Archives
The winners of the 2010 Prix Aurora Awards
The 2010 Prix Aurora Awards for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy of 2009 were handed out tonight at KeyCon in Winnipeg. My Terra Insegura was nominated for best novel in English, but didn't win (although all the nominees did receive very nice stainless steel mini-Aurora pins, which were much appreciated!). Instead, the best novel in English award went to Robert J. Sawyer's Wake (and well-deserved it is). Here are this year's nominees and winners. I've arranged the list with the winners at the top of each category, starred and bolded: BEST NOVEL IN ENGLISH : *WAKE, Robert J. Sawyer, Penguin Canada THE AMULET OF AMON-RA, by Leslie Carmichael, CBAY Books DRUIDS, by Barbara Galler-Smith and Josh Langston, Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy STEEL WHISPERS, ...Terra Insegura is an Aurora Award finalist!
Just heard this morning that Terra Insegura, my sequel to last year's Aurora Award-winning science fiction novel Marseguro, is a finalist for this year's Aurora Award for best science fiction or fantasy novel in English. Sounds like they had a record number of nominations, too, so that makes it even sweeter. The other finalists are Wake, by Robert J. Sawyer, Steel Whispers by Hayden Trenholm, Druids by Barbara Galler-Smith and Josh Langston, and The Amulet of Amon-Ra by Leslie Carmichael. I know every one of these authors. It should be a great evening at KeyCon in Winnipeg in May when the winners are announced. Voting will ...A reminder about Aurora Award nominations
The deadline for nominating works for a Prix Aurora Award is fast approaching. Today is the day when mail-in ballots must be postmarked by, and the deadline for online nominations is February 15. The Aurora Awards, for the best Canadian works of science fiction and fantasy, are nominated and voted on by fans. Any Canadian citizen or permanent resident can nominate up to three works or individuals in a range of categories in both English and French. The five works with the most nominations go on the final ballot and are voted on by members of CanVention, the annual national SF convention. It costs nothing to ...Nice mention of “bleak and beautiful” Marseguro
"Bleak and beautiful" is a nice phrase. Even nicer when it's applied to my DAW SF novel Marseguro, which is what happened today in Strange Horizon's review of 2009 by its corps of reviewers...one of whom is my fellow DAW author Kari Sperring (author of Living With Ghosts), who said this: The Hugos were rather predictable, but the Canadian Prix Aurora went to Edward Willett’s bleak and beautiful Marseguro, a novel which has not received the attention and acclaim it deserves. I would never be so forward as to apply the phrase "bleak and beautiful" to my own work, but it's nice to know Kari feels that way about it! As for the ...Nominations open for Prix Aurora Awards
Back in August, I had the great good fortune and honour to win the Prix Aurora Award for Best Long-Form Work in English for my novel Marseguro (that's me holding it at left, alongside my editor and publisher, Sheila Gilbert of DAW Books). The Prix Aurora Awards honour the best of Canadian science fiction and fantasy from the previous year. In 2010, the Aurora Awards will be handed out at Key-Con in Winnipeg in May...and nominations have just opened. Any Canadian citizen, whether or not they live in Canada, or any permanent resident of Canada may nominate for the Prix Aurora Awards. The categories have been ...The catch-all post: recent reviews and other bits
You may have noticed that blogging pretty much dried up after WorldCon. Heavy-duty vacationing will do that to you. And now that I'm back home I'm so completely snowed under by things that need doing that blogging generally falls pretty far down the list. Heck, I'm barely managing a Tweet now and then. Still, I've grabbed a few minute this evening to post a few things. First, here's some video of me winning the Aurora Award for Marseguro, courtesy of of Neo-Opsis Science Fiction editor Karl Johanson (who won one himself that evening): A couple of additional stories on the win ...Montreal WorldCon: the science column
Every now and then I attend a science fiction convention, and when I do, I like to talk about it in this column, as part of my ongoing evangelical campaign to raise the profile of science fiction and win the genre new readers. Well, I just finished a doozy of a convention, the grandaddy of them all: the 67th annual World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal, a.k.a. Anticipation. Yes, there were people in costumes (though I only saw one Star Trek costume—an original series one, at that—and not a single Klingon). And, yes, the media tended to focus on those people. Which is fine: they’re the eye-catching ones, and they’re an important part of science fiction fandom. (And as someone who loves ...Montreal WorldCon Day 3: Food, glorious food…
It would be hard to improve on yesterday, when I won the Aurora Award for Marseguro (did I mention I won the Aurora Award? I did? Hmmm, imagine that), but today was another good day at the World Science Fiction Convention here in Montreal. After a great breakfast at a local cafe, I had my Kaffeeklatsche, a chance for readers to meet authors in a small group and ask questions. I had two at mine, one fewer than had signed up, and one of those two was our Ottawa friend who attended the con with us. But the one fellow who showed up was interesting to talk to, and so it was an hour well-spent. I attended two presentations today, one ...Montreal WorldCon Day 2: I win an Aurora Award!
