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Photos of the Day: Reading in Lipton
This morning I drove up to Lipton, about 90 km northeast of Regina, for two readings at Lipton School: one to Grades 5 to 8, and one to Grade 9 to 12. I read a little bit of Andy Nebula to the younger group and a bit of Jimi Hendrix: Kiss the Sky to the older group. Two readings in the space of an hour meant very short sessions, but that was OK. And I guess the readings went OK, too. The younger group had more questions than the older, but nobody threw anything or snored out loud, and what more could you ask?I took my camera. Here's the road to Lipton (more accurately, about 20 kilometres west ...Photo of the Day: Davidson, Saskatchewan, 10 a.m.
More photos here.Mining the Earth’s heat
We don't hear a lot about geothermal energy in discussions of alternative, environmentally friendly energy sources, but maybe that's about to change:A comprehensive new MIT-led study of the potential for geothermal energy within the United States has found that mining the huge amounts of heat that reside as stored thermal energy in the Earth's hard rock crust could supply a substantial portion of the electricity the United States will need in the future, probably at competitive prices and with minimal environmental impact.Some early research into geothermal energy was done right here at the University of Regina. Here's the pertinent sidebar from my book A Safe and Prosperous Future: 100 years of engineering and geoscience achievements ...Photo of the Day: Potash Mine
The Mosaic Potash Belle Plaine solution-process potash mine at (where else) Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan, on a January morning.More photos here.Did you know there’s a Saskatchewan Provincial Paranormal Research Centre?
I didn't...until now."Sasquatchewan?"
Hairy ape-like creatures have been recently sighted in Saskatchewan, and it's not even football season.**(Yes, I know, many football players are cleancut, smart, well-dressed, etc. But what can I do? Sometimes a joke is so obvious you just have to make it. Witness yesterday's post...)Nothing about Hassenpfeffer, alas, but…
...here's a local news story about Saskatchewan bloggers.(Via small dead animals.)Photo of the Day: The Web
More photos here.(Give up? This is a negative image of the center of the lighted dome inside the Saskatchewan Legislative Building.)I coulda been a (NaNoWriMo) contender!
All this talk about National Novel Writing Month (for example, this local news story about a participant, one of 72 in Saskatchewan), got me to wondering just how many words I wrote in the final 30 days of working on the first draft of my new novel.I typed THE END on November 14.On October 15, I was at 55,954 words, so in the following 30 days, I wrote, by strict count, 44,230 words.However, I rewrote several sections, erasing a few thousand words and adding a few thousand more, so I think I can give myself the benefit of the doubt and assume that I actually wrote 50,000 words.Essentially, I met ...Pentaquarks
Every branch of science has its pinnacle of achievement, the thing that every scientist in that field dreams of achieving. For an astronomer, it’s the discovery of a new heavenly body; for a paleontologist, a new species of dinosaur. And for a physicist, it’s the discovery of a new subatomic particle. University of Saskatchewan particle physicist Chary Rangacharyulu has reached that pinnacle, as part of an international team that recently discovered the first known "pentaquark," a new sub-atomic particle that could change our understanding of physics and the very early universe. The search for new sub-atomic particles is a continuation of one of science’s grand quests. The Greek philosopher Democritus first suggested about 400 B.C. that ...
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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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