Friday, May 29, 2009
 
New look for Far Arena cover by artist Lynn Perkins
The look of the cover for Part 5: Far Arena has changed. It is now brighter with a yellow-tinge to the inner ring the brings out more of the detail. My daughter Angela was shocked. She'd fallen for the original art and the portrayal of Erien against blue rather than yellow. We had that version on our fridge door for months. I'm sure the new look will grow on me. Hoping to have books in hand by Bridges Festival June 11, but if not I'm confident they will be available for a launch in Prince George later this summer. Haven't booked that date yet.

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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
 

Readings at Bridges Festival by Okal Rel Legacies anthology contributors

The schedule is up for the Bridge Conference at UNBC. Featured here are screen shots from it that link to the Bridges Homepage. From there, click on the words Bridges Festival Schedule.

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New look coming for the website
 
Michelle Milburn working on new look for ORU website

Artist Michelle Milburn is working on a new look for the ORU website. Webmaster David Lott will be rebuilding the site, slowly, based on her design. Michelle is a BFA student at the University of Northern B.C. Brian Hades of Edge has also approved use of her art for some Okal Rel Legacies novellas which we hope to have up on covers by the end of the summer.

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Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Elizabeth Woods Organizing ORU Contributor Readings
 
ORU anthology contributors living in Prince George get their own half hour slot 12:00 - 12:30 p.m. Saturday June 13 in room 7-158 at the University of Northern B.C. Author Elizabeth Woods has agreed to MC the half hour and sign people up for readings. The "local author marathon" is organized by Janet Marren of the Prince George Public Library, and is taking place in parallel with the Bridges community arts conference. Many thanks, as well, to Paul Strickland for organizing the creation of bios featuring some of the great people behind the Okal Rel Universe.

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009
 
Kathy Plett with Okal Rel buttons she made happen
Backgrounder on Friend of the ORU Kathy Plett in DOC format

For a long time I've wanted to honor the awesome people who get behind the Okal Rel Universe in such diverse ways. I've talked about collectable people cards, an "ORU in the World" book (which Marie Bilodeau still have dibs on doing) for the Okal Rel Legacies collection, and sundry other half-baked ideas. Finally, thanks to friend-of-the-ORU Paul Strickland, it is going to start happening in time to have a handful of deliverables for Bridges at UNBC in June! Thank you SO much Paul! The Okal Rel Universe is very fortunate to have your support and the loan of your talents for this project. Paul was a reporter with the Prince George Citizen for many years, and has a masters degree in history. He's been a literary friend and fellow lower of all the many oceans of knowledge "out there" to swim in since we met years ago at a Citizen get together in The National (the nearest bar) where I was visiting with then news editor Peter Miller. I worked as reporter for the Prince George Citizen when I was fresh from my B.A. in Liberal Arts, before going back to school. KP, as Kathy Plett is affectionately known by her colleagues and staff at the College of New Caledonia and on boards and working groups across town, the province of B.C. and beyond, is one of the most awesome librarians and administrators I know. And a real friend. She personifies good things, for me, about post secondary education and the role of libraries in particular: a friend of the ORU, indeed, but so much more as well. A true friend of knowledge, creativity and scholarship. Among the many accomplishments she'll never brag about herself, she is the engine behind CNC Press.

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Tuesday, May 19, 2009
 
Ev Bishop of Terrace comments on SF Creatives night led by Lynda Williams May 12 2009

Delighted to see Ev Bishop found me "a hilarious, candid speaker, and I think any writer would benefit and be inspired by her enthusiasm for her own and other people’s creative works." You can check out the rest of what she said on the Sci-fi Creatives Evening entry for her blog.


Monday, May 18, 2009
 
Lynda Williams staging mock challenge under sword law with Terrace B.C. teacher Al Lehmann

Here's one of the pictures from my classroom visit with Al Lehmann's creative writing students, in Terrace B.C. last week. Al and I are about to demonstrate a bit of sword law.

See more pictures from the trip in the Terrace May 2009 event page on the ORU site.

