October 2021 update

Cooler fall weather is a mixed blessing. It’s a relief after the heat we’ve had this past summer, but it also heralds the coming of winter and snow. On the other hand, more indoor time tends to mean more time for writing, so there is that.
 
Recent Publications
A poem titled “They Came” appeared in Black Cat Magazine, Issue 2, Apocalypse, September, 2021. Link as follows: https://www.blackcatmagazine.com/issues

Two poems, “That Championship Season” and “That One Guy,” were published in Rhyme and Rhythm: Poems for Student Athletes. Archer Publishing, October 2017, https://www.mojo.amncentral.com/product-page/rhyme-rhythm-poems-for-student-athletes 

I received an Advance Reader Copy of Miriam Toews’ Fight Night through NetGalley, and posted a review on Goodreads, as well the Miramichi Reader site. Links below.
 
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4215181000?book_show_action=false
 
https://miramichireader.ca/2021/09/fight-night-by-miriam-toews/
 
What I’m Working On
I’m finalizing the draft of a “Quicksilver and Pepper” story for submission to Rhonda Parrish’s Pirating Pups anthology.
 
Though I made progress on my book review stack during September, I still have a few to work on through October. I’ll also likely use October to do some advance plotting for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November. 

Rather than working on a novel, I’ll be focusing on short stories. I did find that the word count challenges spurred me toward greater daily output. As an added bonus, five of the stories I worked on through last year's NaNoWriMo were accepted for publication. I'd be happy with similar success this year.

 

September 2021 update

Recent Publications

A poem titled “Just Another Quest” was included in New Tales of the Round Table. I really enjoyed reading this collection, which includes poems from several members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association, and was produced in my home province of Ontario.

Published by The Roasted Poet, with details at the link below:

https://www.blurb.ca/b/10783555-new-tales-of-the-round-table

A poem titled “This Future at Least Has Cows” appeared in Parsec Ink’s Triangulation: Habitats, (part of the Triangulation Anthologies), August 16, 2021. Like several other speculative poems I’ve written, this one was inspired by a news article.

Two poems, [leaving Earth] and [new planet, new nightmares], were published in Scifaikuest August 2021 online edition

https://www.hiraethsffh.com/scifaikuest-online

Two poems, [space station pawn shop] and “Nursery Rhymes for Changing Times,” appeared in Scifaikuest August 2021 print edition:

https://www.hiraethsffh.com/product-page/scifaikuest-august-2021-edited-by-teri-santitoro

A review of Outer Space, Inner Minds, a poetry collection edited by David P. Reiter, appeared on the SpecPo Blog August 14, 2021:

https://specpo.wordpress.com/2021/08/14/outer-space-inner-minds-a-review/

What I’m Working On
Rhonda Parrish has an anthology call pending for “Pirating Pups.” I couldn’t resist this one so I’m working on a Quicksilver and Pepper story to send in once the submission window opens. I’m also in process with a story idea for Microcosm’ Bikes and Books anthology, as well as finishing some pending reviews for various publications.

August 2021 Update

Recent Publications
A review of Emily Brewes’ The Doomsday Book of Fairy Tales appeared on the Miramichi Reader site, July 2, 2021:

https://miramichireader.ca/2021/07/the-doomsday-book-of-fairy-tales/

A review of Gary Morgenstein’s A Fastball for Freedom was posted on the Sport Literature Association’s book review site July 7^th:

https://sportliteratureassociation.wordpress.com/2021/07/07/a-fastball-for-freedom-gary-morgenstein/

A review of Sarah Tolmie’s Disease appeared on the Miramichi Reader site, July 22, 2021:
https://miramichireader.ca/2021/07/disease-by-sarah-tolmie/

A review of Julie Czerneda's Mirage appeared in Hiraeth Publishing's Shelter of Daylight, Summer 2021 issue (print):

https://www.hiraethsffh.com/product-page/shelter-of-daylight-summer-2021-edited-by-tyree-campbell

What I’m Working On
I still have a number of book reviews that I’m chipping away at. I'm also working on a short story for a call-out for an “Arthropod Anthology.” (This from someone who, as a child, was not a fan of spiders.)

Coming Soon
I have some poems scheduled to appear in Hiraeth Publishing’s Scifaikuest (online and print) in August, and some short stories and poems slated for publishing later in 2021.

July 2021 update

Summer is here, a traditionally busy time with gardening and other activities. Adding to that, the house seemed too quiet without canine company after our border collie Emma passed away in February, 2021, so we invited a new dog into the household back in early May. His name is Chet, and this photo shows him at 9 weeks of age.

