Category: Writing and Editing

The Lake in the Clouds now has its Amazon page!

The Lake in the Clouds, Book 3 in The Shards of Excalibur series from Coteau Books, now has its Amazon page. Here’s the description: In the third instalment of this modern take on Arthurian legends, Ariane – descendant of none other than the Lady of the Lake herself – is on the run and on …

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Great video about best genre literary conference anywhere: When Words Collide

Here’s a great video about the best genre literary convention in North America and probably the world: Calgary’s When Words Collide. If you’re interested in writing, you owe it to yourself to get to When Words Collide. My name gets mentioned about halfway through this video as an example of the kinds of deals that …

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I’ve turned in Faces, Book 3 of The Masks of Aygrima, to DAW!

                      Early this morning I sent off Faces, Book 3 in The Masks of Aygrima, to Sheila Gilbert, my editor (and co-publisher with Betsy Wollheim) at DAW Books. I’m quite pleased with it–I hope she is, too! We’ll be discussing it at World Fantasy Convention in Washington, D.C., early in …

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New publisher Rebelight to bring out my YA fantasy “Blue Fire” in 2015

I’m pleased to announce that new publisher Rebelight, based in Winnipeg, will bring out my YA fantasy (they’re calling it “voltpunk”) Blue Fire in Spring 2015. The picture is me signing the contract. Don’t know how they’ll describe it, but here’s how I described it in my query letter: The Kingdom of the Twelve Cities …

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The Space-Time Continuum: Space Opera

Here’s the latest instalment of my regular column on writing science fiction and fantasy from Freelance, the newsletter of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild… “Space opera” is an odd-looking term: after all, as the marketers for the movie Alien might have (but fortunately didn’t) put it, in space, no one can hear a tenor scream a …

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See you at Word on the Street Saskatoon!

I’m really looking forward to being a featured author at Word on the Street in Saskatoon on September 21. I’ll be part of a panel (along with Arthur Slade, Sean Cummings, and Jefferson Smith) called Other Worlds on the Prairies, focusing on writing science fiction and fantasy, which will be (appropriately enough) in the “Brave …

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Another nice review of Masks: “a great page-turner and a fantastic start to an exciting new series”

T.E.J. Johnson gives a rousing review to Masks: “The novel is fast paced and Mara gets herself in and out of a million-tangles as she falls from a high-born Aygriman citizen, to concentration-camp prisoner to unmasked rebel…I would thoroughly recommend this novel; it is a great page-turner and a fantastic start to an exciting new …

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Another satisfied Shadows reader: SciFi Chick

SciFi Chick, who loved Masks, also enjoyed Shadows: “Full of suspense, mystery, magic, and a bit of romance – the intensity builds to a climactic ending. And as before, I look forward to the next in this incredible fantasy series.” Read the whole thing.

Another great review for Shadows…

Another good review for Shadows, over at Crystal Book Reviews: “Adventure, battles, scenes of devastating power and ruthlessness, mistakes galore, kindness, compassion, love, and so much more fill these pages which will be sure to delight every fan of fantasy, science fiction, adventure, thrillers and mysteries!” Read the whole thing.

Early review for Shadows gives it five stars–higher than Masks

Shadows releases August 5, and one of the first to review it, Candace over at Candace’s Book Blog, has given it five stars, rating at as better than Masks: “This book, to me, was EPIC. Once I started reading I couldn’t stop. I devoured it in two sittings and thought about it when I slept, or I …

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Kirkus Reviews likes Twist of the Blade even more than Song of the Sword

The first review of Twist of the Blade has shown up, and it’s a good one. Kirkus Reviews says: The sequel to Song of the Sword (2014) improves on its foundation….Willett realistically explores the difficulties Ariane and Wally face and paints Rex Major in such a light that readers may be unsure as to whether he is a master manipulator or …

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They’re here! Copies of Shadows arrive…

Look what I got in the mail today…coming to a bookstore near you August 5! Here’s the copy from the front flap: In Masks, the first novel in The Masks of Aygrima, Mara Holdfast’s life changed forever. As the daughter of the Autarch’s Master Maskmaker, she had a clearly defined future: working with her father …

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