Joined the group in support of Bobbie DuFault's bid to have Westercon in Seattle WA in 2012. Bobbie is a masterful con organizer and one of the people I am very proud to have among the readers and supporters of the Okal Rel Universe. I have her permission to share the recent e-mail exchange between us, below.

---

I would love to have you at a Westercon here and I think it would be even more cool to talk about the Saga and all the things you have done with it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the books and world - ok you knew that, but I think sharing it is great fun!!

Hugs!

Bobbie

(The above was sent in response to my e-mail below)

Hi Bobbie,

I don't know how much use I'll be - getting to be a bit of a recluse with the new job and turning out two novels a year, but the first con I ever went to was Westercon in Seattle. It would be cool to do a big con in 2012 since that's the year in which I expect to have the Okal Rel Saga finished. All ten books. Working on the last third of the first draft of Book 8 now. Books 6 and 7 will be out in 2010.

Really appreciate the invites to cons I've seen from you even when I can't make them. I am saving up. :-)

Lynda

Labels: Bobbie DuFault, Westercon 2012

posted by Lynda at 20:03   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 


Magazines Canada has a PDF sample of the non-fiction content of issue 16 of
Neo-opsis. http://secure.magazinescanada.ca/magazines/ex111.pdf (This is one
of the 2009 issues.)

A fair number of SF Canada members are mentioned, or have their photo, in
this issue.

Karl Johanson

Labels: Aurora Award, Neo-Opsis

posted by Lynda at 07:10   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
Jennifer and Brianna have posted episode 6 of the digital story version of ORU novella Mekan'stan to youtube.

Labels: Brianna Thomas, Jennifer Lott, Mekan'stan

posted by Lynda at 17:35   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 


Ques: What was Von's answer to Ann's question, "Are you sane?"

Answer: "I don't think so but it doesn't matter." (p. 291)

Image from a youtube episode of Mekan'stan, art by Brianna Thomas. Questions by Angela Lott.

Labels: Angela Lott, Part 1: Courtesan Prince

posted by Lynda at 06:49   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 


From: Dave
Subject: [RFF/DYR/CEC team] So long RFF Utah
To: RFFDYRCEC@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, January 5, 2010, 3:47 AM

We would like to thank everyone who has offered their generous support to RFFUtah over the years.

In the current economic environment, RFFUtah, like many other small organizations, finds that it can no longer continue to offer significant contributions to those institutions and organizations whose efforts are directed at promoting literacy and reading.

Therefore, it is with regret that we have made the decision to discontinue operations effective January 1, 2010 due to a lack of critical resources.

We encourage you to direct your attention and support to local schools, libraries and organizations who support literacy and reading.

Any questions may be directed to rffutah@rffutah. org

Ruth Hanson
Caroljean Hanson
Helge Moulding
Laura Swift Lind
David-Glenn Anderson

Reading for the Future Utah
http://www.rffutah. org/

Encouraging literacy and imagination through Speculative Fiction
Founded: Jun 8, 1999

Labels: David Glenn Anderson, RFF

posted by Lynda at 06:33   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 

Part 6: Avim's Oath is up on the Edge website. Guess I lost the argument about describing Luthan and Alivda as "vengeful". Or maybe that's about Vretla. :-) Delighted to see it snag on my google filter. Meanwhile, Craig Bowlsby has Part 7: Healer's Sword to review the fight scenes with his expert eye.

Labels: Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, Part 6: Avim's Oath

posted by Lynda at 20:46   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 


Anthology 5 (Opus 5) author Christina Rundle was featured in Michell's Plested's blog cast Irreverent Muse. See http://www.michellplested.com/tag/opus-5/>/.

Opus 5 and Opus 4 will now be coming out together from Absolute XPress in the summer of 2010 - release was set back by scheduling changes at the publisher but we're making great progress. Christina's was the first story completed and delivered which is why I recommended her to Michell.

