Matthew Ledrew's Blog, page 7
January 24, 2020
Lisa Daly announced as a Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock author!
Engen Books is proud to introduce one of the exciting talents in genre fiction returning for 2020’s Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock collection: Lisa Daly!
Daly is an Archaeologist, historian, professional ballroom dance instructor, crafter, and avid baker.
She has published an extensive library of non-fiction works, the most recent including Sacrifice in Second World War Gander, in Canadians and War, Vol. 3. Lammi Publishing, Canada and An Empty Graveyard: The Victims of the 1946 AOA DC-4 Crash, Their Final Resting Place, and Dark Tourism, in AP Online Journal in Public Archaeology, 8(2): 79-98.
Daly made her fiction-writing debut in Dystopia from the Rock with her short story, ‘The Island Outside the War,’ and went on to use her expertise in aviation to edit 2019’s Flights from the Rock alongside series editors Erin Vance and Ellen Curtis. She brings with her her new story, ‘The Mouse,’ an amazing short story that adds to her growing repertoire of incredible fiction.
Flights from the Rock
27 short stories celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the first Trans-Atlantic Flight! Stories by wonderful bestselling authors as well as new talent, and edited by Erin Vance, Lisa Daly, and Ellen Curtis!
C$25.00
Fourteen other authors will be joining Lisa Daly, Andrew Pike, Julie Aubut Gaudet, Daniel Windeler, Alissa Hickox, Andrew McDonald, CS Woodburn and Steve Power for the 2020 Pulp Sci-Fi on the Rock collection! We have established authors, award-winners, bestsellers, and returning From the Rock alumni left to announce! Who will join them? Stay tuned and Never Look Back!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
January 21, 2020
Andrew Pike returns as a Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock author!
Author Andrew Pike returns in 2020’s Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock with his new story ‘Slipdream.’ Born and raised in Newfoundland, Pike has been slowly expanding his resume and making waves throughout 2019, submitting to a variety of Kit Sora challenges and working on his first novel. He enjoys coffee and photography.
One of the rising stars in the genre publishing world, Pike’s ‘Escape from Selenous Valley Retreat’ in Dystopia from the Rock was met with praise. His new tale takes heady, imagination-driven science-fiction to its furthest degree with a tale you’ll have to read over and over again, but will love every time.
Fifteen other authors will be joining Andrew Pike, Julie Aubut Gaudet, Daniel Windeler, Alissa Hickox, Andrew McDonald, CS Woodburn and Steve Power for the 2020 Pulp Sci-Fi on the Rock collection! We have established authors, award-winners, bestsellers, and returning From the Rock alumni left to announce! Who will join them? Stay tuned and Never Look Back!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
January 18, 2020
“Top 10” Stories from The Lightbulb Forest | House Blog
I’d like to start off by saying that as an author I love all my stories equally, and that there’s really no such thing as a “Top 10”, just as there would be no “Bottom 10”. After all, if I didn’t care about some of these stories I wouldn’t have wanted them in this anthology.
…
That being said, here are 10 of those stories that I’m really excited to share with you.
The Lightbulb Forest. While trying to come up with a name for this collection, one suggestion I thought of was ‘The Lightbulb Forest‘. It was more of an image than a phrase, but it stuck in my mind, and when I closed my eyes I knew exactly what this forest looked like. When it was chosen as the title, I decided that I should write a story about it and what it felt like to be there.
Authentic New Island Experience. (Dystopian) This story’s appeared in ‘Dystopia From the Rock‘ and I’m delighted it has another opportunity to be read. The idea was formed after hearing my sister talking about the tax increases in Newfoundland and how expensive it was going to be to register her car. I started thinking about what would happen if taxes rose so high that someone could no longer afford a car or house or even water. What would it be like if tourism was more important than people’s rights?
The Customer is Always Right. (Humour) I’ve worked many retail jobs in my life, and I still work in customer service. This story is for all of you who have/still do.
Usurper. (Thriller) Originally written as a monologue and inspired by London’s infamous serial killer. Best read with a Cockney accent.
Last Crossing of the Night. (Drama) In my writing club we sometimes give ourselves prompts for next time, and this story came from one of them. We had to write a story set in one location with 3 characters, each with a different job. Person A is already there; the story starts when Person B enters; the story ends when Person C enters and Person A leaves. The jobs and setting were picked out of a hat, and I had one heck of a time coming up with something. Although the details might seem a little odd, I’m happy with how it turned out.
