Éric

Éric has had an eclectic career which ranges from casino dealer to canal boat captain to radio station DJ. Since 2009, he’s worked as a desktop publisher for the federal government. During his off time, he works as a freelance typesetter for various Canadian-based authors and publishers, roasts gourmet flavoured coffee, runs several pen-and-paper role-playing games, writes, and helps run JenEric-Designs.ca (Home of the TravellingTARDIS.com).

He lives in Ottawa, Ontario with his author wife, daughter, and son.

Moana 2 – JenEric Movie Review

March 19, 2025 by Éric Desmarais

How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2024 film Moana 2.

Story

This was a textbook hero’s journey structure, just like the first one. In many ways, it’s reminiscent of old Greek myths and makes me wonder if the movie feels more European than Polynesian. I’m not familiar enough with Polynesian story structures to be the judge.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The expanded cast of heroes were a lot of fun. I loved that they chose to make the unabashed fan a man and the genius engineer a woman. They were all very entertaining but the little sister was pure adorable.

I appreciate how consistent the characters feel, which has not always been the case with Disney sequels.

Score: 1

Dialogue

Lots of great jokes and pop culture references. Maui follows Genie and Merlin in breaking the third wall in the most enjoyable ways. Also lots of little jokes relating to the first one.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The water animation looks more real then I ever thought possible, the characters are vibrant, and the choice of camera angles was fantastic.

I’d heard a lot of complaints about the music but it was wonderful. Built off the first really well and Maui’s new song was so much fun.

Score: 1

Fun

This was fun from the first frame to the last. Everything moved fast and was a feast for the eyes. The kids saw it in theatres and have been anxiously awaiting the Disney plus release to watch it with me. They loved it just as much the second time, and my 5yo asked for the Bluray so he can watch special features.

Score: 1

Overall

This follows the mythic structure of the first movie while adding some amazing characters to keep it fresh. The music lives up to the first and the animation levelled up in the best ways.

Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5

Scam Warning: Ottawa’s Easter Weekend Market

March 17, 2025 by Éric Desmarais

Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;

Earlier this month we were emailed by a John Stokes (agoratoronto@gmail.com):

Would you like information on how to apply to become a vendor at Ottawa’s Easter Weekend Market at Lansdowne?

John Stokes

T-fob.ca

The casual tone and lack of salutation hurt my elder millennial heart but I thought maybe John was just one of those super casual people.

The website for the event has a stock image of people selling supplements (not something I want to be associated with) but I was curious and read some more. It had a lot about self-publishing services and then some times for the “Market”.

I looked up events happening at Lansdowne and the only thing that came up was held by the Ottawa Farmer’s Market (an event organizer that is well known, respected, and has a good web presence).

I found an eventbrite site for Ottawa’s Easter Weekend Market that said it was outside of the Aberdeen pavilion. The hours didn’t match either, which is what made me extra suspicious. On top of that, there wasn’t an application and the eventbrite was just for vendors to “buy a table” for $85.

I did a WHOIS lookup to see who owned the website and found that it was owned by “The Agora Cosmopolitan Inc”, a vanity press. Most of their books look like conspiracy theories or vanity projects. I looked them up on the Library and Archives Publisher Database and found that their address is a postal box in a mall in Kanata. I looked at the actual website of the company and it calls itself “The Canadian Business Daily”. Its articles are all kinds of fringe and cringe.

At this point, I was fairly sure it was a scam but I decided to do some more digging and found Mr. Stokes’ picture on a stock photo site and a few blogs warning that “The Agora Cosmopolitan Inc” was a scam.

To be absolutely sure, I emailed the Ottawa Farmers Market to ask about it, and this was their reply:

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out! Please be aware that this is a scam and not associated with us.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead!

[Name omitted]

Ottawa Farmers’ Market

(613) 417-3595

info@ottawafarmersmarket.ca

ottawafarmersmarket.ca

The most important thing when you are a vendor is to trust the organizers of the events you go to. If it seems too good to be true or they don’t have a large web presence, that’s a red flag. The ultimate red flag, however, is an event that sells tables without vetting its vendors.

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

Outrage and Child-Like Wonder

March 14, 2025 by Éric Desmarais

Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;

There’s a lot going on in the world and I’m tired. Actually, I’m mostly angry and sad. The world seems filled with hate and destruction right now. It’s important that we remember to take some time to recharge between rounds of doom scrolling the news.

The main way I like to relax is by reading, writing, watching tv, or watching movies. One of my all time favourites is Lilo & Stitch. I reviewed it a few years ago and gave it a perfect 5 stars. It’s not perfect but it is as close as possible for me (may need to compensate for nostalgia).