Chet is a cocker spaniel/jack russell terrier/fox terrier mix. Up till now, he’s needed supervision during his waking hours, so keeping him out of mischief (more or less) is in turn keeping me busy.

Generally Chet's nap-time or a quiet moment during the day when he is occupied with a chewie or a toy is when I need to squeeze in regular chores, errands, and writing—which is why for now my writing activities have been somewhat curtailed. Happy to make the trade-off though!

Recent Publications
A poem titled “Better or Worse” appeared in Liquid Imagination, June 1, 2021:

https://liquidimagination.silverpen.org/article/better-or-worse-by-lisa-timpf/

A haibun poem titled “Canem Roboto” was published in New Myths Issue 55. This piece was inspired by a news article about the potential for using robotic fish and dogs for exploration:

https://sites.google.com/a/newmyths.com/nmwebsite/poems/canem-roboto

Two poems, [shapeshifters’ Hall of Fame] and [stood up at the altar] were included in Scifaikuest May 2021 print.

A poem titled “When Sports Get Strange” was published in Spaceports and Spidersilk, May 2021.

A reprint of a short story titled “The Open Road,” originally published in From a Cat’s View was included in JayHenge Publishing’s Joining Forces anthology.

My review of Manuel Panchana Moya’s The Nominal Echo Chronicles appeared on the Miramichi Reader site, June 11, 2021:

https://miramichireader.ca/2021/06/the-nominal-echo-chronicles-by-manuel-panchana-moya/

My review of a poetry collection by Amelia Gorman titled Field Guide to Invasive Species of Minnesota, was posted on SpecPo June 21, 2021:

https://specpo.wordpress.com/2021/06/21/field-guide-to-invasive-species-of-minnesota-a-review/

What I’m Working On
I’m still carving away at my review backlog as a number one priority. Hoping to continue to make a dent on that in the month to come.

 

June 2021 update

Recent Publications
A poem titled “Cryptic” appeared in Polar Borealis, Issue 18, May 2021. This poem, like a number of others I've written, was inspired by a new story (in this case, about humans' ability--or inability--to accurately interpret cats' their facial expressions). A link to the poem is below:

http://polarborealis.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/POLAR-BOREALIS-18-May-2021.pdf

A review of Derek Künsken’s The House of Styx appeared on The Future Fire’s site May 11, 2021. Künsken’s book provides an intriguing look at what life in a human colony in the clouds of Venus might look like. Making the book more interesting for me as a Canadian is the fact that many of the colonists are of Quebecois origin. A link to the review is below:
 
http://reviews.futurefire.net/2021/05/kunsken-house-of-styx.html
 
 
What I’m Working On
I’ve slowed down my output this month due to some personal circumstances that have left me with limited time for writing endeavours. During May, I’ve been focussing on making progress on some of the reviews I’ve committed to.
 

May 2021 Update

On some days, April lived up to its reputation for showers—rain and even snow. Still, there were some blue-sky days which made it pleasant for outdoor work. We’ve got robins’ nests in a couple of places on our property, so looking forward to seeing the little ones once they get out and about.

Recent Publications

My second romance novella from JMS Books LLC, Curtain Call, went live April 10, 2021. Curtain Call centres about a woman’s internal struggles as she comes to grips with giving up team sports as she and her teammates age. The sporting backdrop is broomball, a quirky activity I was introduced to when I was in university and played for a number of years. The novella, released in ebook format only, is available through Amazon and other major distributors, or from JMS Books LLC directly.

A short story titled “The Messenger’s Mission,” originally published in The Fifth Dimension in 2018, was included in Engen Books’ Mythology from the Rock anthology. Link to Amazon.ca information is below:

https://www.amazon.ca/Mythology-Rock-Ellen-Curtis/dp/1774780305/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

A poem titled “Letting Go” and reviews of Climbing Lightly Through Forests edited by R. B. Lemberg and Lisa M. Bradley and Million-Year Elegies by Ada Hoffmann appeared in Star*Line 44.2, Spring 2021. You can find the full reviews on the SFPA web site at the link below:

https://www.sfpoetry.com/sl/slreviews.html

A poem titled “A Dish Best Served,” originally published in Liminality, was included in the 2021 Rhysling Anthology, a publication put out by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association. It’s the second time I’ve had the honour of being included in the Rhysling anthology. “A Dish Best Served” was written in response to a news story. You can find the poem here:

http://www.liminalitypoetry.com/issues/year-six/issue-23-spring-2020/a-dish-best-served/

Several poems, “Atmospheric Traffic Control, 2045,” “Seeing is Believing,” “Canis Futuris,” “Science Senryu,” and “Reverse Universe,” appeared in Eccentric Orbits Volume 2, Dimensionfold Publishing, April 2021.

My review of Julie E. Czerneda’s Spectrum appeared on the Miramichi Reader site. I’ve read five of Czerneda’s six Esen novels, as well as the e-novella The Only Thing to Fear, and I’d have to say Spectrum is my favourite so far. A link to the review:

https://miramichireader.ca/2021/04/spectrum-by-julie-e-czerneda/

Also on the Miramichi Reader site was a review of Marilla Before Anne, a book by first-time novelist Louise Michalos. This historical fiction novel creates a back-story for Marilla Cuthbert, a character depicted in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series. A link to the review is below:

https://miramichireader.ca/2021/04/marilla-before-anne-by-louise-michalos/

A review of Alan Ira Gordon’s The Doggo Book appeared in the Spec Po Blog, link below:

https://specpo.wordpress.com/2021/04/17/the-doggo-book-a-review/

What I’m Working On
During April, I took on the challenge of writing a poem a day for poetry month. I’m not going to lie, it was a tough slog some days, but I managed to meet the challenge. Sometimes, the days I found it hardest to get started were the most productive, once I got going.

Coming Soon
Engen Books is doing a virtual launch for Mythology From the Rock May 5^th, so that should be fun.

I also will have a couple of poems in the May 2021 print issue of Scifaikuest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 2021: First Novella, and Spring is Coming

Robins, always a sure sign of spring in our parts, started showing up just before mid-March. We even had an eastern bluebird popping by to check out the feeder a couple of times. So regardless what the thermometer says, I’m confident that spring is on its way.

Recent Publications

My novella To Push Back the Darkness was released by JMS Publishing March 13, 2021. The story is a f/f romance/police procedural with science fiction elements. You can find more details on the “books” page of this site. The novella, released in ebook format only, is available through Amazon and other major distributors, or from JMS Books LLC directly. Super-exciting for me, since it’s my first novella-length fiction publication.

A haiga titled “Two Heads” and a tanka, “[new clothes are hard to come by]” were published in Scifaikuest, February 2021 print edition.

A poem titled “Deck Chairs” appeared in the Norfolk Literary Prize 2020 publication, as the second-place poem in the 18 and over category.

A poem titled “Spaceport” appeared in the February 2021 issue of Spaceports & Spidersilk.

Todd Sullivan invited me to a Zoom interview talking about the poem “The ABCs of Sci-Fi Nightmares” that appeared in Polar Borealis, and more broadly about reading and writing poetry. A link to the interview, which includes a reading of the poem and is followed by questions about writing, is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjPKoZsnJFU

My review of Luna Station Quarterly Issue 41, March 2020, was published on The Future Fire’s site March 3, 2021. Link is below:

http://reviews.futurefire.net/2021/03/luna-station-quarterly-41.html

A review of How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason appeared on The Future Fire’s site March 24, 2021. Link below:

http://reviews.futurefire.net/2021/03/eason-how-rory-thorne-destroyed.html#more

I posted a review of Rebecca Warner’s My Dad My Dog on Library Thing and Goodreads. I received an electronic copy of this book through Library Thing’s Early Reviewers program. My Dad My Dog is a fictional account of the challenges of providing in-home care for an elderly parent with Alzheimer’s. Though it’s a work of fiction, the book is based on Warner’s own experiences as the health care surrogate for both of her parents.

What I'm Working On

I’m putting the finishing touches on a review of Canadian science fiction and fantasy writer Julie E. Czerneda’s Spectrum, the third book in the Web Shifter’s Library series (which follows the adventures of many of the same characters introduced in the earlier Web Shifter series). I’ve read all but one of the Web Shifter books, and can say that while I’ve liked them all, I think Spectrum and Beholder’s Eye are the two I’ve enjoyed most.

I’m also planning to take on the Poetry Month challenge for April, writing a poem a day.

Coming Soon

My second romance novella from JMS Books LLC, Curtain Call, is scheduled to go live April 10, 2021. It centres about a woman’s internal struggles as she comes to grips with giving up team sports as she and her teammates age. The sporting backdrop is broomball, a quirky activity I was introduced to when I was in university, and played for a number of years. The issue of letting things go as you age is something I’ve been dealing with the past few years.