Archives
I’ve sold another novel!
Specifically, I've sold The Singing Water, a modern-day YA fantasy with Arthurian elements, set mostly in Saskatchewan, to Montreal's Lobster Press, a Canadian publisher of award-winning children's books. Best of all, they're planning to bring out the entire five-book series I've got planned, collectively entitled Excalibur Reforged. The Singing Water is scheduled to kick things off next fall; which means my first couple of months of 2010 will be spent on revising it. I'm very excited to be returning to YA fantasy and looking forward to working with Lobster Press. With this sale, I'll have at least five books coming out next year: my history of Saskatchewan surveyors, my biographies of Johnny Cash and Andy Warhol for Enslow Publishers, ...I’ll be teaching a course in writing SF for the University of Regina in March…
...for the Centre for Continuing Education Writing Series. The eight-hour course, which runs Tuesday evenings from March 6 to April 8, is described this way: Students will receive an overview of the genres included in the umbrella term speculative fiction—science fiction, fantasy and horror—plus hands-on experience in the crafting of stories within these genres. Topics will include idea development, character development, world building and story structure. Information about speculative fiction markets, workshops, writers’ organizations, websites and conventions will also be provided. Students will be expected to produce work to be critiqued and to critique others’ work. The tuition fee is $99; registration form is online here.My blogger went to Banff, and I all I got was this lousy post
Yes, I'm in Banff, enjoying a Self-Directed Writing Residency at the Banff Centre. And, no, I haven't posted anything about it because...well, mainly because I kind of got out of the posting habit while on a long vacation in August and then I promptly became very very busy getting through my editing tasks for Fine Lifestyles Regina magazine. But, hey! I'm here! And here's a post! Which would be even better if I had a photo to upload, but the only couple of photos I've taken were with my cellphone and I didn't bring the cable allowing me to transfer that to my netbook, so, sorry. I may have been a failure as a blogger at Banff thus ...Alberta bound
Well, got a couple of nice bits of news this week. First, I've been asked by Pure Speculation, a science fiction convention in Edmonton, to be their Author Guest of Honour, filling in for Spider Robinson, who has had to bow out because of the need to concentrate on helping his wife, Jeanne, as she undergoes a round of chemotherapy. I'm hardly in the same league as Spider, writer-wise, which makes it doubly an honour to be asked. I don't know too many details about programming yet, except that I'll be singing in the Friday night cabaret and I'll be interviewed by Barb Galler-Smith at some point. Pure Speculation runs October 2 to 4 at the Shaw Convention ...The first sentence I wrote today…
...for Blue Fire: He came in alone, leaving the guards in the hallway outside, and closed the door gently behind him. Words today: 2,138 Total thus far: 46,788 And, yes, I worked on Magebane, too. Didn't take any new photos today, but here's a nice sunset photo from the other day! (All of these photos I've been posting on my "first sentence I wrote today" posts were taken with my BlackBerry Storm, by the way...not sure if I've mentioned that or not.)The first sentence I wrote today…
...for Blue Fire: And then the gate to the inner city opened, and what he saw drove all other thoughts from his head. Words today: 1,998 Total thus far: 44,650 I'm officially past the 200th page of the manuscript, if it were printed in standard manuscript format, which of course it has not been and may never be, everything being done by email these days. Anyway, it's steaming along pretty nicely. This afternoon I wrote in a new location, the Hotel Saskatchewan Radisson Plaza, both in the Monarch Lounge (from which I had a view of the work being done on the federal government building on the corner of Victoria Avenue and Scarth Street-Photo 1) and ...The first sentence I wrote today…
...for Blue Fire was: The much-diminished caravan of Freefolk Clan Diannan had only been on the road for an hour the next morning when the attack came. Words today: 2,277 Words thus far: 42,652 A good morning's work. I'm getting close to 200 manuscript pages on this story. I think it's going to need considerable pruning when I get to rewriting, but the plot is advancing well. I spent the mid-day wearing my editor-of-Fine-Lifestyles-Regina hat, then turned into Lee Arthur Chane in the afternoon and worked on Magebane. I'm still (again) rewriting more than writing, but I really think I've got my plot demons licked this time. (Sounds like a fantasy-novel curse, actually. "Oh, ...The first sentence I wrote today…
...for Blue Fire was: Imlinn stood on the Freefolk trail leading north toward City Duodecim and studied the tracks he had found there by the light of the stars. Words today: 2,068 Total thus far: 40,381 Good writing this morning, as a scene I hadn't even realized I needed came to life and both told me something about a major character and helped explain a few things that needed explaining. I enjoyed it! Plus I was sitting outside on a beautifully warm morning with a cup of coffee. What's not to love? This afternoon I worked on Magebane, going back through it from the beginning (again) to see what I can salvage and what needs complete rewriting in view of what ...The first sentence I wrote today…
...was, once again, for Blue Fire : In the stunned silence that followed, Amlinn stood stock-still for a long moment, then suddenly ran after her grandfather. Words today: 1,514 Total thus far: 38,313 That was first thing this morning; in the afternoon, I did good work on Magebane, but it was, once again, of the rethinking variety. I went back into the outline and figured out some more things that have been causing me fits. Now I really think the plot is sound, instead of scatterbrained, which is how I've felt it be as I've tried to write. That's the good thing. Bad thing: I think I'm going to have to go back to ...The first sentence I wrote today…
...was for Blue Fire: Amlinn gestured at her grandfather and the departing messenger. "They're not coming." Words today: 1,697 Total thus far: 36,799 Made some good progress today, and what was particularly exciting about it had little to do with what I wrote, which was mostly of the people talking variety (though there's a big action scene coming up next), but rather with what I used to write it: my new netbook computer, a Samsung NC10. I bought it with birthday money, and so far I'm very happy with it. Quite a decent keyboard--93 percent full-sized, which means I can still type on it comfortably, and it has nice full-keyboard-like raised keys with the tactile ...
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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.
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…
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.