I was a bit skeptical when they announced a live action version. I was mostly worried they wouldn’t cast Polynesian people in the roles or that Stitch would some sort of horrifying CGI abomination.

I was sold after the first few adorable teasers that were reminiscent of the ad campaign for the original. Then they dropped the first trailer and I thought it was really impressive. It was immediately criticized for everything from being too “woke” to not putting Pleakley in drag.

Personally, I think it looks completely adorable and true to the spirit of the original.

We should always consume media critically, but maybe it’s important to wait and see the full thing before jumping to outrage. It’s exhausting to constantly be analyzing why people are angry and I’m all for progressive values, but we need to analyse the full media before getting angry. That is, unless it’s really obviously hateful or damaging.

Take a breath, relax, and allow yourself to enjoy things. Being critical of media doesn’t mean you always have to be angry or outraged. You can admit the flaws and still enjoy things that have small issues.

Please take care of yourselves. We have a marathon of crap coming up and we need to pace ourselves.

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

The Santa Squad

March 18, 2025March 12, 2025 by Éric Desmarais

How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2020 film The Santa Squad.

Story

The movie was the first half of The Sound of Music or Jayne Eyre: nice lady comes into the house and shows the lonely father how to have fun while bringing joy to the kids. There didn’t seem to be enough of a motivation for the two leads to not get together and so the obstacles in the third act felt really convoluted.

Score: 0

Characters

The main female lead was so perfectly dressed and made up to be the mean girl that it took me a little to get to like her. Once I got past my preconceptions, she was extremely likeable and the chemistry between the leads was impressive.

We found the movie because we like Aaron Ashmore so it was no surprise that he was great.

I liked the autistic coded kids that were never treated as being lesser.

Score: 1

Dialogue

I was surprised by the kids’ dialogue, it felt refreshingly normal. The rest was what you’d expect from a Christmas romance.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The locations were great and the cinematography well done. I’m definitely annoyed by the over-abundant continuity issues. Then there’s the fact that they filmed in Ontario but had styrofoam snowmen that looked really fake.

The music was a little overdone and felt like it was trying to take attention away from the acting.

Score: 0.5

Fun

The kids were cute, the adults were pretty, and there was almost no angst. It was an okay movie. I enjoyed it but I’m not sure I’d want to rewatch it. The kids and family felt the same.

Score: 0.5

Overall

A stress free Christmas romance that’s worth it for the pretty leads and awesome kids.

Final Score: 2.5 Stars out of 5

Nominate for the Aurora Awards 2025

March 11, 2025March 10, 2025 by Jen Desmarais

The Aurora Awards, which are for Canadian science fiction and fantasy writers and artists, are open for nominations for the 2024 works! (Nominations are open March 2 – April 5) This means the LONG lists of eligible works are being narrowed down to 5-6 per category.

Once they have a list of nominated works, every single person who signed up and paid the $10 membership fee gets ALL the nominated works as downloads. That’s all the adult novels, YA novels, novellas, short stories, graphic novels, and related works (usually anthologies), so about 36 works, for just $10 CAD, which is a great deal.

Getting nominated for an Aurora Award is a BIG DEAL in the speculative fiction writing community. You get a nomination pin (only once, so I’m terrified I’ll lose mine!), and you’re part of an elite group of people. This would be Adrien’s first nomination, so my fingers are crossed!

Not only do Éric and I have quite the list of eligible works, but Pegasus (for his work last year in his kindergarten homeschooling, and the short story he wrote and illustrated) and Dragon (for the short story she wrote and illustrated) are eligible as well! By the way, nomination forms are not ranked.

How do you nominate?

Go to this website: https://www.csffa.ca/members-home/
Join, pay membership fee
Nominate up to 5 works per category https://www.csffa.ca/members-home/nomination/

It would mean a lot to all of us if you’re willing to nominate us! (Categories are in alphabetical order by work)

Eligibility Category 1 – Best Novel
- Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests by Jen and Éric Desmarais
Eligibility Category 3 – Best Novelette/Novella
- Red Day, Ere the Sun Rises: A Sun Speaker Story by Éric Desmarais
Eligibility Category 4 – Best Short Story
- A Concert Tail by Jen Desmarais
- Costume Magic by Éric Desmarais
- Escaped by Pegasus Desmarais (age 4)
- Funky Looking Chickens by Éric Desmarais
- O Tannen-bomb by Jen and Éric Desmarais
- The Hole in the Playground by Dragon Desmarais (age 7)
- What Scares Pre-teen Monsters? by Jen Desmarais
Eligibility Category 6 – Best Poem/Song
- Shadows Live for the Light by Jen Desmarais, found in Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests by Jen and Éric Desmarais
Eligibility Category 8 – Best Cover Art/Interior Illustration
- Escaped by Pegasus Desmarais (age 4)
- The Hole in the Playground by Dragon Desmarais (age 7)
Eligibility Category 9 – Best Fan Writing/Publication
- JenEric Movie Reviews by Éric Desmarais
- Pegasus Flight School: Kindergarten education through genre media (second semester) by Jen and Pegasus (age 4) Desmarais
- The Travelling TARDIS by Jen Desmarais

In case you’re wondering why Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests is not included in the best cover art category, it’s because our cover artist is Vietnamese! Only Canadian creators are eligible, unfortunately.

