Category: books

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Kickstarter for Mysterion 2

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Enigmatic Mirror Press–co-owned by SF Canada member Kristin Janz–has launched a Kickstarter to fund a 2nd volume of their anthology Mysterion.

Mysterion pays professional rates of 6 cents/word (US) for speculative fiction that engages meaningfully with the Christian faith. Submissions from authors of all backgrounds–Christian or otherwise–are welcome, and Volume 2 will open to submissions as soon as the Kickstarter is funded. Enigmatic Mirror Press’s mandate is to publish fiction that may not fit comfortably in either religious or mainstream publishing; stories that aren’t afraid to ask difficult questions, and that avoid simplistic answers.

Mysterion: Rediscovering the Mysteries of the Christian Faith (Volume 1) included stories by Beth Cato, Kenneth Schneyer, David Tallerman, and 17 other authors. The anthology received positive reviews from Fantastic Stories of the Imagination, Cemetery Dance Online, and Tangent Online; and 4 stories appeared on the Tangent Online 2016 Recommended Reading List.

Like Volume 1, Volume 2 will be available in print and ebook formats. Kickstarter rewards include copies of the anthology, posters of the cover art, and more!

The Kickstarter campaign will remain live through August 18, 2017.

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Petit Guide de la science-fiction au Québec

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SF Canada member Jean-Louis Trudel’s latest book is a non-fiction guide to science fiction in Quebec, from 1838 to 2017.  Provided with an index, a short bibliography, and lists of award winners and notable dates, it may serve as an introductory textbook.  The Petit Guide de la science-fiction au Québec is published by Alire and will be available for ordering in August.  For more details, please see: http://www.alire.com/Essais/PetitGuide.html

Jean-Louis Trudel voit paraître cette année un essai sur la science-fiction au Québec, de 1838 à  2017.  L’ouvrage inclut un index, une bibliographie sommaire, une chronologie et des listes de textes primés.  Utilisable comme ouvrage de référence ou manuel de cours introductoire, le Petit Guide de la science-ficiton au Québec est publié par Alire et sera disponible au mois d’août.  Voir : http://www.alire.com/Essais/PetitGuide.html

From the website:

Bien que la science-fiction compte deux siècles d’existence et que ses concepts, traduits en images percutantes, s’épanouissent sur nos écrans depuis des décennies, peu de gens connaissent la véritable genèse de ce genre littéraire… et encore moins son évolution au Québec. C’est cette lacune que vient combler le Petit Guide de la science-fiction au Québec.

En sept chapitres abondamment illustrés, Jean-Louis Trudel retrace le chemin parcouru par la science-fiction au Québec depuis sa naissance au XIXe siècle.

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Tesseracts 20 – Compostela

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SF Canada is well-represented in the newest Tesseracts (the twentieth in the series), published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy. Compostela is edited by Spider Robinson (an SF Canada member) and James Alan Gardner, and includes stories and/or poetry by SFC members Chantal Boudreau, Rhea Rose, Robert Dawson, Nancy S.M. Waldman, Leslie Brown, Linda DeMeulemeester, and Matthew Hughes.

From the publisher’s website: The stories contained within the pages of Compostela are a reflection of the world we live in today; where science produces both wonders and horrors; and will leave us with a future that undoubtedly will contain both. Journeys to the stars may be exhilarating and mind-expanding, but they can also be dangerous or even tragic. SF has always reflected that wide range of possibilities.

About the title of this anthology:
For more than 1,000 years, Santiago de Compostela (Compostela means “field of stars”) has attracted pilgrims to walk to the cathedral that holds St. James the apostle’s relics. The stories in this anthology in their own way tell the tale of futuristic travelers who journey into the dark outer (or inner) reaches of space, searching for their own connections to the past, present and future relics of their time.

Compostela is currently available to order on Amazon Kindle, and will release in other ebook formats and in print in the fall of this year.

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“Water Is…” Top Pick

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SF Canada member Nina Munteau‘s book, Water Is… was chosen by Margaret Atwood in the New York Times as her #1 choice in “The Year in Reading” for 2016. You can find her comments here. Water Canada has also recommended the book as a summer read.

Nina talks more about The Meaning of Writing and Water in this video interview.

In other news, Nina’s short story, “Fingal’s Cave,” was recently published in the Megan Survival Anthology series.

After crash landing on a hostile jungle planet, rebel-scientist Izumi sets out against orders on a hunch that may ultimately save her fellow survivors but risk everything. Still haunted by the meaningless death of her family, Izumi’s intrepid search for life becomes an existential journey of the heart that explores how we connect and communicate—with one another and the universe—a journey intimately connected with water.

You can find “Fingal’s Cave” on Smashwords, and Water Is… and Nina’s other titles on Amazon.ca.

Finally, Nina will be editing an anthology for Reality Skimming Press based around the theme of water. “Stories must use real or realistic science based on the theme of water in the near future (50-100 years from 2017). Your story must be considered optimistic—this does not mean that bad things can’t happen in your story, but there has to be an optimistic twist and an optimistic ending (a happy ending or hope for a happy ending).” Submissions for the anthology are currently open, and full submission guidelines can be found here.

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2018 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide

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Today marks the launch of a Kickstarter for the 2018 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide from Dreaming Robot Press, which includes stories by SF Canada members Sherry D. Ramsey (“Station Run”), and Holly Schofield (“Fluffy Pets are Best”). This marks the fourth volume in this series, which aims to bring diverse and accessible science fiction to young readers. Last year’s volume was named an SFWA Star Project, and the series has received wide acclaim since its inception. Stories come from authors around the world.

Well-known SF writer Nancy Kress has contributed a story to each volume, and has said of the project: “When I was a child, the school library had a Girls’ Section, which included fairy tales, and a Boys’ Section, which included all the science fiction. Things have changed, of course, but not enough. There is a strong need for science fiction, as opposed to fantasy, aimed at girls, especially in the middle grades. This anthology is an important contribution to the effort to fill that need, and I’m delighted to be a part of it.”~ Nancy Kress, winner of six Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award

The anthology will be available in print and ebook formats, and as well as claiming your own copy, pledge options include ways to sponsor copies for libraries. Find out more on the book’s Kickstarter page. The campaign runs until the second week in July, but extra perks are available to sponsors who pledge early!

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Sudbury Graphic Con Signing

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SF Canada member Mark Leslie will be at Sudbury Graphic Con on Saturday June 10th, signing copies of his books Spooky Sudbury, Haunted Hamilton, Creepy Capital, Tomes of Terror, Evasion, I, Death, One Hand Screaming and A Canadian Werewolf in New York, among a few other titles.

Mark has also been assigned as a regular editor for the Fiction River anthology series (Series Editors Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith) from WMG Publishing. This is a closed-invite anthology series where the issues are developed from an intense ten-day long writing/editing workshop that takes place annually on the Oregon Coast. His first issue of the anthology series comes out at the end of June:  Fiction River #23: Editor’s Choice

Editing an anthology can prove tricky business. Wonderful stories sometimes find themselves on the rejection pile simply because they do not fit in the editor’s vision of that anthology. So, editor Mark Leslie decided to save some of those amazing stories for this latest volume of Fiction River: Editor’s Choice. These tales run the gamut from YA fantasy to cozy crime to slipstream to horror. And they represent the incredible diversity of styles, voices, and genre that inspired Adventures Fantastic to call Fiction River “one of the best and most exciting publications in the field today.”

Find out more at Mark’s website and sign up for his newsletter here.