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Lorina Stephens's Blog, page 47
November 1, 2013
Interview with D.G. Laderoute, author of Out of Time
We recently had a Google Hangout with D.G. Laderoute to talk about his debut novel, Out of Time. Unfortunately I managed to clip the first few words of the introduction, but what Laderoute has to say is all there.
October 30, 2013
Indigo Time receives 5 stars at Goodreads
The following 5-star review of Sally McBride's Indigo Time showed up recently at Goodreads.
Dale's review
Oct 03, 13
Read in September, 2013
Indigo Time is an effective combination of fantasy and science fiction. Very much a story of female empowerment, it features a matriarchal legacy that is both magical and poisonous and a protagonist who is strong enough to wield it while resisting its corrupting influence. This is a novel about family and friendship, love and strength, nobility and corruption.
The coming of age aspect makes it an excellent read for young readers, but it is also a very adult story about deception, decision-making, the strength of family; and both the dangers and rewards of following your heart and opening your mind.
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Dale's review
Oct 03, 13
Read in September, 2013
Indigo Time is an effective combination of fantasy and science fiction. Very much a story of female empowerment, it features a matriarchal legacy that is both magical and poisonous and a protagonist who is strong enough to wield it while resisting its corrupting influence. This is a novel about family and friendship, love and strength, nobility and corruption.
The coming of age aspect makes it an excellent read for young readers, but it is also a very adult story about deception, decision-making, the strength of family; and both the dangers and rewards of following your heart and opening your mind.
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follow reviews
October 28, 2013
LibraryThing 5-star review for A Method to the Madness
The following 5-star review of the madcap collection of articles known as A Method to the Madness: a Guide to the Super Evil, appeared on LibraryThing October 23.
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Book Info: Genre: Short story anthology/Self-help parody
Reading Level: MG on up
Recommended for: Those who want to be a super villain, or a supervillain for that matter...
My Thoughts: Okay, this was just hilarious. A series of articles including advice on all aspects of being Super Evil, including the care and maintenance of minions, person.al presentation, etc. If you've been wanting some advice on how to be truly Evil, whether it's big or small, you can find that here. Don't miss the biography section at the end that gives information on the various villains that wrote the papers (and the pen names by which they are better known to the outside world). This is an all-ages sort of book, I think anyone with a sense of humor will enjoy it and have a lot of laughs, so definitely check it out
Disclosure: I received an e-book copy of this through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: In an almost unprecedented move, a conclave of The Super Evil convened last year at a secret lair in North America to create a guide book for aspiring ne'er-do-wells. The result? A collection of papers known generally as "A Method to the Madness: a Guide to the Super Evil," a collection destined to become the handbook globally of every evil genius.
The collection includes 24 papers presented by evil luminaries such as Her Serene Omnipotence Calassandra, Conqueror and Empress; Janus Kinase Hateyuaniwae, BFA, PhD, PhD, FRCCP, P.Eng; and Dr. Evil-n-Carnate, Frequent Flyer, Grocery Shopper and Overlord Of Cubical Block 3257J - to name but a few.
Between the 24 sages who assembled at the North American Conclave, they created insightful papers on the pressing subjects of "Cognitive Perspective in the Pursuit of Evil; Principles of Biology and Genetics for Minion Breeding Programs;" and, "The Importance of Date Night to the Married Super Villain." (
)
| 
flagKatyas | Oct 23, 2013 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Book Info: Genre: Short story anthology/Self-help parody
Reading Level: MG on up
Recommended for: Those who want to be a super villain, or a supervillain for that matter...
My Thoughts: Okay, this was just hilarious. A series of articles including advice on all aspects of being Super Evil, including the care and maintenance of minions, person.al presentation, etc. If you've been wanting some advice on how to be truly Evil, whether it's big or small, you can find that here. Don't miss the biography section at the end that gives information on the various villains that wrote the papers (and the pen names by which they are better known to the outside world). This is an all-ages sort of book, I think anyone with a sense of humor will enjoy it and have a lot of laughs, so definitely check it out
Disclosure: I received an e-book copy of this through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: In an almost unprecedented move, a conclave of The Super Evil convened last year at a secret lair in North America to create a guide book for aspiring ne'er-do-wells. The result? A collection of papers known generally as "A Method to the Madness: a Guide to the Super Evil," a collection destined to become the handbook globally of every evil genius.