Well, you can't have a much better day at a WorldCon than I had today, short of winning a Hugo: tonight I won the Aurora Award for the best long-form work of science fiction or fantasy by a Canadian writer in English in 2008. The award was presented at a banquet this evening, and my publishers, Betsy Wollheim and Sheila Gilbert of DAW Books, were both present (Sheila is also my editor, and that's her in the photo with me and the award at left). I'd give you the complete list of winners as I usually do, except as one of the nominees, I didn't take notes or photos ...An Aurora display at McNally Robinson in Saskatoon
Robert J. Sawyer spotted (and photographed) this "end-cap" display of Aurora Award finalists at McNally Robinson in Saskatoon. Note the multiple copies of Marseguro!* *Oh, have I mentioned recently that Marseguro is an Aurora Award finalist? The voting deadline is July 15! Don't delay, vote today!
Edward Willett is a The Shards of Excalibur, Book 1: Song of the Sword
My new YA fantasy novel, coming in October from Lobster Press
Before the Lady called her, Ariane’s life was a mess. Two years ago, her mother disappeared. She bounced around different foster homes until her aunt finally took her in. The meanest clique at her new high school has decided to make Ariane their prime target. And to top it all off, she is having frightening premonitions, and they are becoming more intense. The moment water touches her skin, she sees visions of a lake, a lady, and a sword. When a staircase opens up in the middle of Wascana Lake and the water begins singing to her, she has no choice but to answer the call….
Marseguro
Winner of the 2009 Prix Aurora Award for Best Long-Form Work in English
Water world Marseguro is home to the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from human DNA. When an unmodified human seeks revenge on a Selkie by activating a distress beacon taken from the remains of the original colony ship, a strikeforce is sent from Earth to eradicate the genetic abomination. Yet Marseguro will not prove as easy to conquer as the Earth force anticipates…
Terra Insegura
Finalist for the 2010 Prix Aurora Award for Best Novel in English
Marseguro, a water world far from Earth, is home to a colony of humans and the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from modified human DNA. For seventy years the colony has lived in peace. Then Earth discovers Marseguro, and a strike force is sent to eradicate this “abomination.” But Marseguro has created a genetically tailored plague to use against Earth’s Holy Warriors. With the enemy defeated, the people of Marseguro feel they are safe. But Chris Keating, the traitor who signaled Marseguro’s location to the Holy Warriors, has fled to Earth, unknowingly carrying the deadly plague within him. The people of Marseguro feel they must send a ship to Earth with a life-saving vaccine. Only time will tell what awaits them when they reach their destination.
Lost in Translation
Kathryn was a human empath whose world and life had been destroyed when the alien S’sinn slaughtered her parents before her very eyes. Jarrikk was a young S’sinn, an unproven warrior who’d seen his flight mates slaughtered by the humans who’d sought to colonize his world.
As humans and S’sinn found themselves on the brink of war, these two Translators had to work together to find a common ground and avert catastrophe. But whether their Translators’ oath and training could overcome the enemies leagued against them was very much in doubt…
Archives
Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw
Ten walks to points of historic and architectural interest in the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw (eight walks for Regina, two for Moose Jaw).
Disease-Hunting Scientist
The true stories of six real disease hunters. Epidemiologists travel the world trying to keep us safe from deadly diseases—from high-tech labs in Canada to remote villages in Africa. Learn how these “disease detectives” are coming up with new ways to fight disease, and find out if you have what it takes to become an epidemiologist, too!
The Bounty Mutiny
The Bounty was a British ship visiting Tahiti in 1789 when some of the crew overthrew the captain, William Bligh, and set him adrift in a tiny boat with sailors loyal to him. The mutiny resulted in a number of trials–both of the men who mutinied and of Bligh for losing command of his ship. These fascinating events have been the source for numerous Hollywood movies, most recently The Bounty. The Bounty Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie explores the famous case and the movies it inspired.
