Matthew Ledrew's Blog, page 2

Speak The Speech, I Pray You | House Blog

One odd thing about me is that I love acting, but I hate public speaking. Put me in a costume, give me a character to be and someone else’s words to say, and I’ll do all right; but make me stand in front of people as only myself and I’ll start flubbing my words and breaking out in a cold sweat. And that goes doubly for making me read my own work.

The problem is now that I’m a writer with a few things published, I find that there are times when people want me to read my work out loud. And if you happen to be a writer, you may also find yourself in these kinds of situation. Whether it be book launches, signings, competitions, or conventions, there may come a time when someone expects you to read a thing you’ve written. So best get used to reading your own words (or inventing an “Eccentric Author” character to slip into when you need to do a reading *coughcough*).

However, reading your own work can be a great idea—even if it’s not for the public. As much as we love to stare at what we’ve written on the page and admire how awesome it looks, saying those words out loud can help your writing be better.

For example, reading sentences out loud can help you realize if you’ve accidentally used the wrong word or if an errant word has snuck in, or if auto-correct is messing with you.

Natural sounding dialogue can sometimes be hard to write, but if you try saying what you’ve written out loud then you might realize that something doesn’t quite flow or that your typical, modern-day character does not use any contractions when they are talking. (This can also be a lot of fun to do if your characters have specific tones or accents.)

You might also pick up on unnecessary or unintentional repetition. When speaking words out loud, I find it easier to recognize when I’ve used the word “said” too often; or if I’ve repeated a line that was written only a few paragraphs ago. For example, in an earlier draft of this post, I used the word “yourself” twice in one sentence, and it wasn’t until I read this post out loud that I realized what I’d done.

I make sure to do this for short stories, as it’s a pretty good way to “level-up” my draft. It can be difficult when it comes to novellas or novels—I mean, it can take hours to read through those—but if you’ve got the patience for it, it helps. Even if you’re just muttering what you’ve written under your breath.

RESERVE A COPY OF bestseller TERROR NOVA!

Preorders for physical copies of TERROR NOVA, the amazing new anthology by Mike Hickey and a murderer’s row of amazingly talented authors will be available this October for $29.99 CAD, but you can reserve your copy now!

Orders outside the St. John’s metro area will be shipped directly, orders within the area will be made available for pickup/delivery at launch!

Act now to get TERROR NOVA: AN ANTHOLOGY OF NEWFOUNDLAND INSPIRED HORROR!

Terror Nova Preorder!

Featuring the work of Mike Hickey, Chris Lewis Carter, Lauralana Dunne, Kelley Power, Jon Dobbin, Phil Goodridge, CH Newell, Brad Dunne, Paul Carberry, Joshua Goudie, Ali House, and, Erin Mick!

C$29.99

Updates provided to preorders via email. Check out this amazing deal for a limited time!

Preorder open for bestseller TERROR NOVA!

Preorders for physical copies of TERROR NOVA, the amazing new anthology by Mike Hickey and a murderer’s row of amazingly talented authors will be available this October for $29.99 CAD, but you can reserve your copy for only $25.00 CAD!

Preordering will be open until August 25th! Orders outside the St. John’s metro area will be shipped directly, orders within the area will be made available for pickup/delivery at launch!

Act now to get TERROR NOVA: AN ANTHOLOGY OF NEWFOUNDLAND INSPIRED HORROR for 17% off!

Terror Nova Preorder special, 17% off!

Featuring the work of Mike Hickey, Chris Lewis Carter, Lauralana Dunne, Kelley Power, Jon Dobbin, Phil Goodridge, CH Newell, Brad Dunne, Paul Carberry, Joshua Goudie, Ali House, and, Erin Mick!

C$25.00

 

Updates provided to preorders via email. Check out this amazing deal for a limited time!

Terror Nova becomes #1 Bestseller on Amazon!

Terror Nova, the inaugural anthology from horror icon Mike Hickey,  hit #1 on the Amazon.ca in the ‘Horror Anthologies’ category today. The novel hit Bestseller status at 2:59PM Newfoundland Standard time on August 2, 2020, peaking at #304 on the overall Amazon.ca charts.

