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I’ll be teaching a speculative fiction writing workshop this fall…
...through the University of Regina's Centre for Continuing Education, and you can sign up for it now! Here's how it's described: Speculative Fiction Workshop Aurora Award-winning science fiction and fantasy author Edward Willett leads a six-week workshop for writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror. Students bring new or revised work to each session and prepare to read it aloud for critiquing by the instructor and other class members. Each student will receive a one-on-one session with the instructor to discuss his or her work in detail. Instructor: Edward Willett Mon, Sep 13-Oct 25, 6:30-8:30pm $145 + GST You can find the entire fall catalogue for the U of R's Continuing Education program here. Hope to see you there!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, ...Writers’ guidelines for Fine Lifestyles Regina and Saskatoon
Are you a freelance writer in Saskatchewan (or at least knowledgeable about Saskatchewan)? Then it could be I've got work for you. Here's the release I've been sending out today seeking additional writers for the magazines I edit, Fine Lifestyles Regina and the about-to-launch Fine Lifestyles Saskatoon: *** Edward Willett, editor of Fine Lifestyles Regina, continues to seek freelance writers to work on the magazine, and is now also seeking writers for Fine Lifestyles Saskatoon, a sister publication launching this spring. He’s looking for two kinds of writing: features (longer stories not tied to a particular advertiser) and advertorial (typically business profiles; these are part of a an advertising package purchased by a client and subject to the client’s approval). On the feature side, he’ll ...Winter issue of Fine Lifestyles Regina now online!
You can view the most recent issue of the magazine I edit, Fine Lifestyles Regina, in its entirety online. I recommend pages 124 and 125, which is where you'll find the new wine column my wife and I are co-writing, "The Willetts on Wine." I'm also going to be editing the new sister publication, Fine Lifestyles Saskatoon, launching this spring. (As we approach the release of the next issue, I'll post "The Willetts on Wine" and my cover-story interview with ex-NHL player Mike Sillinger on this blog, as well.)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 ...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, ...The Nipawin Journal reports on my reading there last week…
...and I have to say it's one of the best articles of this sort I've seen anywhere. Thanks to the reporter, Joel Cherry! (Oh, sure, there's one instance of the dreaded "one-T Willett" misspelling of my last name, but if I worried over much about that very common typo I'd go crazy.) The story begins: The term freelance was first used by Sir Walter Scott to describe a medieval mercenary warrior, (a "free-lance") in his novel Ivanhoe. The freelance would fight for whoever needed him. Science journalist, biographer, critic, singer, actor, and Aurora-award winning author of science fiction and fantasy Edward Willett is a freelance if ever there was one. Oct. 20 the Regina-based writer paid Nipawin a visit, ...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 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 ...
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.
