Authors Nathan Frechette and Cait (pronounced Cat) Gordon cosplayed together as the Fourth Doctor and a Winter Dalek! Books by both of them can be found here.
This was the cosplay that Cait wore when she first met Nathan and gave a surprise pitch of her book!
We attended Renaissance Press’s multi-author book launch recently, and brought the TARDIS for photo-ops with the authors and their brand new books.
What I *should* have done was ask the author which (if any) of their characters would run off with the Doctor. Hopefully they’ll answer in the comments!
Learn about Cait and buy her book here!
Hello My Imaginary Friends,
I’m Bisexual… I have no idea if I’ve ever officially come out. It’s not something I talk about a lot unless I see Jason Momoa…
I’ve been attracted to all genders for as long as I can remember. The few same sex relationships I saw I could never understand why people made a big deal about. It wasn’t until I got older and people started to use Gay as a slur that I realized I wasn’t the norm. I didn’t have a word for what I was until university when I met other people in the LGBTQ+ community.
It wasn’t a positive interaction. I was told I was just confused and couldn’t choose a side. That I should come back if I decided to be gay. (Yep, a gay man actually told me that.) It wasn’t until I met some really good friends in my mid twenties that I realized I wasn’t just confused. Then I saw Jack Harkness on Doctor Who and it was great to see a character like me.
All that to say, if I hadn’t told you… I’m bisexual and to me that means I can be attracted to anyone, regardless of their gender.
For pride month, the wonderful Cait Gordon wrote an awesome tweet about me:
For #PrideMonth, I want to shout out some awesome books and authors. @EricDesmarais‘ YA series is based in a town called Baker’s City with Elizabeth Coderre solving paranormal mysteries in a Sherlock-esque sort of way! Book 2, Sign of Faust is an Aurora Award nominee! #AmReading pic.twitter.com/E6fX5368Dw— Cait Gordon 👽🍰♿️ (@CaitGAuthor) June 11, 2019
Thanks Cait!
And to everyone out there still trying to understand themselves, you’ll get there and there are people like you out there. Be brave and find friends who support you.
Later Days,
Éric
Author Cait Gordon makes an excellent General Leia! She is currently running a Kickstarter for a new anthology. Check out their Facebook page here!
Hello My Imaginary Friends,
This year I read 28 books, one of which was mine.
I challenged myself this year to only read books from people I’d met or interacted with. It was a great experiment, but I look forward to reading anything I feel like in 2019.
If you enjoy wish fulfillment, mystery, or urban fantasy, check out The Sign of Faust by Éric Desmarais
What was your favourite book of 2018?
Éric
Author and friend Talia C Johnson wrote about queer and trans sensitivity editing here. You should go read that.
Sensitivity editors can be hired for race, religion, gender, sexuality, chronic illnesses, mental disorders, physical disabilities, among others.
Sensitivity editing is not limiting authors, but allowing them to write about experiences that are not their own.
Yes, we should have more published works by diverse authors. I am not arguing against that.
But I definitely feel that character diversity within a book will only improve it, if it is done properly.
One of my favourite book series growing up was The Bobbsey Twins. This was written in the early 1900’s, to give you context if you’re unfamiliar with the books. The main characters were two sets of twins that solved mysteries. They had servants, named Sam and Dinah, who spoke with an accent and were…well, what a white person thought a black person was like.
The books have been re-written since the original. I have both versions, and the differences aren’t really visible, at least where Sam and Dinah are concerned. A sensitivity editor would change how these characters are portrayed, fix the language chosen to describe the characters and how they speak, and remove the tropes and stereotypes.
The old saying of “write what you know” is limiting, and frankly, boring. If my husband, Eric Desmarais, only wrote what he knew, the three books that he has published wouldn’t have female protagonists. (They also wouldn’t be set in fantasy…)
Sensitivity editors let authors expand their worlds without misrepresentation. Take Cait Gordon, for example. By her own words, she is allo cis-het (allosexual, cis-gender, heterosexual), but she writes fantastic stories about aliens, who are as diverse as can be. My favourite characters of hers are two gay lizard-like aliens that are amazing, and will have their own story soon in The Stealth Lovers. You can bet that she had a sensitivity editor; Talia C Johnson.
So please, write about anything you want. But if it’s outside your personal experiences, get a sensitivity editor. They are worth their weight in gold.
https://taliacjohnson.ca/services/queertrans-sensitivity-editing/
https://www.dotanddashllc.com/single-post/2018/03/15/What-Is-Sensitivity-Reading
https://lithub.com/on-the-use-of-sensitivity-readers-in-publishing/
If you’re enjoying the Blush blogs, consider learning more with Blush: The Card Game from Renaissance Press.
