THIS BLOG IS NO LONGER ACTIVE

I *loved* blogger and all that it's done to help grow my career since 2007. But, with too many books and not enough pages, I moved over to www.mariebilodeau.com, with a brand new site. Come join the continuing insanity there!

This place will remain as an inactive archive. Enjoy! 

A Dash of Axe and Death for Your Valentine's Day!

Gluck is coming to romance you this WITH DEATH AND MAYHEM this Valentine's Day!

See this adorable little radish?
Gluck would eat it.
But Alara would hug it.
See? So much tension potential in this story!

Launching on the new Radish app, which is *also* launching that day (I'm a launch author! Yay!), this serialized story is fun, mayhem, magic and battle in a post-war landscape.

In other words:  you won't want to miss this!

I'll be sending a special promotional offer on Valentine's Day to my eNewsletter subscribers, so make sure to sign up if you aren't already on the list!  Freebies for some!  Giant double-edged axes for others!  (Some fees, waivers and jail time may apply.)

Get some Sword and Sorcery Goodness!

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(That, there, is a form. It should work.  Try it out!)

THE LEGEND OF GLUCK

In the wake of Klar the Dark’s defeat and the War of Endings, the people of Arislar must now bury their dead and rebuild. The land has shifted, morphing into something new, with less magic and more monsters. But not all of the dark magic vanished with Klar the Dark’s death, and a new evil seems to stalk the land. 

Far from his homeland and the people who exiled him, Gluck the Barbarian travels with his battle companion, Alara the Sorceress. With axe in hand and magic at the ready, they take up the quest for adventure and answers. 

Adventure 1: Exile (Chapters 1 and 2) 

Read the Aurora-nominated short story that introduced Gluck to the world, first published in “When the Hero Comes Home,” edited by Gabrielle Harbowy and Ed Greenwood, by Dragon Moon Press. 

Adventure 2: In Death’s Shadow (Chapters 3 - ?) 

Gluck and Alara bring news of one of their comrade’s passing to his widow, only to find the small hamlet under the control of a dangerous new order that promises freedom but seems to deliver only death. 

Announcing the Return of Gluck!

Back in 2011, I sold a short story to Ed Greenwood and Gabrielle Harbowy for their When the Hero Comes Home anthology by Dragon Moon Press.  The story was well received, garnering some lovely reviews and even became a finalist in the Aurora Awards (woo!).

Fast forward to 2015, when a new cutting edge publishing company, Radish, approached me (and other cool writers like Linda Poitevin) to provide a story for their app launch in early 2016.  I immediately thought of Gluck the Barbarian and his comrade-in-arms, Alara the elven sorceress.  They still had many adventures to tell as they traveled their post-war land.  It's a serialized sword and sorcery story for a serialized platform (I'm on theme!)  I pitched the idea to Radish and they enthusiastically accepted Gluck as part of their launch stories!

How Radish Works  
The app is launching for iOS in February of 2016 (Android and web versions to follow later this year). You start reading a story, which will update two chapters a week.  If you want to read the chapters immediately, you throw some coins our way and you get immediate access.  Otherwise, you wait a few weeks and they unlock.  Simple, clean, efficient. I'm curious to see how it'll be received. Apparently apps like these are popular in the eastern world, for manga and fiction creators.


How Gluck Will Work on Radish
I'm building Gluck as a series of adventures. The first is called Exile, and is basically the original short story (in two chapters). The second adventure is In Death's Shadow, and is much longer.  There will be overarching story lines, recurring characters, side quests and all that jazz. I have a plan, and it's a fun one. 

THE LEGEND OF GLUCK

In the wake of Klar the Dark’s defeat and the War of Endings, the people of Arislar must now bury their dead and rebuild. The land has shifted, morphing into something new, with less magic and more monsters. But not all of the dark magic vanished with Klar the Dark’s death, and a new evil seems to stalk the land.

