Matthew Ledrew's Blog, page 42
June 14, 2017
Engen Books sponsoring the International Small Island Cultures Conference June 15 – 19 2017!
Engen Books is a proud sponsor of the 2017 International Small Island Cultures Conference happening all this week at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Nearly 60 presenters will be attending from Newfoundland and Labrador, elsewhere in Canada, Australia, Cayman Islands, France, Hong Kong, Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States. The topics are just as varied, and will include presentations on island identity, narratives, music, legends, mythology, literature, migration, gender, fisheries, tourism, creative industries, geography, health and wellness.
Throughout the weekend the event will be open to the public and Engen Books authors Matthew LeDrew, Ellen Curtis, Amanda Labonté and editor Erin Vance will be present to sell books and talk about opportunities for your authors, editors, and smart creatives in the province. Come join us from 8am-5pm June 17, 18, and 19th!
[image error]
Thank you for having us, @harriscentre! 
June 10, 2017
June 9, 2017
Book Review “Supernatural Causes, Episode One: Going Viral”
Great review of “Supernatural Causes” episode one by ‘Kinetic’ author AJ Ryan!
Supernatural Causes, Episode One: Going Viral
Published and distributed by Engen Books, St. John’s, NL.
Digital Release: April 2017
Copyright 2017 Amanda Labonté
In the serial novel “Supernatural Causes, Episode One: Going Viral,” author Amanda Labonté welcomes readers to New Port, ground zero for the war on drugs. Actually, that doesn’t matter as much as Liesel Andrews would have her friends and family believe. No, this is the landing place of vampires, witches, and werewolves after they fled from Europe long ago. Liesel is a pre-med student who discovers that she may also be living in ground zero for a new Superbug, one that affects the supernatural residents who have always been immune to common illness.
While I am not the most avid vampire/werewolf fantasy reader, I found myself impressed with Labonté’s take on these creatures of the night. First of all, allow me to also preface this review by…
View original post 1,301 more words
June 7, 2017
Jacobi Street cover revealed!
[image error]On May 31 we let it slip that we would be releasing a novel on August 25 at Avalon Expo 3, and now there’s finally a cover image to go along with the newest novel from Matthew LeDrew, Jacobi Street.
LeDrew returns to his horror roots with this supernatural thriller stand-alone novel that sheds light on the most dangerous and disturbing corners of the Engen Universe, one only lightly touched on until now in works such as Inner Child, At Midnight The Dawn, and Scarlett.
The novel will be the last to take place during ‘Black September,’ the loose collection of events that span Black Womb, Infinity, Transformations in Pain and the short story Revving Engen.
“I’ve been tinkering with this novel for a few years now,” said LeDrew, on his first work to come out as part of Engen’s tenth anniversary. “I got inspired while participating in a creative writing seminar, which are great hubs for idea generation. The idea for it bounced around for a while until I realized it might come out in time for the tenth anniversary, which was the extra meme I needed to push it forward. It would be a callback to what got us started — what put us on the map for our readers — a short, suspenseful horror with lots of twists, turns, and lovable characters.”
“If you’ve been a fan of my work since the beginning and lament my attempts at being ‘mature’ in Cinders and Sinister Intent, this book should bring a smile to your face.”
Jacobi Street will launch in print and digital editions August 25, 2017 as a part of Avalon Expo 3, alongside special guests Colin Baker (Doctor Who) and Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy).
June 6, 2017
Engen Preps to rock Central Pop Con!
Special Panel for Aspiring Authors 2PM Saturday!
Brought to you by Engen Books, Reilly Books, and Central Pop Con!
Meet authors Amanda Labonté (Call of the Sea, Supernatural Causes) Ellen Curtis (Infinity, From the Rock) and Heather Reilly (Binding of the Almatraek) June 11-12 at Central Pop Con!
Meet the authors, check out their newest titles, and get books signed!
June 4, 2017
Rejected Covers | Ignorance is Bliss
[image error]I thought it might be fun to shed some light on the creative process here at Engen Books by showing the things that didn’t make it to the production floor. It’s a truism that you can learn as much about people by what they don’t say as what they do, and I don’t think we’re any exception.
