Quill & Quire gives Edward Willett's new YA fantasy Song of the Sword a rave review

The September issue of Quill & Quire, Canada’s magazine of book news and reviews, contains a rave review for Edward Willett's upcoming young adult fantasy Song of the Sword (Lobster Press), first book in a five-book series collectively entitled The Shards of Excalibur. Robert J. Wiersema writes:

Authors who incorporate, interpret, or subvert Arthurian legends in works of contemporary fantasy take a huge risk: the failure rate of such books is staggeringly high. Every so often, though, 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.

His penultimate paragraph:

It’s an audacious conceit and a daring subversion of the Arthurian mythos, and Willett backs it up with 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.

Five Star Ratings for Lorina Stephens

Midwest Book Review has given five star ratings to Lorina Stephens' And the Angels Sang, and From Mountains of Ice.

And the Angels Sang is an anthology of short, speculative fiction stories author Lorina Stephens has penned over the course of twenty-five years. Some were previously published in periodicals or writers' workshops; all offer snapshots of the human condition. From the titular story of how a pious man perceives angels even as he suffers unspeakable torture and execution, to the devious negotiations of a "dragonslayer" who has more expertise at selling life insurance than wielding a sword, And the Angels Sang is a cornucopia of fractal glimpses into the mysterious, the fantastic, and surprises that lurk beneath the surface. Also highly recommended is Lorina Stephens' historical novel Shadow Song.

The life of a bowyer won't seem so bad. From Mountains of Ice tells the story of fallen noble Sylvio, as he returns to the courts of Simare and finds that he's being dragged into a world of murder and insanity. Set in an Italian renaissance inspired world, From Mountains of Ice is an entertaining and original fantasy from Lorina Stephens, highly recommended.
 
Lorina Stephens will be reading from, and signing copies of From Mountains of Ice, as well as And the Angels Sang and Shadow Song, this coming Saturday, August 28, 2010, at Chapters Bayview Village, 2901 Bayview Ave., Unit 132, North York, ON, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
 
Lorina's books are available in both digital and print format from booksellers globally, and through the Espresso Book Machine.
 


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Writing Coach Gives Free Webinar

Nina, the Writing Coach

Author and writing coach Nina Munteanu joins editor-journalist Vernon Oikle for "Toolkit Talks", a FREE Webinar hosted by Writer's Digest University to discuss the common issues faced by writers wishing to publish. Nina shares some of her best tips on how to get published in this entertaining and very educational one-hour long conversation with award-winning newspaper editor and journalist Vernon Oikle.

Nina and Vernon cover over twenty questions posed by Writer's Digest editors on important writing topics that range from inspiration, keeping the muse, focus issues and getting started to tools of craft, marketing and promotion.


You can still register to view this free webinar and learn some of the secrets writers use to jumpstart and keep their career in upward motion. Register for Nina's free webinar by August 15, 2010 and you may be eligible for additional materials.

Click here to register and view "Toolkit Talks" on Writer's Digest University.

The Bloodlight Chronicles

Steve Stanton's debut novel has now gone to the printer and will be in bookstores soon, with back-cover blurbs by Elisabeth Vonarburg and Matthew Hughes. This postcyberpunk "techno-thriller" is published by ECW Press in Toronto, the first book in a contracted sci-fi trilogy. Steve Stanton's short fiction has been published in twelve countries and nine languages, and he currently serves as the vice-president of SF Canada.