Far from his homeland and the people who exiled him, Gluck the Barbarian travels with his battle companion, Alara the Sorceress. With axe in hand and magic at the ready, they take up the quest for adventure and answers.

Adventure 1: Exile (Chapters 1 and 2)

Read the Aurora-nominated short story that introduced Gluck to the world, first published in “When the Hero Comes Home,” edited by Gabrielle Harbowy and Ed Greenwood, by Dragon Moon Press.

Adventure 2: In Death’s Shadow (Chapters 3 - ?)

Gluck and Alara bring news of one of their comrade’s passing to his widow, only to find the small hamlet under the control of a dangerous new order that promises freedom but seems to deliver only death.

Keep an eye out for more news!  Gluck will be swinging his axe again this February. Woo!

Special Hardcover Edition of Nigh 2!

The hardcover edition of Nigh 2 is now available!  Complete with gorgeous art from cover artist Kerri Elizabeth Gerow, this is an edition not to be missed!

For those of you who asked - there will be an omnibus edition, released fall of 2016.  But it won't have the pretty extra art, nor will it be hard cover.  Let your book sense guide you to the edition that's right for you!

NIGH 
Book 2

The mists have lifted, leaving behind a shattered world. Still reeling from the loss of her best friend, Alva Viola Taverner must trust the mysterious watchmaker to keep them safe.

But the road to safety is strewn with bodies and, up ahead, the faeries still thirst for human blood.


Amazon.com • Amazon.ca • Book Depository • Chapters/Indigo • Barnes & Noble

 
An excerpt
He had almost lost Alva again. As simple as that. A moment in time, a single faerie. Worse, he was almost out of sand. He had put what extra he could in his pockets, to ward off faerie magic. He shifted, uncomfortable. He’d also sewn sand into the lining of his coat and in the sole of his boots, to keep time from finding him. He could never step fully on the ground of this earth again, lest he turn to the dust of a century.

He could use the sand protecting him, but he would forfeit his life.

He was a watchmaker no longer able to survive the speed of his own time.

Hector imagined the ticking of the watch. He imagined it like heartbeats, mimicking his own. A beat per second. Tiny gears working away diligently, keeping their one task. To move time forward. To succeed at one thing, like a soldier on the field.

He would use the sand if he needed to. He would turn to dust in this world.

But not before he answered one final battle call.  

Hallowe'en Stories on Sunday!

Cute picture by v-collins on Deviant Art!

I'm going back to Pinhey's Point on Sunday, from 11-4, to tell scary stories!  Audience appropriate scary stories, so yes, you can bring your little ones!

There will be ghosts, and carnivals, and owls and, um, I haven't figured out my set yet. But it'll be cool!  Storytelling should be every hour, so come on out, enjoy the pumpkin carving and classic Hallowe'en pranks this Sunday, and listen to some stories!

More info here.

Can*Con - Paper Airplane Contest Rules!

WARNING: I SCREAM AT YOU IN THIS POST AND I DO NO APOLOGIZE.

Back by popular demand, the paper airplane contest shall once more wreak havoc upon CAN-CON. I've been asked mutliple questions by citizens: what shall I bring?  Do we need our own band aids?  A change of clothes? To sign a waiver?

Well, here are your answers: BRING ONLY YOURSELVES!

I've also received questions on the rules.  Some of you poor souls didn't make it last year.  So, here are the rules:

THE ONLY RULE IS TO FEAR ME!!!!

That's it.  Bring yourselves only, and be prepared to earn your way to even just folding the paper airplaine.

THIS IS NOT FOR THE WEAK!

It is for the strong.

BUT WAIT!!

I've been asked if people, whom I shall now refer to as show-offs, can bring a pre-constructed plane. I've pondered it and decided that I shall graciously accept to allow show-offs to bring pre-made planes within the competition grounds.  

BUT YOU MUST EARN YOUR RIGHT TO FLY. 

An even harsher skills competitions will be demanded of those who bring a pre-made plane.  If you only bring the supplies and build it on site, I shall be less harsh with my demands.  Slighly.