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Ev Bishop May 12 2009 at Cafenara meeting of SF Creatives

May 12, 2009, at Cafenara in Terrace, B.C., Michelle Milburn and I met members of Ev Bishop's writer group for an SF Creatives night. We introduced ourselves, talked about our interests and writing experiences, and all who felt so inclined read from works of their own or others. Among those present were Jesse Longpre, who read from Part 3: Pretenders; Jessi Lynn Bell who read from Death Wesley; Ev Bishop who read from her story "Cold"; and A.C. Sharp.

Click for more pictures from my visit to Terrace in May 2009, on the ORU site.

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Writer Bender Apology
 

I've got piles of lovely e-mails I haven't got to this weekend, due to my trip to Terrace which not only took up a few days but was so inspirational I went on a writing bender when I got home, and have been making much progress with Part 7: Healer's Sword. So I decided to confess, here, about the mail situation to those of you who might be waiting for a reply and to share a bit of the results as proof I wasn't simply goofing off. Back to work tomorrow, but I'll be clearing messages at the usual pace an hour or so every morning before work. Thank you for being in touch! And apologies in particular to anthology authors waiting for a response.




Excerpt for draft Chapter 11 from Part 7: Healer's Sword


...Amel had the servants, including a Sevolite errant attached to the palace, accompany him to the drawing room where he’d left Margaret less than an hour before.

     He was unprepared to hear shouting coming through the door.

     "How dare you!" Margaret lashed out in a tone Amel had never heard her use.

     "I'm not criticizing your style, you understand!" Eler's voice replied, implacable as ever. "You should be justly proud of holding my attention long enough, by sheer craft, to make me gulp down enough of your syrupy subject matter to reach my insightful conclusion about your motivations."

     "I will kill you!" Margaret ground out in cold fury, making Amel stop and look at the servant frozen in the act of reaching to open the heavy wooden door.

     "Possibly," Eler agreed in his maddening, lazy tone. "In fact, if I am driven by admiration for your literary gifts to absorb the rest of your misguided apology for Amel's past, I may just choke."

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Part 5: Far Arena on the horizon
 
Part 5: Far Arena of the Okal Rel Saga is coming soon
Reviewed the front matter for Part 5: Far Arena tonight and gave Brian the okay. Guessing this means it will be headed for the printer any day now. He sent it to me last Wednesday but I've been on a writing bender and away from my mail. :-(

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Saturday, May 16, 2009
 
Passed 500 views of Okalrel-Fanclub on Deviant Art

ORU contributor Mel Farrow pointed out to me today that after many months of just a few friends talking with her on the ORU fan club site she created on Deviant Art, there are signs of visitors appearing. Very exciting.

Visit Mel's Okalrel-Fanclub on Deviant Art at http://okalrel-fanclub.deviantart.com . Mel did chibbie art for the OR Encyclopedia and for use on buttons. She is also a regular at our Saturday morning readings, wrote a wonderful review of the series for Over the Edge, the UNBC student newspaper, masterminds cosplay with Tegan to produce ORU picutres and is writing a story for an upcoming anthology.

Speaking of Saturday morning readings ... we just finished today's. Krysia brought a new friend, Miranda, who is an artist and is gamely getting into the stories. Holly had to do yard work today so we didn't get an Artemis Fowl installment. I read the last chapter of Part 6: Avim's Oath. David stayed for breakfast but had to go to work at the playhouse before the reading began. Angie showed him her ORU website before he left. He was impressed, just as I was! Thinking we should get it up on the main site, after it is finished, and label it "Angie's Route" to getting to know the ORU for newbies. Miranda is reading Part 1: The Courtesan Prince and is at about chapter 3. Angela is re-reading Part 2: Righteous Anger, in which Horth is about to be exiled to SanHome at age 11. The gang pointed out, after I read from Part 6: Avim's Oath, how the books are getting "lighter", compared with Part 4: Throne Price and Part 2: Righteous Anger. Part 7: Healer's Sword is about busy, productive change in the ORU and on the light side, as well, in as much as it features marriage, romance, babies and the cultural exchange. But it will have its nasty moments. The last three books head into darker waters, but I hope to keep up the sparkle on the interpersonal front established in the "middle volumes". Lovely to hear the Saturday morning audience lament "There's only three books left!" when I bragged about being halfway through Part 7: Healer's Sword But it will be a relief, at the same time, to have the whole saga delivered. Still hoping to get there by 2012.

