Kristene Perron's Blog, page 10

What in the (Warped) World Are You Reading? Rita Moir

Our author Q&A series continues, in celebration of the National Reading Campaign. You probably won’t surprised to hear that reading is good for you but, for those who want proof, you might be interested in What Reading Does for the Mind by Anne E. Cunningham and Keith E. Stanovich.

Today’s guest author, Rita Moir, has more thoughts on reading:

Rita Moir

Rita Moir is the author of four award winning (or close to) books of creative non-fiction and plain old non-fiction: Survival Gear; Buffalo Jump; The Windshift Line; and The Third Crop: A personal and historical journey into the shoeboxes and photo albums of the Slocan Valley, 1800s to early 1940s. She lives in Vallican in the Slocan Valley in rural BC.

Q: What are you reading right now?

A: Unrepentant: The Story of an Era by Gary Lee Wright and Corky Evans; The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny, WarpWorld by Kristene Perron and Joshua Simpson, and (aloud) The Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri N. Murari.

Q: As a kid, why did you love reading?

A: The gold stars pasted into our columns.

Q:  Are there any books that changed your life?

A: The Diviners and The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence; The Education of Everett Richardson: The Nova Scotia Fisherman’s Strike, 1970-71 by Silver Donald Cameron; The Glace Bay Miners’ Museum (Margaret’s Museum) by Sheldon Currie.

Q: Dog ear-er or non dog-ear-er?

A: Non.

Q: Your favourite fictional hero and/or villain?

A: Fictional heroes: Morag Gunn (The Diviners) and Hagar Shipley (The Stone Angel).

Villain: Voldemort.

Q: Anything else you want to say about reading?

A: Somewhere we still get to be thoughtful or quiet, to dream or mull or rage or laugh out loud, admire craft and artistry, and use our own senses and brains.

Thanks Rita! Voldemort definitely makes my favourite villain list, too.

Tomorrow we wrap up this week-long reading lovefest with author Michael Stewart. In the meantime, don’t forget to pop tweet what you’re reading at #whatdidyoureadtoday

What in the (Warped) World Are You Reading? Claude Lalumière

What does Margaret Atwood’s birthday have to do with the National Reading Campaign? Nothing, really, but it’s a good excuse to wish one of Canada’s literary icons a Happy Birthday!

It’s not author Claude Lalumière’s birthday, but his thoughts on reading are worth celebrating, too.

Claude Lalumière
Photo: Camille Alexa

Claude Lalumière (lostmyths.net/claude) was born in Montreal, where he spent most of his life, and now lives on the West Coast. Claude was a bookseller from 1986 to 1998; he sold his two bookstores to become a writer and editor. He has edited or co-edited twelve anthologies, including the Aurora Award finalist Tesseracts Twelve: New Novellas of Canadian Fantastic Fiction and the forthcoming Masked Mosaic: Canadian Super Stories, the latter co-edited with Camille Alexa. He’s the author of two books from CZP: the collection Objects of Worship and the mosaic novella The Door to Lost Pages. With Rupert Bottenberg, Claude is the co-creator of the multimedia cryptomythology project, Lost Myths (lostmyths.net).

Q: What are you reading right now?

A: Plumage from Pegasus, a collection of literary satires by Paul Di Filippo.

Q: As a kid, why did you love reading?

A: It showed me that there was more to the world and to life than the mundane tedium presented to me. It nurtured my inner life, making me live more in the world of the imagination than in the real world. Not always a good thing, that, but considering how boring and tedious life around me was at the time, it was a great thing to have reading provide that.

Q: Are there any books that changed your life?

A: That’s a pretty big thing, to claim that a specific something changed your life. My first impulse was to say no — but then the memories of various books harrumphed in the back of my mind … So, in no order whatsoever:



Unquenchable Fire, by Rachel Pollack. There’s something about that novel that simply won’t let go of my imagination. The semi-eponymous story of my debut collection (“The Object of Worship” in Objects of Worship) is in many ways a response to that novel.

Weird Heroes, edited by Byron Preiss. Billed as “new pulp” for the 1970s, the Weird Heroes series of paperbacks had a deep impact on my imagination. The first Weird Heroes volume is where I first encountered the lunacy of Philip José Farmer, who would go on to become a formative influence on my writing.