Party on, Garth!
Authors Caro Frechette (@CaroFrchette) and Cait Gordon (@CaitGAuthor) know how to party (and cosplay!).
Hannah and Braga of the comic Rat Queens gracefully posed for a picture with the TARDIS, cosplayed by Cait Gordon (@CaitGAuthor, Facebook, website) and Caro Frechette (@CaroFrechette1, Facebook, website), authors with Renaissance Press. You can meet some of the Renaissance authors tomorrow, at CON Creative Ottawa Nerds!
I am so impressed by these costumes! I am personally not familiar with Rat Queens, so I didn’t know the character names. Due to the quality of the costumes, I was EASILY able to figure it out. Also – Hannah’s staff is Cait’s cane. Fantastic use of prop!
You both look bad-ass!
Hello My Imaginary Friends,
My first novel A Study in Aether, and Jen’s game Blush will be launched this Saturday the 29th of October at a Monster Launch (We’re launching books not monsters, but feel free to come dressed as a monster.)
Come by and say hello and get a signed copy and meet lots of amazing Authors.
See you there,
Éric
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE by Renaissance Press
Join us for our MONSTER LAUNCH party!
Eight authors. Seven books.
One revolutionary game.
The celebration will be held at the 3 Brewers pub (240 Sparks St., Ottawa)
Saturday October 29th, 2015, from 5:00 – 7:00 PM.
There will be readings by the authors, prizes to win, special prices and of course, the opportunity to get your books signed. The authors will be wearing costumes, so please feel free to dress up as well!
With 250 questions (and their answers!) this trivia game is the perfect tool to initiate important discussions about all aspects of sexuality. With subjects like reproduction, general health, gender identity, and sexual orientation, Blush aims to help parents and teachers approach the topic of sexual health with their teens and pre-teens, and to give kids the opportunity to ask the questions they have in an atmosphere of fun and comfort.
ISBN 978-1-987963-11-3 – Available now!
A supernatural suspense which follows Adam Godwinson, the main character of The King in Darkness, as he tries to save the children in a small northern Québec town.
ISBN 978-1-987963-14-4 – Available October 29th!
This science-fiction comedy follows the adventures of Virj Ofreesin, a lovesick writer who goes on a foolish adventure to save the half of the bigender being he loves… in all the wrong places.
ISBN 978-1-987963-16-8 – Available now!
A spy thriller which delves into the dark spaces we have within our own souls, all the while taking us on a thrilling adventure which follows an unusual girl trying to solve the murder of the only person she ever really cared for.
ISBN 978-0-9952932-1-2 – Available October 29th!
An undead woman, a scared boy who can manipulate machines, a nefarious laboratory trying to find the secret to eternal life… and did we mention zombies?
ISBN 978-1-987963-08-3 – Available now!
Chased by wraiths of dark smoke, without knowledge of the land in which I found myself or memory of my life and purpose, I became embroiled in a perilous quest to restore the throne of a fading Empire. Little did I know how dangerous a task that would prove to be.
This is my story; the tale of the Sky Road Walker.
Sky Road Walker is the first of the democratically created Your Very Own Adventure books by author S.M. Carrière.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to The Ottawa Caring and Sharing Exchange, a charity which provides relief and dignity during difficult times of the year.
A Sherlock-Holmes-obsessed girl detective, a bunch of disappearances, a witch, and… mittens? Dive into this highly entertaining Young Adult paranormal mystery set in a small Ontario town!
ISBN 978-1-987963-12-0 – Available now!
Wolf ice disinhibits werewolf brains: it makes them act like animals. Lusty, angry, hungry animals. Wolf ice drives Leila straight into the arms (and on to other anatomical parts) of her ex-boyfriend.Wolf ice could slay all Montreal wers–in fact, all wers around the world–unless Leila stops him. Will she fight past the lust in order to save her species?
ISBN 978-1927341520 – Available now!
For more information, please contact Renaissance Press:
At Can-Con over the weekend of September 9-11, 2016, we had the opportunity to meet some incredible people. Cait (pronounced Cat) Gordon (Facebook, Twitter, website) is one of those. She is a science fiction/fantasy author published by Renaissance Press (Twitter, website), and she seriously loves desserts! She’s a fantastic person to talk to, and has a great Irish accent that gets more pronounced when she’s excited. You can meet her at the Mega-Multi-Author Launch happening Oct 29, 2016.
