Tuesday, June 30, 2009
 
Catherine T. Vogt's take on Amel in Part 5: Far Arena
Catherine posted this to her ORU stuff page on facebook with the following comment:

"I finally got enough of a mental pic of Amel to be able to draw him last night. It's from Far Arena when Alka lands on him, when he's wearing the blue t-shirt and shorts. He's on Rire on the common grass."

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Monday, June 29, 2009
Far Arena Feedback - Woods
 
Feedback from Elizabeth Woods on Part 5: Far Arena
> I am so loving Far Arena! I am at the part where they have just
> arrived on Rire. You never fail to completely enrapture me. I am
> so glad tomorrow starts my summer - I can sit and read!

Elizabeth have volunteered to help my exterminate typos in Part 6: Avim's Oath by giving it a read-through. Jennifer Lott has also helped out on this front, and editor Richard Janzen will be doing the copy-edit this summer. Not certain of the release date yet, but hoping for winter 2010.

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Sunday, June 28, 2009
 
Hearths of Fountain Court by Catherine T. Vogt

Catherine T. Vogt posted this update of the hearths of Fountain Court on facebook on an ORU stuff page. It shows the period circum Part 5: Far Arena. Catherine attends Saturday morning readings, where she's been exposed to draft passages of Part 6: Avim's Oath. The problematic hearths are Gold and Lilac/Blue Hearths. After Part 3: Pretenders, the question of who has what title among the Golden Demish gets thorny - Ev'rel and D'Therd stick handle things. But D'Therd's wife, Tara'n'eel (also D'Ander's half-sister) is the figure head. There's resistance to the idea from the Vestas, as plays out in Part 6: Avim's Oath and was glimpsed in the cranky behavior of Princess Chandra in Part 4: Throne Price. But this is how things stand after Part 4: Throne Price and before the end of Part 6: Avim's Oath.

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Monday, June 22, 2009
 
Opus 3 Okal Rel Universe Anthology edited by Jennifer Sparling and Lynda Williams

Working on details for the launch of Part 5: Far Arena and the Opus 3anthology. So far we have the following planned:

"Lynda Williams and friends will have a friendly, drop-in launch for Part 5: Far Arena of the Okal Rel Saga and Opus 3, third anthology of stories set in the Okal Rel Universe edited by Jennifer Sparling, on July 2, 2009 at 6 p.m. All welcome to drop by, look at art show, mix and mingle in an informal atmosphere. A short program of show and tell will feature including some audience participation fencing bouts with foam swords."

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Friday, June 19, 2009
 

I am featured on the homepage of UNBC, today, with Part 5: Far Arena in hand.

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009
 


Many thanks to Steph St. Laurent of OnReel Productions for this excellent bit of video documentary for the ORU event at the Bridges Festival last week at the University of Northern B.C. And to Jennifer Lott for helping organize, and David Lott for getting the performers there and updating the NEWS page on the ORU website with all the latest happenings.

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Part 5: Far Arena of the Okal Rel saga is one of three spring releases from Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy in June 2009 Far Arena appears on the left in this slide from the Edge Spring launch. For the rest of the side show, including shots of some of our favorite people - Brian Hades, Justyn Perry, Robert Sawyer, Randy McCharles and Susan Forrest - see today's homepage at Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing. Just got an exciting sneak preview of Steph St. Laurent's video of ORU event at Bridges, as well, which David Lott will be helping me get up on the blog here some post soon!

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Monday, June 15, 2009
 
Holly Altmeyer as Vretla Vrel and Tegan Lott as Samanda O'Pearl in Okal Rel Universe skit directed by Jennifer Lott and performed at Bridges Festival of the arts Jun 11, 2009 Jennifer Lott stage-managed and rehearsed actors Holly Altmeyer, Mel Farrow and Tegan Lott in a skit performed at the Bridges Festival June 11, 2009, at the University of Northern B.C. Shown here are Holly Altmeyer as Vretla Vrel and Tegan Lott as Samanda O'Pearl at the point where I have been hauled up from the audience by Amel (played by Mel Farrow) to break up the argument inspired by their exposure to Saturday morning readings of Part 6: Avim's Oath, which is currently in-press. I have more lovely pictures and memories to share from the Bridges Festival June 11-13, 2009 at the University of Northern B.C. I am also behind on SF Creatives and Saturday readings pictures. But I will be chugging away mornings again now Bridges is over and promise to share the visuals! Including the cover of Part 5: Far Arena which made it to be shown off at Bridges. Many thanks, Brian and Justyn! Now I am going to reply to one anthology author before I head off to the day job. :-)

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Thursday, June 11, 2009
 
Okal Rel Universe presentation at 3:30 pm today will take place in the Bentley Centre at UNBC

Today's Okal Rel Universe presentation: "The Creative Campfire of Science Fiction", will take place at 3:30 pm today in the beautiful Bentley Centre of the University of Northern B.C. Many, many thanks to the organizers, especially Dr. Robert Budde and Bridges convener Joanna Smythe; to the Bookstore in the person of manager Mardeana Berg; the awesome Barry Wong of copy services at UNBC; Publisher Brian Hades for putting books on a Greyhound for us last night; David Lott for taking the day off to help and wearing his Ann T-Shirt!; Jennifer Lott for helping me organize; performers Tegan, Holly, Jennifer and Mel for working up the role-play skit; Paul Strickland for organizing bios of Okal Rel contributors and supporters; Steph or Conrad for agreeing to video the event; Elizabeth Woods for organizing the readings by anthology authors on Saturday and Janet Marren, Community Outreach Librarian of the Prince George Public Library, for making the Saturday readings part of Bridges.


