I've been doing various readings via my Twitch stream, as a test. My son lent me a wireless webcam, which I've put in my 9th-floor window, to show off a lovely view of the park, the river, and the city. I decided to add some audio to the video, so I did some readings from various authors - Stephen Leacock, Mark Twain, P. G. Wodehouse, Lewis Carroll, A. A Milne. No editing, but I am pretty good at reading aloud it seems. I stream simultaneously to Twitch, Youtube and Facebook, but I think a podcast would be better. Too hard to manage via Facebook. I had looked into podcasting last year, and got stalled - time to kick-start my project, I think. You can find my stories so far archived on Youtube here.  

The Peripheral by William Gibson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

2015 - I have enjoyed other books by Gibson, but found this one just too hard to get into. Maybe some character lists and careful re-reading would have helped, but I guess I just wasn't in the mood. Too many books to read/edit/write, and not enough time. I bailed at about the 30 page mark - sorry William.
Update - I usually like Gibson, so I really did want to like this book, so put a hold on it from my library. It popped up mid-move, but I tried to tackle it when I could.
Nope. Too confusing for me - storylines in the first 10 pages for Easy Ice, Netherton, patchers, Lorenzo, Daedra - a future world consumed with gaming and paparazzi - I got to page 51 this time.

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Mythos by Stephen Fry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, I got to page 181 of 350. Not completely the author's fault, as this popped up on my library hold list mid-move. But I did work at it here and there.
It's the Greek myths retold by Stephen Fry - as advertised - and covers many many of the various deities. Too many for me, dozens and dozens it seems. Too much time at the start spent explaining the detailed genealogy and not enough of the fact-based fiction he is so good at, with Fry's wry sense of humour. I'd advise starting this 1/3 of the way through - you won't know exactly who is who, and which god married his mother that was also his daughter, but carry on.
I may re-read this later - I'll add it to the things I do when I have some spare time. or when I get old.

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50% off!!

In honour of the spooky season, both my ebooks are on sale at Smashwords, until November 1st.

Read all about a cop in a small town as he uses his magical power to solve crimes and battle an evil spirit.  And when you're done, please leave a review on the Smashwords page, and/or Goodreads. 

Kirk's Landing

Dave, an undercover cop, is busted when his cloaking power fails in the middle of a biker gang meeting. Forced to hide out as detachment commander in Kirk's Landing, a small Manitoba town, his only goal is to continue as a loner and lay low for a year. He learns it's hard to stay a loner in a small town, though, especially with everyone, including his new First Nation's friends, eager to meet him and enlist his help with their version of the local issues. Dave finds his detective instincts pulling him into an unsolved disappearance, corruption in the local high tech paper mill, and pollution of the local lakes and rivers. When Dave tries to use his invisibility to help him in his investigations he discovers there are darker forces at work-forces that are now targeting him, changing him. It's now up to his friends to decide if he can be saved in time. 

Return to Kirk's Landing

Dave Browne, a former big city undercover cop, is hoping to finally settle into a peaceful new life as police chief in a small northern Canadian town. When he'd first arrived in the middle of winter, he’d relied on both his ability to disappear, and his new First Nations friends, to solve an unsolved murder, expose corruption at the local mill, and defeat an evil spirit. Now it’s summer, and he’s planning on being just a regular cop, worrying about things like jaywalking tourists and loud cottage parties. Unfortunately, parts of his past reappear, and he’s confronted with a biker gang, drugs, another murder, and a demonic possession. It's now time for him to face the benefits and limitations of his unique ability, changing both it and himself in the process.

 

 

 

I've already published two of my novels, Kirk's Landing and Return to Kirk's Landing. You can buy print or ebook copies from Amazon, Chapters, Ingram-Spark, Smashwords, iBooks, Kindle, etc. Or perhaps find a copy in your local library.  I've also written over 100 quick little Flash Fiction stories over the years, all up here on my blog. 

I'm thinking of doing a podcast of these - maybe a chapter a week, or a story a week, or both. Free of course. I'm told I have a good 'radio voice' so would do these myself, using my headset mic and Audacity and SoundCloud. Nothing too fancy. If it works out, I'd get better equipment, redo/repackage, and sell as audio books.

Interested? 

My second book is now available at the Ottawa Public Library, here.  If you're in Ottawa, I hope you will take it out,  read it, leave a review, and recommend it to your friends. Maybe even buy a copy for you or someone else, via Amazon or Chapters. 

For the rest of the world, if it's not in your own local library, please request that they order a copy. It was published in 2016, by Deux Voiliers Publishing,  ISBN 9781928049470, 314 pages paperback, Fiction - Adult. Don't worry about me losing sales. Being in a library means more readers, and the Canada Council of the Arts has a program that compensates authors for books they have in libraries. 

It seems a lot of science fiction now is not really that unbelievable.  Kim Stanley Robinson writes  in New York 2140 of a decidedly dampish city. 

"It’s spring in New York City. At Twenty-sixth and Park, the waves shine in the sunlight, and the breeze is briny with seaweed. Morning commuters are boarding a crosstown vaporetto. Out on the canal, finance guys in speedboats weave between the bigger ships. Workers in an inflatable raft are repairing the Flatiron dock; a superintendent, in diving gear, is checking his buildings for leaks. The super-rich live uptown, in a forest of skyscrapers near the Cloisters. The poor live downtown, in Chelsea, which is half-submerged."

If you want something closer to now, you might try Infomocracy by Malka Older.

"Infomocracy is a intellectually stimulating thriller that follows a handful of characters who work for various political parties and election systems. The story hinges on how a voting public receives and interprets information — and how parties manipulate that perception. It’s a book that’s all too relevant in 2016." - the Verge

Or you could always ignore reality and lose yourself in a Lovecraftian murder mystery/satire,  I Am Providence, by Nick Mamatas. 

 

Here are three YA books that might be of interest: Graffiti Girl,  Love and Vandalism, and Shadowshaper. The Goodreads reviews I've linked to are mixed, but take a look. 

Photo is mine, from Toronto Roncesvalles area, Oct/2015

If you do a Google Maps search, you will find that it's here, at Big Choctaw Bayou on the Tensas River in Louisiana. 

Probably not what you were looking for.

The Kirk's Landing of my book is a fictional town in south east Manitoba. 

As for the book itself, and the sequel they are in several places, including:

• Amazon US
• Amazon Canada
• Barnes and Noble
• Ottawa Public Library
• iBooks
• Kobo
• Smashwords
• XinXii
• Scribd
• Flipkart
• Textr
• Carleton Tavern (when I'm there)
• Several Ottawa bookstores. If your local store doesn't have it yet, they can order in from Ingram or Red Tuque books.  

I've sold hundreds of copies of my books face-to-face, plus more online as paperback and ebooks. I've also given away over two dozen, and have copies in local bookstores, the Ottawa Library, and several libraries across Canada. 

So, now that you've read my work, how about an online review?

A few of you have already added your feedback on various sites, but I would appreciate more - be it lavish praise or constructive criticism. You can just add a one-liner, such as "Great read, loved the small town feel, needs less pie and coffee breaks", or more if you feel inspired. Adding it to multiple locations would be even better.

Here are links to some sites:

• Amazon US
• Amazon Canada
• Goodreads
• Barnes and Noble
• Ottawa Public Library
• 49th Shelf
• iBooks
• Smashwords
• XinXii
• Scribd
• Flipkart
• Textr

Thanks, and feel free to pass your copy - paperback or ebook - on to a friend for their enjoyment. And remind them to review of course.