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.

Renaissance Press is closing

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What does that mean for JenEric Authors?

First, we’d like to take a moment to thank Renaissance Press for giving our books a home. Éric was one of the first authors signed with them; his first book released in 2016. Since then, he released a book a year. Jen’s first book released in 2022, but before that, she helped out with the metadata and behind-the-scenes data entry that comes with publishing a book.

The loss of Renaissance will be felt heavily in our household as well as across the Canadian landscape. We are losing a fantastic spec-fic press that elevated marginalized voices.

Renaissance Press will be missed.

What is happening with our books?

Well, that depends on the book.

Our series (serieses? seriesi?) have been picked up by publisher River City Siren Press!

We’re already published by them for a few of our books. We’re extremely excited to work with them for the rest of our series.

However, we don’t want to overwhelm them! We have a lot of books! We’ve discussed a slow-ish re-release schedule. Things may change, but for now, this is how things stand:

Everdome and Parasomnia will stay published under our imprint.

Faymous, The Copper Tarnish, and Connections! The Unexpected First Collection will stay with River City Siren Press (obviously!)

Now comes the slightly more complicated stuff.

The Elizabeth series is getting new covers! They will be released yearly over the next four years, starting with “A Study in Aether” very shortly. The goal is for Éric to finish writing books 5 & 6 in time to release them after the re-releases.

The Gates of Westmeath rights are returning to us as of June 15, 2026. There’s a 20% off sale going on right now to try to empty the warehouse of the excess stock. (https://alllitup.ca/book-list/renaissance-press-book-sale/) These covers will stay the same. The goal is to re-release these in time for book 3 to come out in Fall 2027. (Book 4 is not yet written – sorry!)

The Lucky in Love series is staying with Renaissance until the end of 2026. This is partially due to the fact that Crushing It has an audiobook coming out that was part of a CCA grant, and partially because Winging It has been nominated for an Aurora Award! They are included in the 20% off sale. (https://alllitup.ca/book-list/renaissance-press-book-sale/) These covers will not change. Ideally, I finish writing book 3 this year, and we can release the full series by the end of 2028. (Our daughter is a good motivator…)

We’re undecided about where Coffee Shop Between the ‘Verses is going after Renaissance closes at the end of the year, but until then, it is available through the warehouse sale, so get it for 20% off while you still can! (https://alllitup.ca/book-list/renaissance-press-book-sale/)

Keep up to date with us by:

Pictogram of the Tropes in “Faymous”

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Image showing the rating for the tropes in Faymous. Roadtrip explorations, Magical shenanigans, and Music are about 90%, Riddles are about 75%, and Kissing is about 40%. At the bottom, there’s a “Vibes”, which has an image from the movie The Princess Bride.
Faymous by Jen and Éric Desmarais
Cover art by Pinkpiggy93
eBook
Paperback

Shotgun Wedding – JenEric Movie Review

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How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2022 film Shotgun Wedding.

Story

A classic “Die Hard” style story with a fighting couple that borders on enemy to lovers. The plot is simple and only complicated by bad decisions.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The cast is fabulous and the characters wonderfully flawed. I like that they had no combat training and survived by luck and a little skill.

They did make a lot of really foolish decisions, and at times it felt forced.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The dialogue is cheesy and fun with lots of quips. It is really frustrating how much of the dialogue happens where the bad guys should hear them.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The location was beautiful and the costuming was amazing and consistent. The camera work was good and steady.

The music was okay and did a good job of punctuating when the dialogue was dangerous and when it was just exposition.

Score: 1

Fun

It was a lot of fun to watch, even with the frustrations of poor character decisions.

Score: 1

Overall

A solidly written homage to Die Hard with a wedding twist. The characters have no idea what they’re doing in combat or love but by the end they find both.

Final Score: 3.5 Stars out of 5

The Selfish Reason I Go to Events

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Hello Friends, Family, and Fans,

Jen and I do a lot of events. There are three reasons for doing it.

The first is money; the more we sell, the better it is for us financially (although most of the profits go back into books).

The second is getting our books out to more people. We want to share these worlds with you.

