Jun 01

Song of the Sword long-listed for Sunburst Award

sunburst_medallion_fourI’m excited to announce that Song of the Sword has been long-listed in the young adult category for The Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, an annual award celebrating the best in Canadian fantastic literature published during the previous calendar year.

The winners receive a cash prize of $1,000 as well as a medallion which incorporates the Sunburst logo.

The Sunburst Award takes its name from the debut novel of the late Phyllis Gotlieb, one of the first published authors of contemporary Canadian speculative fiction.

Others long-listed in the YA category:

  • Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
  • The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
  • Gottika by Helaine Becker
  • Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci
  • The Voices in Between by Charlene Challenger
  • Guardian by Natasha Deen
  • Child of a Hidden Sea by A.M. Dellamonica
  • A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey
  • Sophie, In Shadow by Eileen Kernaghan
  • Seven Wild Sisters by Charles de Lint
  • The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel
  • The Paper Sword by Robert Priest
  • Zomboy by Richard Scrimger
  • Radiant by Karina Sumner-Smith
  • The Door in the Mountain by Caitlin Sweet

The short list will be announced in mid-June and the winners will be announced in the fall. This year’s jurors are S.M. Beiko, Gerard Collins, Paula Johanson, Corey Redekop and Sherryl Vint.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2015/06/01/song-of-the-sword-long-listed-for-sunburst-award/

May 23

Twist of the Blade nominated for Aurora Award!

1472837_10151793023756603_1347226651_nThe Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association has announced the ballot for the 2015 Aurora Awards, recognizing the best in Canadian science fiction and fantasy, and I’m pleased and proud to announce that Twist of the Blade is on the ballot in the Best Young Adult Novel Category.

Others nominated in that category:
Lockstep by Karl Schroeder, Tor Books;
Rain by Amanda Sun, Harlequin TEEN;
Out of This World by Charles de Lint, Razorbill Canada;
The Voices in Between by Charlene Challenger, Tightrope Books;
Mabel the Lovelorn Dwarf by Sherry Peters, Dwarvenamazon; and
Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong, Doubleday Canada.

The Aurora awards will be present during SFContario 6 / Canvention 35 on the weekend of November 20-22

There are more than the usual five nominees because of a three-way tie for the last spot on the ballot. The complete list of nominees in all categories can be found at the link below. Note that if you join the CSFFA you can vote for the awards, and you’ll also receive a voters’ package that includes many of the nominated works, or portions thereof.

Please consider joining and voting for your favorites!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2015/05/23/twist-of-the-blade-nominated-for-aurora-award/

May 16

Lake in the Clouds launches!

lakeinthecloudsToday is launch day for Lake in the Clouds! I’ll be signing at ComicReaders in Regina from 12 to 4 p.m. to kick things off. On May 26 I’ll be at McNally Robinson in Saskatoon for a launch at 7:30 p.m., joined by guest readers from the Saskatoon Public Library Teen Advisory Council (TAC), performing a Random Act of Poetry.

I received my copies of the book this week, and as you can see in the photo, they’re beautiful! You can order your copy through any bookstore (if they don’t have copies in stock), through Amazon or Indigo, or directly from Coteau Books

I’m hard at work on Cave Beneath the Sea, Book 4 of the series.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2015/05/16/lake-in-the-clouds-launches/

Apr 11

Read the first chapter of Lake in the Clouds!

Lake_intheClouds_smallerLake in the Clouds, Book 3 in The Shards of Excalibur, comes out in May from Coteau Books–which means it’s time for a little teaser.

Here you go: Chapter 1 for your reading pleasure, just to whet your appetite.

Sharp-eyed observers may also note that the title has changed slightly, from The Lake in the Clouds to just Lake in the Clouds. This is so it matches up better with the first two books, Song of the Sword and Twist of the Blade, neither of which begins with a definite article. The fourth book has likewise shifted title from The Cave Beneath the Sea to Cave Beneath the Sea.

Book launches are planned for May 16 at ComicReaders here in Regina, and May 26 at McNally Robinson in Saskatoon.

I’m very excited about this upcoming release…I hope you are, too!