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Friday, May 15, 2009
Angie Rocks!
 
Home page design for Okal Rel site by Angela Lott May 09 done for a high school project
My daughter Angela has been using the Okal Rel Universe website for her project in grade 11 computing class. She showed me some of the results today which look fabulous! She's got such a good eye for color. I love the "organic" look and the reds and browns in the background and headers. Certainly more fun to explore than my visually less interesting pages. I'll get more of it up in some form or another as she gets it done, maybe as an alternative means to explore? An online, webbish version of the "elevator speech". Michelle Milburn is working on re-doing the homepage for the live site which I hope to see starting to appear this summer, replacing just the homepage to start. Then slowly replacing subsequent pages.

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Terrific Terrace
 
Author Lynda Williams with Shannon Benmore's English class Skeena Junior Secondary School Terrace May 14 2009

Many pictures and memories to share about my visit to Terrace this week! I'll do a serious job of it on the weekend. Thought this one might convey the feeling until then! Shannon Benmore's class at Skeena Junior Secondary School wanted to do a class picture after some fun conversation, button sharing, elevator speeches about the book they're reading for class, show and tell and fencing demos. Skeena Junior Secondary School also gave me a commemorative hoodie. In haste, many thanks to: Ev Bishop for helping me organize my visit (pictures of me with her writing group at Cafenara will be forth-coming), artist Michelle Milburn for sharing the drive there with me, Sue Skeates of UNBC for giving me a place to crash and letting me regale her and Toby with tales of the Okal Rel Universe half the night on Tuesday in exchange for a few of their fascinating middle-east stories (I should have got a picture of the free water stations Toby has on the kitchen wall), Cafenara for letting us meet there, Anna at Misty River Books for her hospitable directions and advice concerning contacts, teacher Al Lehmann of Caledonia Senior Secondary School and his creative writing class (pictures soon), and English teachers Graham Wojdak and Shannon Benmore of Skeena Junior Secondary School. And to David Lewis for taking lots of great pictures. (I didn't get down all the names of other picture-takers.) Also dropped in on the Terrace public library to leave a copy of Part 3: Pretenders. So I hope they get the set in for any inspired readers who can't lay hands on one of the books I gave away over the three days of my visit. Made it home safely but late on Thursday night to discover Angela had finished re-reading Part 1: The Courtesan Prince and was already a couple chapters into Part 2: Righteous Anger and spotting all the foreshadowing concerning Beryl's shocking behavior at the end of the book. Tee hee. It's lovely when loved ones get "into it" and can have a chuckle fest with me about details.

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Sunday, May 10, 2009
Saturday Morning Reading May 9, 2009
 
Saturday morning reading at the Lott home May 9 2009.

Saturday morning reading at the Lott home. David captured this time! He's working ten days straight sometimes lately, and long hours, so we were especially pleased to have him May 9, 2009. Seen here in his favorite pose, surrounded by young women: Krysia on his right and Catherine on his left. Catherine is working her way through Part 4: Throne Price for the first time. I must go check out her comments to me in private chat on facebook. Amel appreciates her protective instincts toward him ... although he's embarrassed his really bad days are getting to be so public. :-) A slice of Angela is visible to the right. She's re-reading Part 1: The Courtesan Prince. Honey the cat failed to pose very attractively behind them, on the couch. Also in attendance were Holly, who read the next installment in Artemis Fowl where a fairy swat squad unwisely goes up against Fowl castle in a flubbed attempt to rescue her namesake, LEP officer Holly Short; and Tegan who was in her pajamas. The girls made breakfast this time as a Mother's Day treat for me. Interesting crep-cakes Ang. :-) Sort of crepes, sort of pancakes. Holly made the whipped cream as usual. Everyone helped. I read the penultimate chapter of Part 6: Avim's Oath. Many thanks to all for the squeals of delight over Oleander's dreadful proposal and Luthan's bid for getting educated by a hobbling Amel, for Angie's spontaneous squeal: "This is the best book yet!" and to Krysia for wanting to finish it off right now! Looking forward to delivering the final chapter next Saturday after my visit to Terrace. Thanks to Angie taking over the kitchen this morning, I also got good licks in on Part 7: Healer's Sword.

