A new seven-sentence short story: Swinging to the Guru

I just completed this year’s Seven-Sentence Short Story workshop for the When Words Collide writers’ convention, at which I’m one of the Guests of Honor this year. This exercise, created by short-story writer extraordinaire James Van Pelt, has been a great success every time I’ve conducted it. Below is my story, written extemporaneously during the …

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Complete Masks of Aygrima trilogy now available in audiobook format

It’s taken a while, but Faces, the third book in the Masks of Aygrima triolgy, is coming out in audiobook firnat to join the audiobooks of the first two, Masks and Shadows. All are produced by Recorded Books. Links below are to Amazon.com, but the audiobooks are available everywhere: Audible, Kobo, Apple, etc. Elizabeth Morton narrates the …

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Star Song and The Worldshapers shortlisted for Aurora Awards

I’m pleased to announce that I’m a finalist for two Aurora Awards this year. Star Song is a finalist for the Best Young Adult Novel Award, while my podcast, The Worldshapers, is a finalist, for the third time in four years, for Best Fan Related Work. It won the award in 2019. This is the …

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Kickstarter for Shapers of Worlds Volume III succeeded!

Each of the past two years I’ve successfully Kickstarted an anthology featuring authors who were guests of my Aurora Award-winning podcast, The Worldshapers, where I talk to other science fiction and fantasy authors about the creative process (check out the sidebar for the most recent episodes). Well, I did it again! The Kickstarter for the …

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Shadowpaw Press Reprise open for submissions of previously published work

But even before that, I’m open to submissions for Shadowpaw Press’s Reprise imprint of rights-reverted, previously published books by authors who (like me) may have had novels or nonfiction orphaned by the collapse of one or more publishers, and would be interested in new ebook and print-on-demand editions, to keep the work alive in the …

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Read the introduction to Shapers of Worlds Volume II

With Shapers of Worlds Volume II, the second anthology I’ve Kickstarted that features guests from my Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers, now available everywhere, I thought you might enjoy reading the introduction I wrote for it. Again, Shapers of Worlds Volume II features brand-new stories from Kelley Armstrong, Marie Brennan, Garth Nix, Candas Jane Dorsey, …

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Now available: Shapers of Worlds Volume II

Shapers of Worlds Volume II, the anthology I Kickstarted earlier this year featuring short fiction by authors who were guests during the second year of my Aurora Award-winning podcast, The Worldshapers, is now available pretty much everywhere, in ebook, trade paperback, and hardcover. Use this handy universal URL, or order directly from Shadowpaw Press, which …

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Read the first two chapters of my new YA science fiction novel Star Song

Available directly from Shadowpaw Press or get it now from your favorite vendor! Read the first two chapters My newest novel is a young adult science fiction adventure in the style of Robert A. Heinlein and Andre Norton, published by Shadowpaw Press. Let me take you back in time . . . It’s October 1985. I’m 26 years …

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I’m now on the board of SaskBooks

I was honoured at yesterday’s annual general meeting of SaskBooks, Saskatchewan’s provincial creative industry association for book publishers, to be elected to the board of directors. I look forward to helping the organization continue to build and promote the Saskatchewan publishing industry, of which I’m a part through Shadowpaw Press. More about SaskBooks: We don’t …

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Blue Fire praised by reviewers: “triumph of invention,” “thoroughly enjoyable,” “delightful YA fantasy”

Two new reviews of Blue Fire, my stand-along young-adult fantasy penned as E.C. Blake and published by Shadowpaw Press, came along within twenty-four hours of each other this week, and both were very positive! Aurealis Magazine is a long-running Australian science-fiction magazine. Writing in Issue #141, reviewer Clare Rhoden says, in part: “This novel reads …

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A little musical theatre from the Willett family

Regina Lyric Musical Theatre, of which both I and my wife are past presidents and life members, found a way to make musical theatre despite Covid-19 restrictions, producing Flip the Script: Broadway in Reverse, an online concert of gender-swapped Broadway songs, May 7, 8, and 9, 2021. It was a great concert with lots of terrific performances–and …

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The Moonlit World shortlisted for Saskatchewan Book Award

The Moonlit World, Book 3 in my Worldshapers series from DAW Books, has been shortlisted for the Regina Book Award, for best book by a Regina author, in this year’s Saskatchewan Book Awards. From the judges: “Sustained excellence! Willett hits it out of the park with witty Shawna Keys and a fabulously entertaining cast of …

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