The anthology was also ranked the #1 ‘Hot New Release’ in Horror Anthologies, while ranking in many other categories. It reached #4 in all short fiction on the site, #7 in all horror fiction, #2 in Hot New Release Horror Fiction, and #1 in the Hot New Release section of Short Fiction. It was also listed as #3 on the Amazon “Movers and Shakers” list!

When asked for comment about the accomplishment, Hickey said: “I can’t believe this. Thank you so much.”

Terror Nova is a horror anthology series collected by Mike Hickey and featuring the work of a dozen of the country’s most talented new voices in horror. It follows a framing narrative with Simon, the Terror Nova main character, traveling the foggy Newfoundland highways and telling frightening tales along the way. Authors contributing stories include bestselling zombie author Paul Carberry, Horror PhD Erin Mick, Nightmare of Water Street winner Joshua Goudie, bestselling weird west author Jon Dobbin, and many more!

Engen Books would like to congratulate Hickey on this achievement, and thank his fans and peers who helps make this possible.

Why Editing Matters | House Blog

Confession Time: Not so long ago, I used to be SUPER pedantic about grammar and spelling in books. If I found a word that wasn’t spelled right or an ellipsis that was only two dots, I would feel so superior and want to shout it from the rooftops (even if it was the only mistake in the entire story). I think it mostly came from my secret desire to be an editor – like, “Hey, I found this error! And this one! See how good I am! Hire me! Hire me! HIRE ME!”

But that’s not what writers want to hear. Honestly, it’d be weird to have someone come up to me and say “I found a misspelled word on page 54” and then walk away without saying anything else. But what about the 59,999 other words that were spelled correctly? Did you like any of them?

Over time, I’ve learned that I’m perfectly capable of forgiving an error here and there. If I read a line and think “That should be gasp instead of gas”, I’m able to move on. After all, writers and editors are human, and humans miss things. Even big publishers sometimes get things wrong. And, yes, even I make mistakes (I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s one or two in this post). If you’re writing a 50,000 word novel, there’s absolutely nothing wrong if a few mistakes accidentally make it into the finished project.

But don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying that editing isn’t important, because it is.

If you’re writing a book, then presumably you want people to be able to read it. And it turns out that it can be pretty difficult to read something that’s riddled with spelling errors, continuity errors, and/or misused punctuation (just ask a teacher). When someone reads your book, you’re asking them to use their brain to dive into your story and imagine your world, and that task becomes much more difficult if they can’t figure out what the heck it is you’re trying to say.

Now, I’m not talking about style – because some people have different styles, and some authors like writing in specific ways. What I’m talking about are stories where there are more mistakes than characters.

For example, a while ago I read a self-published story where the last half of the book was literally riddled with errors. There were tense shifts that moved from past to present in the same paragraph; dialogue tags with the wrong character’s name; letters and entire words missing from sentences; sentences with extraneous words and letters thrown in; and, yes, even a their/they’re/there mix-up. The problem with these errors was that they were so frequent and so numerous that I had no time to shake off the last one before the next was in my face. Instead of letting myself fall into the world of the story and grow fond of the characters, my brain had to fill in missing words and letters, extrapolate who was saying that line of dialogue, and try to figure out what was actually happening. I was working so hard at deciphering the story that I couldn’t read it. And if you ask me how that book ended, well… I can’t remember.

If you want people to read your book then it should be readable. It doesn’t mean that your work has to be 100% perfect or that you have to know the precise rules for how to use a comma (because, let’s be honest, commas are magical creatures that cannot be contained by us mortals), but it should be given a once-over before you shop it out or publish it. Many places will reject a piece because there are too many errors, no matter how good the premise is.

But what if you’re not a master-editor? Luckily, the internet exists. Not sure how to spell something? Ask the internet. Not sure if that phrase is right or if you’re using that piece of punctuation correctly? Ask the internet. If you have beta-readers, ask them if the grammar/spelling looks good. And you can even do an editing-pass-through on your work where you carefully look at each word and sentence to see if everything looks good. It’s tedious, but it works.

And if you make the odd error once in a while, don’t beat yourself up. After all, nerbody’s pofect.

Winner: “Brightest & Best” by Melissa Bishop | Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest

After much deliberation, Engen Books is proud to announce the winner of the May 2020 Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest: Melissa Bishop with the story, Brightest & Best!

