Wheels of Progress, and Can*Con

In the month of November, my short story “Wheels of Progress” was published in Microcosm Publishing’s This Is Your Bike on Plants: Fantastical Feminist Stories of Bicycling, Gardens, and Growth. The publisher’s site describes the anthology by saying, “Lovers of cli-fi, solarpunk, hopepunk, and feminist bicycle science fiction will all find something to love here.” Ever since reviewing Bikes and Rockets, one of the books in Microcosm’s Bikes in Space series, I’ve loved this series, and I’m honoured to be included for the second time in one of the Bikes in Space anthologies.
 
At the start of November, I attended Can*Con in Ottawa, Ontario. It was my first convention, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. There were lots of interesting topics during the presentation sessions (I had a hard time choosing for some time slots) and the opportunity to meet face-to-face with some people I’d only communicated with through email and the Science Fiction Canada list-serve or via email was great. Attending a writers’ conference was a great experience, one that I’d recommend. I really appreciated the candor and the information-sharing from the panelists, and the thought and effort put in by the panel moderators, who did a good job of preparing questions to spark discussion. I came home with a ton of notes, and also ended up with some additions to my to-read list.
 
Recent Publications
Fiction:
“Just Fooling,” Electric Spec, Volume 19, Issue 4, November 30, 2024, https://www.electricspec.com/Volume19/Issue4/timpf.nov24.html
 
“The Memory of Flowers,” Havok, Fantasy Friday, posted November 22, 2024.
 
“Wheels of Progress,” This Is Your Bike on Plants: Fantastical Feminist Stories of Bicycling, Gardens, and Growth, Microcosm Publishing, November 12, 2024, https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/54159?srsltid=AfmBOoq818x4ErxDRkIC0BXFsxzUa4huE2Ki6-bzPSlKY8y6M1qJWgcX
 
“Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf,” Havok, Mystery Monday, posted November 11, 2024.
 
Nonfiction:
“Alzheimer’s Society is There to Help,” Simcoe Advocate, November 7, 2024, https://www.granthaven.com/simcoe-advocate

“Bursary recipients present research at NFN meeting,” Simcoe Advocate, November 21, 2024
 
“Lynnwood Arts Celebrates 50^th Anniversary,” Simcoe Advocate, November 21, 2024

Poetry:
“Stacking Firewood,” Paddler Press Volume 12: Warmth, December 1, 2024, https://paddlerpress.ca/product/volume-12-warmth/
 
“[summer getaway]”, Spaceports and Spidersilk, Hiraeth Publishing, October 2024, https://www.hiraethsffh.com/product-page/spaceports-spidersilk-october-2024

Reviews:
Anatomical Venus, by Courtney Bates-Hardy, The Miramichi Reader, posted October 17, 2024, https://miramichireader.ca/2024/10/anatomical-venus-by-courtney-bates-hardy/
 
Other Maps, by Rebecca Morris, The Seaboard Review, November 3, 2024, https://www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/other-maps-by-rebecca-morris
 
“The Grey Wolf Continues Tradition of Excellence,” a review of Louise Penny’s The Grey Wolf, The Seaboard Review, posted November 13, 2024, https://www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/the-grey-wolf-louise-penny
 
You Don’t Have to Quit: 20 Science-Based Strategies to Help Your Loved One Drink Less, by Maureen Palmer with Mike Pond, The Miramichi Reader, posted November 14, 2024, https://miramichireader.ca/2024/11/you-dont-have-to-quit-by-maureen-palmer/

What I’m Working On
Through November and into December, I’m mainly focused on nonfiction, particularly book reviews.
 
Good Books I’ve Read Lately
I recently read Derek Künsken’s The House of Saints—a worthy follow-up to The House of Styx. In this series, Künsken depicts colonies in the skies of Venus, composed mainly of people of Quebecois descent. Intriguing, inventive, and with compelling descriptions of the Venus sky-scapes. Also read an advance copy of Green to Grey: An Environmental Anthology. My review of that will likely be coming out between February and April 2025. Finished Jes Battis’ poetry collection I Hate Parties. I couldn’t resist, with that title . . . Review completed, and will post where it appears in a subsequent blog. Finished Jane Glatt’s Lost and Found, and likewise have a review that will be posted. Lots of great reads out there!
 
Coming Soon
My interview with Timothy S. Johnston, author of the Rise of Oceania series, is scheduled to appear in Interstellar Flight Magazine December 2. A short story titled “The Mitten Caper” will be published in Havok December 23. Another Frank the Pig Detective story, “The Mitten Caper” will be free to read on the Havok site December 23 only.
 

November 2024 update

Each year, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association hands out the Rhysling Awards, which are voted on by members, based on the speculative poems nominated and selected for that year’s Rhysling Anthology.
 
I’m honoured that my poem “The Day We All Died, a Little,” first published in Radon 5, received third-place honours in the Short Poem category. I always consider it a privilege to be nominated for the Anthology, let alone receiving an award. There were many excellent poems included in the 2025 Rhysling Anthology, which I would heartily recommend to lovers of speculative poetry.
 
In other highlights, I recently finished reading AJ Hackwith’s speculative novel Toto, which revisits the Wizard of Oz from the viewpoint of Dorothy’s feisty terrier. As anyone familiar with Hackwith’s Hell’s Library series might expect, Toto provides novel and interesting takes on old favourites, while adding new elements to the mix. I’ve submitted a review to a publication, and will let you know when the review gets published.
 
Recent Publications
Cartoons:
“First Day on the Job,” Little Old Lady Comedy, October 1, 2024, https://www.littleoldladycomedy.com/all-works/first-day-on-the-job
 
Fiction:
“Curiosity,” Interstellar Archives drabble anthology, Hiraeth Publishing, September, 2024.
 
Nonfiction:
“Fair Gardening and Homecraft Displays Impress,” Simcoe Advocate, October 24, 2024, Grant Haven News, https://www.granthaven.com/simcoe-advocate

Poetry:
“As for the Spoon,” Dreams & Nightmares 128, September 2024, https://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/
 
“Canoeing on a Day…,” “Canoeing on Perry Lake,” “Fallen Tree, Algonquin Park,” “Oceanside Camping in New Brunswick,” and “Springtime, Awenda Provincial Park,” published in Firelight & Footprints, Poetry From the Canoe and Campsite, Paddler Press, September 2024, https://paddlerpress.ca/product/firelight-footprints-poetry-from-the-canoe-and-campsite/
 
“Fantastic Yoga Sessions,” “Isn't Technology Wonderful,” and “A Touch of Home,” Eccentric Orbits 5, Dimensionfold Publishing, October 2024, https://dimensionfold.com/catalog/poetry-books/eccentric-orbits/
 
“[no pleading or parental scolding],” runner-up, Saturday Evening Post, July/August 2024 Limerick Laughs contest, posted October 28, 2024, https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2024/10/july-august-2024-limerick-laughs-winner-and-runners-up/
 
“Time’s a Lousy Tipper,” Star*Line 47.4, Fall 2024, October 2024.
 
“Robin’s Rest,” Eye to the Telescope 54, Outlaws, edited by Melissa Ridley Elmes, October, 2024, https://eyetothetelescope.com/

Reviews:
A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer, by Maxie Dara, The Seaboard Review, October 4, 2024, https://theseaboardreview.substack.com/p/a-grim-reapers-guide-to-catching-a-killer
 
Necessary Poisons, by Andrea Blythe. Edited by Holly Walrath, Star*Line 47.4, Fall 2024, October 2024.
 
“New Book Makes Hope Swinimer’s Story Available to Young Readers,” The Seaboard Review, October 27, 2024, https://www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/new-book-makes-hope-swinimers-story
 
“Two Nature-Related Books Worth Checking Out,” Lotus Newsletter, Norfolk Field Naturalists, October 2024.
 
