Tag: books

  • A Slight Service Interruption…Please Stand By

    If you’re not directly involved with the publishing industry, you may not have heard about the Pronoun debacle. What is Pronoun? Well, it was a third-party distributor of e-books to retailers, and a fantastically fabulous resource for indie writers (like myself). I loved it soooooo much. And now you’re probably wondering what the debacle was. Well, long…

  • A Home Without Books

    A couple of weeks ago, I posted about volunteering as an English tutor for Syrian refugees here in Ottawa. I didn’t mention it at the time, but something has been bothering me ever since my first visit with the family: they have no books. None. Not a one. There are three boys, ages 7, 13, and…

  • The Unputdownable Book

    We all have them on our bookshelves. Those special books that grabbed us and pulled us headlong into their worlds, that touched us in unexpected ways, that refused to release us even after we had finished them…books that made us go when we finished them, because we just weren’t ready to leave the worlds they’d…

  • Netgalley: Another Step Toward Self-Publishing

    I’m just a few weeks away from the release of Gwynneth Ever After and, slowly but surely, I’m making progress. The ISBN number came through on day 10 of the 6-10 business days I was told it would take. Once I had that, I was able to have the digital file uploaded to Netgalley for reviewers…

  • Defining the Urban Fantasy Genre

    (WARNING: If you’re hoping for a definitive definition of what exactly constitutes urban fantasy, you’re not going to find it here!) This past weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of moderating a panel at the World Fantasy Convention in Toronto. Our topic: Defining Urban Fantasy. There we were, six intrepid authors and editors, boldly taking our seats before…

  • New Author Challenge

    This past Saturday, I had a book signing at a local chain bookstore in Ottawa (Carlingwood Coles). It was a wildly successful one, in my opinion, with sales that nearly cleaned out the store’s stock (including extra copies they’d received in error). Driving home afterward, I couldn’t help but reflect on how incredibly fortunate I…

  • Bryan Thomas Schmidt on the Making of a Sequel

    When I first joined Twitter, it was with great trepidation…and a serious amount of scepticism. How in the world was one supposed to meet total strangers in tweets of 140 characters or less? Well, I’m happy to report that my scepticism was unfounded: it turns out that one cannot only meet strangers but also some…

  • Guest Post: Interview with Shawntelle Madison

    I’m thrilled to present another guest for you on my blog today, and this one is extra special because it’s my first-ever interview, too. 🙂 Shawntelle Madison, author of the recently released COVETED, has graciously agreed to answer some of my questions…I hope you enjoy! Linda: Hello, Shawntelle, and thank you so much for stopping…

  • Review: ASHFALL by Mike Mullin

    I decided a long time ago that I wouldn’t review other authors’ books. To me, the idea just felt wrong…and maybe a little pretentious. Knowing first-hand how incredibly challenging the whole publishing process is, I thought, who am I to pass judgment on another writer’s work? Well, I still don’t think I should pass judgment,…

  • Guest Post: When a book grows up with you

    I have a special treat for you today — the very first guest post I’ve ever had here on my blog! I’m thrilled to introduce Christina Vasilevski, a writer and editor living in Toronto, Canada. By day she works as a proofreader of online medical content, but by night she blogs, edits, plays video games,…