[Excerpt]

Marianne Paul is captivated by water, whether she’s writing or musing in a kayak.

It’s January and we’re at the writers’ retreat at Keswick on Lake Simcoe, and the bay is frozen over, the surface dotted with fisherman’s shacks.

It’s hard to believe that the summer before author Marianne Paul kayaked in the same lake. She was elated then, gliding through the water. Now, on this cold day, her eyes sparkle and her cheeks dimple as she talks about how being connected to water inspires her writing and how much she loves kayaking the Grand River.

Paul, 53, has lived in Kitchener since 1983, moving here with her husband, Bob, and their young daughter, Samantha.

I felt landlocked when I came to Kitchener,” Marianne recalls…