Darth Vader And Son

As a special treat for Alexander and I, we recently picked up a copy of Jeffrey Brown's hilarious new book Darth Vader and Son. 

It is a cute little book of cartoons examining what life might have been like for Vader if he has raised his son Luke. In the cartoons, Luke is about four years old.

Alexander and I have been enjoying reading through it.

There are so many moments that a Star Wars fan and a father might enjoy, with wonderful fatherhood lines like:  "When I was your age we didn't even have Star Destroyers." 

But this one is one of my favourites, particularly because it reminds me of the ongoing struggle to get Alexander to bed every night (a struggle that has been going on for 7 years now . . .)

My Father & My Son

Father's Day is a special day for me not only to remember my dad, but also to relish in the very special joy I have to be the father of such an amazing and wonderful little boy.

My dad and Alexander never had a chance to meet, but I'm sure they would have gotten along smashingly.

Being the generation that binds the two of them together in this subtle way, and being so lucky to be the son of a great man and the father of a wonderful child is an honour and a privilege.

Here's one of my favourite pictures of Alexander, taken last spring, sitting on my truck (what used to be my dad's truck).  Dad and Alexander are beautifully connected in this picture, which brings me a great sense of joy and bitter-sweet pleasure.

Wallenda's Key Message: Don't Give Up!

Last night an estimated 1 billion people watched Nik Wallenda's historic border crossing from the US to Canada.  It is historic, of course, because he was crossing over the horseshoe falls; something nobody has ever done, nor likely ever will do, again.  Yes, people had crossed Niagara Gorge on a tight-rope, but nobody had ever done it over the falls themselves with issues like the heavy mist to contend with.

Speaking of the crossing, I thought it was cute when the Canadian border guards who met him asked to see his passport and Wallenda made a joke of sighing as if he forgot it and had to go back across to get it.  It was a subtle, but wonderfully executed little joke, before he pulled the passport (which had been in a sealed plastic bag) out. He then promised them that he wasn't bringing anything across with him.  When asked the nature of his visit to Canada Wallenda said:  "To inspire people around the world."

Nik Wallenda walks over Niagara Falls on a tightrope in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Friday, June 15, 2012. (Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

He certainly did that.

Wallenda fought for two years to get the permission from both countries to be able to do this stunt; in the face of being told it would never happen (stunts at Niagara Falls have been banned for almost 130 years), Nik and his family and team never gave up.  They made it happen.  They even made a small compromise with ABC, who insisted that he be tethered, for the purpose of the broadcast.  (Not that he needed the tether - he never faltered once during his trek across, which took less than half an hour - and he never lost the calm focus that kept him on track and on balance despite the challenges odds of wind, mist and low visibility)

Francine and I let Alexander stay up to watch this historic event.  And it really was something to see.  We had talked about making the trip down to see it live, but the ABC broadcast was well-done and offered some amazing views and perspective. 

In my mind, the message that Wallenda offered was a critical and important one that can be interpreted by individuals into whatever their dreams are.  For me, (for example), it would be related to writing and the importance of concentration, focus and training that Wallenda spoke about; for someone else, it is whatever dreams or goals they might hold fast in their heart.  But chances are, it involves the same sort of dedication, concentration, focus and training.

One of the wonderful scenes at Brick City on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, Ontario

It was a wonderful event to watch live, but, as stated, what I was most impressed with was Wallenda's ongoing message in this stunt:  Don't give up! Pursue your dreams! 

He said it beautifully, and it's something for us to all keep in mind as we pursue our dreams and work at the goals that we set for ourselves.  I know that I'll keep his words in mind.

"The impossible isn't quite the impossible if you set your mind to it!"

Hanging Out With KJA

One of the perks of the long and exhausting week at BEA last week was getting to spend time with Kevin J. Anderson.

