First I want to thank everyone who grabbed a copy of Kelpies Don’t Fly last week and to those who dropped a review too. You helped to make launch week a big success! If you’ve enjoyed the book but haven’t had a chance to review it yet, I encourage you to do so. Reviews help me get books in front of new readers and they help, new readers make informed decisions about buying books. You can find the easy links to review HERE. And I always appreciate it, when you suggest Valkyrie Bestiary to your reading friends!
One question that came up recently was about my choices for measurements in the Valkyrie Bestiary Series. In truth, I was waiting for this question. It might seem like the measurements are all over the place in Kyra's world, but I tried to be true to the mixed bag that is the measuring system in Canada. This tongue-in-cheek graphic tells it best and it’s not far from the truth.
Canada officially adopted the metric system in the 1970s, but we didn’t embrace it whole heartedly. For instance, we measure the temperature outside in Celcius, but the temperature in our oven in Farenheit. Go to the deli and you might ask for 200 grams of ham, but weighing yourself? That’s probably in pounds. We buy buy gas in liters, but bake in cups. Long treks by car are kilometers, but your height? You got it. Feet and inches. I have a theory that our proximity to the US and its imperial measures has meant that many everyday measurements are still counted in this antiquated system, but anything regulated by the government or another official is in metric. This theory is strengthened by the fact that French Quebecers (who are less influenced by US media) measure almost exclusively in metric.
So yes, a mixed bag. Kyra might say their journey is x kilometers long, but Mason stood 10 feet away. I know it doesn’t make a metric ton of good sense, but that’s the way it is, eh?
I always love getting questions from readers. Feel free to ask me anything about Kyra’s world. Reply right in the comments and maybe you’ll see your question in an upcoming blog.
One question that came up recently was about my choices for measurements in the Valkyrie Bestiary Series. In truth, I was waiting for this question. It might seem like the measurements are all over the place in Kyra's world, but I tried to be true to the mixed bag that is the measuring system in Canada. This tongue-in-cheek graphic tells it best and it’s not far from the truth.
Canada officially adopted the metric system in the 1970s, but we didn’t embrace it whole heartedly. For instance, we measure the temperature outside in Celcius, but the temperature in our oven in Farenheit. Go to the deli and you might ask for 200 grams of ham, but weighing yourself? That’s probably in pounds. We buy buy gas in liters, but bake in cups. Long treks by car are kilometers, but your height? You got it. Feet and inches. I have a theory that our proximity to the US and its imperial measures has meant that many everyday measurements are still counted in this antiquated system, but anything regulated by the government or another official is in metric. This theory is strengthened by the fact that French Quebecers (who are less influenced by US media) measure almost exclusively in metric.
So yes, a mixed bag. Kyra might say their journey is x kilometers long, but Mason stood 10 feet away. I know it doesn’t make a metric ton of good sense, but that’s the way it is, eh?
I always love getting questions from readers. Feel free to ask me anything about Kyra’s world. Reply right in the comments and maybe you’ll see your question in an upcoming blog.
