Category: books

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Crystal Cloud by Claudiu Murgan

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SF Canada member Claudiu Murgan is launching the sequel to his novel Water Entanglement, a spiritually-inspired futuristic tale revolving around the nature of water.

Crystal Cloud is an eco-fiction story that continues the exploration of water’s ability to heal us when treated with reverence – or hurt us when treated with ignorance.

Water was always on our side—we were the ones who strayed! After the initial shock of the world’s water awakening, humanity comes together to put measures in place to ease adverse climate changes. Cherry Mortinger, the limnologist behind Hayyin’s enigmatic identity, works on creating a universal language for water…

Learn more about Crystal Cloud at an online launch tonight at 7pm EST via live stream on YouTube and Facebook.

“A unique writer voice, a refreshing storyline, and a future that we may all see before too long! Tension, pace, and real-life issues make this a novel to read. Wow, what a story!” – Jonas Saul, author of the Sarah Roberts Series

Claudiu Murgan was born in Romania and has called Canada home since 1997. He is a graduate of the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest and during his university years he was involved in the Romanian fandom, writing and organizing local events. He also participated at Science-Fiction conventions in both Europe and North America, meeting contemporary writers with the utmost impact on this genre.

He received several awards for his short stories and novellas that were published in SF Journal and Science & Technology Magazine. Claudiu was a member of the Friends of the Merril Collection in Toronto, organizing the first Science-Fiction art show in the association’s history.

Learn more about Claudiu and explore his other titles at claudiumurgan.com.

Order your copy of Crystal Cloud at Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and iBooks.

 

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When Words Collide Online & FREE for 2020

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This year’s When Words Collide (WWC) convention for readers and writers has gone online in response to Covid-19 health and safety protocols.

Although we’re sad that WWC won’t be happening in person, we’re excited to share that this popular Canadian literary event is FREE to attend! And there is still so much happening. WWC kicks off at noon MDT tomorrow, Friday August 14, 2020.

Be sure to check out the group book launch at 2pm on Friday. Nine authors are launching new titles, most of whom are SF Canada members, including Paula Johanson. Saturday August 15, Susan Forest has a book launch as well.

Tune in at 5pm Saturday for the announcement of Aurora Award winners. And don’t miss the shared author table with a whopping 146 books!

Visit whenwordscollide.org for the event schedule and presenter bios. The WWC site will also have links to each panel or presentation via streamed video services.

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The Adventure of the Crab Bisque by Margaret Curelas

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Brave New Girls: Tales of Girls Who Tech & TinkerSF Canada member Margaret Curelas has been published in the anthology Brave New Girls: Tales of Girls Who Tech & Tinker. This is the fifth book in the Brave New Girls series.

Margaret’s story, “The Adventure of the Crab Bisque,” is a steampunk tale set in Vancouver, BC.

“This compilation in the latest publication of Brave New Girls is both inspirational and thought provoking to young girls and all readers as well, proving girls are capable of anything and can change the world!” – Amazon reviewer

Proceeds from the sales of this series go to STEM scholarships for women. Funds from the Tech & Tinker collection will go specifically to the Society of Women Engineers scholarship fund.

Margaret is the publisher of Tyche Books, a Canadian small-press specializing in science-fiction and fantasy anthologies, novels, and non-fiction. She enjoys Victorian fiction, a Proper Tea, and stalking authors at conventions. She is disappointed that the “no capes” rule applies to publishing.

Get your print or ebook copy of Brave New Girls: Tales of Girls Who Tech & Tinker at Amazon.com and all major book sellers.

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“Billy Ray’s Small Appliance Rehabilitation” by Geoffrey W. Cole

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SF Canada member Geoffrey W. Cole’s novelette “Billy Ray’s Small Appliance Rehabilitation” was recently published in the environmental justice magazine, Reckoning 4. Guest-edited by Danika Dinsmore and (the Hugo, Nebula and Locus Award nominated!) Arkady Martine, this issue focuses on the challenges of urban environments.