Born and raised in the St. John’s /Mount Pearl area, Melissa Bishop is a newcomer to the genre fiction scene in Atlantic Canada whose fantastic prose has taken the provinces community by storm. Her work has won two Kit Sora awards prior to this: in 2019: July 2019 ‘Cycles’ and September 2019 ‘Huntress of the Woods,’ and has placed numerous other times.

Bishop describes herself as a loyal Tolkien fan and high school teacher, teaching at the same high school she attended in her youth. She started writing when she was very young and honed her skills in High School, when she started a pen pal friendship that has lasted for over 17 years, writing stories back and forth to each other.

She was published in Pulp Science-Fiction from the Rock with her her short story ‘The Photograph.’

We had three judges for this contest:

[image error]Matthew LeDrew has written twenty novels for Engen Books, Black Womb, Transformations in Pain, Smoke and Mirrors, Roulette, Ghosts of the Past, Ignorance is Bliss, Becoming, Inner Child, Gang War, Chains, The Long Road, Cinders, Sinister Intent, Faith, Family Values, Touch Your Nose, Jacobi Street, Infinity, The Tourniquet Reprisal and Exodus of Angels.

[image error]Kaleigh Middelkoop is a photographer who primarily uses self portraiture as a means to tell stories and express ideas with the aid of costumes and props she makes by hand. Heavily influenced by fairy tales and the slightly strange, her work has surreal and magical elements woven throughout.

Kaleigh is a featured artist at Bellazo in downtown Wabash, IN as well as Ocean View Art Gallery in Carbonear, NL.

[image error]Kit Sora Photography. Kit Sora is an artist and photographer from St. Johns, Newfoundland. Her photography draws inspiration from fantasy, dystopia, and thrillers to create evocative imagrey that startles, inspires, and excites.Kit signed with Engen Books in 2018 as head photographer, producing the thrilling image for Chillers from the Rock and re-imagining the covers to the entire Black Womb series into the Coral Beach Casefiles series. Drew Power is a currently seated member of the Sci-Fi on the Rock committee. He was recently featured as the model on the cover of the bestselling collection Chillers from the Rock.

Runners up include Mortal Love by Jennifer Shelby, and Experimenter by Teigen Bond.

The Flash Fiction Photography Contest is sponsored in part by FictionFirst Used Books, which specializes in previously enjoyed Sci-fi & Fantasy Novels, Roleplaying Manuals and Graphic Novels. It is run out of the Annapolis Valley and open by appointment only. Their inventory is currently over 5000 titled strong and they ship within Canada, USA and Europe. You can find them on Facebook, here.

The winning entry will be featured on this website as well as on the Fantasy Files newsletter (click to join!). Both runner-up entries will also be featured.

The first year’s worth of these amazing short stories have been collected in a lovely hardcover edition from Engen Books, featuring photos from the author and flash fiction stories from some of Canada’s top talent! Order your copy today!

Kit Sora: The Artobiography

A stunning, hundred-plus page hardcover collection of over 80 of Kit Sora’s most ambitious photographs, paired with short fiction inspired by the art by Canada’s best authorial talents. Includes stories by USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Sparkes, USA Today Bestselling Author Victoria Barbour, and Bestselling Author Amanda Labonté.

C$75.00

 

Winner: “Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow” by Amanda Evans | Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest

After much deliberation, Engen Books is proud to announce the winner of the April 2020 Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest: Amanda Evans with the story, Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow!

Amanda Evans grew up in Saint John NB, with eyes to the water and head in the clouds. Sounds like every other writer and dreamer, doesn’t it? Amanda spent a lot of time doing writing projects with Write Now Saint John.

Amanda says: “This is my first time winning a Kit Sora flash fiction contest. I like to joke that I’m the reason Engen Books limited the number of entries per photo after the first flash fiction contest, 18 entries from one person would do that. I do have some stories in Houses in the Fog and some stories in the upcoming Memories in the Fog collection.”

