Book Review - Changing Heaven

For book two of my Canadian Book Reading Challenge, I decided to read Changing Heaven by Jane Urquhart.  I read The Stone Carvers and The Underpainter a number of years ago and was ready to read more by this lyrical writer. 

            I came into the story blind to anything about it and I’d hate to spoil its charm by giving too much away here.  Basically, this book tells the stories of many characters related in some way or another to Emily Brontë.  The story is told through several narrators, which I personally enjoy. 

            Changing Heaven is beautiful, whimsical and poetic.  It is “a book about the wind, about the weather.”  How sweet is that?  I wish I could write like this!  It is captivatingly Canadian with its dedication to weather and descriptions of landscape.  It is lovely and enchanting. 

            As in The Stone Carvers and The Underpainter, Changing Heaven focuses on art and the artist.  Urquhart writes of painting with depth and understanding.  I can only deduce that her marriage to artist, Tony Urquhart, is cause for much inspiration!               

            I’d love to discuss this book with someone who has read it.  So much beauty and sadness to dissect.

Buy Changing Heaven

Book Review - Aberrant by Jo-Anne Sieppert

From www.smashwords.com

I have finished my first Canadian book as part of the Canadian Book Challenge.  Here is my review, as seen on Goodreads:

Delilah is a high school student with a big problem.  The Painfully Perfects, a group of rich, beautiful and popular students, are slowly and steadily torturing her.  From teasing to laughing, from tripping to duct-taping her hair to a bus seat, the Perfects won’t leave Delilah alone.  Her only reprieve is after school and weekends.

Delilah’s parents are rarely home to notice her unhappiness.  One night, she rows out to a deserted island to get away from it all.  She enjoys the peace and quiet until she hears a voice.  After overcoming her initial surprise, she is pleased to find a friend in the voice, named Jack.  She returns several times to continue talking to Jack, but he never shows himself.

Back at school, the Perfects are increasing their bullying tactics and pull down her pants in front of the entire gym class.  How will Delilah ever face school again?

Aberrant keeps the reader guessing through clever twists and developments.  Just when you think you’ve solved one mystery, another one appears.  It is written for a young adult audience, but is interesting for an adult reader as well.

           

Aberrant uses a lot of dialogue, which helps bring the characters to life, but occasionally slows down the plot.  Delilah is an empathetic character, though her swift mood-changes are a bit dizzying at times. 

This is a creative, entertaining book that kept me turning pages.

Buy Aberrant!

Meet Simon Rose: Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer

This year, I have been working on a fantasy novel because my son told me he wanted me to write a “boy book”.  While I’m not giving out too many details just yet, I am starting to look for publishers.  I’m also beginning to notice fantasy writers. 

I met Simon Rose through my writing group connections.  He has published 7 science fiction/ fantasy books for middle grade readers.  He is also Canadian, which is exciting and I will be reading one of his books as part of the Canadian Reading Challenge.  He kindly agreed to answer a few of my questions regarding writing.  Here is what I learned from Simon:

From www.simon-rose.com

1.  Why did you become a writer?

I've probably always had ideas for stories and was often writing, although I was never sure if anything would come of it. Once I had children of my own, I came into contact with children's books again for the first time in many years. Picture books initially, of course, but then early chapter books and novels. Some were very impressive and influential, others far less so. When I decided to try my hand at writing novels and stories, I found myself drawn to the types of things I used to read as a child in the science fiction and fantasy genre.

www.simon-rose.com

2.  You have published a good number of titles.  Do you have a common theme in your books?

My books are in the science fiction and fantasy genre for middle grades, around ages eight to twelve. You can see full details of each of them, including excerpts and synopses (and you can even listen to recording of my readings) at simon-rose.com.

The Alchemist's Portrait is a time-travel story, in which Matthew journeys through the centuries using magical paintings which act as doorways into the past, in order to save the world from the clutches of an evil alchemist. The Sorcerer's Letterbox, another time-travel tale, is based on the famous mystery of the Princes in the Tower about Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York, who were supposedly murdered on the orders of Richard III in 1483. 