Lost Pages, by Paul Di Filippo. This collection contains one of my all-time favourite stories, the gleefully subversive “Campbell’s World” — but more importantly I “borrowed” the title of this book to name the bookshop that serves as the connecting thread in my second book, The Door to Lost Pages.

Interzone: The Second Anthology. In the 1980s and 1990s, the fiction from UK fantasy & SF magazine Interzone was featured in a series of anthologies. The first one I read was the second one; I eventually read, devoured, and loved all of them. Those were the days of David Pringle’s tenure as editor/publisher of the magazine. That was to my mind, the greatest run of any fiction magazine ever. When I started to write, Pringle was still editor/publisher (he has since retired), and my fondest wish was to be part of that conversation, to be an Interzone writer. My dream was fulfilled: my very first fiction sale went to Interzone in 2002. Pringle went on to publish two more of my stories in the span of one year, before ceding the reigns of the magazine.

This Immortal, by Roger Zelazny. It was the first book I read that made me realize that there was more to fiction than the story being told, that something ineffable beyond the plot could be conjured through some strange creative alchemy.

The World Inside, by Robert Silverberg. I’d strayed from reading in my late teens — for any given combination of reasons involving girls, music, parties, poverty — but then my girlfriend at the time took an SF course and was assigned three books to read. I read them, too. One of them was The World Inside, which hit me like a punch in the gut. I spent the next few years reading everything by Silverberg I could get my hands on, and thus internalized important lessons about structure, language, and storytelling.

The Terminal Beach, The Drowned World, Crash, The Complete Stories … four books by my favourite writer ever, J.G. Ballard. Why those four in particular? The Terminal Beach is the first of his collections that I read. The Drowned World and Crash are vastly different novels that each loom extremely large in my imagination as perfect pieces of art, as something to aspire to: The Drowned World for the depth of its evocative imagery, Crash for its unabashed bravura and unflinching courage. The Complete Stories because rereading all of Ballard’s stories in chronological order at a time when I was actively finding my way as a writer was an invaluable experience.

On a different day, I might come up with a different list. These are not necessarily my favourite books, though some of them are, but those that, because of some fortuitous synchronicity, had an impact that changed the course of my reading and/or writing in a significant way.

But I’m back to my original impulse of wanting to say no … because, rereading my answer, these books had a deep impact on my reading and writing life … but on my life in general? I want to say no … but then I remind myself that I have become a writer, and that my entire life as I know it has come to be because of the writing life. So, yes, those books, and so many others, irrevocably changed my life.

As an aside, interpreting your question in a slightly different way: the publication of my first book, Objects of Worship, changed my life more radically than I could ever have imagined. So that book definitely, more than any other, change my life.

Q: Dog-ear-er or non-dog-ear-er?

A: No! Emphatically, NO.

Q: Your favourite fictional hero and/or villain?

A: “Hero” is often used interchangeably with the more generic “protagonist” but I’m glad to see that you’re not doing that here, as you contrast it with “Villain.” Sticking to prose fiction, I’d say that Latro from Gene Wolfe’s Soldier series is my favourite hero. (In comics: the original Captain Marvel from the 1940s; in film, James Bond; on TV, John Drake; in animation, Bugs Bunny.)

Q: Anything else you want to say about reading?

A: I’m huge fan of short fiction. Anthologies and collections are my favourite types of books. Want to discover new writers? Read anthologies, and you’ll be introduced to a variety of voices. You probably won’t like all of them, but you’ll likely love several of them. You’ll discover new writers you might never know about otherwise, leading you down paths that might impact you in ways you could never otherwise imagine.

Thanks Claude! Bugs Bunny is highly underrated as a hero, in my opinion. Glad to see he made your list!

Tomorrow: Rita Moir

What in the (Warped) World Are You Reading? Adrian Barnes

I had no idea when we started this Q&A series that dog-earing was such a contentious issue! Perhaps technology, in the form of e-readers, will unite these opposing camps? Isn’t science wonderful?

Today we welcome author Adrian Barnes, freshly returned from his book launch in the UK. (Do they dog-ear in London, I wonder?)

