Mar 30

Great new review of Door into Faerie

On her blog, Saskatoon author Shelley A. Leedahl reviews Door into Faerie:

“…I read it without reading its predecessors, and also, admittedly, with a bit of a bias against the fantasy genre. Magic shmagic. I’ve oft said that what I really value in literature is contemporary realism: stories I can connect with via details from the here and now, geography and language I can relate to because I recognize it, I speak it. The old “holding a mirror to the world” thing. Well surprise, surprise: I loved this YA fantasy. Willett wields his well-honed writing chops from page one, and my interest was maintained until the final word…I can’t imagine teens not enjoying this entertaining story, perhaps especially if they’ve read the books that’ve preceded it. This adult enjoyed it, too … magic and all. “

Read the whole thing.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2018/03/30/great-new-review-of-door-into-faerie/

Feb 15

Song of the Sword now out in audiobook format!

Song of the Sword, Book 1 in The Shards of Excalibur series, is now out in audiobook format (click here to buy!). The rest of the books will be following over the course of the year.

The narrator is the talented Elizabeth Klett:

Reading books out loud has long been a passion for Elizabeth. She has been a professional audiobook narrator since 2011, with over 100 titles available at Audible and elsewhere. She has been recording free audiobooks for LibriVox since 2007, and has produced over 60 solo recordings of novels, short stories, and poetry. She can also be heard voicing various characters in audio dramas at The Online Stage, and reading poetry at Rhapsodize Audio.

Here’s the official description from Audible:

Ariane’s life is complicated. Her mother suddenly disappeared two and a half years ago, she’s trying to get used to living with her aunt after bouncing around a series of foster homes, and she’s taking a lot of grief from the clique of “in” girls at school. To make matters even worse, now she’s having strange dreams involving swords and knights and battles, and things seem to get weird whenever she touches water.

The weirdness comes to a head the morning the lake starts singing to her. Next thing she knows, she’s underwater, talking to the Lady of the Lake of King Arthur fame (who turns out to be an ancestor), has acquired a nerdy sidekick, Wally, has been bestowed magical powers, and has been sent on a quest to find the five scattered shards of Excalibur before the powerful wizard Merlin, in his unsuspected modern-day guise, can get his hands on them. Can Ariane and Wally figure out how to use her new abilities to meet the challenge…or will they die trying?

Reviews

“Every so often…a writer is skilled enough to utilize the stories of King Arthur and Camelot to significant effect. Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionavar Tapestry Trilogy is definitely on the list. So, too, is Song of the Sword, the impressive new YA novel from Regina writer Edward Willett…a taut, compelling narrative, well-drawn characters, and a keen sense of genuine peril and true wonder. It’s a powerful, fun, engaging read, and it’s the first of a series, so readers have much to look forward to.” – Quill & Quire

“This is a fantasy of epic proportions, with the perfect blend of suspense; well-developed, likable characters; and a touch of sarcastic humor…this is just the beginning of the fantastical journey.” – School Library Journal

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2018/02/15/song-of-the-sword-now-out-in-audiobook-format/

May 29

Door into Faerie shortlisted for 2017 Aurora Award!

I’m honoured that Door into Faerie has been shortlisted or a 2017 Aurora Award (for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy) in the Young Adult category. This is the second Shards of Excalibur book to be a finalist for the YA award: Twist of the Blade was also shortlisted. Other titles on the final ballot include Day of the Demon by Randy McCharles (CreateSpace), Heir to the Sky by Amanda Sun (Harlequin Teen), Icarus Down by James Bow (Scholastic Canada), Mik Murdonch: Crisis of Consience by Michel Plested (Evil Alter Ego Press), and The Wizard Killer – Season One by Adam Dreece (ADZO Publishing).

Any Canadian citizen or permanent resident can vote for the Aurora Awards! All you have to do is pay a $10 membership fee to the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association. Not only will you be able to vote, but you’ll receive a voters’ package that includes many of the nominated works in all categories in electronic format–including Door into Faerie!

It’s a great way to support Canadian science fiction and fantasy and reward your favourite writers, so please consider joining and voting!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2017/05/29/door-into-faerie-shortlisted-for-2017-aurora-award/

Dec 04

Door into Faerie featured in Fall 2016’s Best Books for Kids & Teens

bbkt-fall-cover-2016Door into Faerie is featured in the Fall 2016 Edition of  The Canadian Children’s Book Centre‘s Best Books for Kids & Teens.

As the website says:

Best Books for Kids & Teens is your guide to the best new Canadian books, magazines, audio and video for children and teens. Whether you’re stocking a bookshelf in a classroom, library or at home, every title in this guide has been given the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s stamp of approval.

Expert committees of educators, booksellers, school and public librarians from across Canada have handpicked the materials listed below. Committees look for excellence in writing, illustration or performance. Most importantly, these committees focus on selecting materials that will appeal to children and young adults.

