Hope and expect Part 5: Far Arena will be among the books launched at Edge's swanky do in Calgary, Jun 13, 2009. Maybe even print versions of the Absolute XPress titles in the Okal Rel Legacies imprint? It will be hard typing with crossed fingers but I'll gonna try. :-)

Contact Justyn Perry (justyn@hadespublications.com) for more information about the launch event.

Labels: Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, Far Arena

posted by Lynda at 15:31   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
I've updated summaries on the ORU site for novels 6 through 10. David will be putting them up, soon, at http://www.okalrel.org/saga/saga_list.html Meanwhile, I'm blogging the one for Part 6: Avim's Oath which is with Richard Janzen for editing. This is the one I'm currently reading aloud on Saturday mornings, half an hour at a time, to my daughters and their friends Krysia, Mel and Holly.

Part 6: Avim's Oath – Rejected by Erien, and challenged by Perry to realize the dream of making the Blue Demish a court power, Amel competes with Luthan to win Demora in a bizarre competition to identify which of them is ‘nicer’. Luthan struggles with her love of Erien and Vretla just wants to get pregnant by either Pureblood. When Amel’s new body guard, Alivda, chucks Vretla out of Amel’s bedroom, she joins Erien on a mission to rescue his young nephew, Leksan, who is kidnapped by a rival clan. Amel and Erien struggle to cooperate for the greater good while competing for love and for oaths. (Coming April 2010)

Labels: Avim's Oath, Richard Janzen

posted by Lynda at 08:39   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
News from KP about the Part 5: Far Arena batch of buttons.

>Hi Lynda, a road trip, what fun! I certainly hope to have the buttons by
>then (they finally got the order in from the States, and started work on
>them yesterday). Cheers Kathy Plett

Mel Farrow is thrilled to be contracted to do a fan art booklet that will make its first appearance in a 'soul touch' package for Con*Cept http://www.conceptsff.ca in Montreal, which I'll be shipping to contact Cathy Palmer-Lister the first week of September. Mel says:

>:D Will do right away! :D Hurrah!

Craig Bowlsby has agreed to advise me on Horth's big fight scene in Part 7: Healer's Sword and I've a less formal but equally game offer of medical advice from nursing faculty member and Horth-lover Heather Ouellette who said, with a threatening scowl, "If you wound Horth, you wound me!" Bless her. I asked Craig if he was "game" to advise and he said:

>Yes. I got game.
>Let me know the details.
>Craig

Publisher Brian Hades has approved the new cover for OR Legacies novella Mekan'stan by Michelle Milburn, as the first step in unifying the look of the novellas in a direction parallel the character-focused covers of the saga. Michelle has also agreed to to new covers for The Lorel Experiment and Kath to match the theme. The good work done by previous cover artists will remain in the ORU hall of fame, of course, as significant and appreciated contributions to the greater whole. But it's time to get serious about look and feel for the OR Legacies. Artist Richard Bartrop will continue to do cover and interior art for the anthologies. Next two scheduled are 4 and 5. Michelle has also agreed to apply her certificate in web design to the ORU website since it is time I stopped being stubbornly Demish about changes to my 'messy desk' organization on that front and got some professional help. Look forward to discussing it with her on our trip to Terrace in May if arrangements for going together pan out ...

Labels: Brian Hades, buttons, Justyn Perry, Kathy Plett, Mel, Michelle Milburn, Terrace

posted by Lynda at 07:16   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 

SF Creatives had a lively evening featuring the art of Michelle Milburn, April 23, 2009 at Books and Co. Nathalie Mallet was home with a bug. Also missed was Paul Strickland. Nicole K. read from her fantasy story in progress. I (Lynda) read a page of Di Mon behaving badly from Part 3: Pretenders, in response to Weston's comments about Di Mon's less than perfect manners in Part 1: The Courtesan Prince. Weston shared his experience of the Child of Earth series by Elizabeth Haydon: Rhapsory, Prophecy and Destiny. I scored the lovely painting of David Bowie which Michelle had with her and is holding up in this picture, by admiring it until Michelle gave it to me. She says artists are way less "ohh aww" about everything they produce than the folks, like me, who admire them. Nicole M. discussed the book she is reading in order to take part in an essay writing contest: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. We all discussed the premises and our own run-ins with Rand, as well as the extended vs. shortened vs. book versions of Lord of the Rings and a bit about warfare among hunter gathers vs. "civilized" alternatives. Delighted to have Nicole K.'s mom attend as well. Love the way she was looking at her daughter as Nicole read. Nicole K.'s story and The Courtesan Prince both feature royalty raised as commoners which was another talking point and led to discussion of elitism vs. egalitarianism. I spoke with Michelle afterwards about her art work for the new cover of Mekan'stan with Absolute XPress which has been formally accepted by my publisher, Brian Hades. Michelle will also be working on the covers for The Lorel Experiment and Kath to produce a standard "character-focused" look for the novellas. I spoke with Nicole K. about her story for the fourth ORU anthology. She's decided to write the story of the novices in Den Eva's when Von disappears and resurfaces as Pureblood Amel. I've sent her an old, rough draft of something I messed with in that zone back in 2003 to use for ideas but she'll be taking over what actually happens to Chester and the others in this time period. The next connection with the saga, for Chester, is when he shows up in Part 7: Healer's Sword as the leader of Eler's troupe of actors.