I met Kevin and Rebecca Moesta at EerieCon a few years ago. They are both great writers and wonderful folks.  I was immediately impressed with just how down-to-earth and approachable this author of well over 100 novels with 20 million books in print was. I'd been a fan of his since first reading a novel he co-wrote with Doug Beason called Ill Wind and there we were sitting on panels together with Kevin treating this particular "unknown" writer with the same amount of respect he would treat a fellow NYT bestselling author.

I had been in contact with Kevin within the past 6 months for a couple of reasons. 

First, I'm re-printing a story (Drumbeats) which he co-write with Neil Peart (yes, the lyricist and drummer from Rush) in Tesseracts 16.  (Link to the book on Amazon -- Link to the book on IndieBound).

Second, Kevin has been one of the beta authors involved in helping provide feedback and insights that helped in the development of Kobo Writing Life, the new DIY portal for self-published authors (which we announced in NY at BEA last week)

During a busy week, Kevin and I had a chance to get together at The Pony Bar - a wonderful little spot that specialized in craft brew.  We sampled some great beer while chatting about writing, science fiction, publishing, digital publishing, self-publishing, hiking, and of course, Kevin's work on Clockwork Angels, a project he wrote in conjunction with Neil Peart as a tie-in to the Rush album of the same name.

Kevin was an author guest at the open discussion media breakfast we held on Tuesday June 5th to announce Kobo Writing Life -- and he was also one of the featured writers in residence at the Kobo booth.

Right now I'm reading Kevin's first novel, Resurrection, Inc. -- this is the novel that he wrote while listening to the Rush album Grace Under Pressure (the album my buddy Pete forced me to listen to and which turned me into a Rush fan - THANKS, Pete!) and it's really fun to read through and pick up elements that were inspired from Peart's lyrics.

It's funny -- here I thought, that with 3 books coming out from three different publishers in the next 6 months, that I was a hard-working and busy writer. But after spending so much time last week with Kevin and realizing he has something like 8 books coming out this year, it would appear that I'm slacking big time. One must admire his non-stop energetic charge towards efficiency (I quite admire the multi-tasking manner by which Kevin writes while hiking -- he brings an audio recorder along on hikes and writes while enjoying the scenery and fresh air.

In comparison, I'm simply not working hard enough!  Time to look at any of those wasted moments where I could be more productive.

The truth is that, hanging out with Kevin, I can't stop thinking big!

Week It Was, What A Week It Was, It Was

Wow.  Between last Sunday and today I have certainly packed a heck of a lot of special moments in.

The challenge, in all honesty, would be ensuring I capture each highlight, from beginning to end.

Here goes.

On Saturday June 2nd I flew out to New York to prepare for UPublishU, a pre-BEA event focused on self-publishing authors.

Sunday June 2nd, I sat on a panel with Hamilton's Bob Young (Hamilton TiCat owner and CEO of Lulu.com) and got to share some tips for authors looking at self-publishing.  Immediately after our panel, I caught a taxi back to LGA to fly back to Toronto to introduce the brilliant and talented Terry Fallis as MC of the CBA Libris Awards dinner and reception.  Because of a delay coming through customs, I was just arriving as Terry was onstage pretending to be me and kicking off the evening.  I commented, after dinner, when I officially "introduced" Terry as the evening's host, that I'd never looked so handsome)

On that same evening, I not only got to present Michael Ondaatje with his Author of the Year CBA Libris Award (quite the honour, since I've long been a fan of his writing), but I also got to present that evening's special honoured guest, Margaret Atwood with the CBA Libris Lifetime Achievement Award.

Twitter pic from @RandomhouseCA of me presenting award to @MargaretAtwood

It was a special honour to get to share the stage with Terry Fallis and present awards to literary icons such as Ondaatje and Atwood (And what a fantastic way to end off my term as CBA President!)

I was back in New York the following day to meet with Kevin J. Anderson, explore some fantastic craft brews at The Pony Cafe and discuss self-publishing, writing, the thrill of being a writer during this time of dramatic digital change, and, of course, the new Clockwork Angels novel that he wrote with Neil Peart of Rush and will be released as the band begins touring for the new album.

