Tower in the Crooked Wood by Paula Johanson

SF Canada member Paula Johanson is re-releasing an ebook version of her short novel, Tower in the Crooked Wood, with publisher Doublejoy Books.

Join Paula on her Facebook page today, November 30, 2020 at noon PST for an online book launch.

They were stolen in the dark to work for a night and a day, building a tower for the wizard Krummholz on faraway Copper Island, in a place where the trees grow twisted in a poisoned bog. Some of the unwilling workers were returned bewildered, bruised, and marked by whips — others died as the uncaring wizard called new workers to his tower. Now Jenia is the only one left of her family willing to leave her orchards and walk five hundred miles in search of her abductor, and the answers to questions burning inside her.

 

Why was she stolen out of the dark? What is wrong at the heart of the tower? And why does the magic twisting the very trees strike a strangely familiar note? All Jenia knows for sure is that she will not let herself be made a prisoner again, not by magic nor by force of arms. When a soldier tries to trap her in a lord’s garden, and a village of gentle people tell her to give up her hopeless quest, Jenia has to choose where to place her trust: in friends, in strength, or in the cunning in her own two hands.

 

And then the wizard Krummholz sends his call out again…

“A wealth of realistic detail lends authenticity to this engrossing tale of a young arborist, ‘a scholar of trees.’ Paula Johanson has created a magical alternative world both mythic in feel, and hauntingly evocative of our own.” – Eileen Kernaghan, author of The Snow Queen.

Paula Johanson is a Canadian writer. A graduate of the University of Victoria, she has worked as a security guard, a short order cook, a teacher, newspaper writer, and more. As well as editing books and teaching materials, she has run an organic-method small farm with her spouse, raised gifted twins, and cleaned university dormitories. In addition to novels and stories, she is the author of forty-two books written for educational publishers, among them The Paleolithic Revolution and Women Writers from the series Defying Convention: Women Who Changed The World. Johanson is an active member of SF Canada, the national association of science fiction and fantasy authors.

Learn more about Paula and explore her other titles at paulajohanson.blogspot.com.

Order your copy of Tower in the Crooked Wood at !ndigo, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and other digital booksellers.

Renaissance Virtual Conference Oct 24-25

Join over 20 speculative fiction authors from across Canada for a two-day virtual writers’ conference October 24 & 25, 2020. Panelists include SF Canada members Su J. Sokol, Nina Munteanu, Elizabeth Hirst, and Cait Gordon.

Panel discussions cover setting, world building, writing inclusively, and much more. Participants will also enjoy a virtual dealers room with a broad range of books.

Register at on the Renaissance Press website and head over to the event on Facebook to follow updates.

Crystal Cloud by Claudiu Murgan

SF Canada member Claudiu Murgan is launching the sequel to his novel Water Entanglement, a spiritually-inspired futuristic tale revolving around the nature of water.

Crystal Cloud is an eco-fiction story that continues the exploration of water’s ability to heal us when treated with reverence – or hurt us when treated with ignorance.

Water was always on our side—we were the ones who strayed! After the initial shock of the world’s water awakening, humanity comes together to put measures in place to ease adverse climate changes. Cherry Mortinger, the limnologist behind Hayyin’s enigmatic identity, works on creating a universal language for water…

Learn more about Crystal Cloud at an online launch tonight at 7pm EST via live stream on YouTube and Facebook.

“A unique writer voice, a refreshing storyline, and a future that we may all see before too long! Tension, pace, and real-life issues make this a novel to read. Wow, what a story!” – Jonas Saul, author of the Sarah Roberts Series

Claudiu Murgan was born in Romania and has called Canada home since 1997. He is a graduate of the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest and during his university years he was involved in the Romanian fandom, writing and organizing local events. He also participated at Science-Fiction conventions in both Europe and North America, meeting contemporary writers with the utmost impact on this genre.

He received several awards for his short stories and novellas that were published in SF Journal and Science & Technology Magazine. Claudiu was a member of the Friends of the Merril Collection in Toronto, organizing the first Science-Fiction art show in the association’s history.

Learn more about Claudiu and explore his other titles at claudiumurgan.com.

Order your copy of Crystal Cloud at Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and iBooks.

 

When Words Collide Online & FREE for 2020

 

This year’s When Words Collide (WWC) convention for readers and writers has gone online in response to Covid-19 health and safety protocols.

Although we’re sad that WWC won’t be happening in person, we’re excited to share that this popular Canadian literary event is FREE to attend! And there is still so much happening. WWC kicks off at noon MDT tomorrow, Friday August 14, 2020.

Be sure to check out the group book launch at 2pm on Friday. Nine authors are launching new titles, most of whom are SF Canada members, including Paula Johanson. Saturday August 15, Susan Forest has a book launch as well.

Tune in at 5pm Saturday for the announcement of Aurora Award winners. And don’t miss the shared author table with a whopping 146 books!

Visit whenwordscollide.org for the event schedule and presenter bios. The WWC site will also have links to each panel or presentation via streamed video services.

K.V. Johansen at LonCon 3

LonCon3K.V. Johansen will be attending LONCON 3 (the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention) in London UK, from August 14-18, where she will be on panels discussing “Crossing Boundaries: Histories of International SF/F for Children”, “Sense of Wonder in Children’s SF”, and “YA Fiction: The History of a Genre”, as well as being available at a kaffeeklatsch where readers and writers can meet.

Right before LONCON, Johansen will be a class leader at the Science Fiction Foundation’s annual Masterclass in Science Fiction Criticism, held at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, August 11-13.

Johansen’s latest novel, The Leopard, was published in June by Pyr, to be followed in December by part two of the epic fantasy: The Lady.
For more about Johansen’s writing and her participation in LONCON 3, see her blog, her website, or her alternate website for children’s & YA books.

This tour is supported by the New Brunswick Arts Board | Cette tournée est soutenue par le Conseil des arts du Nouveau-Brunswick
ArtsNB