Yay!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2016/12/04/door-into-faerie-featured-in-fall-2016s-best-books-for-kids-teens/

Oct 19

Resource Links likes Door into Faerie

81rEdc1D1+LA new review from Resource Links (not online) for Door into Faerie. (Just as well it’s not online; the synopsis is one long spoiler, but then, the magazine is aimed at teachers and librarians, not readers). Here’s the final paragraph, though:

“The overlay of the Arthurian legend on a modern Canadian context continues to work well. As a quest epic spanning five novels, the plotlines and character development are all brought to a satisfying conclusion. Readers who have followed Ariane and Wally’s relationship will be pleased that this Arthurian tale has a happy ending.”

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2016/10/19/resource-links-likes-door-into-faerie/

Sep 24

A brand-new young adult fantasy: Flames of Nevyana

2016-05-30-flames-of-nevyana-coverIf you’ve enjoyed (or are in the process of enjoying) The Shards of Excalibur, I think you’d also like my newest young adult fantasy novel: Flames of Nevyana, published by Winnipeg’s Rebelight Books.

Here’s the blurb:

Blue Fire is both blessing and curse. A gift from the gods, its mystical light and energy powers and protects the land of Nevyana, but it also divides her people into three distinct groups. In the wrong hands, it becomes a formidable weapon.

When sacred objects for channelling Blue Fire are stolen, sworn enemies Petra, Amlinn, and Jin set out to find them, and their paths converge on a collision course with the truth. Can they bridge the centuries-old divide between their communities? Or will their search for the truth and the explosive power of Blue Fire signal the end of Nevyana?

You can read the first two chapters on my main website.

Buy it from Indigo, McNally-Robinson or Amazon, or directly from the publisher.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2016/09/24/a-brand-new-young-adult-fantasy-flames-of-nevyana/

Sep 24

Canadian Review of Materials (CM Magazine) “highly recommends” Door into Faerie

81rEdc1D1+LReviewer Ronald Hore at Canadian Review of Materials (CM) Magazine has liked the whole Shards of Excalibur series, and now he’s “highly recommended” Door into Faerie:

“Door into Faerie will appeal to young readers in search of adventure as well as adults who enjoy the timeless story of King Arthur. It represents a suitable ending to a story of youthful characters who have wandered the world and suffered several successes and failures in search of their goal.”

Read the whole thing!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2016/09/24/canadian-review-of-materials-cm-magazine-highly-recommends-door-into-faerie/

Jul 12

CanLit for Little Canadians applauds Door into Faerie

81rEdc1D1+LHelen Kubiw, who has reviewed all of The Shards of Excalibur books at CanLlit for Little Canadians, has nice things to say about Door into Faerie:

“This fifth book is as forged with magic, conflict, action and travel, as well as a little history, as the earlier four books…but family, which has always been important, becomes paramount. Brothers and sisters Merlin and the Lady of the Lake, and Wally and Felicia, as well as mothers Emily Forsythe and Jessica Knight, drive the story, and ultimately help resolve its plotlines, a monumental task in a fantasy based on the Arthurian legends. Yet Edward Willett accomplishes this easily with his consistent intensity and fluidity of plot progression…”

Read the whole thing!

And the book, too, of course. 🙂

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2016/07/12/canlit-for-little-canadians-applauds-door-into-faerie/

May 25

CanLit for Little Canadians likes “exciting” Cave Beneath the Sea

CaveBeneath_theSea_smallerHelen Kubiw at the excellent CanLit for Little Canadians site has been a fan of The Shards of Excalibur from the beginning, and she likes Cave Beneath the Sea quite a lot:

In Cave Beneath the Sea, Edward Willett has created as exciting a read as the earlier books in the series, continuing to develop his characters and their relationships while the action-filled plot carries the reader to intriguing national and international locales.  Both Ariane and Wally feel the power of the sword, drawing them to its shards but also compelling their anger in those who have hurt them: parents, siblings, bullies, enemies. And while they struggle with those yearnings, they are finding their way to a hitherto-unknown girlfriend-boyfriend relationship that provides them the family they both crave.  It’s hard for me to decide which is the stronger foundation for the story, the characters or the plot, as both are substantial and intricate.  Regardless, Cave Beneath the Sea takes The Shards of Excalibur a fast-moving step closer to the Door to Faerie, the magical entity and Book 5 in the series.

Read the whole thing!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2016/05/25/canlit-for-little-canadians-likes-exciting-cave-beneath-the-sea/

Apr 13

Announcing the Door into Faerie book launch!

81rEdc1D1+LBook launch news! The launch of Door into Faerie, the final book in my five-book young adult Shards of Excalibur fantasy series, will be held June 8 at 7 p.m. The Artful Dodger, and you’re invited!

BONUS: I’ll be singing “The Road Goes Ever On,” the song cycle of Tolkien poems set to music by Donald Swann (of Flanders & Swann), accompanied by the inimitable Rob Ursan. Also, food. Also, you may purchase libations. Also, I’ll read from the book. Also, you may buy books.

I mean, c’mon, what more do you want for a fine evening’s entertainment?

See you there!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.shardsofexcalibur.com/2016/04/13/announcing-the-door-into-faerie-book-launch/

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