Ignorance is Bliss was the first Engen title to receive international distribution. The seven titles published before it were only available directly through us, back in the early days of small-press publishing when acquiring a distributor was difficult. As such, the cover was a turning point for the Black Womb series: we could stay with the black & white ‘horizontal window’ look we’d been using all along because of the limitations of our first printer, or we could shift to a new design.
Those who know we I’m slow to change on such matters, so it should surprise no one that my initial impulse was to stay the course. Thus was born the cover above: which remained black & white despite our new printer being capable of color, and retained the design scheme of the first five Black Womb novels, albeit with a slightly bigger size.
There was resistance in the office. A ton of it. The art was based on the character of Mike Harris and — much like the first Black Womb cover — there were some that didn’t immediately understand that it was a close-up of his eyes. There was always something abstract enough about the early covers that some people would see other things in them. Many people thought this image was of a cliff face (I still don’t see it). And because the new printer could handle higher-quality graphics we upped the quality of the ‘blood spatter’ that had adorned all the covers, but in black & white many people mistook it for beer foam.
We eventually uploaded it onto Facebook and gauged reaction to it to decide if we would change it or not. The reaction was overwhelmingly negative, so we changed the cover and the entire look of the covers for the series, eventually going back and re-printing the original five in the new format.
But there are still some die-hards that lament the change from the black & white ‘pocket paperbacks,’ and some days I’m one of them
June 2, 2017
Q & A with Call of the Sea author, Amanda Labonté
Canadian superstar Paul Butler interview Amanda Labonté!
The discipline of writing fantasy and supernatural fiction has always fascinated me. An author in these genres has to convince a reader of events, characters, and situations that the reader knows cannot be real.
This seems like an extraordinary challenge. It’s far from straightforward to convince a reader to believe in events that can and do occur, let alone those that don’t. Adding known impossibilities to the burden of literary proof takes a great deal of guts and imagination. I admire the ambition, the focus, and the steadfastness of writers who work in the fantasy genre.
One particularly fine example is Amanda Labonté, whose recent novel, Call of the Sea, was published by Engen Books.
When I first read Amanda’s fiction, I was struck by how well she had interwoven timeless-seeming folklore and legend into thoroughly modern settings. Her protagonist is Alex who comes under suspicion when his…
View original post 1,149 more words
May 31, 2017
Engen 10th Anniversary Announcements | Late 2017 Releases!
[image error]
As we’re about to head into June, we feel it’s time we announced the second half of our amazing 10th anniversary plans! We have some more incredible title to announce, as well as appearances at some of our country’s greatest conventions and some special events of our own as well!
New Titles
Supernatural Causes: Critical Condition by Amanda Labonté. The second novella in the ongoing adventures of College freshmen Liesel Andrews as she interns at St. Benedict’s Hospital for the Underworld. Releasing June 15!
Jacobi Street by Matthew LeDrew. LeDrew returns to his horror roots with this supernatural thriller stand-alone novel that sheds light on the most dangerous and disturbing corners of the Engen Universe, and is the last novel to take place during ‘Black September,’ the loose collection of events that span Black Womb, Infinity, and Transformations in Pain. See LeDrew’s twisted take on some of horror’s most sacred icons. Releasing August 25, 2017 as a part of Avalon Expo!
Supernatural Causes Episode 3 releasing August 2017!
Zombies on the Rock: The Viking Trail by Paul Carberry. Carberry returns to his violent and gore-filled world where the evil Pharmakon corporation have let a plague of zombies loose upon the world, and we see this through the eyes of normal rural Newfoundlanders just trying to survive. The ultimate clash of culture and pop-culture! Releasing December 2017!
Faith by Matthew LeDrew. We couldn’t round out our tenth year without returning to the character that started it all. In the third book in the Xander Drew series, Xander sees the return of some of his oldest and most feared enemies and the demons of his past come back to haunt him in Los Angeles… and for those waiting for all-out Womb action over the last two books, you’ll get it! Releasing December 2017!
