E.C. Blake's Blog, page 4
September 19, 2018
My new fantasy novel Worldshaper now available!
Purchase fromAmazon U.S. | Amazon Canada
| Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Penguin Random House
Indiebound | Powell’s
Buy an autographed copy from my online bookstore!
My ninth novel for DAW Books, written as Edward Willett, starts off a new series called Worldshapers. Reviewers like it:
“This rollicking secondary-world contemporary fantasy opens with a bang…(the characters) grapple with the ethics of changing the world, the question of what makes people ‘real’ when the worldshapers can change everything about them with nothing more than a thought, and the need to save the universe. Willett…meticulously includes small details that make the constantly changing scenery feel solid and real…This novel sets up a fascinating, fluctuating universe with plenty of room for growth for the main characters, and readers will eagerly join their journey.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Willett’s series starter is fun, quirky, and highly enjoyable, nicely laying the groundwork for future volumes.” – Booklist
“There is so much to love about this book. Like the fact it references Tolkien at least three times, if not more. Or perhaps the fact it referenced Doctor Who . Or maybe the fact that it’s got a sarcastic wiseass smartmouthed main female character who actually stops to think ‘what-if’ every once and a while. Or perhaps there’s the fact that there are so many interesting ideas in this book that it’ll make your world spin….Edward Willett is fast becoming my favorite author.” – Ria P., NetGalley reviewer
Here’s the description:
From an Aurora Award-winning author comes the first book in a new portal fantasy series in which one woman’s powers open the way to a labyrinth of new dimensions.
For Shawna Keys, the world is almost perfect. She’s just opened a pottery studio in a beautiful city. She’s in love with a wonderful man. She has good friends.
But one shattering moment of violence changes everything. Mysterious attackers kill her best friend. They’re about to kill Shawna. She can’t believe it’s happening–and just like that, it isn’t. It hasn’t. No one else remembers the attack, or her friend. To everyone else, Shawna’s friend never existed…
Everyone, that is, except the mysterious stranger who shows up in Shawna’s shop. He claims her world has been perfect because she Shaped it to be perfect; that it is only one of uncounted Shaped worlds in a great Labyrinth; and that all those worlds are under threat from the Adversary who has now invaded hers. She cannot save her world, he says, but she might be able to save others–if she will follow him from world to world, learning their secrets and carrying them to Ygrair, the mysterious Lady at the Labyrinth’s heart.
Frightened and hounded, Shawna sets off on a desperate journey, uncertain whom she can trust, how to use her newfound power, and what awaits her in the myriad worlds beyond her own.
Read the first two chapters online!
Read my “Big Idea” essay about Worldshaper on John Scalzi’s popular blog Whatever.
August 20, 2018
Publishers Weekly gives my new novel Worldshaper a STARRED review, calls it a “rollicking” contemporary fantasy
Publishers Weekly, the bible of the publishing industry, has given a STARRED review to upcoming novel Worldshaper, Book 1 in my new Worldshapers series for DAW Books, written as Edward Willett.
Highlights:
“This rollicking secondary-world contemporary fantasy opens with a bang…(the characters) grapple with the ethics of changing the world, the question of what makes people ‘real’ when the worldshapers can change everything about them with nothing more than a thought, and the need to save the universe. Willett…meticulously includes small details that make the constantly changing scenery feel solid and real…This novel sets up a fascinating, fluctuating universe with plenty of room for growth for the main characters, and readers will eagerly join their journey.”
Also, don’t forget you can now read the first two chapters of Worldshaper online!
Publishers Weekly calls my new novel Worldshaper a “rollicking” contemporary fantasy
The first review of my upcoming novel Worldshaper, Book 1 in my new Worldshapers series for DAW Books, written as Edward Willett, has appeared, in the bible of the publishing industry, Publishers Weekly.
Highlights:
“This rollicking secondary-world contemporary fantasy opens with a bang…(the characters) grapple with the ethics of changing the world, the question of what makes people ‘real’ when the worldshapers can change everything about them with nothing more than a thought, and the need to save the universe. Willett…meticulously includes small details that make the constantly changing scenery feel solid and real…This novel sets up a fascinating, fluctuating universe with plenty of room for growth for the main characters, and readers will eagerly join their journey.”
Also, don’t forget you can now read the first two chapters of Worldshaper online!
August 8, 2018
Listen to my new podcast: interviews with top science fiction and fantasy authors about the creative process
Something I’ve thought about doing for a long time, I’m now actually doing: I’ve started a podcast, The Worldshapers: Conversation With Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors About the Creative Process.
In each hour-long episode, I explore how a particular author began writing science fiction or fantasy, and the go through their creative process, focusing on one of their titles they’ve selected as an example. We also talk about why they write and what they hope their writing accomplishes.