“A sobering burst of dynamic stories, poems, and essays that struggle with our overheating world. Arkady Martine and Danika Dinsmore have assembled a powerful collection for our unique time.” —Tobias Buckell, co-author (with Paolo Bacigalupi) of The Tangled Lands

Geoffrey W. Cole is an award-winning author, an engineer, a father of three, and a loving husband. Previously, he was a Segway tour leader in Rome, a Lego robotics instructor, a grizzly-bear handler, and a rock-n-roll singer. He enjoys back-country skiing, surfing, canoeing, cycling, roleplaying games, board games, fencing, running, and staring at trees. Geoff has degrees in biology, engineering, and an MFA in creative writing. He lives in Toronto, Canada. Geoff is a member of SF Canada and SFWA. Visit Geoff at www.geoffreywcole.com.

Read Geoff’s story here and subscribe to Reckoning today.

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Flights of Marigold by Susan Forest

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SF Canada member, Susan Forest, will launch her novel, Flights of Marigold, (Laksa Media Groups) this August at When Words Collide.

The novel tells the story of Meg and Janat Falkyn, fugitive daughters of an imperial magiel, who escape to the edge of the world to restore their people’s access to their Gods—by recapturing a fabled prayer stone. But to accomplish the theft, whom can they trust? The ambitious High King’s sister thirsts for power. A calculating regent enriches himself with a steam-driven textile monopoly. A charming swindler sets up an elaborate scheme. And unraveling secrets hidden in castles, alleyways, and brothels threaten to expose everything. With rebels stalking the sisters, and the High King’s armies on the march, Meg’s time is up.

Flights of Marigold is a Publishers Lunch Buzz Books 2020 Selection.

“Forest skillfully uses her fantasy setting to spin a tale of addiction and familial loyalty…sure to satisfy readers who are invested in the Falconer sisters’ story lines.” –Publishers’ Weekly

The book is an action-adventure epic fantasy, but it deals with the issue of addictions, and it is the publisher’s hope that the topic will help to generate discussion to remove stigma, and possibly lead to positive action in support of this important issue.

The launch, on August 15, 2020, is an online event scheduled for 2:00 PM Mountain Daylight Time, and is open to everyone.

Susan Forest grew up in a family of mountaineers and skiers, and she loves adventure. She also loves the big ideas found in SF/F, and finds fast-paced adventure stories a great place to explore how individuals grapple with complex moral decisions. Susan is also an award-winning fiction editor, has published over 25 short stories (four were finalists for Canada’s Prix Aurora Award), and has appeared at many international writing conventions. She loves travel and has been known to dictate novels from the back of her husband’s motorcycle.

Flights of Marigold is available for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Indiebound, Rakuten/Kobo, iBooks, and Overdrive.

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Small Rain and Other Nightmares by Paula Johanson

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SF Canada member Paula Johanson’s latest release is the story collection, Small Rain and Other Nightmares.

In stories of near futures uncomfortably like our own, Paula brings elements of magic realism and eco-gothic fiction to focus on home and heart. The title story, “Small Rain”, was an Aurora finalist. Whether walking from the big city to beyond Hope, or from a secret house in the hills to what’s left of town, the characters in these stories are in transition from coping with the past and fears for the future.

“Quiet little nightmares that sneak up on you when you’re not looking. Paula Johanson is a master of the bucolic apocalypse.”
– Peter Watts, author of Blindsight

 

“Reads like a spec fic Raymond Carver. Paula Johanson crafts small gems of stories that suggest to the reader much larger worlds.”
-Ira Nayman, editor, Amazing Stories

Paula Johanson is a graduate of the University of Victoria; she has worked as a security guard, a short order cook, a teacher, newspaper writer, and more. As well as editing books and teaching materials, she has run an organic-method small farm with her spouse, raised gifted twins, and cleaned university dormitories. In addition to novels and stories, she is the author of forty-two books written for educational publishers, among them The Paleolithic Revolution and Women Writers from the series Defying Convention: Women Who Changed The World. Learn more at paulajohanson.blogspot.com

Find Small Rain and Other Nightmares here.