The collection includes 24 papers presented by evil luminaries such as Her Serene Omnipotence Calassandra, Conqueror and Empress; Janus Kinase Hateyuaniwae, BFA, PhD, PhD, FRCCP, P.Eng; and Dr. Evil-n-Carnate, Frequent Flyer, Grocery Shopper and Overlord Of Cubical Block 3257J - to name but a few.
Between the 24 sages who assembled at the North American Conclave, they created insightful papers on the pressing subjects of "Cognitive Perspective in the Pursuit of Evil; Principles of Biology and Genetics for Minion Breeding Programs;" and, "The Importance of Date Night to the Married Super Villain." (
)
| flagKatyas | Oct 23, 2013 |
October 25, 2013
Plested and Schnarr guests at Lethbridge Com!c Con
Five Rivers' authors Michell Plested (Mik Murdoch: Boy Superhero), and J.W. Schnarr (A Quiet Place, and Things Falling Apart) appear as guest speakers at the inaugural Lethbridge Com!c Con on November 1-2.
For more information visit the Com!c Con website.
October 23, 2013
Buy your favourite author a latte
Five Rivers' editor, Robert Runte, recently posted the following very cogent article on his blog at SFeditor.ca. We're reprinting it here with his permission.
Reading a "review" of Five River's new Dave Duncan release on Amazon, I was taken aback by someone rating the book was one star because it was priced at $4 for a novella. The reviewer made it clear that he hadn't actually read the book, but was merely incensed at the price.
Leaving aside the obvious disservice of erroneously giving a one star quality rating when really the complaint is about the cost rather then the quality of the writing, I simply don't get the attitude that authors, editors, cover artists and publishers should all work for free. An unfortunate result, perhaps, of the burgeoning self-publishing industry where substandard authors—desperate for an audience—price their books at $0.99, or give it away free in hopes of attracting readers. I understand the principle of giving away the first book in a series in hopes of attracting sales to more recently issued volumes in the series, but what we're seeing is a race to the bottom.
Promotional giveaways notwithstanding, in general you get what you pay for.
Or to put it another way, I don't get why some people seem to believe that writing should be sold by the pound or linear foot. Fifty Shades of Grey is 528 pages long but does that really make it worth a cover price three times higher than Duncan's novella? To me, it should be the other way around: Duncan's books are the ones worth reading. Once you get past the actual paper costs (not relevant in digital books), there is no reason to assume that longer should necessarily cost more, or that shorter needs be massively discounted, to the point where writing and publishing are no longer economical.
I think a novella by Dave Duncan is worth $4. I pay more for my morning latte. Dave's novella took considerably longer to read than a latte to drink, and the pleasure of that reading lasted longer yet.
If the cover of the latest issue of, say, Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine included a short story by Dave Duncan, I would have immediately paid $6 for the magazine to get that story. Indeed, I did renew my subscription to NeoOpsis Magazine awhile back because they had a Dave Duncan short story in the latest issue. So why is it that some people suddenly find $4 an outrageous price for a novella when its a standalone package?
I love Duncan's stuff, and I want him to write more of it, so am willing to pay him to go do that. Specifically, to write the next two books in this series. A consumer will end up paying $11.95 for all three novellas in the series. And you know what? I'm okay with paying $11.95 for a Duncan novel or story collection. His books are worth at least that much of my coffee money.
So here's the thing: if you ran into your favourite author at the mall, wouldn't you offer to buy him a latte if you got to sit and listen to him tell a story for an hour?
Reading a "review" of Five River's new Dave Duncan release on Amazon, I was taken aback by someone rating the book was one star because it was priced at $4 for a novella. The reviewer made it clear that he hadn't actually read the book, but was merely incensed at the price.
Leaving aside the obvious disservice of erroneously giving a one star quality rating when really the complaint is about the cost rather then the quality of the writing, I simply don't get the attitude that authors, editors, cover artists and publishers should all work for free. An unfortunate result, perhaps, of the burgeoning self-publishing industry where substandard authors—desperate for an audience—price their books at $0.99, or give it away free in hopes of attracting readers. I understand the principle of giving away the first book in a series in hopes of attracting sales to more recently issued volumes in the series, but what we're seeing is a race to the bottom.
Promotional giveaways notwithstanding, in general you get what you pay for.
Or to put it another way, I don't get why some people seem to believe that writing should be sold by the pound or linear foot. Fifty Shades of Grey is 528 pages long but does that really make it worth a cover price three times higher than Duncan's novella? To me, it should be the other way around: Duncan's books are the ones worth reading. Once you get past the actual paper costs (not relevant in digital books), there is no reason to assume that longer should necessarily cost more, or that shorter needs be massively discounted, to the point where writing and publishing are no longer economical.
I think a novella by Dave Duncan is worth $4. I pay more for my morning latte. Dave's novella took considerably longer to read than a latte to drink, and the pleasure of that reading lasted longer yet.
If the cover of the latest issue of, say, Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine included a short story by Dave Duncan, I would have immediately paid $6 for the magazine to get that story. Indeed, I did renew my subscription to NeoOpsis Magazine awhile back because they had a Dave Duncan short story in the latest issue. So why is it that some people suddenly find $4 an outrageous price for a novella when its a standalone package?
I love Duncan's stuff, and I want him to write more of it, so am willing to pay him to go do that. Specifically, to write the next two books in this series. A consumer will end up paying $11.95 for all three novellas in the series. And you know what? I'm okay with paying $11.95 for a Duncan novel or story collection. His books are worth at least that much of my coffee money.
So here's the thing: if you ran into your favourite author at the mall, wouldn't you offer to buy him a latte if you got to sit and listen to him tell a story for an hour?
October 15, 2013
New collection of short horror from J.W. Schnarr
When J.W. Schnarr presented us with a second collection of short horror stories we were more than intrigued, given his dark, eyes-wide-open collection Things Falling Apart, which we published in 2012.
This collection, A Quiet Place, marks a distinct development in Schnarr's very aggressive style, yet demonstrates a growing subtlety into the psychological over the physical. We journey with him through the hazardous discovery of adolescent female sexuality, the imperatives of affordable labour, watch myth become reality, environments launching attacks, and the dark landscapes of minds battered into breaking. Eleven short stories make up this new collection, and will leave you anything but comfortable.
The brilliant and almost dream-like cover is again the result of the unfathomable mind of Jeff Minkevics, Five Rivers' Art Director. He wanted to created a sense of the perils of spirituality, of delving too deeply to find that still, quiet place where sometimes peace transforms into suffering. We think he achieved that, and eloquently represented the tone of Schnarr's newest collection.
J.W. Schnarr is a horror writer originally from Calgary, Alberta Canada. He is the author of the novel Alice & Dorothy as well as the short fiction collection Things Falling Apart. A member of the HWA and SF Canada, he can be seen lurking in places such as Best New Zombie Tales Volume II (Books of the Dead Press) where Rue Morgue magazine dubbed his story "Freshest Tale" of the anthology. He's also been spotted in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and will also be found in Slices of Flesh (Dark Moon Books) alongside the likes of Ramsey Campbell and Jack Ketchum.
Schnarr has a space at Black Glove Magazine where he writes a monthly editorial titled The Hand That Reads. By day he works as a reporter and photographer for the Claresholm Local Press in Claresholm, Alberta. Look him up on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads, or check out his blog at jwschnarr.blogspot.com.
A Quiet Place releases November 1, 2013 in trade paperback (15.99) and eBook ($4.99) through Five Rivers and online booksellers globally.
Format
Print $15.99 CAD
eBook $4.99 CAD
This collection, A Quiet Place, marks a distinct development in Schnarr's very aggressive style, yet demonstrates a growing subtlety into the psychological over the physical. We journey with him through the hazardous discovery of adolescent female sexuality, the imperatives of affordable labour, watch myth become reality, environments launching attacks, and the dark landscapes of minds battered into breaking. Eleven short stories make up this new collection, and will leave you anything but comfortable.
The brilliant and almost dream-like cover is again the result of the unfathomable mind of Jeff Minkevics, Five Rivers' Art Director. He wanted to created a sense of the perils of spirituality, of delving too deeply to find that still, quiet place where sometimes peace transforms into suffering. We think he achieved that, and eloquently represented the tone of Schnarr's newest collection.
J.W. Schnarr is a horror writer originally from Calgary, Alberta Canada. He is the author of the novel Alice & Dorothy as well as the short fiction collection Things Falling Apart. A member of the HWA and SF Canada, he can be seen lurking in places such as Best New Zombie Tales Volume II (Books of the Dead Press) where Rue Morgue magazine dubbed his story "Freshest Tale" of the anthology. He's also been spotted in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and will also be found in Slices of Flesh (Dark Moon Books) alongside the likes of Ramsey Campbell and Jack Ketchum.
