Matthew Ledrew's Blog, page 52

Alicia Niemann announced as Fantasy from the Rock author!

Engen Books is proud to introduce our third author for 2017’s Fantasy from the Rock, Alicia Niemann!

Born in Victoria, BC, Alicia Niemann spent the majority of her twenties wandering Atlantic Canada, from Caraquet to Cape Breton. She studies representations of language and multilingualism in fairy tales and other fiction and, after much longer than was really necessary, graduated from Dalhousie University with an honours in European Studies, before going on to complete her masters in World Literature at the University of Ottawa last year. She has published academic work in Dalhousie’s European Studies journal The Lyre and the University of Ottawa’s journal of world literature, Confetti. Currently she works as a language teacher in Argentina.

Niemann brings her short story Snow White and Rose Red to the Fantasy from the Rock collection, which will be launching at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Center, April 27 2017 6 – 8PM, leading into Sci-Fi on the Rock 11 starting the next day!

Alicia Niemann as Fantasy from the Rock author!

Engen Books is proud to introduce our third author for 2017’s Fantasy from the Rock, Alicia Niemann!

Born in Victoria, BC, Alicia Niemann spent the majority of her twenties wandering Atlantic Canada, from Caraquet to Cape Breton. She studies representations of language and multilingualism in fairy tales and other fiction and, after much longer than was really necessary, graduated from Dalhousie University with an honours in European Studies, before going on to complete her masters in World Literature at the University of Ottawa last year. She has published academic work in Dalhousie’s European Studies journal The Lyre and the University of Ottawa’s journal of world literature, Confetti. Currently she works as a language teacher in Argentina.

Niemann brings her short story Snow White and Rose Red to the Fantasy from the Rock collection, which will be launching at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Center, April 27 2017 6 – 8PM, leading into Sci-Fi on the Rock 11 starting the next day!

David Reynolds revealed as Fantasy from the Rock author!

[image error][image error]David Reynolds, author of Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture’s Modern Myths, Fawning, Fear and Frustration: A Collection of Teenage Poetry from the ’90s, and the seventh Cuffer Anthology collection, has been announced as the second author to be featured in the 2017 collection Fantasy from the Rock.

David Reynolds grew up in Harbour Grace, NL.  He later studied at Memorial University, where he completed his BA in Philosophy and English Language and Literature in 2006 in addition to completing his MPhil in Humanities in 2008. His graduate research focused on the cultural significance of superhero narratives and culminated in his dissertation Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture’s Modern Myths. Besides teaching English at Memorial University, he is a writer and an independent publisher who founded the Newfoundland-based publishing company Problematic Press.

He brings with him his story, ‘The Momentous Meeting of Siguror and the Young Deer;’ or, ‘How All Things Came to Be’ As Scribed by Ishmael the Idle.

Engen Asks: What 2016 releases did you mean to read but not yet get to? | Top Ten Tuesday

[image error]Ali House: A native Newfoundlander, Alison is a graduate of the Fine Arts program at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College currently residing in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her first novel, The Six Elemental, was released in October 2016.

“Zombies on the Rock by Paul Carberry and Call of the Sea by Amanda Labonté.”

 

[image error]Amanda Labonté: As the co-owner of an educational business and mother of two she spends much of her day with kids of all ages. They give her some of the best reading recommendations. Her first novel, Call of the Sea, was published in 2015 with sequels scheduled for 2018 and 2019 through Engen Books.

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling. There are no excuses.”

[image error]Ellen Curtis: a writer and web TV personality born and raised in St. Johns, Newfoundland; whose aptitude for the written word began at a young age, when she began writing short stories, poetry, lyrics and novellas. She writes the Infinity series and edits the From the Rock series for Engen Books.

“As Fierce as Steel by Christopher Walsh; When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi; The Devourers by Indra Das; Summerlong by Peter S. Beagle; and Three More Words by Ashley Rhodes Courter”

[image error]Matthew LeDrew: Matthew holds an Honours Degree in English from the Memorial University of Newfoundland with a minor in Anthropology and studied Journalism at College of the North Atlantic in Stephenville, Newfoundland. He has written sixteen novels for Engen Books.

“Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley, and The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel.”

 

The NL Book Tax: Not for our readers

[image error]This year Newfoundland — which Engen Books calls home — became the first province in Canada to put a tax on books, adding 10% to what consumers pay at the register for all literature, bringing the total up to 15%. This is the latest in a long line of attacks on literacy by the new government, from grant reductions to attempts to close over a third of the province’s libraries.

Engen Books is not a venue for political digressions — I try to keep my own personal politics out of this forum, at least as much as one can. I could speak to the ignorant ethnocentrism that leads to an administration to tax literacy, a move that will make education more expensive for those both learning for their own benefit and those learning in post-secondary education. There’s a lot I can say, but I’ll leave it for another venue at another time.

Engen Books will be absorbing the extra tax. We will not raise the price per-book for our customers and readers. The vast majority (currently all) of our books are $20.00 CAD tax included, and will remain as such — this just means that the portion the government takes of that “tax in” part will be more than it has been.

The Government has assured that this move is temporary. I would remind my readers that, historically, taxation itself was implemented as a ‘temporary measure’ that they just never decided to do away with.