Events
Central Pop Con: June 11-12 2017. Includes appearances by Ellen Curtis (Infinity, From the Rock), Amanda Labonté (Call of the Sea, Supernatural Causes), & Heather Reilly (Fantasy from the Rock)! In the area? Join the facebook group for a special panel!
International Small Island Culture Conference: June 15-19, 2017! Nearly 60 presenters will be attending from Newfoundland and Labrador, elsewhere in Canada, Australia, Cayman Islands, France, Hong Kong, Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States. The topics are just as varied, and will include presentations on island identity, narratives, music, legends, mythology, literature, migration, gender, fisheries, tourism, creative industries, geography, health and wellness! Engen Books has been invited to take part in this event to celebrate the changing landscape of Newfoundland Culture!
NGX: July 21-23 2017. Includes appearances by Matthew LeDrew, Ellen Curtis, Amanda Labonté, Matthew Daniels, Melanie Collins, Scott Bartlett, Christopher Walsh & Heather Reilly!
Atlanticon: September 15-17 2017: Includes appearances by Paul Carberry (Zombies on the Rock), Matthew LeDrew, Nicholas Morine (Fantasy from the Rock, Kowloon Walled City), Sarah Thompson (light|dark), Heather Reilly, and Scott Bartlett! One day only appearance by Amanda Labonté!
September 20, 2017: Novel Writing Foundations: Starting Right to Make sure you Cross the Finish Line, presented by T.H.E., a 6-week adult learning course aimed at making sure authors writing for both pleasure or publication start off with the right tools to ensure their work reaches fruition. This course will feature a mix of short instruction and group feedback on your work led by Matthew LeDrew, the author of 17 novels and partner at prominent local fiction publisher Engen Books.
May 30, 2017
Panel for Aspiring Authors! |Writing Fantasy and Paranormal Fiction
We need Genre Authors from Central Newfoundland! Learn how to represent your region with your amazing ideas!
Special Panel for Aspiring Authors 2PM Saturday!
Brought to you by Engen Books, Reilly Books, and Central Pop Con!
Meet authors Amanda Labonté (Call of the Sea, Supernatural Causes) Ellen Curtis (Infinity, From the Rock) and Heather Reilly (Binding of the Almatraek) June 11-12 at Central Pop Con!
Meet the authors, check out their newest titles, and get books signed!
Sign up for the Facebook event here!
May 25, 2017
Just read “In Defense of Our Home” by Christopher Walsh… now what? | Fantasy from the Rock
[image error]
If you’re one of the many people who picked up Fantasy from the Rock last month, you may have made your way through a few of the amazing and engaging stories within by now, including In Defense of Our Home and The City that Hid from Time Itself. If so, you’ve been introduced to the world of political intrigue and fantasy that is the Gold and Steel Saga by Christopher Walsh, and you’re likely wanting more of the world of Illiastra… so what’s next in the series?
Thankfully we have Christopher Walsh on speed-dial, so he can clarify the timeline of the ever-expanding Gold and Steel series anytime we want!
Dates are presented in the Triarchy system that most of Illiastra goes by. Triarchy is a 2000 year calendar that states after the two thousand years, the three gods will destroy the world in all-out warfare. This system is represented as [date] I.R.
1814-1815 I.R. – The Worth of Gold (forthcoming)
1814 I.R. – As Fierce as Steel
As Fierce as Steel is the inaugural entry into the world of Gold & Steel, a new fantasy series from Canadian author, Christopher Walsh. It is centered around the lives of two women, those of the Lady Orangecloak and Lady Marigold Tullivan. One is the leader of a brave group of young men and women in open rebellion of their government. The other was born into that patriarchal world and destined for greatness, as a trophy wife, a fate she will do anything to alter.
1814 I.R. – Stealing Back Freedom
The Pitch: Nineteen short stories written by an eclectic mix of some of the best science-fiction and fantasy authors in Atlantic Canada, some of them award-winning veterans and some of them new to the craft for the first time. 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 Kenneth Tam, Scott Bartlett, Jay Paulin, Alison House, & many more!
1462 I.R. – The City That Hid From Time Itself (Fantasy from the Rock)
950 I.R. – In Defence of Our Home (Fantasy from the Rock)