Labels: SF Creatives

posted by Lynda at 09:26   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 

Here's the gang at last Saturday's reading. Not shown in the picture are David Lott and Lynda Williams. Many pancakes were eaten. Holly read from Artemis Fowl (her fictional namesake has just been kidnapped and is about to meet Artemis) and Lynda read from Part 6: Avim's Oath. Tegan is writing fan fic on Deviant Art but we haven't been able to convince her to read any to us yet. Also in the picture are Angela, Mel and Sid.

Labels: reading

posted by Lynda at 09:13   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 

Yippee! It's been a long resurrection spell to cast, but this weekend all seven of the Okal Rel Legacies books, which began life with the Fandom Press imprint of Windstorm Creative, are now available for purchase in e-format from Absolute XPress, an imprint of Hades Publishing in Calgary. Anthologies four and five are being worked up this summer.

BIG thank you to Justyn Perry!

Labels: Absolute XPress, anthology, Justyn Perry, Okal Rel Universe Anthology 1, Virginia O'Dine

posted by Lynda at 16:27   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
Readers of science fiction and fantasy (SF) are invited to come
read five minute excerpts of their favorite books or stories and socialize with like-minded people at SF Creatives, 7-8:30 pm at Books & Company, Thursday April 23. Writers are encouraged to share their works in progress. SF Creatives is hosted by Prince George authors Lynda Williams and Nathalie Mallet.

Labels: SF Creatives

posted by Lynda at 08:02   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 


Jennifer and Brianna have put up episode 4 of the digital story adaptation of Mekan'stan on youtube.

Labels: Brianna Thomas, Jennifer Lott, Mekan'stan, YouTube

posted by Lynda at 18:27   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 


The very cool Jessica Strider of the World's Biggest Bookstore in Toronto has put out her list of books for May 2009 ... and Part 5: Far Arena is included in the list of Trade Paperbacks. Also exciting to see Alison's new novel, Darkborn in the list. Darkborn is entirely unrelated to Okal Rel. It's the first of her new fantasy series.

Labels: Alison Sinclair, Far Arena, Jessica Strider

posted by Lynda at 08:22   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 


Here's one of the new ORU buttons made possible by Kathy Plett. The chibi on this one is by Mel Farrow. The button design art is by Jordan Bacon. Charlie Harmon says "I like the chibies". Dave Anderson has sent the buttons along, in digital form, to AboutSF. The actual buttons will be available in a couple of weeks - in time for the Bridges conference at UNBC in June, for sure. These buttons feature quotes from Part 5: Far Arena, although a few hark back to earlier materials. The Ranar quote on this button, for example, occurs in Part 3: Pretenders.

Labels: buttons, Charlie Harmon, Dave Anderson, Kathy Plett, Mel

posted by Lynda at 07:51   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
Artist Brianna Thomas is working on the next installment of the youtube adaptation of my novella, Mekan'stan. Visit youtube.com and search for Okal Rel to see what we have up so far. Mekan'stan is available as a digital book from Absolute XPress. There are still some copies of the Windstorm Creative edition available on the second hand market, as well. It's an Ann and Amel story, set early in Amel's envoy period.

Labels: Brianna Thomas, Jennifer Lott, Mekan'stan

posted by Lynda at 07:24   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
Talked with the students of Dr. Robert Budde's Canadian Literature class about my take on being marginal and Canadian in the field of science fiction. Dr. Rob is one of my favorite poets and a gift to the arts in Prince George as a writer, organizer and teacher. I was proud to see him clutch his copy of The Courtesan Prince when I was giving away the books at the front of the class, lest I accidentally give it away, too. Most grateful to the students of the class for requesting me as their second guest writer from the local set. Poet Barry McKinnon was the other one they asked for.

Labels: Appearances, Canadian Literature, Robert Budde

posted by Lynda at 07:00   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
Did you know there's a 'summarize' command in WORD that can generate an automated conclusion to your essay? This and other curious and contentious issues were discussed at 'Guerrilla Essay Writing' organized by Mike Stanyer, a graduate student in the English program at UNBC who is interested in narrative in gaming. I took part to discuss my contributions to the Northern Log.

Labels: Mike Stanyer, UNBC

posted by Lynda at 06:54   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 


Working on the layout of the Gold and Silver Orphanage established by Luthan and Amel between Part 3: Pretenders and Part 4: Throne Price of the Okal Rel saga, and featuring as a setting for the first time in Part 6: Avim's Oath. David Lott did the layout and scaling in Open Office. I've puttered at some shading in Photoshop. Not quite ready to sign off on it, but when we do I'll put it in the gallery on the main ORU website.

Labels: art, David Lott, Map, Orphanage

posted by Lynda at 22:11   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments