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Lobster Press Fall/Winter 2010 catalogue released, Song of the Sword gets pride of place
Lobster Press has just made its Fall/Winter 2010 catalogue available, and my new YA fantasy Song of the Sword gets pride of place as the first book listed. Guess I'd better get busy and write the second book...Electronic galley of Song of the Sword available to reviewers
I now have an electronic version of Song of the Sword, Book 1 in The Shards of Excalibur, my new YA fantasy coming out this fall from Lobster Press, available to send to any bona fide book reviewers (for online sites or print) interested in reading and reviewing the novel leading up to its October release. If you review books and you'd like a copy, send me an email or just leave a comment on this post.A nice review for my book Disease-Hunting Scientist…
...comes from Children's Literature (via the Barnes & Noble page for the book): "Science is a verb." that is what science teachers tell their students, and this book describes just that. I found the book to be an exciting collection of seven scientists doing their jobs, and sometimes I was jealous. As scientist, Marta Guerra, describes, "for people who like to do fairly exciting things… you feel like you are actually helping people, [disease hunting in Uganda] is a wonderful experience." The book is scientifically accurate, and, with a bird flu expert hinting about new emerging pandemics, the book is very current. It ...The centre of the universe likes Marseguro & Terra Insegura!
OK, I should probably explain that the centre of the universe is a blog. The blogger, who goes by the handle Cenobyte, writes, in part: There is just enough nerd factor in these books to make them sciencey, and there is just enough of a fabulous story to make them fictioney. In fact, both of them are the perfect blend of those two things... There are themes of racism, colonialism (don't those two go hand-in-hand anyway), civil rights, and, ultimately, survival. Terra Insegura is more than a sequel; it takes everything that happened in Marseguro and ramps it up a notch... Willett's characters are fascinating and real, although at times are frustrating as hell...But what really makes these books for ...A couple of nice reviews on Good Reads…
...for Marseguro and Terra Insegura have showed up from Bookchick, host of the all-about-books radio program I was recently on on Regina's CJTR community radio station. Highlights of the Marseguro review*: Marseguro is an action-packed adventure full of humour, characters who are familiar as soon as they're introduced, and a sense of urgency that doesn't stop from beginning to end. With nods in the book to Canadian Science Fiction writers and politicians, and to Science Fiction classics like Star Trek, Willet has written a captivating novel with many, many layers. Although it isn't specifically marketed to a teen/young adult audience, both Marseguro and its sequel Terra Insegura would be welcome additions to any adventure-lover's bookshelf; ...Two new reviews of Terra Insegura…
...recently popped up. The first is from arch thinking. Choice bits: "...Terra Insegura stands on its own very well...a real action-packed science fiction novel....Anyone who likes their science fiction fast and well-written will enjoy Terra Insegura." The second I particularly like, because it's from a 17-year-old reader at Flamingnet.com, which offers young people the opportunity to write their own reviews of books that appeal to YA readers. I didn't write Terra Insegura specifically as a YA book, but I'm glad to find out teens enjoy it, too! Here's what he (or she; reviewers are anonymous) had to say: "Terra Insegura by Edward Willett is a science fiction novel with a highly original plot. ...an engrossing novel that ...I’ve now got an author’s page on Amazon!
Author Central, the author's service on Amazon, is still in beta, but it's expanding, and I've now got my own author's page. Check it out! It's a great place to find all my books listed in one hand-dandy location. Be the first on your block to collect them all! (Hey, that approach works for toy-stuffed breakfast cereals...) It also echoes these blog posts. Which means you could be reading this post on Amazon, and discover a link to the page you're already reading...hopefully this will not result in an endless recursive loop, collapsing down to a black hole from which you will never escape. Someone click the link and find out for sure!My schedule for WorldCon in Montreal
Here's my finalized (for now, anyway) schedule for Anticipation, the World Science Fiction Convention coming up August 6 to 10 in Montreal. Only one panel, plus a play-reading, a Kaffeeklatsch (if anyone signs up) a joint reading, a signing, and, of course the Aurora Awards ceremony: When: Thu 17:00 Location: P-516E Title: Teen Reporter: The Basics Session ID: 865 All Participants: Daniel Grotta, Edward Willett, Flick Christian, Jeff Warner, John G. McDaid Moderator: Daniel Grotta Description: Be a Teen Reporter! How to get behind the scenes and interview people. Find out what makes a good feature story. Duration: 1:00 hrs:min Language: English Track: Teen Programming When: Fri 18:00 Location: P-710A Title: Aurora Awards Ceremony Session ID: 2 All Participants: ...Festival of Words wrap-up
So, on Saturday I returned to Moose Jaw, this time with my lovely wife and daughter, for the final two days of the Festival of Words. My big event was at 4 p.m. in the Mae Wilson Theatre of the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre, a beautifully restored 430-s eatVaudeville-era theatre. There I conducted an on-stage interview with one of the headliners of the festival this year, best-selling author Jack Whyte (that's me and him and a representative of the sponsor at left). Whyte proved to be a natural raconteur and therefore easy to interview. I had a chance before hand to go over my line of questioning, and he ...Festival of Words: the first day
Yesterday at the Festival of Words went well, though I was late to the party, which, after all, began on Thursday. In fact, I showed up for my reading without passing by whatever registration desk there must have been somewhere and so proceeded without a name tag. Fortunately, no one threw me out for not belonging. I actually began my time in Moose Jaw eating at one of my favorite places, the Hopkins Dining Parlor, located in a heritage home--that's it in the first photo--where I was a bit startled to be recognized by another diner as a science columnist and asked a question about the space shuttle (which I ...
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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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