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Adrian Barnes

Adrian Barnes is the author of the novel NOD, published by BlueMoose Books. He is also a partner in Lone Sheep Publishing and teaches English and Creative Writing at Selkirk College in Castlegar, BC.

Q: What are you reading right now?

A: Longitude, by Dava Sorel–the true story of how a working class Yorkshireman discovered how to reliably calculate longitudinal positions for ships at sea in the 18th century. Also, Pig Iron by Benjamin Myers–a novel about a young ‘traveller’ or British gypsy and his struggles to escape his past. Just got back from England so it’s all Brit Lit right now…

Q: As a kid, why did you love reading?

A: My mom put me in the Dr. Seuss book of the month club and I felt important when the books got delivered! End of story.

Q: Are there any books that changed your life?

A: Rainer Rilke’s Selected Poetry as translated by Stephen Mitchell. Also The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts.

Q: Dog ear-er or non dog-ear-er?

A: Woof!

Q: Your favourite fictional hero and/or villain?

A: Holden Caulfield. Hamlet. Both are anti-heroes. I’m not big on villains…just don’t see life in that way.

Q: Anything else you want to say about reading?

Although ‘watching’ is now ascendant in society and I’m a movie lover myself, reading is far more important and far more beneficial to the brain and the soul. In the same way, just because we have cars, that doesn’t mean we don’t need to still go for regular hikes and runs! And when you’re old and grey will you remember the drive to the mall or the hikes and runs? Hmm…

Thanks Adrian! And that makes two authors whose love of reading was sparked by Dr. Seuss. Start with Seuss and…oh, the places you’ll go!

Tomorrow: Claude Lalumière

What in the (Warped) World Are You Reading? Angie Abdou

The National Reading Campaign love continues! Today, change your email signature to include the question “What did you read today?” and update it periodically with answers.

Today’s guest is author Angie Abdou.

Angie Abdou

Angie Abdou began writing fiction in 2000 and has since published three books. Anything Boys Can Do was praised by the Times Colonist (BC) for its original take on female sexuality. The Bone Cage, a novel about Olympic athletes, was the inaugural One Book, One Kootenay as well as a 2011 Canada Reads finalist and the 2012 MacEwan book of the year. It is taught in university Sport Literature courses across the continent and topped CBC’s list of “Top Ten Sports Books”.  Her newest novel, The Canterbury Trail (Brindle & Glass 2011), is a dark comedy specifically about mountain culture and more generally about community and our relationship with the environment. The Canterbury Trail was a finalist for the Banff Mountain Book of the Year. Angie was born and raised in Moosejaw SK. She currently lives in Fernie, BC and teaches full-time at College of the Rockies.

www.abdou.ca

Twitter


Q: What are you reading right now?A: Michael Crummey’s Galore
Q: As a kid, why did you love reading?

A; The first book I remember loving is Dr. Seuss’s One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish – that’s my earliest memory of being aware that words could create a world that’s better, brighter, wilder, and more exciting than ours … what’s not to love about that? When I was a bit older, I remember getting the same excitement from The Secret Garden and The Secret World of Og.
Q: Are there any books that changed your life?

Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance – from it, I learned that novels teach empathy and can thereby make the world a better place. I always suspected so, but this book made me able to articulate and support my theory.  (Everyone should read A Fine Balance. Right now. Stop reading this and go read A Fine Balance.)

Q: Dog ear-er or non dog-ear-er?

Dog ears, margin scribbles, underlines, you name it. I have a full-on conversation with every book I read.

Q: Your favourite fictional hero and/or villain?

A: Answer is the both for same – Paul Quarrington’s King Leary. He’s the hero and/or the villain depending whose point of view you take.

Q: Anything else you want to say about reading?


Sure, a lot, but I’d rather go back and finish Michael Crummey’s Galore.  Read!

Thanks Angie! And, whew, at last a fellow dog-ear-er. I was beginning to feel guilty.

Tomorrow, more reading confessions from Adrian Barnes.

What in the (Warped) World Are You Reading? Douglas Smith

Today’s National Reading Campaign Mission? Spread the word! Tell reading you love it.

On that note, today’s reading confessional comes from author Douglas Smith.

