Matthew Ledrew's Blog, page 25

Kit Sora Mystery Challenge! |Flash Fiction/Photography Contest |Engen Books | Kit Sora Photography!

First of all, thank you everyone for making the Kit Sora Flash Fiction/ Photography Contest one of the most prolific and popular in Atlantic Canada: we’re so excited and couldn’t e more grateful! Last month’s entry, Unicorn, marked the last entry for our current program: but fear not! The adventure continues, and to show our thanks we’re doing some exclusive fan-appreciation entries this September!

On September 1, 2018 an image and contest rules will be sent ONLY to followers of the Fantasy Files Newsletter! Click to join the Fantasy Files newsletter if you haven’t already! Only those subscribed will be eligible to win this month’s contest and see the image they’ll be penning the story for!

On September 30, an image and contest rules will be uploaded to the Engen Books Patreon! Only Patrons (of any amount, even $1!) will be eligible to participate!

Thanks to all those who have submitted to us for the last few months! We’ll be back to normal next month with a whole new selection of images from the amazingly talented Kit Sora, and updates as to what’s happening with the entries we have so far are coming soon.

Winner: “One Up, One Down” by Sara Burke | Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest

[image error]After much deliberation, Engen Books is proud to announce the winner of the August 15 2018 Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest: Sara Burke with her story, One Up, One Down!

Burke is a new author to the St. John’s writing scene. As of this month she is the first person to win the Kit Sora Flash Fiction contest twice.

There were two judges for this month of the contest:

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 Razed by Jon Dobbin and At the Threshold by Lisa Daly.

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.

Click here to see the next Kit Sora Photo Contest!

Zombies on the Rock: Outbreak becomes #1 Bestseller on Amazon!

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Outbreak, the inaugural novel in Paul Carberry’s post-apocalypse thriller series Zombies on the Rock, hit #1 on the Amazon.ca in the ‘Zombies’ category. The novel hit Bestseller status at 3:55PM Newfoundland Standard time on August 18, 2018, peaking at #599 on the overall Amazon.ca charts.

Carberry has enjoyed steady success with his Newfoundland-based Zombie series since bringing it to Engen Books in December of 2017, including a high volume of sales in the United States and abroad. The sequel, Viking Trail, currently sits at #16 on the Zombie Bestsellers list. Carberry is currently hard at work on a third entry in the series, which is set to be published in 2019.

When asked for comment about the accomplishment, Carberry said: “I never thought I’d be able to say I’m the most popular zombie author in all of Canada but thanks to all of my awesome fans we did it. We devoured the competition and shambled our way to the top.”

Paul Carberry works for the Canadian Armed Forces and is a proud member the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. He is a huge proponent of the horror genre and its place in literature. He has two children, daughter Dana and son Rick, with his wife Leah.

Paul has published two novels with Engen Books: Zombies on the Rock: Outbreak, and its sequel Zombies on the Rock: The Viking Trail. He has also had numerous short stories featured in publication, including The Light of Cabot Tower, Into the Forest, and Halloween Mummers.

He resides in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

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

Conversations with an Unfinished Story | House Blog

Story:  Hey, you! What’s up?

Me:  Oh, hi, Story. How’ve you been? It’s been a while.

Story:  Yeah, I know. So… I’ve noticed that you don’t really have any projects lined up for the next little while…

Me:  Well, I’ve got that flight story percolating in my mind, and a possible dystopian story’s been rattling around…

Story:  Yeah, but those deadlines aren’t for months.

Me:   That’s true.

Story:   You know what you should do? You should use this time productively. Maybe you should consider doing something with one of your story ideas that you never finished.

Me:  Hmm… That makes sense. I’ve got quite the backlog of unfinished stories.

Story:  I know.

Me:  I mean, there’s the ghost story set in Halifax that I finally picked a time period for, and then I’ve just had this new story idea about a missing princess and an assassin and it all takes place in an alternate–

Story:  You know, I was also set in Halifax.