The Devil’s Mark. (Sci-Fi) I’ve had this story idea for years, but was never sure if I wanted a short story or a novella or to weave it into a novel. It takes place in the world of Segment Delta, but in a vastly different community with different ideals and beliefs.
Sacrifice. (Drama) It didn’t win or place in the Kit Sora August contest, but I like it and it’s my short story collection, so it’s in!
Family Secrets. (Fantasy) A story about loss and secrets.
The Inevitable. (Thriller) I was asked to write a story about a person discovering her powers while on a date. The asker assumed I was going to write a cute little date story, but instead I came up with this. [Lesson learned – unless the path is clearly marked, I’ll get lost and bash my own way through the forest.]
The Battle of San Remo. (Humour) This story makes me laugh. Originally appearing in Gathering Storm Magazine, it was written for the prompt “When in Rome” and was inspired by the Battle of Alesia, which is totally insane and something I’d recommend looking up [I discovered it on ‘Ruining History: The Most Insane Battle in History‘].
Julie Aubut Gaudet announced as a Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock author!
One of our greatest pleasures is bringing new talent to the forefront with our From the Rock collections! With that in mind, we’re proud to announce that Julie Aubut Gaudet joins us for Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock!
Gaudet was born in Manitoba and currently lives in Moncton, NB. She is an avid fan of Dungeons and Dragons and DMs several games, and spends most weekends playing a variety of board games with family and friends.
Gaudet has published two short works in the magazine Fantascript, ‘Muerto sino Vivo’ and ‘L’amour véritable,’ and her poetry (titled ‘A Wolf of all Seasons’) has been featured in a poetry anthology called A Celebration of Young Authors- Canada 2003.
She brings with her ‘Close Encounters,’ a charming story that our editors adored, and we think you will as well!
Sixteen other authors will be joining Julie Aubut Gaudet, Daniel Windeler, Alissa Hickox, Andrew McDonald, CS Woodburn and Steve Power for the 2020 Pulp Sci-Fi on the Rock collection! We have established authors, award-winners, bestsellers, and returning From the Rock alumni left to announce! Who will join them? Stay tuned and Never Look Back!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
January 15, 2020
Daniel Windeler announced as a Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock author!
One of our greatest pleasures is bringing new talent to the forefront with our From the Rock collections! With that in mind, we’re proud to announce that Daniel Windeler joins us for Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock!
Windeler hails from Happy Valley Goose Bay, and is a biologist and storyteller. He brings with him his first published tale: ‘Freeson’s Leap,’ an action-packed tale of adventure and thrills!
Seventeen other authors will be joining Daniel Windeler, Alissa Hickox, Andrew McDonald, CS Woodburn and Steve Power for the 2020 Pulp Sci-Fi on the Rock collection! We have established authors, award-winners, bestsellers, and returning From the Rock alumni left to announce! Who will join them? Stay tuned and Never Look Back!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
January 12, 2020
Alissa Hickox announced as a Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock author!
One of our greatest pleasures is bringing new talent to the forefront with our From the Rock collections! With that in mind, we’re proud to announce that Alissa Hickox joins us for Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock!
Hickox was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and currently resides in Hubbards. Her hobbies include camping with my family, walking with my husband, reading books to my awesome little boy, astronomy, and dreaming about space when I’m supposed to be working.
Hickox brings with her her first published tale ‘Ceres,’ named for one of the first-demoted planets in our solar system, and is sure to impress.
Eighteen other authors will be joining Alissa Hickox, Andrew McDonald, CS Woodburn and Steve Power for the 2020 Pulp Sci-Fi on the Rock collection! We have established authors, award-winners, bestsellers, and returning From the Rock alumni left to announce! Who will join them? Stay tuned and Never Look Back!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
January 9, 2020
Andrew McDonald announced as a Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock author!
One of our greatest pleasures is bringing new talent to the forefront with our From the Rock collections! With that in mind, we’re proud to announce that Andrew McDonald joins us for Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock!
McDonald is from St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he lives with his wife and daughter. He is a long-standing fan of horror, science fiction, and Heavy Metal.
He brings with him ‘First Visit,’ an astonishing tale to expand the senses! It is McDonald’s first published work.
