Matthew Ledrew's Blog, page 23

Brad Dunne Chapters signing – success!

[image error]Congratulations to Brad Dunne, who sold out of every copy of After Dark Vapours brought to Chapters Kenmount Road today!

We’ll have more in stock soon, or you can purchase direct from Amazon or the Engen website!

Pictured: Brad Dunne and supporter Juliette Ryan.

 

After Dark Vapours

Werewolves and a dark family secret in Northern Labrador!
Growing up without his father, Tyler had no way of knowing the horrible secret that has plagued his family for generations. To free himself and find the cure, he will have to look beyond himself and into his dark history.

C$25.00

 

Introducing Rob McDonald, contributor to Kit Sora- The Artobiography! Preorders open!

[image error]In addition to a slew of amazing, prize-winning talent and all the best authors working in Atlantic Canada today, Kit Sora: The Artobiography is host to some of the hottest emerging talent on the island!

One of those astonishing new authors is Rob McDonald, author of the story ‘Antinomy.’

Rob McDonald is a fresh import to St. John’s from a mythic, nevermore Philadelphia. In coffee-fueled delirium he composes chamber opera and musicals, creates and plays games of every ilk, and, to his wife’s perpetual horror, initiates sloppy wet kisses with dogs. But his true secret identity is speculative fiction writer. Or is it? (It is. Or IS it!?).

In 2018, his short story ‘In Medias Res’ won the Postcard short story contest from Newfoundland Quarterly.

Engen Books and Kit Sora are happy to be highlighting such amazing talent!

 

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$60.00

Kit Sora: The Artobiography was edited by Erin Vance, and along with Kit Sora’s tremendous artwork, the collection features accompanying short fiction from some of Canada’s bestselling, award-winning authors. Some include Kate Robbins (Bound to the Highlander), Carolyn R. Parsons (Charley Through Canada), Chelsea Bee (London Calling), Jon Dobbin (The Starving), Candace Osmond (Love & Magic), Michelle Churchill (The Last Tree), Ali House (The Six Elemental), Brad Dunne (After Dark Vapours), Ellen Curtis (Infinity), Matthew LeDrew (Jacobi Street), Kate Sparkes (At Any Cost), JJ King (My Brother’s Keeper), Amanda Labonté (Drawn to the Tides), and USA Today Bestselling author Victoria Barbour (Hard as Ice).

The collection will also feature numerous prize-winning stories, including Frigid by Catherine Rector, Starling by Cristina Ozon, Sweet Sixteen by Nicole Little, Tarnished by Jennifer Combden, Bubbly by Sara Burke, Running by Georgia Atkin, Extinguished by Jeff Slade, and Sea Monkeys by Peter Foote.

The book will retail for $75 CAD. Preorder customers will be given the discount price of $60 CAD per copy.

Elixer | Kit Sora’s Story

May as well make this an annual thing, just wishing I had started it earlier!

I literally had -no- idea what this week’s photo was going to be, and even at 4:00pm yesterday I knew I had the love potion bottle and beyond that I had no idea. Drew was leaving to drop a friend home and told me I had until he came back to come up with something so we could prep whatever we needed to before shooting- and then it hit me!

All the details were up in the air but I knew I wanted to be lying somewhere green with this love potion being forced into me with nothing but these arms coming into the frame. Outfit was decided mere minutes before stepping out the door, wig likewise.

It was -pouring- rain when we arrived to one of my magical locations, and the ballgown (D has a full snap on his phone) I was wearing quickly filled with water and got pretty heavy! We scoped and landed in this spot, with the precious purple flowers in the background for that teeny pop of colour. Tripod was set up, trigger fired, all we had to do was get into place! But of course I chose to shoot with my unforgiving 85mm at 1.8. Drew was required to place a knee under my head while lining up with the camera that was about 7 feet away, and then had to hold my face in such a way that it wouldn’t be blocked from camera, but was also dainty and not awkward! I then needed him to pour the juice into my mouth.