The first three episodes, with Robert J. Sawyer, Tanya Huff, and John Scalzi, were released August 8, 2018: episodes will follow biweekly (to start with), coming out every other Friday.
You can subscribe through various services, although as I launched, iTunes had a problem precluding adding The Worldshapersto their service. But it will happen!
Here are the first three episodes:
Have a listen, enjoy, and subscribe! Future guests already lined up include Julie Czerneda, Arthur Slade, Gareth L. Powell, Orson Scott Card, and Joe Haldeman.
July 19, 2018
Five-star review for my poetry collection I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust
Jim Bennett, who reviews poetry for KBR (The Kindle Book Review)and is himself a poet, liked I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust (my collection of science fiction and fantasy poetry, written as Edward Willett) rather a lot, giving it five out of five stars:
“Willett writes speculative fiction, so these poems are unusual. They are also a lot of fun. Willett’s illustrator, Wendi Nordell, has added to our enjoyment of this book with an amazing full-page drawing accompanying each poem. That makes this an even more unusual work…”
He singles out five specific poems, “The Telling,” “Saint Billy,” “I Remember His Eyes,” “I Will Ride Off the Horizon,” and “Emily Alison Atkinson Finds God,” and ends with:
“My personal guidelines, when doing an ‘official’ KBR review, are as follows: five stars means, roughly equal to best in genre. Rarely given. Four stars means, extremely good. Three stars means, definitely recommendable. I am a tough reviewer. I try hard to be consistent. I rate this work on literary merit and enjoy-ability, and I think it is five star material. Highly recommended.”
Best way to get the book? Buy it directly from me, in either print or any ebook format.
It’s also available in print through Chapters/Indigoor the publisher, Your Nickel’s Worth Press, and as an book from Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Kobo, or the Apple store.
There’s also an audiobook, narrated by me, available through Audible and iTunes.
July 10, 2018
New short-story collection Paths to the Stars now available!
My new short-story collection, Paths to the Stars: Twenty-Two Fantastical Tales of Imagination, has just been released by Shadowpaw Press. The stories in it span my writing career–the oldest is one I wrote at age 19 (or possibly 18, I’m not sure) at Harding University; the newest just came out earlier this year. They’re roughly fifty-fifty young adult and adult stories.
Where can you get it? Well, you can buy it in all popular ebook formats or get an autographed directly from me through my new online shop (where, I’ll remind you, you can also order any or all of the Masks of Aygrima books!)
You can also buy it at any of these links:
Shadowpaw Press| Amazon.com| Amazon.ca| Chapters/Indigo| Barnes & Noble
Here’s the official description:
From Edward Willett, Aurora Award-winning author of Marseguro, The Cityborn, and Worldshaper(DAW Books), among many others, comes twenty-two tales of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, drawn from a long career of telling fantastic tales.
A young musician dreams of playing his songs among the stars…A Broadway performer on the lam is forced to direct aliens in The Sound of Music…Strange vegetables with dangerous properties crop up in small-town Saskatchewan…A man with a dark secret gets his comeuppance on a windy night on the prairie…An elderly caretaker on the Moon preserves the memory of the millions who died on Earth’s darkest day…A woman and a bat-like alien must overcome their own prejudices to prevent an interstellar war…
From the far future and the farthest reaches of space to the Canadian prairie, from our world to worlds that have never existed to world’s that might some day, rich realms of imagination and the fascinating characters and creatures that populate them await within these stories, some previously published, some seeing print for the first time.
Time to go exploring…
And the first review…
“From exploding fruits and vegetables to a shrine on the moon, dedicated to the memory of a devastated Earth, these stories will not disappoint. If you’re a Fantasy and Science Fiction fan like I am, you’re sure to enjoy this rollercoaster of stories every bit as much as I did. I can sum my thoughts up in two words: ‘READ THEM!'” – Lorne McMillan, Author of Isaac’s Blood
June 23, 2018
Announcing my new online bookstore!
For a long time I’ve wanted to set up an online store where people can order books directly from me–autographed, of course (except for the ebooks, because I haven’t figured out how to do that, yet). After a not-inconsiderable amount of work, I’m pleased to announce that my very own personal bookstore, The Fantastic Worlds of Edward Willett, is open for business!
Among other things, you can buy autographed copies of any of the Masks of Aygrima books in hardcover or paperback, or buy a complete set!
Browse! Better yet, buy!
Announcing Shadowpaw Press
Like many authors, I’ve got a few projects that I’d like to get out into the wide world for which I do not have a publisher handy, and so I am turning to my own publishing resources–something far easier to do today than ever before.
