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.