Labels: Christina Rundle, Michell Plested

posted by Lynda at 07:04   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 1 comments

 

Aurora Time Again!

It's that time again: time to nominate works for the Prix Aurora Award, which you can do here:

• Nomination process page:
  http://www.facebook.com/l/f6044;www.prix-aurora-awards.ca/English/AwardProcess/nominationVoting.htm


• Direct to the Form: http://www.prix-aurora-awards.ca/English/AwardProcess/nominationForm.php
  

The Aurora Awards are fan-voted awards for the best Canadian SF of the year.

Any Canadian citizen or permanent Canadian resident can nominate works for free either electronically or by mail. It only takes a few minutes. The deadline for nominations is February 5, 2010. The Aurora Awards will be given out at KeyCon in Winnipeg in May.

For a list of some of the eligible works you can go here: http://www.facebook.com/l/f6044;canadiansf.com/node/42

Eligible works for the Okal Rel Universe (the short form one isn't ORU but the author will also appear in Opus 5)

Best Long-Form Work In English - 2009
Far Arena by Lynda Williams, Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy 2009

Best Short-Form Work In English - 2009
A Day in the Life, Jennifer Lott, issue 18 of Neo-Opsis

Best Work In English (Other) - 2009
Opus 3, Okal Rel Legacies Anthology, Absolute X-Press

Thanks for supporting the Okal Rel Universe!

Labels: Aurora Award, Far Arena, Opus 3

posted by Lynda at 00:06   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
Connotations (Volume 19 Issue 5) reviewer Pam Allen says the following(partial):

"Again, Lynda Williams has topped herself with characters, world building,action, and insight into political intrigue with cultures. This is a keeper and it will be a joy to re-read this series when finished. I look forward to her future work with anticipation of awards coming her way."

(Re-posted from Dec 1 2009 entry on Edge website.)

Labels: Connotations, Pam Allan, Review

posted by Lynda at 19:43   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
Just got an inquiry from publisher Brian Hades of Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy asking about descriptions of character Ilse Marin, the healer with a sword of Part 7: Healer's Sword. And while hunting around for pictures Alison Sinclair had made of Ilse back in 2004, before she bowed out of working on the book with me, I snagged an advance notice of the book on a site called Risingshadow.net. Most encouraging, as I soldier on with the first draft of Part 8: Gathering Storm. Although reading the blurb on Risingshadow.net I realized half of what's in the blurb about this book is really the material of Part 8, as things turned out. The text, added by Seregil of Rhiminee (thank you Seregil!), came from the list of novels on the ORU site at http://www.okalrel.org/saga/saga_list.html ... which are getting slightly out of date as the novels get completed. Although the gist is always still there, as planned from the beginning.

Labels: Part 7: Healer's Sword, Risingshadow.net

posted by Lynda at 13:25   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 

Part 5: Far Arena of the Okal Rel Saga is listed in the Winter 09 Edition of Prarie Books Now a publication of the Manitoba Book publishers association.

Labels: Part 5: Far Arena

posted by Lynda at 12:34   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 


My daughter Jennifer Lott was home for the holidays and thrilled to find our subscription copy of the December 2009 edition of Neo-Opsis on our dining room table with her name listed on the cover along with the other authors. Jennifer's story about role-playing D&D characters is her first professional sale to make it into print.

I was also warmed and encourgaed by Stephanie Ann Johanson's review of Part 5: Far Arena in this edition of Neo-Opsis. Stephanie says "Far Arena is an excellent addition to the stories in the Okal Rel Saga. Characters seem changed in ways I didn't anticipate, and perhaps I didn't truly agree with the changes, but when I got to the end of the novel I was only disappointed that I now had to wait for the next book before I could continue my exploration of the Okal Rel universe."

Naturally curious about what she didn't agree with and how she'll respond to further developments in Part 6: Avim's Oath, due out from Edge in April 2010.

Labels: Jennifer Lott, Neo-Opsis

posted by Lynda at 15:10   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments