Autumn Approaches

Hello My Imaginary Friends,

Brace yourselves; autumn approaches!

In my little part of the world, the weather has turned and for the time being the 30+ Celsius temperatures are over (I live in Ottawa which means there’s a good chance we’ll get another bout of 40 before real Autumn). Pumpkin spice is just around the corner, my squash are growing in the garden (let’s hope some of them survive the cursed squirrels), and my mind turns to Halloween.

I’m looking forward to introducing Dragon to some classic monster movies this year. Maybe the original Mummy or Frankenstein. Hard to go wrong with Karloff.

Inexorably linked to fall in North America; school is starting, or started. It’s a different kind of year with many changes and a lot left up in the air. I don’t envy students and I really don’t envy teachers. We’ve decided that Dragon should be home schooled for her first year of kindergarten. See Jen’s post about that.

Because of the How I Taught my Dragon posts, we’re moving the JenEric Movie Reviews to Saturdays. So you’ll be be getting 6 days of content until I run out of Saturdays, then I’ll have to add some movies to Sundays. (I like only having one thing per day.)

I’m still struggling with my writing, but I’ve managed to write more in the past few weeks than I had in the 6 months before, so that’s a good thing. I wish I could write as fast as I come up with ideas, but unfortunately I’ve slowed down and I’m really happy I’m not a famous author right now. I’d love to be a rich author that people recognize the name, but not famous. (S.M. Carrière has a good post about this.)

This is how most of my meetings go. If I put him down, he screams to be picked up.

I need to stress less about productivity. I constantly feel like I have to be producing for work, writing, FADDS, this blog, and fixing/optimizing things around the house. I need to do what I can, relax and enjoy the time with family.

That’s about it for me.

Be Kind and Be Safe!

Éric

S. M. Carrière

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 Sonia and buy her book here!

Can*Con Report 2019

Hello My Imaginary Friends,

This past weekend the entire JenEric family went to one of our favourite conventions; Can*Con. The people were lovely and the event was wonderful, but boy am I glad it’s over.

It’s definitely the most stressful convention for me. Most conventions, my job is to stand there, look pretty, and sell coffee. At Can*Con, I’m also an author and need to talk about my books and my experience. Often times, with people I respect and am in awe of.

This year I had a panel about multiple point of view narratives with Tanya Huff and Kevin Hearn. Both amazing writers and extremely intelligent panelists. I think, to my surprise, I didn’t come off as a complete fool, so yay. (A personal fanboy moment was when Tanya chided me for not mentioning my Aurora nomination.)

I also had a signing with Charles De Lint. I spent half the time chatting with people in line to talk with him and half the time chatting with him. He’s a really nice person and we chatted about book formatting and support structures.

Now all that was stressful but awesome. Unfortunately, all 4 of us came down with a cold just before the convention. So doing a convention with a 3 year old and a baby while being sick was… exhausting.

Despite all of us being exhausted, we decided we needed to go to the Aurora awards banquet (we were both nominated but didn’t expect to win). Dragon wanted to dress up and we were just too darn tired so we didn’t. We were the schlumps in t-shirts and jeans but we had a great time.

On the Sunday I had a reading and took Dragon to ensure I had an audience. To my surprise, there were three other people. At least one of which was there to hear me read. Yay, I have a fan! Thanks S!

Doing conventions with kids is hard but totally worth it. Pegasus mostly slept, but Dragon was as good as possible. She listened, didn’t touch things, and only melted down a few times. I’m really proud of them.

Doing conventions with kids isn’t easy, but what makes it infinitely better is doing it with people who love them and like to entertain them. S. M. Carrière being the godmother spends a lot of time helping us at almost every con. Nathan of Renaissance was amazing despite being busy 99% of the con. Heather Chambers was absolutely fantastic with Dragon. She drew with her, played, and spent lots of time laughing.

There are more people that helped then I can name.

Thank You!

To everyone who helped, chatted, bought something, listened to me read or rant, or just made this convention amazing. Thank you so much!

I’m exhausted but happy.

Thank you again,

Éric

Blush: Guest Post on Asexuality by S.M. Carrière

This post has been copied with permission from S.M. Carrière’s blog.

Good morning, Readers!

