Archives
Another nice review of Song of the Sword
This one popped up at Just Deb, and is part of a regular feature she calls Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays: This is the first book in the Shards of Excalibur series. And it's going to be a good one-series I mean. Loved the first and how Arthurian legend was woven into a troubled teens life. A character who drove the story, which is always a favorite for me. I liked her a lot--especially in once scene where the bad guy (er, girl) gets a taste of--well, I shall say no more. This is also a favourite of one of my book club kids. He's twelve ...Cover art for Twist of the Blade!
Just got the cover art for Twist of the Blade, Book 2 of my Shards of Excalibur YA series from Lobster Press. The artist is Paul Davey. That's a different artist from last time, and so Ariane looks a little different (she seems to have lost weight). And that's not quite the way I picture Wally. Bu it's eye-catching! By way of reminder, here's the synopsis of this upcoming (though probably not until next spring, I'm told now) sequel: In France, archaeologists have begun to investigate newly discovered cave paintings…but deeper inside the cave, resting below a pool of icy black water, lies a different ...School Library Journal praises Song of the Sword
A nice new review of Song of the Sword in the important School Library Journal. After a very nice synopsis, reviewer Michele Shaw says: "This is a fantasy of epic proportions, with the perfect blend of suspense; well-developed, likable characters; and a touch of sarcastic humor. Ariane and Wally find four shards and the hilt of the sword, ensuring readers that this is just the beginning of the fantastical journey." Read the whole review (scroll down!).I’ve been a bad blogger…
...by not posting regularly this week as I did last, but although I was a bad little blogger, I was a good little writer. See, Twist of the Blade, the sequel to Song of the Sword, and the second book in my brand-new YA fantasy series Shards of Excalibur, is in the revision stage. And there were lots of revisions. Which I did not allow enough time to do before they were due, which was Friday (actually a week earlier, but I'd already begged for an extensions.) These weren't just a-word-here-and-a-word-there revisions, either, but take-out-that-scene-right-a-new-scene-move-that-scene-over-there-and-then-rewrite-it-so-it-makes-sense-and-oh-darn-I-just-contradicted-something-in-Chapter-One-I'll-have-to-go-back-and-fix-that-too revisions. Also, embarrassing revisions. Like rewriting scenes so I was showing and not telling. Adding sensory ...The Ninety-Nine Rule
Ever hear of the Ninety-Nine Rule? Formulated by Tom Cargill of Bell Labs, it goes like this: "The first 90 percent of the code accounts for the first 90 percent of the development time. The remaining 10 percent of the code accounts for the other 90 percent of the development time." Humorously, that adds up to 180 percent of the development time, but even if you correct the math, you end up with something that's absolutely, undeniably true about pretty much any creative endeavor you wish to examine: it's the last 10 percent that eats up 90 percent of the time. It's ...Montreal Review of Books likes Song of the Sword
The Montreal Review of Books, published by the Association of English-Language Publishers of Quebec, has a very nice review of Song of the Sword in its latest issue. (My publisher, Lobster Press, is based in Montreal.) Andrea Belcham writes: Willett's novel will please fantasy junkies with its intricate details; yet there's also an appealing poetry to Ariane's story, best manifested when she learns to use her powers to merge with water and transport herself wherever it flows. Song of the Sword is a unique twist on the old subjects of teenage rebellion and self-discovery. Read the whole thing.SciFiGuy features me in an interview
There's a nice big interview with me up at SciFiGuy.ca, mostly focused on the upcoming release of Song of the Sword, Book 1 in The Shards of Excalibur. Alas, it's still the upcoming release because printer problems delayed it past the hoped for October 15, but they promise me it'll be ready at month's end--which is good, since I've got a signing coming up at Chapters here in Regina on November 6. (2 p.m. Be there! Well, unless you're reading this in, say, Miami. In which case, I won't look for you.) I had a school reading last Friday at W.S. ...Song of the Sword is staff pick at Library Bound
Library Bound Inc., "Your Canadian choice for all your library needs," a company that helps libraries build their collections, lists Song of the Sword among their Staff Favorites for September. Helen Wilding Cook, Children's Collection Development Coordinator, writes that: "The story...has wonderful Canadian references and some really funny passages. Ariane is constantly in danger, and the suspense is beautifully maintained." Yay!Download a free bookmark for Song of the Sword!
Lobster Press has created a great bookmark for Shards of Excalibur: Song of the Sword, which I'm pleased to offer for free downloading. There's a JPG version at left, or you can download the full PDF version. Be the first on your block to have one! Get it now!In the author spotlight at Lobster Press: me!
With the release date of Song of the Sword, book one in The Shards of Excalibur series barreling down on us, Lobster Press is beginning its marketing in earnest. Today they ran an interview with me on their blog. It begins: With our Fall books soon on the way, we want to start introducing you to some of our new authors! This week, we have a behind-the-scenes Q&A with Edward Willett, author of the upcoming novel, Song of the Sword, the first book in the Shards of Excalibur series. Why did you choose to re-envision the story of the Lady of the Lake and Merlin? I’ve been ...
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Magebane
“Spectacular” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Evil wizards, multi-level conspiracies, hidden kingdoms…Lee Arthur Chane…has done a marvelous job…Magebane is a very entertaining book and well worth the time.” – A.M. Donovan, Night Owl Reviews
I happily recommend Magebane and I’ll certainly give Chane’s next novel a try based on this one.” —Bill Capossere, Fantasy Literature
“…an original and delightful tale of epic fantasy and magic, steampunk science, adventure, tragedy, and love…” – Errant Dreams Reviews
Eight centuries ago, the world changed. A devastating war swept the lands, and the MageLords, who had long ruled by virtue of their spell powers, were driven to a distant place, separated from those they had ruled by a magical Barrier. With magic banished from the rest of the world, the MageLords became mere legend and people turned to science to improve their lives. But if one man has his way, all that is about to change….
Written as Lee Arthur Chane (the middle names of my older brothers, Jimmy Lee and Dwight Arthur, and myself, Edward Chane Willett).
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
Song of the Sword
My new YA fantasy novel 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….
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).
Johnny Cash: The Man in Black
When country music legend Johnny Cash took the stage at Folsom State Prison in 1968, he solidified the public’s perception of him as a rebel who followed his own path. Born in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Cash endured poverty, the death of his older brother, and a difficult relationship with his father. He turned to gospel and country music to express the pain, and after many years of struggling, his songs of hardship and hope would finally reach the ears of those waiting for an artist who represented them, ordinary people fighting to survive.
Andy Warhol: Everyone Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes
“Paintings are too hard. Machines have less problems…” In the 1960s, Andy Warhol became the most famous creator of a new style of art called pop art, which transformed mass-produced items of popular culture into fine works of art. From Campbell’s Soup cans to photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol’s willingness to use anything and everything from the mass media in his work expanded the range of subject matter available to artists. His avant-garde films, artistic usage of American icons, and unconventional social life made him a controversial figure, both greatly admired and deeply reviled. A trendsetter rather than a trend-follower, a dispassionate observer of both the seamy and celebrity sides of life, Warhol was a true American rebel.
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.
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