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When Words Collide wrap post
So . . . it’s been a few months since I attended When Words Collide in Calgary, Alberta. It was an interesting event. Organizers billed it as a literary festival, but it grew out of a fan con. It was...
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Review of Walls of Wind by Jane Ann McLachlan
I actually started reading this novel in parts, as it came out earlier this year, before I received the advanced reader copy (ARC) of The Occassional Diamond Thief this past fall. The ARC took...
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Ad Astra 2015 day 1: Arrival and Julie Czerneda workshop
The Ad Astra 2015 reportage starts now! This year, I managed to find the Sheraton without too much difficulty (yay me). I can be Google Maps challenged at the most inconvenient times, especially when...
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Sundog snippet: (W)rites of spring returns to Sudbury
It’s been a while since I posted on a Sunday, and I had another literary event to report on, so I thought I’d share a Sundog snippet with you :) The last time the (W)rites of spring visited Sudbury was...
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Ad Astra 2015 day 1: Deconstructing tropes
First, a disclaimer These posts are composed of my notes. Often, because of the scheduling, I enter sessions after they’re already in progress. I write by hand, so as I’m writing what I believe to be a...
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Ad Astra 2015 day 1: Science fiction for a young adult audience
Panelists: E.K. Johnston, Charlene Challenger, Leah Bobet, Jane Ann McLachlan Having just been in a session, Leah was a tad late . . . JAM: Has fantasy done a better job reaching the YA audience? Who...
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Ad Astra 2015 day 1: The beldam, the hag, and the hedgewitch: Witches in...
Panelists: Derek Newman-Stille, Kate Story, Karen Dales, and Gail Z. Martin GZM: How has the trope of the witch been used in the past? KS: In the European tradition, witches were evil. We have a...
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Ad Astra 2015 day 1: Fans, your bread and butter
Panellists: Dennis Lee, Jane Ann McLachlan, Gregory Wilson JAM: How and when do you acquire fans? DL: Work with another author who already has them. I was playing City of Heroes and met Mercedes Lackey...
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Ad Astra 2015, day 2: An agent and a publisher walk into a bar . . . who do...
Yes, day 2 has finally arrived! First, a reminder of my disclaimer These posts are composed of my notes. Often, because of the scheduling, I enter sessions after they’re already in progress. I write by...
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Ad Astra 2015 day 2: After acceptance, the fun begins
Panellists: Suzanne Church, Arlene F. Marks, Kelley Armstrong, Monica Pacheco, Charles de Lint KA: I was reading at the University of Waterloo, and a question came up that really caught me off guard....
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Crafting the contemporary genre novel with Jane Ann McLachlan
It’s been a busy weekend for Jane Ann. After a reading and book signing in southern Ontario Friday night, Jane Ann drove up to Sudbury for a book signing at Chapters. I went out to visit her, say hi,...
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Ad Astra 2015 day 2: Put the pen down and back away slowly
Editing your work Quick note: My apologies. Last week I mentioned that I would be getting uncanny, but I realized (only today when I opened my notebook) that the panel on the new weird, speculative...
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Six questions with M. H. Callway
Madeleine Harris-Callway is a traditionally published crime writer. Her debut novel, Windigo Fire, which has a northern Ontario setting, was published by Seraphim Editions in October 2014. It was...
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Ad Astra 2015 day 2: Paying your grocery bill: Grants and writing grant...
Panellists: Amanda Sun, Karina Sumner-Smith, Sandra Kasturi, Chadwick Ginther, Bob Boyczuk SK: I apply for Toronto Arts Council (TAC), Ontario Arts Council (OAC), and Canada Council for the Arts (CCA)...
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Ad Astra 2015 day 2: High quality self-publishing
Panellists: Beverly Bambury, Caro Soles, Catherine Fitzsimmons, Samantha M. Beiko, Stephen Kotowych, Mark Leslie ML: When you self-publish, do you use your own name? CS: It’s not professional. BB: If...
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Ad Astra 2015 day 2: What’s your punk?
Panellists: Ian Keeling, Angela Keeley, Gemma Files AK: What is a –punk? IK: Punk, to me, is an attitude. Skate punk, for instance. It’s anti-authoritarian. You find it in video games and anime. GF:...
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How to get published with Madeleine Callway and Wordstock Sudbury 2015
I know I’m a little tardy with this report, but after spending the day at Wordstock on Saturday, I was exhausted, and returning to work on Tuesday, so forgive me, but I’m not going to apologize...
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Ad Astra 2015 day 2: Canadian young adult literature
Panellists: Amanda Sun, E.K. Johnston, Monica Pacheco, Jane Ann McLachlan MP: What makes a YA novel Canadian? JAM: Weather. We have a unique obsession with seasons, weather, and winter. MP: Setting....
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Ad Astra 2015 day 2: Cutting contracts and shaking hands
The business basics of writing Panellists: Greg Wilson, Monica Pacheco, Gail Z. Martin, Leah Bobet Q: Do I need an agent? LB: First, you have to ask yourself what you want. What will your career look...
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Ad Astra 2015 day 3: Making a living isn’t just for the cream of the crop...
Here we are, finally, on day 3! Saturday evening, I attended the Edge book launch event for Jane Ann McLachlan and Aviva Bel’Harold and then on Sunday morning, I got to sit between Charles de Lint...
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