Available in May from Coteau Books

Buy from Amazon.ca

Buy from Indigo.ca

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2015/04/11/read-the-first-chapter-of-lake-in-the-clouds/

Mar 11

Cover art for Book 4, The Cave Beneath the Sea, revealed

CaveBeneath_theSea_smallercoverBook 3 of The Shards of Excalibur, The Lake in the Clouds, won’t be out until May 1, but Book 4, The Cave Beneath the Sea, won’t be far behind, coming out this fall…and here’s the cover art!

Pretty, isn’t it?

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2015/03/11/cover-art-for-book-4-the-cave-beneath-the-sea-revealed/

Feb 14

Teaser description for The Lake in the Clouds

The Lake in the Clouds CoverJust about three months until the release of The Lake in the Clouds, Book 3 in The Shards of Excalibur! And here’s a little teaser:

The third Shard of the sword Excalibur is calling Ariane.

Ariane is on her own and on the run. Rex Major has swayed her erstwhile best friend Wally to his side. And when she finally hears the faint call of the third Shard of Excalibur, it’s on the other side of the world, in New Zealand! Wally, meanwhile, is discovering that life as Major’s “guest” isn’t all it promised, especially when he finds out Major’s plans for Ariane’s aunt. With Aunt Phyllis under threat, Ariane has no choice but to walk directly into Rex’s trap—and hope she can find a way to protect both the Shard and those she loves.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2015/02/14/teaser-description-for-the-lake-in-the-clouds/

Nov 18

The Lake in the Clouds gets its Amazon page

The Lake in the Clouds, Book 3 in The Shards of Excalibur series from Coteau Books, now has its Amazon page. Here’s the description:

The Lake in the Clouds CoverIn the third instalment of this modern take on Arthurian legends, Ariane – descendant of none other than the Lady of the Lake herself – is on the run and on her own. Using her powers to keep avoiding Rex Major’s agents makes her too weak to detect the next Shard of the broken sword she must reunite. And her erstwhile best friend and sidekick Wally has switched allegiance and is living a pampered life at Rex Major’s right hand.

Perhaps worst of all, the powerful Rex (aka Merlin) has the biggest network in the world, and has used it to find Ariane’s Aunt Phyllis – her mother’s sister, and the person she’s closest to.

With her aunt under threat, Ariane has no choice but to walk straight into Rex Major’s trap. No longer using her powers to stay ahead of his spies, she can sense the third Shard. Now all she has to do is win back Wally’s friendship, protect her aunt’s life, figure out Major’s next move – oh, and get to New Zealand and safely back with the Shard whose song is beginning to call her…

That’s the Amazon.ca version. The Amazon.com version is a little shorter for some reason.

Go forth and pre-order!

Meanwhile, I’ll just double down on finishing writing the thing, since it’s going to be out in May. I’ll be turning in the manuscript this week…

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2014/11/18/the-lake-in-the-clouds-gets-its-amazon-page/

Sep 10

Cover art for The Lake in the Clouds

The Lake in the Clouds CoverTwist of the Blade has just been published, but we’re already looking ahead to Book 3 in The Shards of Excalibur, The Lake in the Clouds. Here’s the cover art! Pretty, isn’t it?

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2014/09/10/cover-art-for-the-lake-in-the-clouds/

Aug 26

Come meet me at Word on the Street Saskatoon!

PostersYA FinalI’m really looking forward to being a featured author at Word on the Street in Saskatoon on September 21. I’ll be part of a panel (along with Arthur Slade, Sean Cummings, and Jefferson Smith) called Other Worlds on the Prairies, focusing on writing science fiction and fantasy, which will be (appropriately enough) in the “Brave New World” tent at 2:30. We’ll be talking and taking questions for an hour, then we’ll be signing books.

The image is the poster WOTS is putting up in high schools. Cool, huh?

Hope to see you there!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2014/08/26/come-meet-me-at-word-on-the-street-saskatoon/

Aug 24

Read a sample of Twist of the Blade!

Twist of the Blade for WebCoteau Books has posted a sample of Twist of the Blade to the book’s website: just follow this link and then click on (duh) Read a Sample.

Or, click here:Twist_ofthe_Blade_sample.

Getting close to the release of Book 2…

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2014/08/24/read-a-sample-of-twist-of-the-blade/

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