On the morning of Tuesday June 5th, Kevin J. Anderson and Bella Andre joined Michael Tamblyn (EVP of Content, Sales & Merchandising at Kobo) and I with media representatives that included folks from Time, Oprah Magazine and Publishers Weekly to announce Kobo Writing Life, the new self-publishing portal for authors at a breakfast and open discussion about eBooks and self-publishing.

It was fantastic to finally share something that I have been working on since I joined Kobo back in the fall of 2011 as Director of Self-Publishing & Author Relations.  KWL is the result of 6 months of really fun and exhausting requirements gathering by listening to the self-pub and author communities on all the elements needed for successful indie author publishing of eBooks.

There is a video of me talking to Mercy Pilkington of Good eReader that took place immediately after the media breakfast . . .



Of course, there's an even better and longer video of Michael Tamblyn sharing the KWL and general Kobo love . . .



I spent the next several days talking to hundreds of small publishers and authors about Kobo Writing Life; do back to back media interviews with a variety of wonderful folks, and got to meet some fantastic authors and bookish folks who I had only previously known through social media.  (And despite not pausing to do more than gobble down a quick cereal bar for lunch each day, I still didn't get a chance to meet with everyone I had been hoping to touch base with . . . I DID manage to get about 3 to 4 hours of sleep each night, though, so one might think that perhaps if I had skipped that "lost time" I might have gotten more productivity in to each day -- that, or drop dead of exhaustion at the end of the week)

On Wednesday June 6th I had an opportunity to sit down in the Kobo booth with Michael Connelly and talk with him about writing, what it's like having published his first novel (the one that introduced Harry Bosch to the world) 20 years ago with the publication of The Black Echo and various aspects of the universe he has created featuring Bosch, Mickey Haller (portrayed by Matthew McConaughey in The Lincoln Lawyer) and other wonderful characters.  Part of our discussion was captured on video and will likely be shared with aspiring thriller/mystery writers via the Kobo Writing Life portal Learning Centre.

Because so much was packed in to the past week, I'll likely be putting up separate blog posts regarding some of the specific details mentioned above in the next few days.

When Getting Seen Reading Scores!

Earlier this week the Kobo street team and some folks from Harper Collins Canada joined Julie Wilson, author of the amazing Seen Reading to surprise Toronto commuters who were seen reading with Julie's awesome new book, Seen Reading (which was inspired by the thrill book nerds like myself get when they see someone reading in public)

The surprise was a free Kobo Touch eReader pre-loaded with Julie's book.

How cool is THAT?

I managed to snap a pic of some of the team assembling early in the morning before their fun outing.

Check out the cool video . . . Love Your Commute.

Blocking Up The Scenery, Breaking My Mind

I'm one of those people who get frustrated when others use your rather that you're or their instead of they're within the proper context.

It hurts my brain, and, of course, it is becoming as commonplace as seeing teenage boys wearing pants that hang halfway down their ass, revealing their underwear (that hurts my brain almost as much, BTW).

But I get a kick out of signs, and often snap a pic when I find one that hasn't been proof-read.

I've long been an advocate that writers, even top notch pro writers, always benefit from a good editor.

So I wonder, then, how signs like this, from a small Canadian pizza chain - and a fantastic one to boot -- (I cut the part of the sign that shows their name) could make it through such a professional production for multiple locations and nobody GUARANTEED that it was free of typos?

Or is this their way of pretending to guarantee something, but not really? (Would this be like promicing something -- because if you don't deliver, you're not really breaking a promise, merely a promice)


Granted, these hand-written signs can be forgiven (at least a bit).  But they do make me shake my head.

Even this sign seems a little out of service.

Cheken breast? Is this evidence that the meat is over-processed? Or perhaps the sign isn't indicating a special price, but rather a special type of chicken . . .