Doug Smith

“Doug Smith is, quite simply, the finest short-story writer Canada has ever produced in the science fiction and fantasy genres, and he’s also the most prolific. His stories are a treasure trove of riches that will touch your heart while making you think.”

—Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Hominids and FlashForward

Douglas Smith is an award-winning Canadian author of speculative fiction, with over a hundred short story publications in thirty countries and twenty-five languages.

His collections include Chimerascope (2010) and Impossibilia (2008), as well as the translated fantasy collection, La Danse des Esprits (France, 2011). His first novel, The Wolf at the End of the World, will be released in 2013.

Doug has twice won Canada’s Aurora Award, and has been a finalist for the international John W. Campbell Award, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Bookies Award, Canada’s juried Sunburst Award, and France’s juried Prix Masterton and Prix Bob Morane.

A multi-award winning film based on Doug’s story “By Her Hand, She Draws You Down” will be released on DVD this year, and other films based on his stories are in the works. Doug’s website is smithwriter.com  and he tweets at twitter.com/smithwritr.

Q: What are you reading right now?

A: I tend to have several books on the go. Right now they are “The Castle of Otranto” by Horace Walpole (written in 1764 and generally considered the first gothic novel, which is why it’s on my list), “Under My Skin” by Charles de Lint (Book One in his new YA “Wildings” series, because I love de Lint and want to write YA in the future), plus I’m rereading Roger Zelazny’s “Jack of Shadows” and E.R. Eddison’s “The Worm Oroborous” because I love them both.

Q: As a kid, why did you love reading?

A: Not sure how I would have answered that question back when I actually was a kid, but looking back I think that it was just such a great way to have wonderful adventures and make my world a lot bigger than my house and neighborhood and school. I was reading by age four and I am so thankful to my parents for introducing me to reading (via the nightly bedtime story) at such an early age and getting me hooked on books for a lifetime to come.

Q: Are there any books that changed your life?

In fiction, not really,beyond the ones that opened up my eyes to new genres as a young reader or other styles of writing as an adult writer.  At a very young age, a series of writers hooked me on animal stories, all of which, I think (with the benefit of hindsight), led me to the love I have for writing shapeshifter stories now. Those were A.E. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh” books (apparently my favourite bedtime stories), followed by Walter Brook’s “Freddie the Pig” series (the first books I remember knowing how to find in a library), and then by everything Jack London wrote. Later, about grade 5 or 6, the Heinlein juveniles defintely got me hooked on SF, which led easily to fantasy. John Creasey and Dorothy Sayers introduced me to mystery and crime fiction somewhere in there as well.  As an adult, I remember the first time I read Hemingway and being blown away by the simple clarity and freshness of his prose. I recommend a heavy dose of Hemingway for any new writer. Favourite writers in my adult years include Zelazny, Bradbury, Tim Powers, Charles de Lint, and Neil Gaiman. 

One non-fiction book that definitely did change my life was Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way.” I read it the year I decided to chase my writing dream, and it had a profound and beneficial effect on how I went after that dream. I’d recommend it to any creative person, or anyone who wants to recapture the creativity that we all have as a child, until our Western society beats it out of us.

Q: Dog ear-er or non dog-ear-er?

Non-dog-ear-er.  Even when I was reading print books.  I read almost exclusively on my Kobo now, which I absolutely love, and so dog-earing is no longer even an option.

Q: Your favourite fictional hero and/or villain?

My favourite villain is without a doubt the Bishop of Rerek, from E.R. Eddison’s “Zimiamvian” trilogy.  If any of your readers have never read Eddison, I heartily recommend those three books, along with “The Worm Oroborous”.  It’ll take a while to get into the prose style, but it is worth the effort.

Favourite hero is tougher, but if I can include TV, the answer becomes very easy: Buffy. In written fiction, it would likely be one of Roger Zelazny’s. Corwin from the Amber Series, Sam from Lord of Light, Jack from Jack of Shadows. Sherlock Holmes would be on the list as well. Michael Valentine Smith in Heinlein’s “Stranger in a Strange Land,” too. Tough question. Just too many options.  

Q: Anything else you want to say about reading?