It only took us 5 different sets to finally get it right! And by the end of it my juice launching skills got pretty good (inside of the bottle was de-sparkling). By this point we were both covered in rain, and I had juice down my back, under my boobs, in my ears, etc. No fun if you don’t make a mess

I do want to point out how perfectly D physically held everything- Anyone who knows me or has shot with me will know I’m all about the dainty, princess, fairy hands; knowledge he will take to the grave. His precious lil pinky’s existing where they are, and the firm yet loving grip on the side of my face; leaves a lot of open ended space for you to consider how we got here

— Kit Sora

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$60.00

Words © 2018 Kit Sora. Image © 2018 Kit Sora.

Engen Books Facebook like-and-share!

Hey everyone! Our little Facebook page is up to 500+ likes and growing daily… but we’d like to see it grow a whole lot more! So here’s the deal: if we can make it to 1000 likes by January 1, 2019, we’re going to be offering a free, comprehensive manuscript evaluation to two of our wonderful fans!

Please like and share out our page wherever you think people will like what we do, and see if we can make it to 1000 likes by the end of 2018!

Write Like No One’s Reading | Brad Dunne’s Blog

This weekend I will be launching my debut novel, After Dark Vapours. It’s obviously a very exciting time for me; publishing a book has been a dream for me ever since I was a little kid reading Goosebumps. Likewise, I’ve been lucky to have experienced an outpouring of support and enthusiasm from friends and family. Perhaps the most common refrain I hear, especially from bookish friends, is that they too have always wanted to write a book. If you’re reading this and also feel the same, believe me when I tell you that if I can do it, you can do it. So, with that in mind, I’d like to give you all some advice that I wish someone gave me when I started writing:

Write like no one is reading.

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My biggest breakthrough as a writer came when I stopped caring what any prospective reader might think, at least on my first draft. The first draft has to be selfish. You’re writing for you. What do you want to create? What do you think is cool, interesting, or fun? What questions do you want to answer? It’s at that moment you tap into your creative force. There is nothing more radical than the individual. No one on earth has the combinations of your natural inclinations and experiences. And that’s what readers want to see shine through on the page.

I had this breakthrough after years of rejections for short stories. Not only was I not having any success, I wasn’t enjoying the process, either. I mean, what the hell is the point of writing, especially short stories, if you don’t enjoy it? Even if you make a bit of money there’s a lot easier ways to make a helluva a lot more. I realized that I was trying to write what I thought would impress other people, particularly editors. I think James Baldwin said that becoming an artist means removing masks that you didn’t know you were wearing. I never thought of myself as someone who’d cleave to authority like that, but I was wrong. It wasn’t until I started repeating the mantra “What do *I* want to write?” that I finally achieved the voice and style I was after. Writing, though certainly a labour of love, was no longer a chore.

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And here’s the thing, the longer you wait to start tapping into your creative impulses, the harder it becomes. As a reader, you become increasingly familiar with tropes and styles, etc. and thus the delta between your taste and your ability widens. Every time you sit down to write you anticipate every move. Each idea feels derivative. You feel like you’ll never have an original, worthwhile idea and you just give up.

I’m here to tell you to not give up.

So what if your idea is derivative? Many of the most successful writers in the world certainly don’t give a shit. And if you stick with it, maybe you’ll eventually find an interesting twist to give the familiar a new flavour. And if you don’t? Then no big deal! Your manuscript that ripped off Blade Runner doesn’t need to see the light of day if you don’t want it to. Ridley Scott isn’t going to knock down your door with the Plagiarism Police and drag you off to writers’ jail. You did something fun for yourself and took steps to develop your craft. Maybe next time you’ll do better. Then, years later, you might come back to your old manuscript and see something you couldn’t back then. A new angle. Then you’ll up-cycle that old junk into something new and exciting. That’s how it works.