But it's true, Virginia, even sign-makers need a good editor, or at least a solid proof-reader.

August Event: Here Be Dragons

I am delighted to be a part of a very special event taking place in Orillia, ON on August 11th at the Stephen Leacock museum.

My friend Julie Czerneda is hosting a "Here Be Dragons" event called "An evening of fantasy with Julie Czerneda and friends" -- it is part of a weekend celebration at Swanmore Hall which will be featuring a photo exhibit by Roger Czerneda entitled:  "Look. Magic!"

The friends are Adrienne Kress, Anne Bishop and me. 

There will be a mingle and greet at 5 PM, a BBQ at 6 PM ($12 / person), and then at 7:30 a presentation and reading, followed by a reception.

The poster is below.

This will be the first occasion where I do a public event in support of my forthcoming Haunted Hamilton: The Ghosts of Dundurn Castle & Other Steeltown Shivers, which will be released in August. (And since it has been a while since I've seen Julie and Roger in person, it'll be a great opportunity to spend some time with them)

Seen With Seen Reading And Seen On Stage With Julie

I had dinner last night with Anita Windisman, a friend I met through the print on demand and social media worlds.  I wanted to learn more about the awesome work she is doing helping people properly leverage LinkedIn (she runs One of a Kind Marketing) as well as her book (and some forthcoming book projects).

I, of course, had to show her Julie Wilson's Seen Reading and snap a picture of her holding it.

We then remembered that Julie, Anita and I (along with Nina Lassam) had all participated in a panel together at Word on the Street back in 2010, talking about social media for writers.  (I blah blah'd about it a bit on my blog here and in a post entitled Top Social Media Tools for Authors)

Here's a picture of us that I tweeted prior to us going onstage . . .

And one taken from the crowd . . .

Anita is the author of Business Lessons I Learned from Barbie (Kobo eBook, Amazon Paperback).

Successful. Beautiful. Powerful. A role model for every successful modern woman, Barbie loves her work and dares to dream big. She can do anything, and shows that with passion and determination, you can do anything too. Since 1959, when she was introduced by Mattel, Barbie has been a market leader, innovative and in tune with the times. This book offers seven business lessons from Barbie.

Delighted To Announce Tesseracts Sixteen Contributors

I am not only honoured to be the latest editor of the award-winning Tesseracts anthology series, but am absolutely delighted with the line-up of authors who will be featured.

Selecting stories and poems for Tesseracts 16: Parnassus Unbound was not an easy process.  Just ask any of the contributors who patiently waited for me as I struggled to stay on track and on time with this one.  (Or ask the incredibly patient Brian Hades of Edge Publishing, who, miraculously, didn't release bloodhounds to come find me while I kept plugging away in the final throes of manuscript completion)

One of the main reasons it wasn't easy is that there was an incredible amount of phenomenal material submitted.  I had so much great material, in fact, that I could have easily put together two or three volumes.

Alas, I ended up having to reject a lot of really good material -- this was extremely difficult, because I wasn't just looking at great writing, but I was trying to have the pieces all fit together in a way that they either played off one another, acted as contrasting approaches to a similar theme, or merely flowed well back to back.  I also tried to ensure that as many different elements from art, literature, music and culture were represented, so that the pieces themselves created a wondrous mosaic of the talent flowing through the Canadian speculative landscape.

But I am delighted and thrilled with the result.

Tesseracts Sixteen: Parnassus Unbound will include fiction and poetry by:

Neil Peart & Kevin J. Anderson, Robert J. Sawyer, Ryan Oakley, Steve Vernon, Hugh A. D. Spencer, Sandra Kasturi, Michael Kelly, Rebecca Senese, Randy McCharles, Chadwick Ginther, Stephen Kotowych, Carolyn Clink, J. J. Steinfeld, David Clink, Robert H. Beer, Leia Getty, Scott Overton, Sean Costello, Virginia O'Dine, Melissa Yuan-Innes, Derwin Mak, Kimberly Foottit, Matthew Jordan Schmidt, Adria Laycraft, Jeff Hughes.