HOW DO YOU WIN?

I've been asked that, especially considering all of the fine prizes I make available.  Fine, fine prizes. 

YOU MUST BE THE BEST!

That's how you win.  And I define best based on my daily whim. 

... If this contest doesn't sound like a good time, I don't know what is! 

SEE YOU THERE.  8pm. Saturday evening.

GUEST POST: KT Bryski's New Novel!

*Editorial note included at end of post.*

Hi! I’m KT Bryski—Canadian fantasy author and podcaster and writing comrade of the ever-lovely and talented Marie Bilodeau. She’s welcomed me to her blog with a few questions. Simple questions, she said. Easy questions. Nothing to worry about. Not at all.

I’m not nervous. Not at all.

*eep*

What’s your current project?

That’s…that’s it? Wow, okay. Well, my new novel Heartstealer is a historical dark fantasy. When Sara Wolfe’s husband disappears in a northern backwater village, she doesn’t quite believe the story she’s told. She travels north to find him, quickly becoming embroiled in the village’s old hurts and older magic. The curtain between worlds is thinning, and if Sara doesn’t find her husband soon—well, the ghosts aren’t the only ones stalking the night.

What colour is your novel?

The cover’s mostly blue…

No, what colour does it feel like?

Oh. Deep, deep blues and purples, maybe hints of deep orange. The colour of a late October twilight.

Very poetic.

Thank you.

So if you could eat anything in Heartstealer, what would it be?

NEW BOOK! Eye of Glass, set in Ed Greenwood's Hellmaw!

I'm super thrilled to announce that I'm part of the The Ed Greenwood Group (TEGG), a revolutionary publishing venture by the creator of Forgotten Realms himself!

My first book, set in his new Hellmaw realm and already written, will be coming out in February 2016! Hellmaw is a dark world, where ruthless daemons stalk our streets, seeing humanity as little more than cattle.

And then, there's my character, who's by far the quirkiest character I've ever written. You'll get to meet her a bit more later on, but for now, I can tell you that book 1, Eye of Glass, is the first of six books, for my longest series yet!

Here's the book copy:

Following a slight misfire with a prank (on a cop, involving herself as the dead body), Jaeda finds herself confined to a small room, with only a TV as company. Relaxing will help her regenerate her mostly missing body, but that's entirely too boring for her liking. Besides, she has better things to do with her time, like becoming a model.

But when her guardian and keeper vanishes, Jaeda has to move quickly to avoid capture and save herself, her guardian, and her new human pets. Regenerating will simply have to wait.


It's going to be a fun and wild ride.  Make sure to check out the rest of the Hellmaw lineup and meet Jaeda in February!


THE "BODYLESS" SERIES, BY MARIE BILODEAU
Set in the Hellmaw world

Eye of Glass (Feb. 2016)
Lips of Blood (Feb. 2018)
Shoe of Bone (Feb. 2019)
Hand of Knives (Feb. 2020)
Flesh of Decay (Feb. 2021)
Spine of Steel (Feb. 2022)

More announcements soon!

Being Thankful For Writing

I'm thankful for writing today, on Thanksgiving Day.  So many memes on Facebook say that writing is like pulling out your own eyes and eating them (along those lines, anyway), but I don't believe that.

I'm thankful for writing because of the worlds it opens up to me, some with rolling hills ablaze with magic, others with distant star systems to explore.

I'm thankful for the characters I meet, and their stubborn refusal to stay passive, for the heartache their deaths (sometimes) bring, for their joys and successes, for the bumps and hills they climb to reach The End.

I'm thankful for story, for that thread that runs neatly through fiction, weaving a tale that helps make sense of the world around us, with its pain and confusion and powerlessness.

I'm thankful for my laptop, my coloured pens, my coiled notebooks, my desk and my comfy chair, for being that conduit for conveying ideas to words on a page.

I'm thankful for the friends I've made thanks to writing, for the people who have become like family, for those I'd call upon during bad days or to share my greatest joys.