We had two judges for this contest:

[image error]Matthew LeDrew has written twenty novels for Engen Books, Black Womb, Transformations in Pain, Smoke and Mirrors, Roulette, Ghosts of the Past, Ignorance is Bliss, Becoming, Inner Child, Gang War, Chains, The Long Road, Cinders, Sinister Intent, Faith, Family Values, Touch Your Nose, Jacobi Street, Infinity, The Tourniquet Reprisal and Exodus of Angels.

 

[image error]Kit Sora Photography. Kit Sora is an artist and photographer from St. Johns, Newfoundland. Her photography draws inspiration from fantasy, dystopia, and thrillers to create evocative imagrey that startles, inspires, and excites.Kit signed with Engen Books in 2018 as head photographer, producing the thrilling image for Chillers from the Rock and re-imagining the covers to the entire Black Womb series into the Coral Beach Casefiles series. Drew Power is a currently seated member of the Sci-Fi on the Rock committee. He was recently featured as the model on the cover of the bestselling collection Chillers from the Rock.

Runners up include Flutterby by Lynn Lumsden Green, and Metamorphisis by Emily Dodge.

The Flash Fiction Photography Contest is sponsored in part by FictionFirst Used Books, which specializes in previously enjoyed Sci-fi & Fantasy Novels, Roleplaying Manuals and Graphic Novels. It is run out of the Annapolis Valley and open by appointment only. Their inventory is currently over 5000 titled strong and they ship within Canada, USA and Europe. You can find them on Facebook, here.

The winning entry will be featured on this website as well as on the Fantasy Files newsletter (click to join!). Both runner-up entries will also be featured.

The first year’s worth of these amazing short stories have been collected in a lovely hardcover edition from Engen Books, featuring photos from the author and flash fiction stories from some of Canada’s top talent! Order your copy today!

Kit Sora: The Artobiography

A stunning, hundred-plus page hardcover collection of over 80 of Kit Sora’s most ambitious photographs, paired with short fiction inspired by the art by Canada’s best authorial talents. Includes stories by USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Sparkes, USA Today Bestselling Author Victoria Barbour, and Bestselling Author Amanda Labonté.

C$75.00

Order a SIGNED copy of ASHES by Lauralana Dunne!

‘Ashes,’ the debut novel from Lauralana Dunne, is available for digital preorder now! Signed physical copies can be preordered using the  link below! Signed copies will be sent directly to Dunne following social distancing rules, signed, and then delivered either by hand (again, following distancing rules and only in the St. John’s metro area) or via mail.

ASHES – Signed Edition

Get your copy of Ashes, signed at personalized by the author, Lauralana Dunne! Shipping & delivery included.

C$29.99

 

When fifteen-year-old Phoenix loses her caregiver, everyone that she has ever known inexplicably turn their backs on her. Given the impossible burden of repaying an unknown debt, Phoenix sets out on her own with her trusty donkey, Muler, as her only companion.

However, the roads are not safe, and Phoenix finds herself navigating the unfamiliar terrain of the Darkened Wood, scrambling to escape the unseen creatures that have designated her as their prey. A chance encounter with Malcourt, a mysterious traveller, not only saves her life, but sets it on a trajectory that she would have never thought possible.

Buoyed by the support of her newfound friends, she settles into life at Castle Angor and attempts to carve a place for herself. The unexpected discovery of Rorin, a gargoyle spy, has her agreeing to the incredible task of protecting King Benedict, and keeping the kingdom of Angoria safe. As suspicions grow within the castle walls, so do Phoenix’s mysterious gifts, and so does her resolve. In a race against time, Phoenix must learn to control her Power and stop a deadly threat, or risk losing everything – and everyone – she has come to hold dear.

“Dunne breathes life into a world of magic and lore that will draw the reader in right up to the epic conclusion. Ashes is a heroic tale not to be missed.”

Amanda Labonté, bestselling author of Call of the Sea

“Lauralana Dunne weaves magic in her debut novel. A tale of adversity and finding one’s place in the world, Dunne is pitch perfect in her first novel.”

Jon Dobbin, author of The Broken Spire

“Lauralana Dunne astonishes in what is possibly the greatest debut novel of the past decade. An amazingly intricate world blended seamlessly with character, heart, and theme.”

Matthew LeDrew, author of Coral Beach Casefiles

Preorder a SIGNED copy of ASHES by Lauralana Dunne!