Me:  Oh yeah, you were.

Story:   And I was also about assassins.

Me:  Oh yeah…

Story:  *Stares at me*

Me:  *Not getting it*

Story:   Remember the scene in the coffee shop… With the painting and the croissants… That was fun to write, right?

Me:  Oh yeah. That was fun. And the scene in the apartment…. Yeah, you were a fun story idea.

Story:  I know. And you thought of me years before any of those other stories even crossed your mind, so I assume you’ve had plenty of time to work on an outline.

Me:  Oh, yeah… *Awkward pause* I should probably finish you, shouldn’t I?

Story:  That’d be really nice of you. I mean, as fun as it’s been to sit on the shelf for the past 5 years, I’d love to at least make it to Draft 1 before you start to lose all your marbles.

Me:  Touche.

Story:  *Stares at me again*

Me:   I mean… Yeah. I’ll get on that. Right away!

Story:  Thank you.

*Pause*

Me:   …But, like, it’s okay if I work on the other stories as well, right?

Story:  *Throws up their hands in exasperation and walks away muttering*

Flash Fiction/Photography Contest | Deadline August 18! |Engen Books | Kit Sora Photography!

[image error]Engen Books is proud to team with the imaginative and creative people of Kit Sora Photography to bring you the “Flash Fiction Photography Contest”!

Every month we’re going to upload one of the photos from the amazingly talented Kit Sora, a local Newfoundland artist known for her stunning work with props, lighting, and imaginative designs. Kit uses her art in a variety of fantastical settings, so we’re tasking the authors and creative minds of the Atlantic Provinces to write short fiction based on the subjects!

The catch: these entries must be short: a maximum of 250 words! (Except this month, we’re giving everyone up to 400 words!) Thus we have the Flash Fiction/ Flash Photography Prize from Engen Books and Kit Sora Photography. Every month Engen and Sora will select a winner from eligible entrants.

Winners will be crowned the prize-winner for that month and be allowed to use the title of “Prize/Award Winner — X Month” on their writing CV / resumé! Winners will be paid at a rate of 10 cents a word for their fiction and may be featured in an upcoming collection of Sora’s photography!

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.

In order to be eligible, entrants must be currently residing in Canada and the work must not have been previously published. No more than five entries per photo, per author. Entrant must share the contest post on facebook / social media / twitter.

“Frigid” by Catherine Rector | Short Story Winner

It wasn’t supposed to end this way.

I threw my fist against the ice again, willing it to crack underneath my bloodied knuckles. How could anything be so thick? She was right there. I had to reach her. Then I could save her. I could tell her.

But the ice didn’t budge.

I screamed, falling to my elbows above her. She hadn’t moved in so long. Her lips were nearly violet. Her eyes, which had always been alight with life, were nothing but barren mirrors, reflecting my grief back at me.

I’d been a damned fool. I’d given her a trail of picked pockets to follow, daring her to come stop my petty crimes. She never could resist the lure. She’d chased me through the winter market, out onto the ice. I hadn’t known it was weak. The ice had given out from under her, and the river had pulled her down.

I pressed my hands against the ice, spreading my fingers out to match hers. Years of memories ran through my mind; her snide remarks, the lilt in her laugh, the battles I’d happily lost to her. She knew it, I think, that I’d pulled my punches. She’d reached for me as she fell into the frigid river, as if she trusted me to catch her. I’d tried to.

I’d never wanted this. Without her, there was no reason left to run. No reason left to be. Under my breath, I begged the ice to take me too.

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.

Words © 2018 Catherine Rector. Image © 2018 Kit Sora.

Winner: “Frigid” by Catherine Rector | Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest

After much deliberation, Engen Books is proud to announce the winner of the July 15 2018 Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest: Catherine Rector with her story, Frigid!