And, I'm in awe of the absolutely gorgeous cover that Jeff Johnson created.  It perfectly matches the theme of this great collection.

Tesseracts Sixteen: Parnassus Unbound will be released in September of 2012. The paperback will be listed at $15.95 US and the eBook at $9.99.

It is already available for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound and McNally Robinson.  Of course, you can always request it from your friendly neighbourhood bookstore.  Better yet, request two, so you can buy one for someone you love.

Sign up for my monthly newsletter and I'll share the entire TOC with you.  I'll also reveal some interesting trivial details related to Tesseracts 16 that you might find interesting and you'll have a chance to win a Tesseracts Sixteen 6 X 9 notebook, which are in extremely limited supply.

Digital Storytelling 360°

Tomorrow (Saturday May 5th) I will be talking at the 2012 Ontario Writer's Conference which is taking place at the Deer Creek Golf and Banquet Facility.

I will be doing a plenary session with Cynthia Good, Director of the Creative Book Publishing Program at Humber College.

Our overall topic is called Storytelling 360°: Storytelling in a Digital Age and the description is here:

Publishers have already begun to embrace the notion of multiple platforms by casting off those expectations we’ve grown up with – that a story is… text on a page, actors on the stage, special effects on the screen or a narrator reading. In our digital and connected world it’s now a natural step to dictate how we want our stories delivered – whether we want to read, listen, watch or ‘do’.

This is an era of abundance. Choices for readers, for publishers – and for writers. The traditional physical book still retains its primacy, but electronic publishing offers opportunities that we had never dreamed possible.

Our session runs between 11:30 and 12:30. We be speaking for about 20 minutes each and then offering some time for questions and comments from the audience.  Cynthia and I discussed how we would split this up to ensure that we didn't cover the same ground and I'm looking forward to the experience.

I will be talking a little bit about the overall evolution of storytelling, offering a few examples of trans-media storytelling, multi-platform storytelling experiences, how apps, and various social media tools are allowing authors and publishers to both promote their work but also offer readers exciting new ways to discover and experience the worlds they are creating.  I will also draw from a few of my own experiences as a writer that fully draw on the concept of 360°.

And I will, of course, also be talking about how digital reading allows for a fully immersive reading experience, the interesting ways that ebooks companies are engaging readers, as well as some new opportunities that Kobo offers which allow authors to connect with readers in bold and dynamic new ways.

The presentation will be fun -- but the real joy will be getting to spend the day with so many writers.

Fatherhood Fact #87

Lunches taste better when sandwiches are in the shape of the Millennium Falcon or a Tie-Fighter.

This has been Fatherhood Fact #87 - a public service announcement.

Fun With Telemarketers

Instead of being annoyed with telemarketers I try to have some fun with them.

After all, they are real people doing a job. There's no point treating them with disrespect.

Example - I just got off the phone with a telemarketer.  Here's how it went.

TELEMARKETER: Hello, may I speak with Mr. Lefjlkaliufdkjlalkflj [indeterminable gibberish as he tries, desperately, to pronounce my last name. The poor guy. There should be a sympathy greeting card for having to go through all that in front of a complete stranger]

ME:  Yes, this is Mr Whatever-You-Just-Tried-To-Say. How can I help you?

TELEMARKETER: [laughs] You have a good sense of humour.

ME:  You need to have one with a last name like mine. I used to run out of pencil whenever I wrote my name on the top of a homework assignment in school.  But do you know what might make me feel better?

TELEMARKETER: What is that?

ME:  If someone would just call me, right out of the blue and let me know that they're having a promotion of special prices, in this area, offering full service duct cleaning for my entire home.

TELEMARKETER:  Well, sir that's precisely why I'm calling.