The Wedding, by Gurjinder Basran, posted on The Miramichi Reader site, October 1, 2024, https://miramichireader.ca/2024/10/the-wedding-by-gurjinder-basran/
 
Wheeling, Yet Not Free, by Alan Katerinsky, Star*Line 47.4, Fall 2024, October 2024.
 
What I’m Working On
I’ve been continuing a focus on nonfiction pieces through the month of October, and that will likely carry over into November.
 
Coming Soon
I have two stories accepted for the November issues of Havok, “Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf” (scheduled to go live November 11) and “The Memory of Flowers” (scheduled for November 22). While Havok subscribers have access to all the stories, stories are available for viewing by the general public on the day of publication, at https://gohavok.com/.
 
 

October 2024 Update: Going To the Dogs

A flash fiction story of mine titled “To Every Dog His Day” recently appeared in To The Dogs: 31 Very Short Stories About Man's Best Friend from Altitude Press (cover is at left), hence the title of this month’s blog post. As a fellow writer noted, I’ve had some success with dog- and cat-themed writing, which seems to come naturally. 

I say, if it works, do it, and I’m grateful for the existence of themed anthologies and magazine issues like To the Dogs to send my work to.

Recent Publications

Articles:
“Addiction, Family, and Political Intrigue,” An Interview with Susan Forest, Author of the Addicted to Heaven Series, published in Interstellar Flight Magazine, September 16, 2024, https://magazine.interstellarflightpress.com/addiction-family-and-political-intrigue-e1108b0a5ac0

“Biologist shines light on Norfolk’s ‘secretive’ wildlife,” Simcoe Advocate, Grant Haven News, September 26, 2024. https://www.granthaven.com/simcoe-advocate (see downloadable version of newspaper).

“Reception kicks off Norfolk Studio Tour exhibition,” Simcoe Advocate, Grant Haven News, September 26, 2024. https://www.granthaven.com/simcoe-advocate (see downloadable version of newspaper).

Poetry:
“We’re Back,” Polar Starlight, Issue 16, August/September 2024, published September 2, 2024, https://polarborealis.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/POLAR-STARLIGHT-16-August-September-2024.pdf
 
Reviews:
Game On: How Sports Media Grew Up, Sold Out, and Got Personal With Billions of Fans, by David Bockino, posted on the Sports Literature Association book review site, August 14, 2024, https://sportliteratureassociation.wordpress.com/2024/08/14/game-on-how-sports-media-grew-up-sold-out-and-got-personal-with-billions-of-fans-by-david-bockino/
 
Living With Dementia: The Collected Columns of Darce Fardy, posted on The Seaboard Review web site, September 23, 2024, https://theseaboardreview.substack.com/p/living-with-dementia-darce-fardy
 
Short Stories:
“Fallback,” published in Yabblins: 2, Gypsum Sound Tales, September 24, 2024.
 
“To Every Dog His Day,” To The Dogs: 31 Very Short Stories About Man's Best Friend, Altitude Press, published September 27, 2024.

What I’m Working On
Nonfiction has been my focus for the most part during the past month, though I am working on some other pieces as time permits.
 
Coming Soon
I recently read Maxie Dara’s fantasy/cozy mystery A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer. The “Grim Reaper” of the title is a woman named Kathy Valence, one of many soul collectors who work for a corporation known as S. C. Y. T. H. E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences). Dara’s book was original, suspenseful, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, a great read for fans of fantasy/mystery stories. I’ll post a link to the review once it’s been published.
 

I have a story titled “Wheels of Progress” in Microcosm Publishing’s This Is Your Bike on Plants: Fantastical Feminist Stories of Bicycling, Gardens, and Growth, coming soon. Kickstarter link is: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/microcosmpublishing/this-is-your-bike-on-plants-feminist-sci-fi-rooted-in-hope
 

 

September 2024 Update: Better Writing Weather Ahead

Summer is drawing to a close, but Mother Nature did provide some highlights in August. The butterfly bush had lots of visitors throughout the month, and the sunflowers drew goldfinches, chipmunks, and squirrels. The pollinators did their work faithfully in the garden, which is starting to wind down. Usually, the return of cooler weather means rejuvenation of writing activities, which is a good thing, since I have a number of projects on the go.
 