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Friday, May 08, 2009
 
Draft cover detail for next Okal Rel Legacies anthology

Here's a glimpse at my favorite of artist Richard Bartrop's ideas for the cover of Fourth: An Okal Rel Universe Legacy Anthology. This companion volumne for Part 4: Throne Price in the Okal Rel Saga will be edited by Shelia Flesher of Prince George. The theme she selected is how the past impacts the present: skeletons in the closet, closure, revelations, surprises and such. For current list of writers "on board" see http://www.okalrel.org/wanted.

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Sunday, May 03, 2009
Horth, Horth, Horth
 
Here's a story about Horth's button in the latest set. It's popular with a surprising cross-section of people. Which is a bit scary ... so I'd like to remind the initiated to point out Horth was talking about someone who'd done something really henious and trying to reassure the earnest young friend who had killed the demented criminal concerned. Just to give the comment some context. He's really a very honorable guy, even if he tends to reduce problems to sentences of less than 5 words. :-)

> On Fri, 01 May 2009 11:19:09 -0700, Kathy Plett wrote:
> They're really nice aren't they? Erien's beautiful. I had to give
> one to the cab driver (of all things) on my way over to your house.
> You can guess which one (Horth's "Some people need killing").
> Which shows how popular these buttons are, beyond the expected audience!
> Cheers
> Kathy

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Terrace writer Ev Bishop blogged the poster up for visit by Lynda Williams to host an SF Creatives event in May 2009

Writer Ev Bishop has made the poster for my Terrace visit available on her blog. Thank you Ev!



Download the PDF poster here

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My sister Holly with a class
 
Holly Gulbransen teaching kids about fascinating bugs Here's my sister, Holly, teaching a class about creepy crawlies. We now live in separate cities, seeing each other now and then, but remain close. Holly was a big part of my creative life as a child, master-minding elaborate games in which my friends and I took part. Once she transformed the downstairs of our parents' home into a hotel where two of us got to spend the night. She also directed plays and conducted hypnotism, kidnapped and rescued us, and was generally more fun to be around than anyone else in the neighborhood.

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Many thanks to reader Barbara Coupe
 
Pleased to have provided R&R for interdisciplinary masters (UNBC) student Barbara Coupe. We were communicating, primarily, about the possibility of her editing an edition of Reflections on Water. Keeping my fingers crossed that she'll be able to find the time to master-mind an edition featuring artistic reflections on foresty. Her quote about the Okal Rel series is given below. Naturally, I did tell her about Throne Price. The cover of Throne Price looks different (since it came out first) so it isn't uncommon for people to miss the fact it's book four. :-)



By the way, I purchased all the first three novels of your series — is there a fourth? I used to inhale science fiction on a regular basis—reading your words was a wonderful treat and a reward for completing the first year of my Masters. You have created massively complicated and intricate societies. I was entranced by the characters and blown away by the action. What a delight your books were to read. Thank you for sharing your imagination with the rest of us!

Barbara Coupe from e-mail April 29, 2009



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Friday, May 01, 2009
 
Okal Rel Universe anthologies First,  Second and Third available from Absolute Express
Yeah!! Hugs and kisses to Brian and Justyn at Hades Publications! We have lift off for all three ORU anthologies on the Absolute XPress site. The next two are being written as I type (see http://www.okalrel.org/wanted for details) with an ETA of Xmas 2009. Then I will start recruiting for Sixth: an Okal Rel Universe Legacy Anthology. Justyn is the one who re-jigged the titles to make them look better on a cover. I'm getting used to it. It's clear. One, two, three, etc. Three down, seven to go in the anthologies series of companion volumes to the saga. Meanwhile, I've passed the half-way mark (50,000 words) for Part 7: Healer's Sword of the saga series.

Once all anthologies are available in print form again (ETA mid May), I'll start with my two favorite bookstores in PG for stocking them: the UNBC book store and Books and Company. UNBC book store in the person of the wonderful Sandra Wray has already asked when they'll be available because they are down to the last few of the Windstorm editions. Sandra will be retiring this month! I will miss her. But she sooo deserves to enjoy her retirement.

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