Naïda by Scott Overton

SF Canada member Scott Overton just launched a new novel about an alien artifact found in a northern Ontario lake. Naïda is the story of how this artifact changes its discoverer, Michael Hart, in a way that has implications for the whole world.

The glowing structure at the bottom of a lonely northern lake is clearly not of this Earth, but scuba diver Michael Hart can’t stay away. It could be a scientific treasure like no other. It could be a trap. It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be someone special.

The alien artifact is ancient but not abandoned, and what it offers will change him forever, leaving him with astonishing abilities and a destiny he would never have imagined. Except it might be a destiny he no longer controls. He might not even be human anymore.

Ocean researcher Sakiko Matthews is desperate to find a cure for Earth’s dying seas, willing to put her career on the line to learn the answers she needs. In Michael Hart she finds a mysterious ally who could be the key to her success, but the price will be terribly high.

The very future of the human race is in the balance, and the actions Michael takes will make him a hero, or the greatest traitor the world has ever known.

Because he is no longer alone, not even in his own body.

There is another.

Naïda.

As the host of a radio morning show for most of his 30+ years in broadcasting, Scott Overton entertained and informed thousands of groggy people as they faced each new day. He brings those same skills and perspectives to his writing, which includes science fiction and fantasy, mainstream and thriller fiction, and even a children’s book.

Scott’s debut novel Dead Air was first published by Scrivener Press. Read a sample chapter, watch the book trailer, and more here. His short stories have been published in On Spec, Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine, AE: The Canadian Science Fiction Review, the anthologies Tesseracts Sixteen: Parnassus Unbound, Doomology: The Dawning Of Disasters, Canadian Tales of the Fantastic and elsewhere. Scott’s a member of the Canadian Authors Association, SFCanada, and a past President of the Sudbury Writers Guild.

Learn more about Scott’s writing at scottoverton.ca.

Purchase your copy of Naïda from Amazon, Kobo, and other booksellers.

Issue 18 of Polar Borealis Available for Download

The latest issue of Polar Borealis, edited by SF Canada member R. Graeme Cameron, has just been published.

Discover fiction from SF Canada members Geoff Hart and Robert Dawson as well as poetry from Lisa Timpf and Melanie Marttila.

Both Polar Borealis and Polar Starlight are currently closed to poetry and fiction submissions, but are open for cover art. Check the website for more details on what Polar Borealis typically publishes.

Download Issue 18 for free. Visit polarborealis.ca to view back issues and find more information about this paying market.

Congratulations to the 2021 Aurora Award Nominees!

The 2020 Aurora Award

On May 9, 2021 the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association announced this year’s list of Aurora Award Nominees. These awards are given to Canadian authors and artists of science fiction and fantasy for eligible novels, short stories, artwork, magazines, and film or television from the previous calendar year.

Several SF Canada members are on this year’s list, including Robert J. Sawyer, Susan Forest, Barb Galler-Smith, R. Graeme Cameron, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, and Derek Newman-Stille. But the list of amazing and talented artists is much longer! So, head over to the full list of nominees on the 2021 ballot and refill your reading list for the summer.

Voting for the Aurora Awards opens July 31, 2021 and will close on September 4, 2021. Winners will be announced in an online ceremony on October 16, 2021.

Learn more about the Aurora Awards at prixaurorawards.ca.

Through the Labyrinths of the Mind by Bevan Thomas

SF Canada member Bevan Thomas has just successfully concluded a Kickstarter campaign for the graphic anthology, Through the Labyrinths of the Mind, from Cloudscape Comics.

Along with writer and artist Hanna Lou Myers, Bevan co-edited this timely project in which a wide range of British Columbia comic creators explore their struggles with mental health issues.

Each of Labyrinths’ stories explores mental health in a unique and personal way. Many are memoirs in which the cartoonists candidly describe their own struggles, while others take inspiration from their creators’ experiences to tell fictional stories in numerous genres, ranging from realistic slice-of-life dramas to tales of magic and fantasy. The stories present mental health issues through a wide variety of symbolism – OCD as a host of whispering gremlins, depression as a suffocating black mass, anxiety a mask to hide your true self. In all cases, the chosen genre and symbolism are the ones that best capture the particular cartoonist’s psychological truth, sharing with the reader their own internal journey.

For a full list of contributors and more detail about this anthology, visit the Kickstarter page.

Bevan is a writer, editor, and creative writing teacher best known for his involvement with Cloudscape Comics, BC’s largest comics collective. His work has also appeared in the anthologies Beyond and Superhero Universe: Tesseracts 19, and the magazine Pulp Literature. Bevan teaches writing for comics and comic book history in Langara College’s Graphic Novel & Comix program.

Learn more about Bevan’s work at www.bevanthomas.ca.

Copies of Through the Labyrinths of the Mind will soon be available through Cloudscape Comics.

When Words Collide 2021

Save the dates this August 13 through 15 2021 for When Words Collide (WWC) the annual Canadian literary festival based in Calgary, AB. This popular event for fiction readers, writers, artists, and publishers is open for registration.

As with last year’s online event, WWC 2021 will be both online-only and FREE to attend with most panels and workshops taking place via Zoom. WWC is an inclusive event with programming covering a broad range of commercial and literary fiction, poetry, and more.

WWC has grown to become one of Canada’s largest literary events and is now celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2021.

Learn more about WWC at: whenwordscollide.org/About_WWC

Register to attend this year’s virtual conference here: whenwordscollide.org/Registration

A Virtual Campfire Tale with Mark Leslie

Join SF Canada member Mark Leslie for a virtual event tomorrow, Tuesday April 13, 2021 at 7 PM EST. Mark will be live reading “The Shadow Men” a short story meant to be read around a campfire.

Mark’s reading will be live streamed to YouTube and Facebook, with an interactive chance to ask questions as well as some prizes randomly drawn from those who comment.

Register in advance for an extra chance to win one of Mark’s audiobooks.