I'm thankful for the community that gets words, that loves them as much as I do, and that meets online or in-person to share that love.

I'm thankful because I know that, in another time or another place, I wouldn't have even learned to read and write, and even if I had, I might be too terrified or too busy surviving to put word to page.

I'm thankful because I know that writing can be hard, it can be confusing, it can be downright frustrating and make you feel kind of ill. But it can also bring the greatest joys, successes and the best damn day dreams.

I'm thankful because I know that I choose to write, and that I can write, and that I live in a world with so many options for getting my words out there that I just want to hug all of publishing and all of writing and hold it close forever.

I'm thankful for words.

And I hope you are, too.

Episode 15!

This is the little podcast that could (with lots of bad jokes)! Check out episode 15 today!

I'm a book! Check me out!

This year, during Ottawa's Nuit Blanche, I get to be a book!  At the Human Library!!!  I don't think I've been this excited since I sold my first book!

It's tomorrow night (Saturday the 19th).  I'll be there from 10 pm until 1 am, and people can "check me out" for 20 minutes (as in a book in a library checking out, not as in a skeevy guy in the Market checking out, which is what every other Saturday night in the Byward Market is like).  Want to chat with me about writing, storytelling, creating, business of writing, life in general?  Well, here's you chance to get me to actually focus for 20 minutes!  It's unheard of!  Come on out!

Details below:

In collaboration with Nuit Blanche Ottawa+Gatineau, AOE Arts Council is proud to present, for a third consecutive year, its Artist Human Library.

On the night of this arts and culture celebration, 18 artists (books) will be available to talk one-on-one and answer any questions visitors may have about their art, influences and life. The Artist Human Library was created as an opportunity to establish bonds between the artistic community and Ottawa/Gatineau residents.

The Human Library promises unique encounters with local artists who will transport guests into their world of creativity and inspiration.

Date: Saturday, Sept.19, 2015
Time: 7 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Location: George Street in the Byward Market (see 018 on the Nuit Blanche map)

Planet X Podcast: Already at Episode 14!

We're already at episode 14 of Planet X Podcast! Time flies by! Thanks to everyone here who's been following along with the podcast. Jay Odjick, Ken Bonnie and myself appreciate it!

This week, I personally got to review Night of the Living Deadpool (insane fun). Jay talks video games and Ken gives the rundown of all the upcoming genre TV (well, until mid October. And only some of it, because there's a lot more than one podcast can hold! What a world we live in).

Also, Jay asked Ken and I to pitch a movie to a random title he made up. Mine was for Anacondangerzone. Listen if you'd like to hear my pitch - it may not be what you think (I like to switch things up).

Thanks for all of your support!

Listen to the podcast.

The Great Serialization Experiment, Part 3 - Writing and Cookies!

The last post on lessons learned from writing Nigh is up over at Black Gate Magazine!  I talk writing and cookies. (The two most important component of serializing a novel.) 

Cookie Monster approves of this blog post.

Chatting about Writing over at Planet X

Last week was slow for geek news, so Jay Odjick, Ken Bonnie and I chatted writing over at Planet X Podcast!  Check it out if you'd like some inspiration or ideas! The second half of the episode is filled with writing tips and stories.  We're also on iTunes and Soundcloud.

The Great Serialization Experiment, Part 2

Check out my Black Gate post where I chat about numbers, business and Power Rangers. (All very important factors in serializing your own novel.)

Strike a pose. It's Serious Morphing Time.

How Good Are You at Hustling?

I'm late with yesterday's post because I took the weekend off.  I actually took it off, without work or social media, not even writing. I went to visit some friends I've been meaning to spend quality time with, and I had a great time!

Stinky Car is Angry Melty Car.

Then, on my way home, the car in front of me on the highway swerved a bit, then a lot, and bounced up. I took my foot off the gas, but a car hugged my car butt so I wasn't about to hit the brakes. The cause of the leading car's distress soon became my own - a tractor-trailer had lost the rubber from its wheel, and it now bounced toward me. To my left was a car, and to my right a ditch. I wasn't following closely so I managed to move as far right as possible before striking the tire. It hit under the driver's side, thunked my whole car up and then bounced off the highway. (The rude butt hugger got away clean. Road Karma, don't fail me now!)

Announcing The Wizard and the Dragon!

I've had the pleasure of performing in several shows with Nicole Lavigne, including at an Arthurian legends show at the Tea Party. We had a lot of fun preparing our stories, and agreed that we could push the material much further. I'm pleased to announce that the Ottawa Storytellers have given us that opportunity by welcoming us to their National Art Centre's Fourth Stage lineup! 

Our show will be on January 21, 2016! I'll post updates here, including when the tickets are on sale! Join us for this fabulous journey into history, legend and prophecy.

The Wizard & The Dragon

Coming to the NAC's Fourth Stage in 2016! 

Legendary King Arthur and his mentor the wizard Merlin still cast an enduring spell. Drawing on the original texts of Geoffrey of Monmouth, 1100 to 1155, and Lord Tennyson, The Idylls of the King, Nicole Lavigne and Marie Bilodeau, accompanied by the eclectic musical talents of Jason Sonier, journey into this tale of darkness versus light to explore the role of prophecy and fate in the lives of these two fascinating mythic figures. Let the enchantment begin!

Serialization: Part 1 of 3

Are you thinking of serializing your own novel?  I'm sharing some of my thoughts and experiences from serializing Nigh, from why I did it, to some technical lessons, and of course the most important part - how to adapt your story so that it works as a serialized piece.

This is the next part of the writing life series, although it's hosted over at Black Gate Magazine. Check out this first post!  

GUEST POST: What's In A Name? Changing Perspectives

Continuing on our little impromptu series, here's the perspective of an upcoming writer. Nicole Lavigne is very active in the community and she's hardworking and very ambitious. Keep an eye out for her name, coming in bookstores everywhere soon, I've no doubt!  

Speaking of names (ha), I was stunned to learn that my SF Signal blog post had made such an impact on her, especially knowing that she tends to think things through. This is a perfect example of how what we do now, as authors, can impact future authors. Small ripples in a large ocean. But every little bit makes a difference. Words are power. We're authors, so let's reclaim that power. (Damn it.)


I've wanted to be a writer for pretty much forever (aside from that blip in grade one when I wanted to be a French teacher) and for all that time the name that I envisioned on those future book covers was N.L. Lavigne. My reasons for imagining my initials instead of my first name though had absolutely nothing to do with the bias against women writers that everyone is talking about. Not because that issue didn't exist but ten year-old me wasn't aware of it. It was only in the last couple of years that I even started to think about the outside perception of what name I choose to publish under.

GUEST POST: Names Have Power

Following my blarghing about female authors hiding their gender in pseudonyms, I wanted to get some different thoughts on the whole thing. I invited Sheena McNeil, Editrix-in-Chief of Sequential Tart, avid reader, burgeoning fiction author and just all around awesome individual, to share her thoughts on the matter. Thanks for sharing, Sheena!   

I love reading stories that touch on that theme. There's usually magic and / or magical beings involved (dragons, demons, sorcerers, etc.), and knowing someone or something's true name allows one power over them / it. In this case, names are personal, not just because they belong to the character, but because it allows a deeper level of interaction with that character -- and usually not in a good way. True names were kept secret because the use of it could allow control over the named. Sometimes, true names can be shared with someone (usually one person -- a soul mate) and shows the ultimate trust. Doctor Who keeps teasing us with this (and I hope they continue to, because the mystery adds to the character). Parents know how to use the power of a name (or at least they did when I was growing up); if they used your full name (including the middle name), you were in trouble and / or need to do or stop doing something immediately. Using your full name means they're serious, and attempting to avoid whatever it is will lead to unpleasant consequences. It was a way to rein you in.