Nineteen other authors will be joining Andrew McDonald, CS Woodburn and Steve Power for the 2020 Pulp Sci-Fi on the Rock collection! We have established authors, award-winners, bestsellers, and returning From the Rock alumni left to announce! Who will join them? Stay tuned and Never Look Back!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
January 6, 2020
Growth | Kit Sora’s Storytime
SPOILER ALERT! For those who haven’t figured out how I did my last shot, this post will 110% give it away! I take pride in the fact that everything you see in my photos is always there, and this is no exception! I also love answering questions, and while knowing may somehow take some magic away for some, I think it’s just as magical to know what can be done with what you have! So. If you don’t want to know, now’s a good chance to skip along! 
Like most weeks, it started with a sketch! Sometimes my brain doesn’t quite know when to quit while it’s ahead, and before I knew it, I was getting into something I would either need to figure out in post, or I would have to get super good with effects and latex super fast. Of course I’m too stubborn to attempt to learn photoshop faster than my current rate, so Latex was the only apparent solution (to my sleep deprived brain!). After come consulting with my lovely friend Tara who is a master of all (legit, she’s insane), we decided that it was indeed liquid latex I would need, and then I turned to Stephen at Stage & Studio Supply to hook me up! This isn’t the first time I’ve used S&SS for my crazy antics, and it certainly won’t be the last. He’s gotten me out of a pinch when I’ve needed 3 different body paint colours on 3 separate occasions with only a moments notice, he also helped me with the great elf ear shortage of 2018, and this time, a mere 3 days before I was set to shoot this bad boy, he worked me out of a pinch again with a quick tutorial & walk through, and of course the supplies! So huge shout out to you guys, cause I wouldn’t have stood a chance without all the guidance
So, the tummy pouch was made of latex, and it was an adventure. I made many mistakes along the way, and in the end, we had 2.5 fake tummy pouches created. Drew created most of the final one, while I the other 1.5 (one was too much liquid, the other was too small in the end). If I had my time back, I would have used my brain and created the pouch on my actually tummy instead of a flat surface, cause things made on a flat surface don’t tend to fit non flat things, HOWEVER. Because I was pulling mine apart anyway, it worked out okay. I also need to work on blending/edges, as they were super rough, and did require a fair bit of touching up in post.
Of course we had this prepared the night before, and it didn’t occur to me to think about how I’d get the leaves & vines to actually stick inside. Quick fix of wax paper and hot glue to keep them all in one place, and then that was tucked inside the flaps (so strange to say!). The leaves & Flowers poke out of the tummy a little more than I had originally planned based on the sketch, but then I told myself that if I truly had flowers and leaves and a butterfly within me (more so than usual), there would likely be so many that they would have no choice but to explode outward!
So, here you are!
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$75.00
January 5, 2020
Call for Mythology Submissions!
Over the last five years, the From the Rock series has become one of the preeminent anthology series’ in Atlantic Canada. We have been home to some amazing established talent and helped some new authors break through that have gone on to dominate their fields, becoming genre bestsellers in their own right. From the Rock is a title readers consistently ask for, review well, and is a great way for avid readers to get introduced to indie talent they might find interesting. In 2018 the series’ third entry, Chillers from the Rock, went Bestseller on pre-orders alone!
We are currently accepting submissions for the seventh entry in this series: Mythology from the Rock, to be available in Winter of 2021.
Editors Ellen Curtis and Erin Vance are scheduled to return to helm the project.
Many authors have expressed interest, but anyone can submit to be a part of this collection! Deadline is October 31 2020, but get your stories in as quick as you can, as it gives our wonderful editors more time to work with you and make sure it is as good as it can possibly be!
We’re looking for stories of mythology inspired by any and all cultures, from the classic stories of Greek gods, to Celtic and African-inspired myths, to adaptations of modern mythology-inspired works like HP Lovecraft!
What is the target audience?
For this specific collection, we’re going for an equivalent of PG to PG-13. Rather than limit our authors creatively, we encourage them to write from the heart and allow us to work with them to fine-tune the work after the fact.
Example: for Sci-Fi from the Rock, Christopher Walsh’s story had featured a fair amount of cursing. As a compromise, we settled on switching it out for classic-comic style “#@$#” bleeps. We feel it captured the classic all-ages style we were going for while remaining true to his work, and both parties were happy with the arrangement.
Winner: “Beckoning” by Melissa E. Wong | Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest
After much deliberation, Engen Books is proud to announce the winner of the November 2019 Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest: Melissa Wong with the story, Beckoning!
We had two judges for this collection:
[image error]Matthew LeDrew has written twenty 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, Family Values, Touch Your Nose, 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 Forbidden by Melissa E. Wong , and Tenebris by Ali House.
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 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!). Both runner-up entries will also be featured.
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! 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$75.00
