Matthew Ledrew's Blog, page 30
March 14, 2018
Flash Fiction/Photography Contest | Deadline April 14! |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!
In order to be eligible, entrants must be Canadian citizens 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. 
March 10, 2018
Supernatural Causes: The Complete First Season | Amanda Labonté
College freshmen Liesel Andrews spends her days studying pre-med and her nights stitching up werewolf bites. As a human who has the rare capacity to see the vampires, werewolves and witches who live in the shadows, Liesel pays her tuition by moonlighting as a medical intern at St. Benedict’s Hospital for the Underworld.
Supernatural Causes: The Complete First Season
Amanda Labonté
[image error]
Purchase (eBook):
Episode One: Going Viral
Episode Two: Critical Condition
Episode Three: System Failure
Episode Four: Code Blue
Purchase (Physical):
Amazon (USA)
Title Information:
ISBN:
978-1926903729
Release Date:
January 15, 2018
Status:
Available
Book Type:
Paperback (5 x 8 in)
Cover Price:
Buy Local: $20 / EBook
Page Count:
362
Related Titles
[image error]
[image error]
[image error]
Reviews
“I appreciated the new mythology for the vampires. Good storyline that makes the reader want another installment.”
Barnes & Noble Customer Review
“Labonté adds to the pre-existing mythology of vampires, giving it some new blood (pun intended), and adding a level of curiosity to the virus (just… how?). As the first installment, Going Viral sets up the world and introduces key characters, giving you enough information to understand what’s going on, while leaving enough unanswered questions to keep you curious.”
Ali House, author of The Six Elemental
“[Supernatural Causes] kept me coming back to read more. Another must-have with serialized fiction is to end on a high note. This was the home run for “Supernatural Causes.” Labonté’s scene reveals an understanding of what serials require for continued readership and success.”
AJ Ryan, author of Kinetic.
March 7, 2018
Revolutionary new publishing idea… or Ooops, misprint apology :/
[image error]It’s hard to get people to read two things: the closing credits of movies, and the acknowledgements of a paperback book. Ten years ago Marvel Studios had the brilliant idea of post-credits scenes and since then people stay to the very last minute of genre film credits now… so we thought, “How can we make people read the acknowledgements of a paperback novel?” The Engen Staff came up with a genius solution: insert them directly into the meat of the text. Put it mid-sentence, heck even mid-WORD and people will have to read it. Clearly, this will become a trend that takes the publishing world by storm. The revolutionary idea will first appear in Supernatural Causes: The Complete First Season print edition.
Either that or it’s an annoying gaff we only just caught, a few weeks before we go to our biggest convention of the calendar year. [image error]
“It’s an error, and it’s definitely mine,” said Engen Books founder Matthew LeDrew. “All our books go through me one last time before they’re sent to the printers. I clearly managed to copy/ paste something in an inopportune spot and didn’t get caught. Nobody to blame but me.”
The error occurs on page 72, in the first paragraph of Chapter Nine. In the middle of the word “strode.”
“The mistake has already been corrected at the printers, so anyone who wants to order the collection online through retailers like Amazon don’t need to worry,” assured LeDrew. Only the twenty-or-so copies that will be on-sale at Sci-fi on the Rock 2018 will be affected.
The affected copies will have a note attached apologizing for the misprint, as well as some extra Supernatural Causes goodies for anyone who picks up that misprint edition, and a percentage off the cover price. Those who get the misprint will be lucky to know they got one of the first twenty copies in existence!
February 22, 2018
Titles by Kit Sora
Kit Sora’s work has appeared in 1 works published through Engen Books and its partners, including cover art and photography books.
Cover Art
[image error]Chillers from the Rock by Erin Vance & Ellen Curtis
Series: From the Rock, 2018
The Pitch: Twenty-five short stories written by a diverse mix of some of the best suspense and horror authors in Atlantic Canada, including both award-winners, veterans of their craft, and brand new talent.
Edited by Erin Vance and accomplished genre author Ellen Curtis, this collection features the thrilling, creatively charged, astonishing fiction that showcases the talent, imagination, and prestige that Atlantic Canada has to offer.
Featuring the work of Paul Carberry (Zombies on the Rock), Kelley Power (Winner of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts and Letters competition), Matthew LeDrew (Coral Beach Casefiles, Infinity, Xander Drew), Ali House (The Six-Elemental), an introduction by Dale Gilbert Jarvis, & much more!
Kit Sora
[image error]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.
Her first published book of photography from Engen Books is expected for a late 2018/ early 2019 release.
Those looking to purchase prints of her work can do so here.
[image error]
Christopher Walsh
[image error]Christopher Walsh is an author from Brigus South, Newfoundland. His fantasy series Gold & Steel, began it the epic As Fierce as Steel, released in early 2016, and has since continued in various short form anthologies. The sequel, The Worth of Gold, will be available soon.
When not writing, Chris works as an apprentice carpenter and enjoys reading a variety of material with particular interest in other fantasy works. He’s also an avid video gamer and hiker.
Chris is an active member of the writing community in the Atlantic Provinces, and currently serves as a member of the WANL (Writers Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador) board.
February 21, 2018
Titles by Christopher Walsh
Christopher Walsh is the author of 3 works published through Engen Books and its partners, including novels and short-form stories.