ME:  I know. I'm just playing with you. Remember what I said about needing to have a good sense of humour. I find it helps to do that instead of getting frustrated with unsolicited calls like this despite me asking repeatedly, to be taken off your list.  I understand, you're just doing your job and the machine automatically dials. So I'll ask politely if you can please take me off your list, or put me on your do not call list -- however it best works. I don't need any duct cleaning services. I just had some done and I feel like a new man. [I take a deep breath to illustrate how healthy my lungs sound with the clean ducts of my home, desperately hoping that I don't sound too much like Darth Vader]

TELEMARKETER:  I will do that, sir.  Thanks for your patience.

ME:  Excellent. Thank you. And have a wonderful evening. Will talk to you again tomorrow night, I'm sure.

TELEMARKETER:  [laughs as he hangs up and says good night]

Okay, I've might have changed the script a tiny bit to make myself sound more intelligent and witty than the way it really went down.  I am a fiction writer, after all; and besides, we always remember our own roles as being more intelligent/classy/witty than they actually were. Don't we?

But that's about the gist of the call.  We've gotten an average of 2 "duct cleaning" calls per week on and off for the past few months, so it was a good guess on my part as to why he was calling.

And what I'm really just trying to do is make a simple point.

I'm human. The guy on the other end of the phone is human. I don't need duct cleaning, and I'm not happy to be repeatedly called from whatever sucker list I thought I was taken off of. But yelling at him or being rude to him isn't going to make my evening or his evening any better. The deed is done, the moment is now, here we are, too unwilling participant strangers meeting during the dinner hour.

So I tossed in a bit of humour, joked with him, we both laughed, and life went on.

I need to remind myself to take advantage of these types of moments whenever possible. After all, life's too short not to look for little ways to bring a smile into the equation.

Rocky Raccoon Checked In To His Room . . .

Rocky Raccoon checked in to his room only to find . . . Seen Reading!

Seen Reading making friends with Gideon's Bible at St. Albert Inn, Alberta

When I was in Edmonton a few weeks ago, I couldn't resist snapping this picture in my hotel room at the St. Albert Inn.  I tweeted it, but the photo came out with the wrong orientation. So I'm trying to fix that here, and then properly Pin it to my Seen Holding Seen Reading board on Pinterest.

While I'm at it, a few more cute shots to pin . . .

Lambchop seen reading. She looks happy, doesn't she?

Julie Wilson's editor's Mom #seenreading

The picture of Julie's editor's Mom reading Seen Reading is cute - but I much prefer the cool meta picture that Robyn posted on Twitter . . . Robyn Read's Mom reading the Toronto Star featuring Julie holding the book while watching someone on the subway reading.  How beautifully meta and layered.

Book Flyer - Haunted Hamilton

Haven't blogged much lately because almost every free moment is being spent on one of three books I have coming out later this year.

But every once in a while it's good to pause.  Like right now.

The good folks at Dundurn Press sent me this flyer for Haunted Hamilton: The Ghosts of Dundurn Castle and Other Steeltown Shivers which comes out in August.

I love how it says AVAILABLE FROM YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKSELLER IN AUGUST 2012.

So if you have a favourite bookseller, go ahead, call them, get on their website, walk into their store and ask for it.  It can be ordered through UTP Distribution.

Here are some handy weblinks:

Dundurn Press listing for Haunted Hamilton

Amazon.com listing

Chapters.Indigo.ca listing

McNally Robinson listing

Bryan Prince (Hamilton Bookseller - Westdale)

Epic Books (Hamilton Bookseller - Locke Street)

Titles Bookstore (McMaster University)


Haunted Hamilton (Link to Shop Indie Bookstores)

Seen Again

I've quite enjoyed pinning pictures of people with Julie Wilson's new book Seen Reading, and thought I'd share a few more pictures I have gathered.

First, a few more peeps, then the book in some interesting locations . . .

Scott Marinaro, Senior Manager US Vendor Relations, Kobo, regularly comes to Toronto for a dose of buttertarts, Rush and Julie Wilson's Seen Reading.