The Clone Conspiracy is a science fiction thriller involving clandestine laboratories and secret experiments, while The Emerald Curse, based on my own reading of comic books while growing up, concerns Sam's adventures in a bizarre, and at times deadly, superhero universe. The Heretic's Tomb is set in the medieval period once again, this time during the Black Death in 1349.
The Doomsday Mask is in the science fiction and fantasy genre. It's a fast-paced adventure about ancient civilizations, World War II, mysterious artifacts, and shadowy secret societies.
The Time Camera is a science fiction adventure about advanced technology.

www.simon-rose.com

3.  I noticed you cross over between fiction and non-fiction as well as between middle grade and young adult books.  Is this mainly because of your own interests?

The novels have been in the science fiction and fantasy genre mostly because I'm interested in that, I guess. I usually choose non-fiction projects based on interests or if it's something that I think I'd enjoyed writing and researching about. The non-fiction titles I've completed so far have been on a wide range of topics such as science, biographies, animals, architecture, history, the military and culture  

 4.  Who inspires you to write?  

One of the best things about writing for kids is that I can write about the kinds of things that fascinated me when I was young. Stories can be very imaginative if they are for children, which makes writing them so much fun. And, of course, in science fiction or fantasy, more or less anything you can imagine is possible, as you craft stories involving ancient mysteries, the unexplained, the paranormal, science fiction, time travel, parallel universes, alternate realities, weird and wonderful characters, and a multitude of "what if" scenarios.

I read lots of science fiction, as well fantasy writers and ghost stories while growing up. I also read a tremendous number of comic books, in which the stories took me across the universe, into strange dimensions, into the land of the Norse gods or had me swinging from the New York rooftops. At high school, I studied a lot of history and have retained my interest in the subject up to the present day. I also read voraciously about ancient civilizations, mysteries, the supernatural, and the unexplained. 

5.  What is your favourite part of the writing process?

I'm not sure, but perhaps when that initial spark of an idea becomes a full story and you can't get the thing typed up fast enough. There are also times during the writing process when, after struggling with certain parts of the text for a while, it suddenly all comes together and you then read it over and realize its pretty impressive.  

 You can learn more about Simon Rose through these links:

Website

Blog

Writing Retreat

Many thanks to subscriber Faith Hope Cherrytea for suggesting the Canadian Reading Challenge.  I have four books for my list so far:  Hanging On To My Dreams by Arnold Henry, The Petty Details of So-and-So's Life by Camilla Gibb, Aberrant by Jo-Anne Sieppert, and Fall on Your Knees by Anne-Marie MacDonald.  I have met Sieppert and Henry through my writing group.  In fact, I just had the pleasure of spending a day with them at a writing retreat we organized in Beautiful Alberta.  It was the first writing retreat for me and for most, if not all of the writers in attendance.  I think this was to my advantage as I put the event together.

I can't believe I've never done this before.  What a treat to be in a roomful of other writers.  To have them comment on your work, share their experiences and hear them read.  It was quite inexpensive, thanks to our lovely hostess.  It was nothing fancy, but I think the simplicity of the day lent itself to helping us create.  Here's what our schedule looked like:

9:00 Meet and Greet - We introduced ourselves over coffee, fruit and muffins.  I started the ball rolling by suggesting we talk about our favourite authors as well as what we enjoy writing.  Then I went over the schedule for the day and reviewed our plans for critiquing one another's work.  There were 11 of us, so I had each person bring 10 copies of a piece of writing they wanted some feedback on.  I knew some people were nervous about this, so I talked about how we critique in our writing group.  While reading a piece, we make note of what makes us laugh, any grammatical errors that we happen to notice, anything that is unclear and anything that stands out to us as especially good.  We had the day to read over the writing and make notes at our own pace.  This worked well, though I think next time I might put a limit on the length of the pieces.  Most of us found it difficult to give good feedback on all of the writing.