Read. Read and keep reading. Teach your kids to love reading right from the start by reading them a bedtime story EVERY night, from the day you bring them home. And I mean, every night. Make it a fun time, too, something they look forward to it and expect and associate reading with a wonderful experience. And make books a good thing, a natural thing to have around. When we were out with our kids when they were young, they knew that they’d get a “No” to requests for games, toys, or candy. But they also knew that we’d always let them pick out a new book. And if you’re a writer, then you better be a reader by nature or habit, or you’d better cultivate that habit now. You can’t be a writer if you’re not a voracious reader. Period.

Thanks Doug! Jennifer Craig, (yesterday’s guest), would be happy to know you read the “Winnie the Pooh” books as a child.

Tomorrow, come back to learn what Angie Abdou has to say about reading.

~ Kristene

What in the (Warped) World Are You Reading? Jennifer Craig

*Make sure to go on Twitter today and tweet to  @readingcampaign with #whatdidyoureadtoday to help raise money for the National Reading Campaign and for a chance to win one of ten Kobo’s!

Continuing our Q&A series in celebration of the National Reading Campaign, today’s guest author is Jennifer Craig.

Jennifer Craig

In olden days Jennifer Craig was born in Yorkshire, England. She grew up in war time, trained as a nurse at Leeds Infirmary, emigrated to Canada, got married, had two children, went back to school, earned a Ph.D, became an academic and wrote academic twaddle. Enlightenment came when she moved to Nelson in 1994 and attended creative writing course. Her first book, Yes Sister, No Sister: a Leeds Nurse in the 1950s, a memoir about training as a nurse, was published in 2002 after 27 rejections. In 2010 it was re-published for the mass paperback market, moved straight into The Times bestseller list for 17 weeks and has sold 142,000 copies.

She has also published Jabs, Jenner & Juggernauts: a Look at Vaccination and has two finished novels waiting for perceptive publishers.

She lives in Nelson with a Bichon Frise and is fortunate to have two of her five grandchildren near by.

Q: What are you reading right now?

A: Ken Follett’s ‘Winter of the World’, Nancy Kress: ‘Beginnings, Middles and Ends’ in the series on the Elements of Fiction Writing, Andreas Moritz: ‘Vaccine-nation: Poisoning the Population One Shot at a Time’, and I’m listening to an audio-book, Ken Follett’s ‘Pillars of the Earth.’

Q: Are there any books that changed your life?

A:  Germaine Greer, “The Female Eunuch.”

Q: Dog ear-er or non-dog-ear-er?

A: Definitely NO. Appalling abuse of a book.

Q: Your favourite fictional hero and/or villain?

A: I assume you mean hero or heroine?? Elizabeth Bennett.

Q: Anything else you want to say about reading?

A: Parents, don’t let your children watch someone else’s ideas of for example, Winnie the Pooh with an American accent yet, until they have read (many times) the original author.

Thanks Jenny! And of course I meant hero or heroine – but good catch.

Tomorrow we’ll be peeking at the bookshelves of Douglas Smith.

~Kristene

What in the (Warped) World Are You Reading? Mark Nykanen

This week is the launch of the National Reading Campaign. The goal? To make Canada a country of readers. There are lots of ways to get involved and get Canadians reading.

1. Follow the campaign on Facebook (/national readingcampaign), Twitter (@readingcampaign) & Pinterest (readingcampaign).

2. On November 14th  Tweet @readingcampaign with #whatdidyoureadtoday and, of course, what you’re reading! This will help raise money for the campaign (from Kobo) and enter you in a contest to win 1 of 10 kobos.

 3. For the kids,  librarians or teachers can create a ‘What did you read today?’ wall and send a photo to @readingcampaign to be entered into a contest to win $1,000 for their library.

4. Visit the website, read more about the campaign and sign up for the newsletter: http://nationalreadingcampaign.ca/

5. Read!

To celebrate the National reading Campaign launch, I decided to quiz some of my favourite authors about their reading habits.

