and glad Gayle could capture it for the record.