10:00 - 12:00 - We had time to write, read, edit or chat with other writers.  Fortunately, it was a beautiful day, so those who wanted to chat could go outside and enjoy the view while they talked, which left the room nice and quiet for writing.

12:00 - 1:30 - We broke for lunch and had the option to go for a walk.

1:30 - 2:30  My friend Katie led us in a writing exercise.  These are fantastic for getting you out of your regular writing rhythms.  My latest book project started as a writing exercise used at a writing meeting.  We had the option to read our writing aloud when we were finished.  It is amazing how many ways a writing exercise can go!

2:30 - 3:30 - We had one more work block for writing, editing, reading or talking.

3:30 - We gathered our belongings and I asked people to share the best thing about the day and one thing to improve next time.

What a great way to spend a Saturday.  I'd love to know of your experiences with writing retreats.  I'd appreciate new ideas for next time.  Thanks!

Writing Letters

I am a big fan of CBC radio.  If you aren't a Canadian, this is our national radio station where you can hear anything and everything from jazz to opera, radio plays to news shows.  I previously mentioned my appreciation for Stuart McLean, who has a weekly radio show called The Vinyl Cafe.  If you have never heard of it, google it and listen to an episode immediately!  Especially if you can find an episode featuring a Dave and Morley story.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

Today, I had the pleasure of hearing two writers talk about their "relapse" into letter writing.  They spoke of how writing a letter by hand forces them to live in the moment.  They can't write nearly as fast as they type and so they have time to process what they are writing.  They also have the opportunity to write about things that they would edit if they knew their writing could be accessed by unknown readers - as I do when I write my blogs, tweets and Facebook updates.  I was inspired.

And, I couldn't help but think about my book, Suspiciously Reserved.  In this book, Jane Fairfax frequently communicates to Frank Churchill by letter.  She also emails and texts when necessary, but she trusts a hand-written letter.  This theme of trust runs throughout the book and I'm afraid even I am uncertain of Frank Churchill's trustworthiness.  In our fast-paced, self-centred modern era, who can we trust and how long does it take to build this faith?  Can a hand-written letter reveal more about its author than a text or email?  I plan to try.  Just as soon as I can find a pen and some paper.  What do you think?

Click here to read about Mary Robinette Kowal's letter-writing challenge.The Month of Letters

Kindle Fire!

You can win a Kindle Fire as well as 20 Austen-related Indie novels including Suspiciously Reserved by clicking on this button.  It is through a fantastic blog called Indie Jane.  Good luck!
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A Fleet of Fantasy

Though it may seem as though I haven't been writing much in my first year back teaching, in fact, my weekend efforts are beginning to amount to something.  I started with short stories, as I often do once I finish a book and look for my next project.  It was my goal to write one short story a month during the teaching months.  In October, I began a short story in writing group based on a prompt we were given "You always said dragons didn't exist . . ." but the story wouldn't end.  It kept going and keeps going.

Once again, I am venturing into unknown territory.  Fantasy fiction was something I had abandoned in favour of realism, but returning to the land of dragons and talking animals has been delightful.  And when I really think of it, how realistic is Jane Austen fiction?  Am I not slipping into the fantastical realms when I imagine what it was all like?

In my efforts, I have been revisiting favourite fantasy writers - C.S. Lewis, Madeline L'Engle and Lewis Carroll.  Yes, my book is aimed at children which is a natural fit for me, being a mother of young children and a teacher of the same.

I keep wondering if I should stick to one genre and get really good at it, but I only seem able to write what I am currently obsessed with.  What do you think about this?  Should a writer stick to one type of writing or should they cross borders, confident that they will be able to figure it out?  Margaret Atwood is an inspiration here.  From historical fiction to science fiction, she triumphs.  I treasure your comments:)  Thanks!