The easiest way I can think of to explain my experience as an asexual and what I understand about it is to do so in a Q&A format.  As I do so, I cannot stress enough that not all asexual people have had my experience or my understanding on the subject, and their answers may vary.  This is just how I see things.

Clear?  Cool.  Here we go.

By AnonMoos (SVG file); AVEN (flag design) – This vector image includes elements that have been taken or adapted from this:  Asexual flag.png., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11521997. Image from wikipedia.

So… what even is asexuality?

You know, human sexuality is this wonderfully rich, complex thing that isn’t limited by genre and age. As men get older they might get to a point where they need Viagra to be able to fulfill their sexual needs, and for those cases I can recommend getting it from trusted certified pharmacies such as the Canadian Pharmacy. I firmly believe that there are as many sexualities as their are people on the planet.  That said, asexuality is simply the lack of sexual attraction to anyone.

That doesn’t mean that they don’t feel any romantic attraction or are unable to fall in love.  It’s just that sexual attraction isn’t really part of their world.

Read the rest here!

If you’re enjoying the Blush blogs, consider learning more with Blush: The Card Game from Renaissance Press.

Dragon at Comiccon 2019

Hello My Imaginary Friends,

This was Dragon’s third Comiccon and she had a blast! (Read about last year here)

She spent this year playing with her new (they were actually her mum’s) Fisher Price Little People, hanging out with Vic, Aunt Lindsay, Modryb Sonia, and all the other wonderful people who vend around us.

Her favourite thing to do was stand on the cooler and “help” me sell coffee. Other things she enjoyed include:

  • Playing in the wagon
  • Hanging out with Vic, Lindsay, S. M. Carrière, Madona Skaff, and Grannie.
  • Walking around the Con floor
  • Fries
  • Pepperoni Sticks
  • Saying hello to everyone
  • Getting her face painted by Paint Me Playful – Face and Body Painting

The two big highlights for her were Daleks and amazing cosplayers. (Tinkerbell by Princess of the North, Sailors Moon and Venus by Mysticfae, and Rapunzel and Eugene by East Coast Speedster)

Dragon had another great year at Ottawa ComicCon.

Thank you to everyone who interacted with her and helped us this year.

Éric

2017 Book Ranking

Hello My Imaginary Friends,

This year I read 31 books. One of them was mine.

If you like paranormal fantasy or medical dramas, check out Parasomnia by Eric Desmarais

5 Stars

  1. Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy, #1) By Grant, Mira
  2. Every Heart a Doorway(Wayward Children, #1) By McGuire, Seanan
  3. Daughters of Britain By Carrière, S.M.
  4. Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10) By Christie, Agatha
  5. Once Broken Faith (October Daye #10) By McGuire, Seanan
  6. Haunted Mansion By Williamson, Joshua
  7. Voltron: Legendary Defender, Volume 1 By Hedrick, Tim
  8. Redshirts By Scalzi, John
  9. The Winter Long (October Daye, #8) By McGuire, Seanan
  10. Oddly Normal, Book 3 By Frampton, Otis
  11. Fowl Language: The Struggle Is Real By Gordon, Brian
  12. Dungeonology (Ologies, #13) By Forbeck, Matt
  13. Space Mall By Shaw, Natalie

4 Stars

  1. Temporally Out of Order By Palmatier, Joshua
  2. Spider-Gwen, Vol. 0: Most Wanted? By Latour, Jason
  3. Magic for Nothing (InCryptid, #6) By McGuire, Seanan
  4. Tortall: A Spy’s Guide By Pierce, Tamora
  5. Chimes at Midnight (October Daye, #7) By McGuire, Seanan
  6. Ashes of Honor (October Daye, #6) By McGuire, Seanan
  7. A Red-Rose Chain (October Daye, #9) By McGuire, Seanan
  8. Hi Mom! Hi Dad! By

3 Stars

  1. Mik Murdoch: Crisis of Conscience By Plested, Michell
  2. The Mist By King, Stephen
  3. Delegates and Delegation(Schlock Mercenary, #15) By Tayler, Howard
  4. You Can’t Come in Here! (You’re Invited to a Creepover, #2) By Night, P.J.
  5. Silent Night (Fear Street Super Chiller, #2) By Stine, R.L.
  6. Virga: Sun of Suns By Schroeder, Karl
  7. The Librarians and the Lost Lamp (The Librarians #1) By Cox, Greg

2 Stars

  1. The Time Twister By Petaja, Emil
  2. Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) By Cline, Ernest

 

What was your favourite book for 2017?

Éric

Blush: Recommendation Wednesday

One of my close friends posted a very good article on coming out as asexual last week, and I got permission to link to it for my Blush post this week. Please go and read it, and like her on Facebook (here).

I was greatly heartened after the surprisingly well-attended Asexual Identities panel at CanCon this year.  It was really awesome to be on a panel with other people who were so similar to myself, and had similar experiences.  It was wildly reaffirming, and helped me a great deal on a personal level. [Read more]

S.M. Carriere’s website.


If you’re enjoying the Blush blogs, consider learning more with Blush: The Card Game from Renaissance Press.

2016 Book Ranking

Last year I read 24 books, although one of them was my own.

If you’re in the mood for a fun YA mystery/fantasy go check it out. If you’ve already read it, leave a review or at least a star rating. Please and thank you!

A Study in Aether: A Baker City Mystery By Desmarais, Eric

5 Stars

  1. The Fearsome Foursome(Tales from the Haunted Mansion #1) By Arcane, Amicus
  2. Chaos Choreography (InCryptid #5) By McGuire, Seanan
  3. Late Eclipses (October Daye, #4) By McGuire, Seanan
  4. Oddly Normal Vol. 1 By Frampton, Otis
  5. An Artificial Night (October Daye, #3) By McGuire, Seanan

4 Stars

  1. Sky Road Walker By Carrière, S.M.
  2. Kiss and Tell (Veronica Mars, #2) By Thomas, Rob
  3. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Volume 1: Squirrel Power By North, Ryan
  4. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Volume 2: Squirrel You Know It’s True By North, Ryan
  5. Oddly Normal, Vol. 2 By Frampton, Otis
  6. Fowl Language: Welcome to Parenting By Gordon, Brian
  7. One Salt Sea (October Daye, #5) By McGuire, Seanan
  8. Dragon’s Egg By Forward, Robert L.
  9. A Local Habitation (October Daye, #2) By McGuire, Seanan
  10. The Diamond Conspiracy(Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, #4) By Ballantine, Pip

3 Stars

  1. Heroine Complex (Heroine Complex, #1) By Kuhn, Sarah
  2. The Sleeping God (Dhulyn and Parno, #1) By Malan, Violette
  3. Death by Cliché By Defendi, Bob
  4. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Prelude By Abnett, Dan
  5. Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X, #1) By Mead, Richelle
  6. The Hunter’s Moon (The Chronicles of Faerie, #1) By Melling, O.R.
  7. An Accidental Goddess By Baker, Megan Sybil
  8. The Shining Girls: A Novel By Beukes, Lauren

What was your favourite book of the year?

Éric

A Study in Aether and Blush (Book and Game Launch)

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!

Blush – A sexual education trivia game by Jen Desmarais

Picture taken by Caroline Frechette of Renaissance Press.

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!

Bonhomme Sept-Heures by Evan May

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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!

Life in the ’Cosm by Cait Gordon

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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!

M School by Kevin Johns

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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!

Making a Living by Caroline Fréchette

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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!

Sky Road Walker by S. M. Carrière

skyroad-cover

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 Study in Aether by Éric Desmarais

study ebook cover

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 by award-winning author Melissa Yuan-Innes

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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:

819-230-8968

http://renaissancebookpress.com

info@renaissancebookpress.com

Reading Bites

Somehow I missed posting the pictures from Can-Con 2015! This is one of our absolute favourite conventions of the year, which is kinda obvious if you know that our due date coincides with their convention THIS year. (Sept 9-11) Seriously, go check them out and then buy a ticket. The writing community of Ottawa is incredible.

A red shirt, author Éric Desmarais (Follow him on Facebook, his blog, sign up for his newsletter through his website, and buy his book here) is about to get bitten by a vampire, author S. M. Carrière (Follow her on Facebook, her blog, sign up for her newsletter through her website, and buy her books here) and is pleading for the Doctor to help!

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