Tag: science fiction novel

What if Nobody Loved Alexander?

I don’t consciously model characters on real people very much. I’ve never been particularly comfortable working with characterizations that I haven’t created myself, which is why I’d probably be lousy at licensed fiction for established universes. That said, there are traits that will tend to be attached to people who achieve certain types of success. So when you’re writing a character that’s following a particular path, you’ll find that those traits will tend to follow along with the traits you associate with personalities you’ve studied or envisioned. I’m no historian. I don’t have a library of primary source documents and…

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What in the (Warped) World Are You Reading? Joshua Simpson

I couldn’t end this fun author Q&A series without one more special guest – my writing partner, Joshua Simpson! One of the benefits of writing with a partner, (something I never imagined I would do), is that our production meetings often spin off into enthusiastic discussions about books, stories, and storytelling. Writers begin as readers, and we write on the backs of those that came before us. Many aspects of Warpworld, (and the books to follow), have been inspired by other authors. We owe a debt to books, to reading, to stories and to storytellers. And I owe a debt…

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What in the (Warped) World Are You Reading? Michael F Stewart

We’re at the end of our week-long author Q&A series for the National Reading Campaign. (Well, almost. Tune in tomorrow for one more special author!) All of our guest authors have talked about the joy of reading as a child. Whether it was the feeling of importance from seeing gold stars on a board, or receiving a monthly Dr. Seuss book, or from the delightful feeling of escaping into exotic and strange lands such as the World of Og, reading was a joyful experience. If you’re a parent, how do you encourage your kids to read? If you’re a teacher,…

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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. 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…

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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 (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…

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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?) 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…

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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 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…

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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 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.…

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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…

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