Big box stores can ride out this measure, as can large publishers. Small-Press and locally-owned outlets will have a much harder times. Please continue to support Engen Books as well as you can as long as we continue to entertain and enrich you, as well as other independent publications such as Reilly Books, Mirth Publishing, The Gold and Steel Saga, and Problematic Press. Please also do your best to support our local retailers, Broken Books and Elaine’s Books, both located a stone’s throw from the War Memorial. Broken Books is currently carrying Sci-Fi from the Rock, while Elaine’s Books has graciously agreed to carry all Engen titles: at no additional cost to the consumer, still that same $20.00. Gift cards are available for Elaine’s Books as well, if you have someone in your life who enjoys literature, give them the gift of a new local experience. Check out Get Stuffed while you’re there, it’s the best food in the city.

We are Engen Books. We produce quality literature from the Atlantic Provinces. We do not limit the fine authors or readers of this region by genre or tone or voice. We’re not going away and we will not let the tax hike bully our readers out of their favorite series’.

To our fans: you’ve been good to us over the years. We’ve got this.

Never Look Back.

Melanie Collins revealed as first Fantasy from the Rock author!

Remember 2016? I know it’s hard, right? Seems like a long time ago. It was a more innocent time. Remember how, in the weeks leading up to Sci-Fi from the Rock, we teased a different reveal of which author was going to be in it each week, mixing up new authors with established authors with award winning authors so that there was a good mix and the hype kept building? Remember that?

Because Melanie Collins sure doesn’t.

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In all fairness, we think the slow-reveal process had been starting to get to her. On the day the winners were supposed to (privately!) be sent their announcements, she messaged me on Facebook literally fifteen times in one hour. So maybe it’s all for the best.

The lineup is chosen | Fantasy from the Rock

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Eighteen authors bringing a total of twenty stories and nearly 100,000 words making this our largest collection ever have been chosen for inclusion in 2017’s epic fantasy anthology, Fantasy from the Rock. They include an award-winning fantasy author, novelists, returning short story authors, and new talent whose works are reaching the public for the first time.

Behind each of those blanked-out spaces is the name of one of our authors, and as the contracts roll out and return and bios are written, we’ll be peeling back the curtain on them one by one. Let the speculation begin!

Elaine’s Books: More places to find Engen Books!

[image error]Engen Books has partnered with Elaine’s Books near the war memorial in downtown St. John’s to bring science fiction and fantasy to the indie book market!

“We’re very excited,” says Black Womb author Matthew LeDrew. “It’s a beautiful relaxed location where people can enjoy both new and used books.”

Right now Cinders is sharing the shelf with good company, Bernice Morgan’s Random Passage, but starting next week Elaine’s Books will host all Engen Books, including fan-favourite series’ Black Womb, Infinity, Sci-Fi from the Rock, The Six Elemental, Call of the Sea, and Zombies on the Rock!

Be sure to drop down and check them out soon and use your same dollar to support two great local businesses! All titles are $20 tax included!❤

Engen Asks: What 2017 Debuts are you looking forward to? | Top Ten Tuesday

It’s a new year and it’s time to look forward to what’s coming up on the horizon!

 

[image error][image error]Amanda Labonté: As the co-owner of an educational business and mother of two she spends much of her day with kids of all ages. They give her some of the best reading recommendations. Her first novel, Call of the Sea, was published in 2015 with sequels scheduled for 2018 and 2019 through Engen Books.

“Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare. The next book in the Dark Artifices series. What can I say? It’s addictive.”

 

[image error][image error]Ellen Curtis: a writer and web TV personality born and raised in St. Johns, Newfoundland; whose aptitude for the written word began at a young age, when she began writing short stories, poetry, lyrics and novellas. She writes the Infinity series and edits the From the Rock series for Engen Books.

“You Are Here: An Owner’s Manual for Dangerous Minds by Jenny Lawson.”

 

[image error][image error]Matthew LeDrew: Matthew holds an Honours Degree in English from the Memorial University of Newfoundland with a minor in Anthropology and studied Journalism at College of the North Atlantic in Stephenville, Newfoundland. He has written sixteen novels for Engen Books.

“Doctor Strange volume 3 by Jason Aaron. Something about this run has really grabbed me. They’ve done the best possible thing to hook in new readers that were impressed by the movie: tell an engaging story. Hope it continues in this volume. Also Deadpool: Back in Black. Anything Cullen Bunn touches with this character is pure gold. Sorry all my upcoming releases are comics, I’m still so far on 2016’s novel reading I can’t even think about it.”

[image error][image error]Paul Carberry: currently works as a pharmacy assistant and will soon be enrolled in the Reserves with the Canadian Armed Forces. He is currently living in his hometown of Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, with his wife, Leah. His first novel, Zombies on the Rock, was released in 2015.

“Crossing my fingers and hoping that the rumors are true, that The Winds of Winter, book 6 of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin would be top of the list if it actually gets released late this year. Also I’m looking forward to Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. Its creating new, exciting stories inspired by Northern Norse legends.”

[image error]Sam Bauer is a young writer from St. John’s Newfoundland. He gets his ideas from eating too much sugar-laden food, reading the works of H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe until 4 am, and transcribing the ensuing nightmares. Sam wrote the short story, The Locket, which appeared in 2016’s Sci-Fi from the Rock.

“Fantasy from the Rock, Faith, and anything by Erin Vance, Scott Bartlett, or Chris Walsh, Ellen Curtis, or Ali House.”

Tales of a FftR Reject | Distractions

[image error]How strict is the competition of slots in the upcoming 2017 collection Fantasy from the Rock? Well, I own the company, and I didn’t get in.

…

Yeah, process that! Anyone who thinks there’s any favoritism here at Engen Books has another thing coming, and should read the sad, sad story of Matthew LeDrew: failed Fantasy from the Rock applicant.