Rather than simply self-publish, however, I’ve decided to go the somewhat more complicated (but offering-more-opportunities) route of setting up my own independent press, which I’ve named Shadowpaw Pressafter our black Siberian cat (because, why not? Also, he has a publishing pedigree of sorts–see “My publisher brought me a kitten!“) who also serves as the logo. (Preliminary logo–I think I’ll be doing more work on that.)
I have several projects that will appear under the Shadowpaw Press input, and the first will be out in short order: a collection of my short fiction, which I’ve entitled Paths to the Stars. Here’s the cover art and description:
From Edward Willett, Aurora Award-winning author of Marseguro, The Cityborn, and Worldshaper(DAW Books), among many others, comes twenty-two tales of fantasy, science fiction, and fantasy, drawn from a long career of telling fantastic tales.
A young musician dreams of playing his songs among the stars…A Broadway performer on the lam is forced to direct aliens in The Sound of Music …Strange vegetables with dangerous properties crop up in small-town Saskatchewan…A man with a dark secret gets his comeuppance on a windy night on the prairie…An elderly caretaker on the Moon preserves the memory of the millions who died on Earth’s darkest day…A woman and a bat-like alien must overcome their own prejudices to prevent an interstellar war…
From the far future and the farthest reaches of space to the Canadian prairie, from our world to worlds that have never existed to world’s that might some day, rich realms of imagination and the fascinating characters and creatures that populate them await within these stories, some previously published, some seeing print for the first time.
Time to go exploring…
Release date is July 10. You can pre-order the ebook now through Amazon. A paperback version will also be available–it’s in the final stages.
What else will be coming from Shadowpaw Press? Up next mightbe Blue Fire, a re-issue, with a new cover and layout, of Flames of Nevyana, taking it back to its original title (might be, because my editor at DAW Books is taking a look at it first to see if she might be interested). If I release it myself, I’m leaning toward releasing that one as an E.C. Blakebook, since that might garner interest from readers of the Masks of Aygrimatrilogy.
And after that? I want to pull the First World War memoirsof my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, into a book. It needs a good edit and some other work, but I think it could be interesting to readers, especially with the 100th anniversary of the Armistice coming up–which is approximately when I’d like to have it out.
Lots more to come after that: my Andy Nebula books in print again (currently they’re only available as hardcovers), re-issues of some of my earlier novels…who knows? If this actually proves profitable (a big “if”) maybe I’ll open up to submissions. An original anthology might be fun…
June 11, 2018
A list of recent interviews
I haven’t been very good about posting links to the various interviews and other publicity I’ve had recently (more as Edward Willett than as E.C. Blake, but it’s all one and the same). Here, let me remedy that!
Interview with McKensie Stewart, The Writer’s Edge, Fisbhowl internet radio network
From Black Gate: Rebels in a Society of Masks: The Masks of AygrimaTrilogy by E.C. Blake
From Shelley A. Leedahl: Four Book Reviews: Tim Lilburn, Edward Willett, Allan Kehler, Sara Williams and Bob Bors
From SciFi & Fantasy Network: Song of the Sword released as audiobook
Interview by Karina Kantis’s on Author Assist, ArtistFirst Radio (I’m in the second half)
From Opal Publishing: Author Event: Song of the Sword
From YouTube: Google Hangout discussion of new anthology Planetary: Venus
I’m on the cover of Indie Authors Monthly
From Superversive SF: Signal Boost: Song of the Sword on Audible
Interview on Just Joshing Podcast
Featured Author in Bushwakker’s Authors’ Corner
New illustrated collection of science fiction/fantasy poetry released
I Tumble through the Diamond Dust, my new collection of fantastical (science fiction, fantasy, and horror) poems, illustrated by Alberta artist Wendi Nordell (my talented niece), is now available in both print and ebook formats!
Buy it from Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Kobo, or the Apple store in ebook format, or in print through Chapters/Indigo or the publisher, Your Nickel’s Worth Press.
Here’s the description:
Within these pages lie twenty-one poems… and twenty-one worlds: worlds in the farthest reaches of space, worlds steeped in myth and legend, worlds that never were, and worlds that yet could be.
Written by award-winning science fiction and fantasy author Edward Willet, and beautifully illustrated by Alberta artist Wendy Nordell, each poem was inspired by— and contains– two lines of published poetry from Saskatchewan poets, sent out every weekday by former Saskatchewan Poet Laureate Gerald Hill as a Poetry Month challenge to members of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild in April 2016.
Every poem tells a story. Some are frightening. Some are funny. Some are poignant, some surreal. Enter a realm of unfettered imagination… and embrace the fantastical.
Shelley A. Leedahl, herself a Saskatchewan poet, likes it a lot:
“Prolific Regina writer Edward Willett took a great idea and ran with it…and the result is this creative, entertaining, and occasionally spine-tingling collection of poems that no one but Willett – well-known for authoring sixty books, including twenty science fiction and fantasy novels – could pull off.”