Recent Publications
Poetry:
“Spammers,” Little Old Lady Comedy, posted August 24, 2024, https://www.littleoldladycomedy.com/all-works/spammers

Reviews:
Autokrator, by Emily A. Weedon, published on The Seaboard Review, August 24, 2024, https://theseaboardreview.substack.com/p/autokrator-by-emily-a-weedon
 
O Canada Crosswords Book 25, by Gwen Sjogren, published on The Miramichi Reader August 24, 2024, https://miramichireader.ca/2024/08/plenty-of-solving-fun-in-o-canada-crosswords-book-25/
 
Articles:
“Family Matters: Family Relationships in Three Recent Speculative Novels,” Heartlines Spec, Summer 2024, https://www.heartlines-spec.com/family-matters-by-lisa-timpf/
 
What I’m Working On
I still have a number of reviews and articles in process. I’m also reading Robert McKee’s Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting. Though the title references screenwriting, I think many of the insights apply to fiction as well. Sometimes it feels discouraging because there’s no way I can remember everything McKee says, but his book made some concepts click for me that I ran across in other places but didn’t really “get” until now.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

August 2024 Update

The summer is, predictably, flying past. I’ve tried to squeeze in writing time, with mixed results. There are gardens to tend, vacations to take, and a dog to walk. It’s not all bad. I’ve been enjoying the fruits (mostly vegetables, actually) of our labours in the garden, as well as the visual beauty offered by the various flowers. At left is a photo of one of the many sunflowers we’ve grown this year (much to the delight of the local population of goldfinches, who are already raiding the seed heads.)
 
Recent Publications
Poetry:
“An Alien Walks Into a Bar,” Eye to the Telescope Issue 53, July 2024, “Strange Mixology,” edited by Gretchen Tessmer, posted July 15, 2024, https://eyetothetelescope.com/

“The Day We All Died, A Little,” published as reprint in the 2024 Rhysling Anthology, July 2024.

“Postcard from the Red Planet,” Star*Line, Issue 47.3, Summer 2024

Reviews:
The Heartbeat of the Universe: Poems from Asimov’s Science Fiction and Analog Science Fiction and Fact 2012-2022, edited by Emily Hockaday, Star*Line, Issue 47.3, Summer 2024

Short Stories:
“A Sticky Situation,” Havok Publishing, July 15, 2024.

Artwork:

"Teachable," Little Old Lady Comedy, July 31, 2024, https://www.littleoldladycomedy.com/all-works/teachable
 
What I’m Working On
My focus right now is completing some articles, interviews, and reviews that have been on the back burner for awhile. It’s been frustrating wanting to get to these but just not finding the time, but hopefully I can get some traction in August. On the other hand, I’m excited about sharing the word about some authors whose work I’ve really enjoyed, as well as getting some ideas I’ve had bouncing around in my head down on paper.

 

July 2024 Update

I’ve been working on a few pieces to submit to Chicken Soup for the Soul’s Dog and other anthologies, so a photo of Chet seems like an appropriate image to kick off this month’s blog with. Here, he is celebrating Canada Day by sporting a bandana he got from our groomer.
 
Recent Publications
Poetry:
“As Twilight Approaches,” Dreams and Nightmares 127, May 2024, https://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/2024/05/052624.html
 
“Five Little Dragons,” Spaceports & Spidersilk, Hiraeth Publishing, June 2024, https://www.hiraethsffh.com/product-page/spaceports-spidersilk-june-2024
 
“How the First Meeting Might Have Gone Down,” NewMyths Issue 67, Summer 2024, https://sites.google.com/newmyths.com/newmythscomissue67b/issue-67-stories/how-the-first-meeting-might-have-gone-down
 
“The Hole Story,” Polar Starlight, Issue 15, June 2024, https://polarborealis.ca/currentback-issues/
 
“Some Things Come Unbidden,” NonBinary Review, Issue 36: Heredity, https://www.zoeticpress.com/nonbinary-review. “Some Things Come Unbidden” was originally published in The Martian Wave 2015. The poem is accompanied by an author Q&A.
 