Author – Sole Contributor
[image error]As Fierce as Steel by Christopher Walsh
Series: Gold and Steel, #1
The Pitch: After a heated fight at sea between twins Ben and Alex, Ben vanishes from their boat without a sound or even a ripple in the water. Unwavering in his dedication to find his brother, Alex begins the adventure of a lifetime armed only with the help of a local girl named Meg and his own mysterious musical abilities… the key to which, and to the mysteries that surround him, may be tied to the alluring song of the dangerous girl he finds among the ocean’s frothing waves.
Short Fiction
[image error]Fantasy from the Rock by Erin Vance & Ellen Curtis
Series: From the Rock, 2017
The Pitch: Twenty-One short stories written by an eclectic mix of some of the best fantasy authors in Atlantic Canada, some of them award-winning veterans of their field and some of them new to the craft! Edited by Erin Vance and veteran science-fiction author Ellen Louise Curtis, this collection features the heartfelt, creatively charged, astonishing fiction that showcases the talent and charm Atlantic Canada has to offer. Featuring the work of Nick Morine, Christopher Walsh, Shannon Green, Heather Reilly, Ali House, Amanda Labonté, Paul Carberry & many more!
[image error]
Sci-Fi from the Rock by Erin Vance & Ellen Curtis
Series: From the Rock, 2016
The Pitch: Twenty-One short stories written by an eclectic mix of some of the best fantasy authors in Atlantic Canada, some of them award-winning veterans of their field and some of them new to the craft! Edited by Erin Vance and veteran science-fiction author Ellen Louise Curtis, this collection features the heartfelt, creatively charged, astonishing fiction that showcases the talent and charm Atlantic Canada has to offer. Featuring the work of Nick Morine, Christopher Walsh, Shannon Green, Heather Reilly, Ali House, Amanda Labonté, Paul Carberry & many more!
February 18, 2018
Write Place, Wrong Time
I did a dumb thing. In the grand scheme of things it’s not that big of a deal, but I’m still sighing about it.
One of my resolutions* for this year was to get more rejection letters. I say this, because even though I’d much rather get acceptance letters, I tend to prepare myself for the worst. If I try and get accepted then Yay me! If I try and get rejected, then I’m succeeding at my resolution! Yay me!
I don’t care if the glass is half-full or half-empty, but I’d like to know if the liquid inside is poison.
I’m doing pretty good so far, with 1 story and 1 play having been sent out. My progress has been slowed by a massive project at work that has taken up most of my time (and sanity), as well as trying to get work done on the “Opus”**.
There would have been a second story sent out, but I did a dumb thing. My work-addled brain misread the website and didn’t realize that I’d have to check a different website every few days to see if the submission deadline had gone up (it was only open until it wasn’t).
By the time I was ready to submit, submissions had been closed for a week. *headdesk*
Not only did I miss an opportunity to get a rejection letter, but now I’ve got a story on my hands that only fits a specific criteria. However, I’m trying to look on the bright side:
I finished a story – beginning, middle, end, all of it!
I didn’t rush my work and I think it turned out pretty good
Should that kind of prompt turn up again, I have something!
The story could be modified if a similar prompt comes up
I FINISHED A STORY!
You should never consider any kind of writing a waste of your time. How does a person get good at anything (especially getting to Carnegie Hall***)? Practice. And, ho-boy, do I need a lot of practice finishing stories.
Write things. Finish things. Also, Edit things. Even if you have nowhere for them to go, just do it. Maybe one day a magazine will be looking for submissions and you’ll realize that something you wrote last year is a perfect fit.
Better too many stories than too few, amiright?
_______________
*I think resolutions are stupid. Why do we wait for one specific day to make them? Why not make them whenever we want?
**A.K.A. “The Fifth Queen”. In fact, that’s what I’ll be working on as soon as this post is written.
***Waka, waka!
February 14, 2018
Flash Fiction/Photography Contest | Deadline March 14! |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!
In order to be eligible, entrants must be Canadian citizens and the work must not have been previously published.
Send entries to: submissions@engenbooks.com with the subject: Kit Sora March! Deadline is March 14 2018!
This month’s entry in the ‘patient mermaid’ photo seen in the banner atop this page. Happy writing!
Image copyright 2018 Kit Sora Photography, used with permission. Logo and distinctive ‘oval spike’ design copyright 2007 Engen Books.
February 11, 2018
Cover Tease: Chillers from the Rock!
Engen Books is proud to announce that the Newfoundland artist working with us this year for our From the Rock cover in none other than Kit Sora of Kit Sora Photography!
The cover this year is a practical shot, taken in the eerie overhanging forests that surround St. Johns. A team comprised of Kit Sora, Drew Power, Matthew LeDrew, and Ellen Curtis made it out to a particularly creepy passage of the woods in late January armed with smoke bombs and blood that Kit swears was fake.
“Fog is such a natural part of like in Newfoundland that works so well with the Chillers theme, it seemed silly not to incorporate it,” said LeDrew.
Power braved the minus-degree temperatures (and got much of the fake blood frozen to him) in order to achieve the shot.
Chillers from the Rock launches March 28 and includes the work of Dale Jarvis, Kelley Power, Teresita E. Dziadura, Paul Carberry, Anastacia Hopkins, Jon Dobbin, Bronwynn Erskine, Peter Foote, Chelsea Bee, Sam Bauer, Ali House, Shannon Green, Michelle Churchill, Jeff Slade, Chantal Boudreau, Matthew Daniels, Maggie Carroll, Lynn Reicker, Eryn Heidel & Matthew LeDrew! Stay tuned for more details!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