For more about the Bridges Festival celebrating community and the arts see:


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Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Draft preview of cover for anthology 4
 
Sneak preview of anthology 4 cover by Richard Bartrop

Artist Richard Bartrop sent me a sneak preview of his cover-in-progress for Opus 4, the fourth Okal Rel anthology. (The goal is to have these stories through editing, contracts out and back, the art in and paid for, and the book in production with Absolute XPress by the end of the summer, with print versions available by no later than Xmas 09.) I'm sharing a slice of the draft preview here.

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Monday, June 08, 2009
Hi from Christina Rundle
 
Email from Christina Rundle

Anthology author Christina dropped me a line on the weekend. Nice to hear from her! Wish we could get down that teleporting thing in the real world. Still owe responses to a couple other anthology authors! Panicking about Bridges on Thursday and Saturday this week! For those involved in Bridges, contact Elizabeth Woods about readings on Saturday, and Jennifer Lott about "on stage" appearances Thursday. Thanks! If you aren't certain how, call my home and ask for Jennifer.

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Saturday, June 06, 2009
Word from anthology author Lexie
 
Soon as Bridges is over, I'll pick up the pace with anthology authors: responding to questions, getting drafts reviewed, etc. The goal is to have in stories for Opus 4 and Opus 5 by the end of the summer, and to have books for Xmas. BTW the switch to titles beginning with Opus is an Edge thing do with sort order for the books. I liked First, Second, etc. myself but the gods of marketing rule . I'll be working with anthology artist Richard Bartrop on cover art (color) and interior sketches (one per story) in the fall. Meanwhile, want to share this bit of communication for an anthology author working on an interesting concept - the person who thought she was Sevolite who turns out to be commoner. Lexie's found a real world use for an ORU exhortation, too. :-)


At the moment I'm in Toronto, just across the back alley from the rail yards where five pile drivers are running 11 hours a day, five days a week, at 115 decibels. Needless to say, this interferes with my concentration, and I'm doing my writing and other creative things mostly on the weekends.

In another half hour, the bloody THUD should be done for the weekend, and I'll be able to hear myself think once more.

May the pile driver gods ignore you

--Lexie

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Thank you cards from Skeena Jr. Secondary School

Received two lovely thank you cards from the classes of Graham Wojdak and Shannon Benmore of Skeena Jr. Secondary School in Terrace, B.C. I've mounted them in the Okal Rel Gallery of graphics as links below a picture of students from Shannon Benmore's class with ORU buttons subbed in as the background.

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Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Saturday Reading May 30 2009
 
Reading at the Lott Residence May 30, 2009
Michelle Milburn's new look for the Okal Rel Universe website is featured in the centre of this collage of beautiful moments from the reading at the Lott residence last Saturday, May 30, 2009. I love the snuggle picture with David and Angela. Tegan is pictured being distracted by our cat, Honey. Krysia came out looking radiant in the pose she intended as a joke! With the light from the window behind her she actually almost glows! The crepes finally made it into a Saturday morning picture this time. Holly evaded capture by taking the pictures. Nice shots! And, although it isn't related to what we read on Saturday, I've enjoyed hearing Angela and Catherine's impressions of Throne Price as they make their way through it. Catherine is nearing the end. Angie finished reading it (for the second time) a few days ago. I'm still queasy about Throne Price sometimes, having never expected a young readership, but I continue to be surprised and gratified by the intelligence teenagers bring to analyzing the disturbing aspects of that book. I take full responsibility for the 'disturbing' part, of course. But it was motivated by a desire to underscore how unacceptable abusive behavior always is, no matter who is guilty of it or with what excuse.

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Tuesday, June 02, 2009
 
Brian Hades bio for Bridges Festival in June 2009

Many thanks to Paul Strickland, we have bios coming in from people whose invaluable contributions make the Okal Rel phenomenon possible. Today I've been working on the one for Brian Hades, collected by Paul, and prepared as a PDF document for sharing in print at Bridges, June 11-13 2009 at the University of Northern B.C. The Edge launch for their next batch of books - including Okal Rel titles - conflicts with Bridges dates, or I might have been able to lure Brian out to Prince George to appear in person. Maybe another day!

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Monday, June 01, 2009
 
Artist Michelle Milburn's banners appear on Absolute X-Press site

Pictured here is one of the three banners created by Michelle Milburn for the Absolute X-Press website. Thank you, Justyn Perry, for putting them up.

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