Cheers,

-b

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Write Like No One’s Reading

This weekend I will be launching my debut novel, After Dark Vapours. It’s obviously a very exciting time for me; publishing a book has been a dream for me ever since I was a little kid reading Goosebumps. Likewise, I’ve been lucky to have experienced an outpouring of support and enthusiasm from friends and family. Perhaps the most common refrain I hear, especially from bookish friends, is that they too have always wanted to write a book. If you’re reading this and also feel the same, believe me when I tell you that if I can do it, you can do it. So, with that in mind, I’d like to give you all some advice that I wish someone gave me when I started writing:

Write like no one is reading.

[image error]

My biggest breakthrough as a writer came when I stopped caring what any prospective reader might think, at least on my first draft. The first draft has to be selfish. You’re writing for you. What do you want to create? What do you think is cool, interesting, or fun? What questions do you want to answer? It’s at that moment you tap into your creative force. There is nothing more radical than the individual. No one on earth has the combinations of your natural inclinations and experiences. And that’s what readers want to see shine through on the page.

I had this breakthrough after years of rejections for short stories. Not only was I not having any success, I wasn’t enjoying the process, either. I mean, what the hell is the point of writing, especially short stories, if you don’t enjoy it? Even if you make a bit of money there’s a lot easier ways to make a helluva a lot more. I realized that I was trying to write what I thought would impress other people, particularly editors. I think James Baldwin said that becoming an artist means removing masks that you didn’t know you were wearing. I never thought of myself as someone who’d cleave to authority like that, but I was wrong. It wasn’t until I started repeating the mantra “What do *I* want to write?” that I finally achieved the voice and style I was after. Writing, though certainly a labour of love, was no longer a chore.

[image error]

And here’s the thing, the longer you wait to start tapping into your creative impulses, the harder it becomes. As a reader, you become increasingly familiar with tropes and styles, etc. and thus the delta between your taste and your ability widens. Every time you sit down to write you anticipate every move. Each idea feels derivative. You feel like you’ll never have an original, worthwhile idea and you just give up.

I’m here to tell you to not give up.

So what if your idea is derivative? Many of the most successful writers in the world certainly don’t give a shit. And if you stick with it, maybe you’ll eventually find an interesting twist to give the familiar a new flavour. And if you don’t? Then no big deal! Your manuscript that ripped off Blade Runner doesn’t need to see the light of day if you don’t want it to. Ridley Scott isn’t going to knock down your door with the Plagiarism Police and drag you off to writers’ jail. You did something fun for yourself and took steps to develop your craft. Maybe next time you’ll do better. Then, years later, you might come back to your old manuscript and see something you couldn’t back then. A new angle. Then you’ll up-cycle that old junk into something new and exciting. That’s how it works.

Cheers,

-b

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“Little Star and the Shepherdess” by Peter Foote | Short Story Winner

“Hello little star, are you awake?” Emma whispers through the panels of the door to the mud brick lamb pen where she had rolled the wounded star several days ago.

The soft golden light inside beats a steady rhythm as a response, provoking a smile to cross Emma’s face. Crouching  beside the door, Emma thinks back to how she had discovered the  injured star while searching for a wayward lamb.

Blackened and battered, the tiny star had plummeted to earth after being knocked out of the heavens. Her heart filled with compassion, Emma rolled the flickering star into the safety of the lamb pen before the rising sun could weaken it further.

Every night since, Emma rolls out the  weak star so it can bathe in the light of its brethren. Opening the rough door, Emma reaches into the pen and rolls out the tiny star running her fingers over the polished surface.

“Whole again, and your light is steady, I believe you will be strong enough to fly tonight,” Emma says in a soft voice as she caresses the golden orb.

With the star in her lap, Emma raises her face to the heavens and sings. As the wordless song builds to a climax, she raises the star with both hands and releases it. The tiny star fades for a second before bursting in intensity and streaks skyward.

With a smile and a tear in her eye, the shepherdess watches her tiny star until daybreak.

To read the second and third place entries and for more contests and opportunities, please subscribe to the Fantasy Files Newsletter.

For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.

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$60.00

Words © 2018 Peter Foote. Image © 2018 Kit Sora.