“The Wolf,” Solstitia: A Fiction Fans Magazine, Issue 1, June 2024, https://www.fictionfanspodcast.com/solstitia
 
Nonfiction:
“Leverage Themed Calls for Ideas and Income,” Funds for Writers newsletter and web site, June 28, 2024, https://fundsforwriters.com/

Reviews:
The Omega Legacy, by Bruce Golden, NewMyths Issue 67, Summer 2024, https://sites.google.com/newmyths.com/newmyths-com-home/home-page
 
Short Stories:
“In the Eye of the Beholder,” Havok, “Remember June,” published June 19, 2024.
 
What I’m Working On
Through the summer, I’m focussing on nonfiction pieces, with a couple of short story/flash fiction ideas in the queue also.
 
Coming Soon
My flash fiction story “A Sticky Situation” is due to appear on the Havok site July 15, and will be free for viewing on that date.
 
 

June 2024 Update

I had the opportunity to be the featured poet in the May 2024 print edition of Scifaikuest, from Hiraeth Publishing. Being the featured poet involved having 20 poems published, and a Q&A about my writing, poets who have inspired me, and other topics. Some of the poems included in the selection inspired by reading Minimalism: A Handbook of Minimalist Genre Poetic Forms, edited by Teri Santitoro.

Another May highlight: my flash fiction story “The Queen’s Request” appeared in Havok on May 6^th as part of the Remember When: May theme. The challenge of trying to write stories inspired by Havok’s monthly themes has resulted in some stories I might not otherwise have written, as well as sharpening my ability to write short fiction. 

Recent Publications
Poetry:
“The Mural,” Handmade Horror Stories, Second Edition, edited by M.M. MacLeod, https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/handmade-horror-stories-second-edition (“The Mural” was first published in Polar Starlight Issue 12.)
 
“Remember,” “Climate Change Cha-Cha,”[goat yoga in space],” and 17 other poems were included in Scifaikuest, May 2024, print, along with an interview as the Featured Poet for that edition, https://www.hiraethsffh.com/new-releases
 
Reviews:
Phasers on Stun! How the Making (and Remaking) of Star Trek Changed the World, by Ryan Britt, published on the NewMyths.com site May 15, 2024, https://sites.google.com/newmyths.com/newmyths-com-home/home-page
 
Reservations: The Pleasures and Perils of Travel, by Steve Burgess, The Miramichi Reader, posted May 17, 2024, https://miramichireader.ca/2024/05/reservations-by-steve-burgess/
 
The Road to Appledore, or How I Went Back to the Land Without Ever Having Lived There in the First Place, by Tom Wayman, The Miramichi Reader, posted May 6, 2024, https://miramichireader.ca/2024/05/the-road-to-appledore-by-tom-wayman/
 
Signs of Life: Field Notes From the Frontlines of Extinction, by Sarah Cox, The Miramichi Reader, posted May 13, 2024, https://miramichireader.ca/2024/05/signs-of-life-spirits-us-by-sarah-cox/
 
Window Shopping for God, A Comedian’s Search for Meaning, by Deborah Kimmett, The Miramichi Reader, posted May 26, 2024, https://miramichireader.ca/2024/05/window-shopping-for-god-by-deborah-kimmett/

Short Stories:
“The Queen’s Request,” Havok, Remember When: May, published May 6, 2024.
 
What I’m Working On
Through May, I’ve been focussing on writing more non-fiction.
 
Coming Soon
My flash fiction story “In the Eye of the Beholder” is scheduled to run on Havok June 19, 2024. It will be free to view at the Havok site on the day of publication.