INK STAINS — OCTOBER

Dear HB Creativity clients and friends,

Entries are coming in fast for the Instant Hook Writing Contest. It will be exciting to see how writers have tried to tease reader curiosity this time around. All envelopes, of course, will remain firmly sealed until after the (postmark) deadline of December 7! Please see the previous post for the complete rules and regulations.

Novel Writing Workshop Series

The Online Novel Writing Workshop Series is presently full but spaces are expected to open up on December 1, 2015. For full details about the course, see Creative Writing Courses and Endorsements. In the meantime, find  information below regarding three highly recommended books available now or coming very soon..

Alumni News – New Books & Contracts

Amanda Labonté — Call of the Sea (Fierce Ink Books, $16.99)

The Plot: After returning to Newfoundland from a month away at art camp, Alex is just starting to settle in when things start to sound all too familiar. For as long as they can remember, Alex and his twin brother Ben have been hearing a sweet but disturbing song in the salty East Coast air — a song that reaches only them. 

When Ben disappears during a fishing trip, Alex’s best hope of recovering his brother comes from the melody he’s been hearing since childhood … and an alluring and dangerous girl he meets amid the frothing ocean waves.

Advance Praise: “A mysterious figure in the ocean, a suspicious loss in the waves, a riveting treasure hunt, and surprise after surprise, how could anyone not want to read this novel?” ~Alice Kuipers, author of 40 Things I Want to Tell You and Life on the Refrigerator Door.

“Call of the Sea is a vividly imagined novel of folk lore and legends smoothly mixed with realistic, colourful characters of an East Coast village. Amanda Labonte’s paranormal coming of age story effortlessly lifts you along with Alex’s journey to the brink of suspended disbelief…” ~BR Myers, author of Asp of Ascension and Girl on the Run.

Eric Colbourne — Dancing on Air

The Book: Set in the turbulent decade before Confederation, Dancing on Air is a true crime drama of justice and injustice. The story begins in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland during the spring of 1942. Herbert Spratt is on trial for the brutal murder of Josephine O’Brien. Despite a strong plea for mercy, a guilty verdict results in a death sentence. The final decision must be made by the British governor, Sir Humphrey Walwyn.

Advance Praise: “…The exacting research gives real context to shaping the period, but it’s Colbourne’s ability as a writer that allows the reader to feel the crisp bite of the wind, smell the damp night air, and experience the pain and anguish of the characters. Colbourne’s deft footwork in handling the historical record while giving life to the characters is to be applauded, and it separates this work from the pack.”  –Glen Tilley

“…The book reads like a richly textured novel but the story is flawlessly woven into the historical account (or borne out of it). It is clear that the book is meticulously researched, an excellent read on all fronts.” –Monty Henstridge

Keith J. Collier — Cold Seasons

The Book: Highly-praised Newfoundland author Keith J. Collier here presents a collection of five linked stories. Three of these tales were previously published in The Newfoundland Quarterly, one of Canada’s oldest and most respected cultural journals.

In the next issues, please read about new books from Tara Nanayakkara (author of Priya’s World), Ian Gillies, Kate Robbins (author of the Highlands Chiefs series), and Valerie Francis (author of the Nature Knights series).