Winner: “Little Star and the Shepherdess” by Peter Foote | Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest

After much deliberation, Engen Books is proud to announce the winner of the September 30 2018 Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest: Peter Foote with her story, Little Star and the Shepherdess!

Peter Foote is a Freemason and owner of the FictionFirst Used Bookstore, a bookstore located in Nova Scotia that ships used genre fiction and manuals worldwide. He is from Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia and currently resides in Kings County, Nova Scotia.In 2017, Foote endeavored to bring the Atlantic Canadian writing world together by forming a group known as the Genre Writers of Atlantic Canada (GWOAC) that seeks to cross promote and support authors working in the genre fields at any level, including hobbyists all the way up to experts in the field. The group is currently 244 members large and grows daily.

There were three judges for this month of the contest:

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Brad Dunne is a freelance writer and editor from St. John’s, Newfoundland. He began his writing career as an intern at The Walrus magazine and has published journalism and essays in publications such as Maisonneuve, The Canadian Encyclopedia, and Herizons. His short fiction has been featured in In/Words, Acta Victoriana, and The Cuffer Anthology.

His debut novel, After Dark Vapours, is available now. He maintains a blog at braddunne.ca

He’s also active on twitter (@braddunne1796) and instagram (@yoloflaherty).

 

[image error]Matthew LeDrew has written eighteen 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, 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 The First Day of Spring by Jennifer Shelby and Imagine That by Nicole Little.

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 my home in 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!). The second and third place entries will also be featured in the Newsletter.

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! Pre-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$60.00

NaNoPrepWeek | House Blog

The stars have aligned, Mercury is in retrograde*, and I’m prepping for NaNoWriMo!

I say that because this will be the first year I’ve actually done prep work for a NaNo story – and not ‘I’ve got a character name and an idea’ prep work, I mean ‘names, backgrounds, world-building, and outline’ prep work.

My first NaNo was a ‘fly by the seat of my pants’ affair, and since I managed to hit my word count I figured that this was the way to go. However, that story was also a really rough draft, consisting of many odd ramblings (when I’m desperately trying to hit a certain word count it’s almost like the ghost of Charles Dickens possesses me and I can suddenly spend paragraphs describing a lamp – good for word count, but not for content). The subsequent NaNos either had similar ramblings or failed to meet the word count**.

 

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So in an effort to write something more cohesive (and something I hopefully won’t have to massively rewrite later) I’m trying this new tactic. Fingers crossed that it works***.

I’m also prepping my cupboards by loading up on food and snacks, since going to the grocery store takes time away from writing, and sometimes when I’m in the zone I don’t realize I’m hungry until I’m famished.

By the end of November I hope to have a story in 3 parts of approximately 16,000 words each (and then a short story or two after that if I don’t hit 50,000).

Have you set your NaNoGoals yet? Are you winging it or prepping? What are your favourite snacks for writing? Do you have the Shovel of Death in your back pocket in case you run into writer’s block?

14 days to go!

 

———

*Okay, maybe it’s not in retrograde right now, but apparently it will be around mid-November. Also, a planet appearing to move backwards is pretty cool.

**Except for last year, when I had something outlined. For more of my NaNoHistory, go HERE!

***If it doesn’t, I’ll just blame it on Mercury.

 

London Calling | Chelsea Bee

London Calling

Olivia Williams used Shakespeare’s timeless words to comfort herself through childhood sexual abuse, disordered eating, and a toxic relationship. She thought a summer studying in London in the legendary Globe theatre would be the healing learning experience she always longed for. Surrounded by new friends, beautiful culture, and budding romance, Olivia knows her life is about to change. She doesn’t expect this, though. Not again.

C$25.00

Title Information:

ISBN:
978-1-926903-82-8


Release Date:
June 15 2017


EBook Purchase:
Amazon.com

Amazon.CA

Amazon.UK


Page Count:
256







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Reviews
“The perfect book for the #MeToo era of storytelling,”
— Matthew LeDrew, author of Coral Beach Casefiles and Xander Drew.