Catherine Rector was born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and grew up in rural Nova Scotia. Currently residing in her nerd cave in Belgium, she spends most of her time on single player adventures like reading, gaming and writing.

There were two judges for this month of the contest:

Ellen Curtis was born and raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Her aptitude for the written word began at a young age, when she began filling paper with stories and other scribbles. Those scribbles eventually began to make more sense, and in 2008 she published her first collection of short stories. Since then, she has gone on to co-author the Infinity series with Matthew LeDrew, among her other literary endeavors.

[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 Waited by Cristina Ozon and Slumber by Marianne King.

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.

Click here to see the next Kit Sora Photo Contest!

Hail, Paimon! Perspective in Hereditary

One of my favourite podcasts at the moment is Show me the Meaning, which does deep dives into the themes of popular movies. (It was a big influence for my podcast Deconstruction Junction.) Even when I disagree with them, I still find lots to think about. Recently they were discussing Hereditary, a pretty awesome but polarizing horror movie. They mostly took issue with a pivotal moment in the film where the plot shifts from psychological horror to supernatural. I want to zero in on this moment because it reveals a lot about perspective and how the viewer treats the camera as an “objective” point of view.

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(Before I continue I’m gonna make a spoiler alert here. If you haven’t seen Hereditary then I strongly suggest watching it before reading this because I’m gonna be discussing some plot details, especially w/r/t the climax and conclusion. You’ve been warned!)

For those of you who’ve seen Hereditary, the moment I’m talking about is when Annie (Toni Colette) is banging on Joan’s apartment door. The camera pulls back to reveal a plethora of occult materials, basically confirming that something supernatural is going on. Up to this point the film has been ambiguous as to whether this is has all been a figment of Annie’s manic breakdown. The Show me the Meaning crowd took issue with this reveal because they enjoyed that ambiguity. I loved that Hereditary went all in with the occult, and not just because I love supernatural horror, but because it felt like the movie disrupted that sense of an objective POV. There is no space between the characters and the viewer; you are now directly experiencing Annie’s breakdown.

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Hereditary begins by pulling into focus of a dollhouse. The perspective settles on a particular room and, without breaking, the characters begin moving. The camera never pulls out again, as if to say from here on out we’re inside this diorama. The film continues to build on this motif, with Annie, the protagonist, working on similar dioramas as part of an art exhibit. Thus from the very beginning, the film is disrupting the “objective” POV of the camera and telling the viewer that we are are essentially inside Annie’s perspective.

This is crucial because Hereditary‘s thematic core is mental illness and the impact it has on families. Moreover, it asks to what extent we inherit these issues, be it by nature or by nurture. We learn that Annie’s family, by way of her mother, has had its share with mental illness. The revelation that Annie’s mother was the head of a cult worshipping Paimon that was using her children as a form of offering is an objective correlative for Annie’s breakdown.

Disrupting the camera’s objective POV is therefore important because it puts the viewer inside the character’s experience. We don’t just see Annie’s breakdown, we feel it.

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The scene in Joan’s apartment reminds me of the scene in The Shining where Jack is stuck inside the freezer and the door opens for him. Until that point, the viewer was unsure whether the hotel was actually haunted or whether the characters were just going crazy. From then on out the movie descends into madness. What I love about The Shining is the subtle ways Kubrick plays with the camera’s POV and the deteriorating mental state of the characters. Throughout the film, the camera moves in illogical ways, not enough to directly grab our attention but enough so that we feel a intangible tension, which ultimately explodes in the third act. People didn’t call Kubrick a genius for nothing.

Thematically, as well, I would say Hereditary and The Shining and similar insofar as they use the supernatural as objective correlatives for mental illness in families. Much as I describe with Hereditary above, The Shining, puts the viewer within the perspective of a family that is terrorized by an abusive, manic father. Using the haunted Overlook Hotel as a setting is the means by which Kubrick (and Stephen King) shows us how it feels to be in that situation.

