Peter E. Fenton Goes From Word On The Street To The Northern Rainbow Romance Retreat

Peter E. Fenton (and Scott) wish you ... Peter E. Fenton Recommends Some Aweso...

Peter E. Fenton Goes From Word On The Street To The Northern Rainbow Romance Retreat

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Last month was very busy indeed. While I continued to write on the third book in the Declan Hunt Mysteries series (due out next summer with Entwined Publishing), I also got to sign copies of my latest book Not Not Normal at the Lorimer Publishing booth at Word On The Street, and had an amazing weekend at the Northern Rainbow Romance Retreat. Read on to get an inside glimpse of the more public side of my writing AND discover the name of the VIP reader at the conference who is going to have a character in my next book named after them!

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Eddie Kawooya and Peter E. Fenton

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On Saturday September 28th, I had the opportunity to sign books, meet with fans and hang out with fellow Lorimer author Eddie Kawooya at Word On The Street in Toronto. This annual festival draws thousands of people, and it was a great way to introduce a whole bunch of new folks to the work that Lorimer Publishing does in bringing stories of diversity to young readers.

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This year’s Northern Rainbow Romance Conference took place between October 2nd and October 6th. The retreat started with two days of professional development workshops, and I had the honour of serving on an “own voice” panel with Christian Baines and Hank Edwards. We talked about writing Male/Male romance from the perspective of growing up gay, and how those experiences have impacted the tone of our novels.

A majority of Male/Male Romance books are written by female writers, so this panel was surprisingly popular. There were also excellent sessions on writing from the non-binary perspective, writing characters of colour from an own voice perspective, sessions on editing, plotting of novels and creating better notes for books that are in a series. It was truly a fantastic opportunity to exchange knowledge with an international group of authors who have a wealth of experience.

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Christian Baines, Hank Edwards and Peter E. Fenton at the Northern Rainbow Romance Retreat

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After two days of professional development, it was time to focus on the readers. A full day on the 4th of October was dedicated to VIP readers, many who had travelled from the U.S. to meet with their favourite authors. Three authors per hour shared a small salon and VIP readers got a chance to have a bit of one-on-one visiting time.

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VIPs also got a swag bag filled with stickers, postcards, pens, candy, and a lot of bookmarks that had a scan code where VIP readers could get free e-pub copies of books from the authors. There were also two scavenger hunts that allowed readers to collect charms or locate particular authors who had stuffed animals on their tables as part of the animal scavenger hunt. Those that got to all of the participating authors won prizes. The value of the donated materials was in the hundreds of dollars for each reader. Below is a small sampling of the contents.

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On the final day of the conference, there was a public day for book signings with half of the authors signing in the morning and half signing in the afternoon. Below is a picture of getting set up for the afternoon signing.

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I spoke to SO many fantastic readers and it was gratifying to know that my books are being read far and wide. Below is my signing table which had a few more things on it than the VIP salon the day earlier.

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The final night included a party with fantastic food, a DJ and a chance to dress up and mingle with the VIP readers. What happens at the after-party stays at the after-party, but Scott did take this one picture shown below.

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Next year’s event in Toronto is already in the planning stages for August 20-24th, and if you want to attend as a reader, I’ll have more information in my newsletter next month. And if you are an author reading this newsletter, expressions of interest to participate can be found by clicking here. There are a limited number of spots available, and they will fill quickly. I’m already booked in for next year.

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One of the perks at this year’s conference was the chance to enter to have your name utilized as a character in my next book. I am pleased to say that the winner is Katherine O’Grady. Katherine’s character will appear in a few significant passages of the book. Thanks to all of the VIP readers who attended the conference and entered for this fun opportunity.

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For those of you who haven’t had a chance to read The Woodcarver’s Model, the end of the month is the perfect time to dive in. I got a Book Bub Feature Deal which means that from October 27th to November 2nd, the e-pub version of the book will be on sale world-wide for only 99 cents. You can’t beat that. On those dates, go here to get the deal.

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In every newsletter, I like to finish by promoting the work of an author who I have just read. My latest read is the TRULY FANTASTIC novel Long Road To Eden. The writing is literary, the characters are richly drawn and the suspense in the book keeps you turning pages until the end. If you like science fiction, you NEED to read this book by Canadian author Philip Charles Eckman.

Here’s the description

Climate change has ravaged the planet, leading to one natural disaster after another. What follows is political unrest, and anarchy.

An authoritarian government seizes control. They believe that to save an ailing planet, they must reduce the population. They enact a new law, requiring that citizens submit to voluntary death at age sixty. But what begins as altruistic, becomes menacing and inhumane; sweeping up the infirm, the mentally challenged, and anyone deemed a burden on dwindling resources. And it has become far too easy to “disappear” people for partisan reasons.

A group of dissidents emerges, determined to die on their own terms. Their act of sabotage sets off a ripple effect, with the government branding them as terrorists, while others hail them as saviors.

Now the rebels must battle a hostile climate as they evade a brutal administration and escape cross country to a mythical safe place – an Eden, hidden somewhere in the western mountains.

But can such an Eden exist on a dying planet? And is it the hopeful place they believe it to be?

To order your copy click here. The book is also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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There was one other REALLY big announcement I was going to make, but I have been asked by the powers to be to hold out just a little bit longer. But next month, there is going to be exciting news, as well as information on upcoming writing and the latest reviews from Not Not Normal. In the meantime, thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful month.

Warmest Regards,