The third reason is (this is the selfish one) it helps energize us and excite us to write more. The combination of good conversation, excitement, and knowing that people care, is better than any other motivation.

Thank you for the motivation!

Éric

Shawna’s Google Search in Faymous

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If Shawna had access to Google during Faymous, these might be some of her search terms.

Character’s Google Search: “Shawna Peaceblossom in Faymous” in the search bar reveals the following six results: “neon orange fox name”, “what can I eat in Fay”, “how to play chess”, “types of salamanders”, “common riddles”, and “what’s a Fay lord”. Under that and the cover in ebook and physical book form reads: “Get it here: jeneric-designs.ca/UBL-Faymous“. The image of Shawna from the cover is off to the right.
Faymous by Jen and Éric Desmarais
Cover art by Pinkpiggy93
eBook
Paperback

Rise of the Guardians – JenEric Movie Review

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How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2012 film Rise of the Guardians.

Story

A fun twist on the reluctant hero story with a better lineup than the Avengers. The story is fresh while still using standard superhero tropes. The worldbuilding is amazing.

Score: 1

Characters

Each of the characters had unique feel and character motivations. The actors did a great job, really throwing themselves into it. Even with a larger cast there was a lot of character development for all of them except Sandy.

Score: 1

Dialogue

Very quippy, funny, and isn’t afraid of being serious at the same time.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The animation has aged fairly well, there are some lighting issues and a few less smooth sections but it’s still very pretty.

The music is phenomenal and worth listening to if you ever need to get pumped up.

Score: 1

Fun

I saw this in theatres and loved it. This was the kids’ first time and they were glued to the screen. Everyone had a great time.

Score: 1

Overall

A classic animated film that has more heart and goes way harder than it needed to. The acting, writing, and music make this a family favourite and an all around fun movie.

Final Score: 5 Stars out of 5*

*A 5 star review doesn’t mean the movie was perfect nor that it is perfect for everyone but it is a movie I believe is as close to perfect as possible.

A Study in Aether Re-Release Cover

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Hello Readers!

Earlier this year, I regained the rights to the Elizabeth Investigates Series and the fine folks at River City Siren Press have agreed to re-publish them.

A Study in Aether will be coming out soon and we were lucky enough to get the amazing Pinkpiggy93 to do the new cover.

I’ll let you know when it’s available and I have to say I’m really excited about this cover.

What do you think?

Éric

Randal’s Google Search in Faymous

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If Randal had access to Google during Faymous, these might be some of his search terms.

Character’s Google Search: “Randal Lake in Faymous” in the search bar reveals the following six results: “how to not offend a Fay”, “how long is a stadion”, “where is New Albion”, “what to feed a newt”, “Fi Follet myths”, and “meditation classes”. Under that and the cover in ebook and physical book form reads: “Get it here: jeneric-designs.ca/UBL-Faymous“. The image of Randal from the cover is off to the right.
Faymous by Jen and Éric Desmarais
Cover art by Pinkpiggy93
eBook
Paperback

Cold Storage – JenEric Movie Review

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How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2026 film Cold Storage.

Story

A combination between zombie and disaster movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It strikes the perfect balance between expected plot and surprise twists.

Score: 1

Characters

I like that for once it’s the guy who’s overly talkative and a little bit of a mess. The girl is grounded and clever while still being dangerously curious.

Liam Neeson was extremely entertaining as the elderly expert that no one listens to until it’s too late.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The dialogue was fast, quippy, and smart. It managed to move the plot forward and create character development even while being sarcastic and funny.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The movie was gory, gross, and over the top, but it was well shot and interesting. Despite the dark locations, it was always clear.

The music was a little underdone and didn’t add much.

Score: 0.5

Fun

I love smart and quippy movies and this was a great horror/end of the world movie. It was cheesy but oddly believable. I watched it on my own and enjoyed it a lot. I’ll probably watch it again.

Score: 1

Overall

A terrifying, funny, and fascinating film. Filled with quips, gore, and Liam Neeson being awesome. More than worth a watch for horror fans.

Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5