A study In Aether

All Good Things…

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Hello Family, Friends, and Fans;

In 2009, I decided to write a story about a young girl who finds mittens in the snow and discovers that they are transformed people. It started as a young middle grade but eventually settled on a YA for 10+.

Just over ten years ago I signed a contract with Renaissance Press. They went on to publish the next 3 books in the series. Renaissance was a wonderful home for my series and I appreciate everything they’ve done.

The Bad News

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and the series rights have returned to me. It’s sad. I hate change and endings.

A Study in Aether

The Good News

The series is not dead yet. I have signed a contract with River City Siren Press for the entire series.

We’ll be republishing the books with updated covers and updated editing. I’m amazed at how fast this is going.

The Other News

That means it’ll take a little while to get all four of the originals republished, but hopefully I’ll have book 5 ready by then.

For those who have been here since I started this publishing journey, thank you!

For those who are new, welcome and also thank you!

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

Excellent Promo

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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.

A Study in Aether
The Sign of Faust
A Case of Synchronicity
The Mystery of the Dancing Lights
Coffee Shop Between the ‘Verses

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

Shameless Birthday Promotion

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Hello Readers,

Tomorrow is my birthday. Why not buy yourself something nice in my honour?

Here are a few options:

Books

  • A Study in Aether
  • The Sign of Faust
  • A Case of Synchronicity
  • Everdome
  • Parasomnia

All of these are available from the following stores:

Preorder my newest novel

Coffee Shop Between the 'Verses
Coffee Shop Between the ‘Verses

Available at the following stores

Coffee

Buy some coffee from JenEric Gourmet Coffee

Other Options

If you’re not comfortable or able to buy anything, why not consider reviewing the books you’ve already read? Review them on the site you bought them and/or GoodReads.

Thank you!

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

Today I’m 35

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

Today is my birthday! (If you’d like to get me a gift, read and review my books.)

It’s easy to look back on your life and think, “AHHHHHH. I’ve accomplished nothing!!!” But that’s your insecurity speaking. At the very least you’ve done something that a lot of others haven’t; you’ve survived.

Surviving is good. I’ve been lucky enough to not only survive but do a few things that, I think, are awesome: (no particular order)

  • Graduated University
  • Had 3 books published
  • Written 7 novels and part of two novels
  • Made sure there was constant content on this blog since 2014
  • Learnt how to roast coffee and made a semi-successful business out of it
  • Been married for 9 years to my best friend (Although that’s mostly her being patient and a little luck)
  • I’m super proud of Baby Dragon
  • Wrote and developed an RPG (Can’t wait for FADDS to be available to all)

I’ve spent my life feeling average. I’m not the smartest, hardest working, most handsome, etc. So it’s nice to have things I’m proud of and that I feel I’ve done well. Yes, I realize there’s nothing on that list that hasn’t been done before, or that hasn’t been done better before. But I’m proud and consider myself lucky.

Who knows what I’ll be able to accomplish in the next 35-50 years.

 

What are you proud of?

Éric

Reviews

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

The best way to help an author is to leave a short review of their work on Amazon or Goodreads. Even anonymous reviews count towards something. Write what you liked and what you didn’t or just a line of what you thought.

The more a book is reviewed the more it’ll show up on recommendations and the more people will see it.

If you didn’t know I have three books out that you can review:

Please and thank you for your time,

Éric

Renaissance Press is Turning 5

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Hello,

I’ve known about Renaissance Press for five years. I met them at Can-Con in 2013 when they only had a handful of books.

I pitched my first novel to them. They liked it, but it needed some serious re-writes that they weren’t able to take care of, so they told me to re-submit. In the end we got A Study in Aether, and its sequel is coming out this year.

If you like my books or any of the other fantastic novels from Renaissance Press, why don’t you let them know and you could win $40 worth of awesome stuff.

With luck my next novel, The Sign of Faust will be ready and launched at the 5 year celebration.

To Renaissance: Thank you for believing in my stories.

Éric

The Interconnectedness of all [book] things

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

I’ve recently finished the second, and sadly last, season of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.

It’s weird, silly, irreverent, and absolutely wonderful. Warning that it is a little gory and there’s lots of death. It was everything I loved about the novel and a little more. I highly recommend it.

One of the main themes of Dirk Gently is that everything is connected. It means the show throws a whole lot of disjointed weirdness and then manages to put it all together in the end.

Interconnectedness

I got a great email from a reader this weekend and I have to say it made a particularly tough weekend so much better.

The email was praising Parasomnia (Available on Amazon and from Renaissance Press). I had mentioned to this reader that Parasomnia and A Study in Aether exist in the same world and they asked for clarification and if we’d see more of that in the future.

I have a plan to connect all my novels. It’s not going to be necessary to have read all of them to follow, but those that do will get an extra treat and information about certain characters.

It won’t be soon; it’ll come to fruition after years of novels but I have plans…. Mhuhahahaa!

Stay tuned and you’ll get all kinds of interconnectedness.

 

Later Days,

Éric

Writing Update

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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…

Go read Devices of Desire!

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

This Weekend is CAN-CON YAY!

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JenEric Designs, JenEric Coffee, Blush, and Éric Desmarais will all be at CAN-CON: Conference on Canadian Content in Speculative Arts and Literature this weekend.

The dealer’s room is open to the public all three days.

Both Jen and Éric will be available Saturday and Sunday in the dealer’s room. (We will be at a wedding on Friday.)

Dealers Room Hours

Friday: 17:00-19:00

Saturday: 10:00-17:00

Sunday: 10:00-15:00

Éric Desmarais’s Schedule

Saturday 2:00-2:30: Signing in the Dealer’s Room

Saturday 21:00-22:00: Panel Spam Meet Salon D

Sunday 10:00-10:50: Renaissance Press Readings Salon B

 

See you there!

Éric