Thank you so much for your time, attention, and support. If any of the above does make it through the nomination round, which ends April 5, I’ll be making another post for the voting round, which will be taking place starting in June 2025.

Can’t Wait for The Copper Tarnish?

March 7, 2025 by Éric Desmarais

Hello Readers!

If you’re as excited about The Copper Tarnish as I am, then you probably wish you could read it right now. (I’ve wrote it and I want to read it again.)

Pre-orders coming soon!

While you wait, however, you can now buy the second printing of Parasomnia and learn the origins of Agent Katherine Price.

At the Aux-Anges institute, nestled in the woods outside of North Bay, they study and treat parasomnias, or sleep disorders. Ashley suffers from night terrors, Terrance sleepwalks, Kiri sleep-eats, and Paul sets fires; they are there for treatment. Adelaide took the job as a counselor to discover why she still has an imaginary friend. When they discover the secret hideout of an old club called the Dreamers, they are shocked to find that the five of them are connected through more than just the Institute.

Enjoy your reading!

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

Spellbound – JenEric Movie Review

March 5, 2025 by Éric Desmarais

How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2024 film Spellbound.

Story

The story felt very retro and a little like a made for TV special that is trying to explain emotions and divorce to younger kids. It was okay but missed a lot of opportunities to be more nuanced. It was also really slow to start with.

Score: 0

Characters

The parents as monsters were fun and the main character was your usual sassy but bland hero. The Oracles were fantastic and more interesting than the rest of the movie. I also really loved Bolinar although that felt forced to be comedy relief.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

Glib and shallow, the dialogue was pretty unmemorable.

Score: 0

Visuals and Music

This was a beautiful movie. The art was great and the use of shadows was excellent.

The music was good and I wish there was more.

Score: 1

Fun

I was bored waiting for the inevitable quest but the kids loved it.

Score: 0.5

Overall

An interesting idea that turns out to be pretty predictable and with little for the older audience members. Fun side characters, lovely animation, and good music just aren’t enought to save this one.

Final Score: 2 Stars out of 5

Excellent Promo

March 3, 2025March 3, 2025 by Éric Desmarais

Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;

Working with Renaissance Press, Jen made some awesome promo:

Baker City Mysteries & Coffee Shop Between The ‘Verses

@pressesrenaissancepress
Combine the “Sherlock Holmes” series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, “Disappearing Nightly” by Laura Resnick, the “Nancy Drew” series by Carolyn Keene, and an amethyst necklace to get the “Baker City Mystery” series by @Éric Desmarais #CanLit #canadianauthor #indiepublishing
♬ Mistery (Acoustic) – Raf’s

@pressesrenaissancepress
Combine “The Lost Hero” by Rick Riordan, “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams, “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie, and coffee beans to get “Coffee Shop Between the ‘Verses” by @Éric Desmarais #CanLit #canadianauthor #indiepublishing
♬ Little Things – Adrián Berenguer

Click on the book below for more information and where you can buy it.

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

Can’t Wait for Winging It?

February 28, 2025 by Éric Desmarais

Hello Readers!

If you’re as excited about Winging It as I am then you probably wish you could read it right now. (I’ve read it and I want to read it again.)

Go Pre-Order it… Seriously!

*Winging It* by Jen Desmarais is available June 3rd, 2025!
Cover Art by Pinkpiggy93

While you wait, however, you can now buy the second printing of Everdome and learn about the world that will feature in part of the book.

Will YOU be Everdome’s next hero?

S.M. Ardwur’s epic ten novel series and the world’s biggest MMORPG is a world fractured by a magical disaster and saved from destruction by a brave king and mad wizard. It is now formed of twelve floating continents with magical domes protecting them.

For thirteen lucky contestants, when a man dressed as a knight offers them the opportunity to visit their favourite fantasy world as an immersive reality show, there’s only one answer they can give: YES!

The level of impressiveness is beyond anything they can believe and some of them start to wonder why.
Abigail, James, Krista, Nicole, Richard, and Megan have to learn how to play the game and win; the fate of Everdome depends on it.