Schnarr has a space at Black Glove Magazine where he writes a monthly editorial titled The Hand That Reads. By day he works as a reporter and photographer for the Claresholm Local Press in Claresholm, Alberta. Look him up on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads, or check out his blog at jwschnarr.blogspot.com.
A Quiet Place releases November 1, 2013 in trade paperback (15.99) and eBook ($4.99) through Five Rivers and online booksellers globally.
Format
Print $15.99 CAD
eBook $4.99 CAD
October 11, 2013
Wasps at the Speed of Sound contest winner
It didn't take very long for our fans to react to our Wasps at the Speed of Sound contest.
J.R. Johnson, of Ottawa, Ontario, was the first to decode the Morse Code message in the cover designed by Art Director, Jeff Minkevics.
J.R. Johnson grew up in the folded Appalachian hills, where she learned to love autumn, blueberries straight from the bush, and the stream beneath the willows near her house. The fact autumn is inevitably followed by winter, that picking berries means crossing paths with bears, and the stream was laced with dioxins may also have had some impact on her outlook. She now lives and writes in Ottawa, Ontario. For more on her latest projects visit jrjohnson.me.
Johnson wins 10 eBooks of her choice from Five Rivers' catalogue. The list requested:
J.R. Johnson, of Ottawa, Ontario, was the first to decode the Morse Code message in the cover designed by Art Director, Jeff Minkevics.
J.R. Johnson grew up in the folded Appalachian hills, where she learned to love autumn, blueberries straight from the bush, and the stream beneath the willows near her house. The fact autumn is inevitably followed by winter, that picking berries means crossing paths with bears, and the stream was laced with dioxins may also have had some impact on her outlook. She now lives and writes in Ottawa, Ontario. For more on her latest projects visit jrjohnson.me.
Johnson wins 10 eBooks of her choice from Five Rivers' catalogue. The list requested:
October 9, 2013
Debut YA fantasy by D.G. Laderoute launches November 1
Part of our mandate here at Five Rivers is to discover and showcase new and rising Canadian talent.
Last year D.R. Laderoute presented us with a wonderful Canadian story aimed at the YA audience. We loved the story, and the writing, so much we acquired the manuscript, and are now pleased to present you with Out of Time.
The story follows the adventures of two boys. For Riley Corbeau, moving to a small town on Superior’s north shore was an opportunity for his family to find a new beginning after the death of his mother. For Gathering Cloud, living on Kitche Gumi’s shore now meant it was time seek a vision and become a man.
There on a beach of this legendary lake, two boys meet across time and impossibilities, brought together to face an ancient evil from Anishnabe folklore, and in doing so forge a friendship that defies time.
D.G. Laderoute and his wife, Jackie, live in Thunder Bay, Ontario, along with their three kids—Andrew, Mark and Sarah—and the obligatory writer’s cats. Laderoute has a Master of Science Degree in Geology, has worked extensively in the mining and geo-science sectors, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Canadian Army Reserves. He and Jackie now run a successful business in Thunder Bay, The GameShelf, specializing in board, party, card and other unplugged games.
Laderoute has been writing off-and-on since 1990, and has had several short stories appear in various small press publications. Most notably, in 1999, he took second place in a contest sponsored by the Association of Computing Machinery, a consortium of major companies including Microsoft, Intel, Hewlett Packard, Apple and others. Laderoute has also written extensively for role-playing games, particularly The Legend of the Five Rings product line. Out of Time is his first novel-length publication, but doesn’t intend it to be his last!
You can follow D.G. Laderoute on Facebook or on his now-being-resurrected-from-long-dormancy blog at http://anyothergoat.blogspot.com.
The cover is the work of Five Rivers genius Art Director, Jeff Minkevics. He wanted to create a 60s inspired minimalist style that would also pay homage to the structure and resonance reflected in much of First Nations art.
Out of Time is now available for pre-order, and will be available in both print and eBook November 1 through major online booksellers internationally.
Format
Print $23.99 CAD
eBook $4.99 CAD
Last year D.R. Laderoute presented us with a wonderful Canadian story aimed at the YA audience. We loved the story, and the writing, so much we acquired the manuscript, and are now pleased to present you with Out of Time.