Today’s guest is Mark Nykanen

Mark Nykanen
Photo: Anika Nykanen

Mark Nykanen is the author of seven novels, two of which were published under his pen name, James Jaros.  His books have been translated into seven languages.  He’s the author of the #1 Kindle bestseller, Primitive.  His latest book, Carry the Flame, is a post-apocalypto set in the latter part of this century after climate change has brought on the collapse of most natural systems.  Nykanen won an Edgar Allan Poe Award and four Emmys as an investigative reporter for NBC News.  He blogs on climate change at www.marknykanen.com

Q: What are you reading right now?

A: Yellow Dog Coming by Bill Moore.  I’m actually rereading it, and I’m astonished at what Moore has done with his first novel.  It’s one of the most honest books I’ve read in a long time.  By that I mean he brings readers into the dark unsparing inner world of an unforgettable killer, while limning the lives of wonderfully fresh characters in a small Canadian logging town.  I’m also reading Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first half.

Q: As a kid, why did you love reading?

A: I think for the same reasons so many other children loved books, and why I still love to read.  Books introduced me to worlds I didn’t know.  I think by doing that, by ushering me into the inner lives of other people, I was brought to a greater understanding of the wild variety of people in the world.  I think that’s a key to developing empathy in a child.

Q: Are there any books that changed your life?

A: That’s a tough one. Nothing jumps out at me.  The cumulative effect of reading was the most important thing for me, as I look back.  I’d have to sat that A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman made the experience of senses come so alive that I don’t think I’ve written a character since who doesn’t carry some debt to that beautifully written and instructive work on non-fiction.

Q: Dog-ear-er or Non dog-ear-er?

A: Non dog-ear-er

Q: Your favourite fictional hero and/or villain?

A: They are so clearly my own characters that I will leave it there.

Q: Anything else you want to say about reading?

A: Only that I trust I’ll be able to read to my dying moment.

I second that! Thanks Mark!

Check in tomorrow to hear from author Jennifer Craig!

~ Kristene

Goodreads Giveaway Begins!

What’s better than a copy of Warpworld? How about a free copy of Warpworld signed by the authors?

Beginning Nov.2, 2012 you can enter on Goodreads to win one of 5 double-signed copies of Warpworld, the first in the five-book science fiction adventure series. Even better, this isn’t one of those giveaways that’s only open to US and Canadian residents. Having lived in some remote parts of the globe, where I was pretty much ineligible for every competition known to man, I decided that I wanted anyone, anywhere to be able to win a copy.  Hey, the citizens of Liechtenstein probably enjoy sci-fi, too!

All you need to enter is a Goodreads account (simple and free!). All winners are selected by Goodreads, so there’s no use bribing me with cupcakes, (not that I will complain if you do!). The contest ends Dec.2, 2012.

You can enter to win right here.

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Warpworld
by Kristene Perron

Giveaway ends December 02, 2012.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Good luck!

~ Kristene

Welcome to our (Warped) World!

Welcome to the official website for Warpworld, a five-book adventure science fiction series, and our official Warpworld blog, (everything is very official in the world of Josh and Kristene). We’ll be popping on here from time to time with news, giveaways, and random/weird blurts. This is a professional author/novel blog, so you can expect posts about writing, science fiction, and behind-the-scenes Warpworld tidbits – for funny cat photos, you’ll have to track down that other blog Kristene writes or become very good friends with Josh. We like comments, we like questions, we (Kristene) like cupcakes, feel free to leave any of those here for us.

Warpworld has been in production for almost three years, which seems like only yesterday and forever at the same time. There are four more books on their way. The second book in the series, Wasteland Renegades, is scheduled for release in spring 2013. (Psst, there’s a free preview of Wasteland Renegades at the end of the book!)

If you’d like to read a preview of Warpworld, visit the preview page. To learn more about the authors, our bios are here. And if you just can’t wait to get a copy of the novel in your hands, visit the Books and Stories page.

At this time, Warpworld is available in print through Amazon’s Create Space store and Amazon.com, and in ebook at Amazon’s US Kindle store, and Barnes & Noble. Ereader versions for Kobo and iTunes will be available soon. To our international visitors, Amazon.ca, .uk, and .eu options will also be available soon. Visit our Lit-Ent (Books and Stories) page for more details and updates.

And I can’t end this without a huge round of thanks to all the folks who have helped make our dream a reality. The story begins now.

Blood for Water,

Kristene and Josh