‘Ashes,’ the debut novel from Lauralana Dunne, is available for digital preorder now! Signed physical copies can be preordered using the  link below! Signed copies will be sent directly to Dunne following social distancing rules, signed, and then delivered either by hand (again, following distancing rules and only in the St. John’s metro area) or via mail.

ASHES – Signed Edition

Get your copy of Ashes, signed at personalized by the author, Lauralana Dunne! Shipping & delivery included.

C$29.99

 

When fifteen-year-old Phoenix loses her caregiver, everyone that she has ever known inexplicitly turns their back on her. Given the impossible burden of repaying an unknown debt, Phoenix sets out on her own with her trusty donkey, Muler, as her only companion.

However, the roads are not safe, and Phoenix finds herself navigating the unfamiliar terrain of the Darkened Wood, scrambling to escape the unseen creatures that have designated her as their prey. A chance encounter with Malcourt, a mysterious traveller, not only saves her life, but sets it on a trajectory that she would have never thought possible.

Buoyed by the support of her newfound friends, she settles into life at Castle Angor and attempts to carve a place for herself. A chance encounter with Rorin, the gargoyle spy, has her agreeing to the incredible task of protecting King Benedict, and keeping the kingdom of Angoria safe. As suspicions grow within the castle walls, so does Phoenix’s mysterious gifts, and so does her resolve. In a race against time, Phoenix must learn to control her Power and stop a deadly threat, or risk losing everything – and everyone – she has come to hold dear.

“Dunne breathes life into a world of magic and lore that will draw the reader in right up to the epic conclusion. Ashes is a heroic tale not to be missed.”

Amanda Labonté, bestselling author of Call of the Sea

“Lauralana Dunne weaves magic in her debut novel. A tale of adversity and finding one’s place in the world, Dunne is pitch perfect in her first novel.”

Jon Dobbin, author of The Broken Spire

“Lauralana Dunne astonishes in what is possibly the greatest debut novel of the past decade. An amazingly intricate world blended seamlessly with character, heart, and theme.”

Matthew LeDrew, author of Coral Beach Casefiles

‘Something for Everyone’ SALE!

Need something new and amazing to read this summer? As always, Engen Books has you covered. We’re stocked with three amazing books for three different types of reader: we have The Last Tree for young readers and fantasy enthusiasts, Pulp Science-Fiction from the Rock for 13+ and science-fiction lovers, and The Love of Summer for adult readers of LGBTQ and Romance.

For the month of June you can enjoy each of these lovely titles for $25 each, OR as a three-pack for $15 CAD each, for a total of $45 CAD. There’s something here for everyone.

Buy the bundle:

Something for Everyone Sale

Three amazing books, each for a different type of reader: all spectacular, all Engen.

C$45.00

 

Buy Individually:

The Love of Summer | A Romance by Sarah Thompson

Kerri Walters had a normal life until she met Summer Donnelly. She had just turned 18 in the small community of Jenkinstown when new neighbours moved in next door, including Summer. The pair become inseparable and it soon becomes clear to Kerri that there is more happening than just a friendship. Will Kerri hide her feelings from her best friend?

What will happen if Summer finds out how Kerri feels?

C$25.00

 

The Last Tree — Churchill & Marsh

This lovely book will be enjoyed by all who read it with a welcome heart. In the beginning, only three trees grew in the forest. It was said that when the first tree fell, the first humans of Impardia appeared. From the branches and berries of the second tree came the elves, and that tree too fell.
Then there was the last tree. The tree of the faeries.
Some say that one still stands, deep within Impardia’s forest. But most of Impardia has long forgotten about the elves and the faeries, as the kingdom has long been unknowingly divided, shrouded by a veil.

With a single act of kindness, Augustus sets off on a journey that might just reunite the kingdom of Impardia once more.

C$25.00

 

Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock

A century ago, pulp magazines brought the fresh ideas of science-fiction and exploration to the masses with its rough, inexpensive format, and lit the imaginations of a generation on fire. Those inspired became the greatest storytellers of their time, producing stories that would shock, awe, and inspire.That legacy of the new, the different, and the strange lives on today in the minds and pens of genre writers all over the world

C$25.00