Cameron Drew, Director of Vendor Relations at Kobo is serious about being seen holding this book

Pieter Swinkels, Director Publisher & Industry Relations EU Kobo travels far and wide, but is right at home with Julie's book.

Toronto poet Paul Vermeersch and author of The Reinvention of the Human Hand gives his own hand a special treat.

Samantha Haywood (Julie's awesome literary agent) seen enjoying Julie's book with her beautiful family

And then, of course, we have some fun novelty shots (taken at the Enjoy Centre in St. Albert, Alberta)

An amusing lawn ornament at the Enjoy Centre seen eating Seen Reading

Even mannequins like to be Seen Reading (Enjoy Centre display)

This is just one of several posts featuring Julie Wilson's great book, Seen Reading.  For the other ones, check out Seen Some More, Seen Holding Seen Reading and Seen Wanting.

The Pinterest board these pictures are all destined for is called Seen Holding Seen Reading.

Examining Alternative Futures For Publishing

Tonight after work I'm flying in to Edmonton where I will be participating in an exciting Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) publishing project.

Jerome Martin of Spotted Cow Press is heading up the project and contacted me a few months ago asking if I would participate in the project with 5 other writers to create an intriguing new book. We have each written a chapter roughly based on the theme of "Alternative Futures for what we currently call Publishing" and sent them in to Jerome.  He was reworked them into a standard format and re-distributed the to the group.

Middle Ages Tech support YouTube video - how to read a book rather than a scroll

On Tuesday March 27th and Wednesday March 28th we'll be gathering in Edmonton at The Enjoy Centre in St. Albert. 

Each author will discuss his or her chapter and the ideas which flow from it with the group, who will then offer suggestions on revisions, additions, links, audio or video. I am excited about this unique opportunity to work with a group of intelligent and knowledgeable people regarding an industry I am passionate about.

The last time I worked with Jerome was when his publishing company Spotted Cow Press did the world's first double espresso book launch back in 2009.  Martin's publishing company published an ebook by Susan Minsos called Squire Davis and the Crazy River that was also created in print format using the Espresso Book Machine at the University of Alberta Bookstore.

Because the book had a "local" element to Hamilton (Minsos was originally from the Hamilton area), the book was launched in two locations. There was an arts festival happening in Edmonton where the book was being launched, and simultaneously a group of fans gathered at Titles Bookstore McMaster University to watch the event via a two way video feed where they could listen to the reading and ask the author questions and get copies of the books off the EBM in Hamilton. The author even signed book plates that were shipped to the Hamilton area customers afterwards.  That way they could begin reading the book immediately and insert the signed plates into the books afterward rather than waiting for a signed copy to be shipped.

Squire Davis is one of the books that Spotted Cow Press makes available in bundled format. When you buy the printed book, you get a free code for the electronic edition. (The ebook costs $3 without the purchase of a book) Martin has been doing this type of thing for years while elsewhere in the industry, the concept is still being considered and discussed as a possible thing to try.  (Marvel Comics, for example recently announced free digital versions for customers who purchased select comic titles and has been getting a lot of press about it as bold and innovative)

These will be just one of the opportunitys we will be exploring when we explore the future of publishing in our two days of working on this exciting new publishing project.  The chapter I have written is currently subtitled:  "Birthing pains, growing pains and the family ties of an evolving industry." But the cool thing is going to be how what I've currently written evolves after the two days of workshopping.

I'm so looking forward to this experience, and with sharing our activities.

The twitter hashtag will be #altfuturespublishing.

Seen Some More

Yesterday, at the end of another book-loving work day, I was able to snap some fresh pictures of bookish folks holding Julie Wilson's Seen Reading. 

All for the love of continuing to grow the Pinterest Seen Holding Seen Reading board.

So without further ado, here are a few of my Kobo pals checking out the awesome book.

