I really hope the Disney does Mulan justice in the live-action remake.
Writing Update
Hello My Imaginary Friends,
Wow. We’re already in February. This year has been going really fast. Lots going on. See updates below.
Elizabeth Investigates: The Sign of Faust (A Baker City Mystery)
This book has gone through 2 editors and is currently with a third. It’ll be released by Renaissance Press this year. The exact date depends on how edits go and how their production schedule looks. This is a direct sequel to A Study in Aether and picks up a few weeks into Elizabeth, Jackie, and Angela’s second semester of grade nine.
Haven’t read the first one yet? Pick it up from Renaissance Press or from Amazon.
Everdome
I have pitched Everdome as the setting for a super secret project and it was accepted. I don’t have a contract in hand so it could change, but I’m really excited about this. Not only does it mean that the world will be used and expanded, but that the book will find a good home.
I’ll let you know more when I do.
Four Attribute Duel Dodecahedron System (FADDS)
I’ve been working on a role playing system for the better part of eight years. I’m at the final play-testing stage before I do a deep edit of the wording and text. After that it can all be submitted to a publisher.
If all goes well with the super secret Everdome project, I might be able to pitch it as the main FADDS fantasy setting.
Devices of Desire: Serial Story
I’ve written the first installment and will be adding another soon. I can’t admit that comments can and will affect the story but…
Elizabeth Investigates: The Mystery of the Dancing Lights (A Baker City Mystery)
This book will be the fourth Elizabeth Investigates and I’m currently at the fifth mark or 20% into the book. At this pace I should hopefully be done by November. That’s a great pace for me and I’d happily write one book a year.
If you need something to read I recommend checking out my Story Archive.
Happy Reading,
Éric
Black Panther Experience
If you’re downtown at Winterlude this weekend, be sure to check out The Black Panther Experience in Confederation park! You can get your photo taken with Black Panther, see the inside of a vibranium mine, and check out the Wall of Heroes.
If you’re in Toronto later on this month, the truck will be there as well. Check out the dates:
Are you interested in a stay-cation or visiting Toronto? Jen has retired from working as a travel agent. Hope you’ve enjoyed Fandom Travel.
Darkness and Angst
Hello Imaginary Friends,
I’m currently reading Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson. This is a huge book but unlike a lot of other huge fantasy books a lot happens. Most of what happens is pretty horrifying.
There have been descriptions of babies on pikes, crucified children, eye balls exploding… Gory and chilling stuff. It’s also extremely well written to only shock and not scar the reader. The emphasis is always on the characters and not on the horrific things that happen.
Arguably the stuff that happens in this book is worse than anything that happened in the Story of Ice and Fire, at least the first 3 books I read, but it’s not done to disturb the reader but instead as part of the world building and realities of the world.
Thankfully, for me, this book doesn’t waste much space on angst. The characters are forced to deal with their scars and horrors as they are shoved from one death defying moment to the other.
Yes the book makes me cringe and some descriptions had my skin crawling but it’s written in such a way that it won’t keep me up at night. (Some of the mythology and story twists might but that’s a good thing.)
So far the book is amazingly written but definitely not my style. I still have a third to finish but military horrors are not my thing. I can see why this would be someone’s favourite series. It takes a lot to keep me reading when it’s so far from my preferred style to read. A lesser story or writing style with the same elements would have me quit two hundred pages in.
Later Days,
Éric
Seize the Bean – Kickstarter
Hello Coffee Lover!
I came across a really cool Kickstarter board game called Seize the Bean. The concept is pretty simple; you play a coffee shop owner trying to make their customers happy. It’s a really interesting concept and has a lot of potential.
Plus it has these adorable Coffee Beans, milk cartons, and sugar cubes as play pieces. 
It’s a little pricey at $60 Canadian but looks well worth it in quality. Check out the video.
Enjoy and stay Caffeinated!
Éric
Nargle 9K
If you’re interested in running a virtual race, and like Harry Potter, the Nargle 9K is for you!
Registration is available NOW until February 11, and you go out and run 9 kilometres on February 13, Luna Lovegood’s birthday.
You can read more about the Hogwarts Running Club, the host of this event, here.
While you might not want to go outside if you live where I live, you can run this race on a treadmill or another day. Or you can dress warmly and brace yourself for the Nargle 9K in the snow!
Are you interested in travelling to get away from the snow? Jen has retired from working as a travel agent. Hope you’ve enjoyed Fandom Travel.
How the Tide Pod Challenge Represents the Internet
Hello My Imaginary Friends,
Let’s start this out with; Yes this trend is happening and it’s very dangerous and extremely stupid.
The American Poison Control Centers have reported over 700 cases of teens eating the candy coloured poison pods this year alone.
Does that sound like a lot? A national emergency? Something that people will make fun of for years to come? Apparently.
The story for the Tide Pod Challenge is as colourful and alluring as the pods themselves. It’s a great way to make fun of Gen Z and Millennials. However, like most things, it’s only reported everywhere and laughed about because it’s easy.
700 cases sounds like a lot right? It is nothing compared to the cases of children under 5 eating them. Every year since 2012, over 7500 cases are reported.
Why is this the first time we’re hearing about it? Because it’s not flashy and fits into the current overwhelming Juvenoia.
It’s a perfect example of the way our social and news media deal with reality through a funhouse mirror. They cover Colin Kaepernick’s protest and ask if it’s anti-american instead of covering the countless useless deaths of black people. They cover the White Nationalist protests by asking whether it’s okay to call them Nazi’s instead of asking if it’s okay for them to march for a cause that would see millions of people killed.
It’s not fake news, it’s sensationalist news, and it’s nothing new. Look past what a few talking heads and meme creators tell you and think about what is going on.
So next time you see a funny meme about how kids these days do stupid stuff, ask yourself why it’s funny and if maybe it’s the wrong focus?
Later Days,
Éric
Sources
PBS: Kids got sick eating detergent long before the Tide Pod Challenge
New York Times: Yes, People Really Are Eating Tide Pods. No, It’s Not Safe.