The story follows the adventures of two boys. For Riley Corbeau, moving to a small town on Superior’s north shore was an opportunity for his family to find a new beginning after the death of his mother. For Gathering Cloud, living on Kitche Gumi’s shore now meant it was time seek a vision and become a man.
There on a beach of this legendary lake, two boys meet across time and impossibilities, brought together to face an ancient evil from Anishnabe folklore, and in doing so forge a friendship that defies time.
D.G. Laderoute and his wife, Jackie, live in Thunder Bay, Ontario, along with their three kids—Andrew, Mark and Sarah—and the obligatory writer’s cats. Laderoute has a Master of Science Degree in Geology, has worked extensively in the mining and geo-science sectors, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Canadian Army Reserves. He and Jackie now run a successful business in Thunder Bay, The GameShelf, specializing in board, party, card and other unplugged games.
Laderoute has been writing off-and-on since 1990, and has had several short stories appear in various small press publications. Most notably, in 1999, he took second place in a contest sponsored by the Association of Computing Machinery, a consortium of major companies including Microsoft, Intel, Hewlett Packard, Apple and others. Laderoute has also written extensively for role-playing games, particularly The Legend of the Five Rings product line. Out of Time is his first novel-length publication, but doesn’t intend it to be his last!
You can follow D.G. Laderoute on Facebook or on his now-being-resurrected-from-long-dormancy blog at http://anyothergoat.blogspot.com.
The cover is the work of Five Rivers genius Art Director, Jeff Minkevics. He wanted to create a 60s inspired minimalist style that would also pay homage to the structure and resonance reflected in much of First Nations art.
Out of Time is now available for pre-order, and will be available in both print and eBook November 1 through major online booksellers internationally.
Format
Print $23.99 CAD
eBook $4.99 CAD
October 7, 2013
Wasps at the Speed of Sound, by Derryl Murphy releases November 1
Derryl Murphy's first collection of edgy, visionary short stories is back in print: There are eleven stories in this collection, ten of them gathered together for the first time and one making its debut in these pages. All of them examine our experience with the worlds around us, anticipating dread and disaster with every turn, even while hope is sometimes allowed to win out. Come witness: the destruction of the Earth; an alien tourist and the death of a species; Earth at the end of time, coming back from a very long trip; a man and his father, lost in time; sailing on seas of garbage; an insect rebellion; a virtual future that creates an unrealistic past; water, politics, and a big machine; monkey-wrenching taken to a new level; lessons in photography; and rebellion on a distant world. Eleven stories that take you into the future even as you wrestle with the present.
Derryl Murphy is the author of the Aurora-nominated urban fantasy/hard science fiction novel Napier's Bones, the collection Over the Darkened Landscape, and the novella (with William Shunn) Cast a Cold Eye. It is often cold where he lives with his wife and sons and dog.
The cover is the creative genius of Jeff Minkevics. In the embossed background is a Morse Code message. Email us with that information and you'll win 10 eBooks of your choice from our catalogue.
Wasps at the Speed of Sound is now available for pre-order in both print and eBook through our website, and will be available November 1 through online booksellers internationally.
Format
Print $19.99 CAD
eBook $4.99 CAD
October 4, 2013
Poulsen hits a positive note at recent event
Late in September the University of Lethbridge featured a trio of dedicated and talented writers from the faculty, among them John Poulsen and his book, Shakespeare for Readers' Theatre, Volume 1.
The Lethbridge Herald covered the event and had this to say:
Finding better ways to educate students spurred four educators to put their thoughts on paper for all teachers and student teachers to use.
John Poulsen, a professor in drama education at the University of Lethbridge, launched his new book titled “Shakespeare for Reader’s Theatre” this past week. He’s taken “Hamlet,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and made them user-friendly.
“‘Romeo and Juliet’ runs about 25,000 lines. My version runs about 5,000 lines but it keeps all of the good lines. ‘Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou?’ ‘A rose by any other name,’ they’re all in there. What I have taken out is the longer lines that are more difficult to understand and more difficult for students to chew their way through.”
Obscure references that Elizabethan audiences would have readily understood have been removed and students have responded positively to the abridged versions.
“Shakespeare is extraordinary. The goal is to show he is still extraordinary,” Poulsen said.