No more "faking it" for Nathan - he's truly excited (halo effect & all) to be holding the real book.  That, or he was excited that I was moving to another spot and would no longer be sitting right beside him. The jury is still out on that one.

Stephen was annoyed to learn that I was moving beside him - but getting a chance to get his hands on a copy of the book seemed to lift his spirits.

Uma, who was a fan of the original blog the book is based on couldn't wait to not only get her hands on the book, but to start reading it. (I had to wrestle the book out of her hands to get her to give it back)

And while I was fighting with Uma for the book, Christina snuck up and grabbed the book, starting to read it. Here she is caught and Busted!

Seen Holding Seen Reading

This just in!

I now have an actual physical copy of Seen Reading by Julie Wilson.

Why am I so excited? Check out my blog post about this from last week called Seen Wanting.

I'm going to start digging into it this weekend.  Okay, I'll admit it, I started to take a few peeks. I couldn't help myself.

The book, by Freehand Books (an imprint of Broadview Press) is gorgeous, beautifully designed - from the texture of the cover itself right to the cover flaps, and right through the visual presentation of the printed text on paper. And it's not just the curious geo-tagged map cover that tempts you with spots to immediately jump to within the text, but the layout and presentation of the entries themselves.  There's an overall aura about the book now that I've held it in my hands which reinforces that it is a celebration of something I adore -- the voyeuristic thrill of seeing someone reading in public.

Along those lines, I must show a recent status update that my beautiful wife made the other day . . .

. . . she said "I saw someone reading . . . a BOOK at the bus stop! Not their stupid phone, but an actual book! So nice to see!"  She's a smart cookie, Francine, and often states things this wonderfully.  It falls right into line with this voyeuristic thrill us book lovers get when we spot someone reading in the wild.

And that's part of the meta magic of holding this book in your hands.


Simply, the book feels wonderful in your hands. It fits perfectly, like a glove. And it looks even better to be seen reading.

Speaking of which, I've got a photo of Clare Hitchins, publicist at Wilfred Laurier Press and a fellow book nerd. Seems she rec'd a review copy of the book yesterday as well.  So I'm presenting her picture holding the book . . .

. . . so that I can add her to the Pinterest board called Seen Holding Seen Reading.

Better be careful - I could add YOU to this growing board.

In fact, I WANT to add you to this board.  If you're a book lover and get your hands on the book, snap a pic and point me to it (or send it to me). If you're a bookseller, snap a picture of the book in your store (ideally, merchandised front and center for all your book-loving customers to marvel over)

Go ahead, get seen holding Seen Reading.

Kickstart This!

I found out about this shared world mosaic anthology that a friend of mine (the awesome Julie E. Czerneda) is involved in, which reminds me of Robert Lynn Asprin's Thieves World.

Funded by Kickstarter, this is a bold and exciting publishing project from R. Scott Taylor.

Eight authors and 3 artists are bringing something together that is bold, original and beautiful.

Set in Art of the Genre’s trademarked universe, The Nameless Realms, the anthology will take readers to the Free City of Taux, a fantasy port of cursed stones, dark plots, and a core of rich characters who share space inside the infamous Black Gate District.

It will link characters and tales in an interwoven mosaic and features authors like Lynn Flewelling, Harry Connolly, Juliet McKenna, Martha Wells, Robert Mancebo, and Julie Czerneda sharing characters with newcomer Michael Tousignant and iconic fantasy artist turned writer Todd Lockwood, the book plumbs the depths of dark city-born fantasy.

Editor and contributor R. Scott Taylor helps create the shadowed metropolis of Taux, where Razor Duelists and mailed and heavily armed Sturgeons try to hold back the tide of ghosts, Moon Cultists, and shadow magic that lurks inside the slithering coils of Wizard’s Mist.  Rogues, harlots, and merchant princes share the same streets, and all watch their backs as the stones of the city call out to the living in a never ending game of cat and mouse for the true ownership of the great port.

Check it out! Help them out!