And that’s why  it’s important to push beyond that initial experience of ambiguity and firmly into the supernatural. It erases that us/them binary between viewer and character. Every great work of art should aim to show, not tell. We should feel what it’s like to be experiencing what the characters are. Their horror must be our horror.

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Cheers,

-b

The Weird Habits of Writers | House Blog

And here we see the elusive ‘Writer’ in its natural habitat… Be careful – we don’t want to scare it off…

 

Speaking for myself, I tend to do some weird things when I write. Usually I do this in the safety of my own home, where other people can’t witness these oddities, but sometimes the weird cannot be contained and spills out into the rest of the world…

 

As we can see, sometimes the writer’s face will suddenly contort into strange expressions, as if warning unseen enemies not to get too close…

When I’m writing a scene between two people, I’ll often find myself trapped in dialogue, so I’ll toss in some descriptions to break it up a little. If I want to describe how someone’s face looks, it’s easiest for me to make the face I want and go from there. If a character’s conflicted, I’ll pretend I feel that way and then I’ll notice how my eyebrows come together and the left corner of my mouth tightens. If you ever see me making weird faces for no reason, it’s probably because I’m working on a story.

 

If we get a little closer we can hear the writer talking to itself, repeating words over and over, as if invoking an ancient spirit…

I like my dialogue to sound natural (well, as natural as something entirely scripted can sound), so I’ll say the lines to myself – sometimes acting out entire scenes. If a line’s not working, I’ll try saying it a few times to figure out what’s not working. Do I need to find a better word? Rearrange the sentence order? Start from scratch…? What sounds better?

 

Sometimes, the writer will sit still for hours, not moving in the slightest. We suspect that this is some kind of strange meditation, and yet they do not seem very relaxed…

Yeah, I’ve been there. Staring at the screen or page in front of me, willing words to suddenly appear – afraid that if you move you might scare the words away. I’ve found this to be one of the worst ways for me to get over writer’s block, and yet I cannot stop doing it. I did it at least 5 times while I was writing this blog post…

 

Here we see the strange, awkward dance of the writer. Although there are no other people around, notice as they move about in strange ways, dancing to music that only they can hear…

Confession time: I like to act out fight scenes. It gives me a better idea of what’s going on and how the characters are moving, plus I get a better idea of tension and momentum and pacing. Also, it’s really fun to act out fight scenes.

 

I’m sure there are many other odd habits I’ve failed to mention, but I’ve got to go stare at my computer screen for a few hours and will some words to appear.

Do you have any strange writing habits you’d like to share? Any habits here seem familiar to you?

And remember, if someone sees you doing something strange and confusion clouds their eyes, just say “I’m a writer” and that should be explanation enough.

Flash Fiction/Photography Contest | Deadline August 15! |Engen Books | Kit Sora Photography!

[image error]Engen Books is proud to team with the imaginative and creative people of Kit Sora Photography to bring you the “Flash Fiction Photography Contest”!

Every month we’re going to upload one of the photos from the amazingly talented Kit Sora, a local Newfoundland artist known for her stunning work with props, lighting, and imaginative designs. Kit uses her art in a variety of fantastical settings, so we’re tasking the authors and creative minds of the Atlantic Provinces to write short fiction based on the subjects!

The catch: these entries must be short: a maximum of 250 words! Thus we have the Flash Fiction/ Flash Photography Prize from Engen Books and Kit Sora Photography. Every month Engen and Sora will select a winner from eligible entrants.

Winners will be crowned the prize-winner for that month and be allowed to use the title of “Prize/Award Winner — X Month” on their writing CV / resumé! Winners will be paid at a rate of 10 cents a word for their fiction and may be featured in an upcoming collection of Sora’s photography!

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.

In order to be eligible, entrants must be currently residing in Canada and the work must not have been previously published. No more than five entries per photo, per author. Entrant must share the contest post on facebook / social media / twitter.