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Gerald BrandtGerald Brandt is an International Bestselling Author of Science Fiction and Fantasy. He is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. His current novel is The Operative – A San Angles Novel, published by DAW. His first novel, The Courier, also in the San Angeles series was listed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as one of the 10 Canadian science fiction books you need to read. Both The Courier and The Operative appeared on the Locus Bestsellers List. By day, he’s an IT professional specialising in virtualisation. In his limited spare time, he enjoys riding his motorcycle, rock climbing, camping, and spending time with his family. He lives in Winnipeg with his wife Marnie, and their two sons Jared and Ryan. Facebook: /Gerald-Brandt-Author-145765875565308 Twitter: @geraldbrandt Website: www.geraldbrandt.com |
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J. Boone DrydenJ. Boone Dryden is a writer and editor in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and his MFA from Hamline University, as well as a B.S. in English from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is an arts advocate and hosts workshops for artists in the Twin Cities for art, business, and law. He has worked as a copy editor, creative director, and editor-in-chief of numerous publications since 2005, including Steampunk magazine and the scifi anthology When the World Runs Thin (2007). His published works have appeared in Everydayfiction.com, 365Tomorrows.com, and Big Pulp.
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Melinda FriesenMelinda Friesen authored the sci-fi/dystopian One Bright Future series. Enslavement, book one, was released in 2014 and its sequel, Subversion was released in 2016. Enslavement has been shortlisted for a Saskatchewan Young Readers Choice Snow Willow Award and nominated for Sunburst Young Adult Award. She also co-wrote The High-Maintenance Ladies of the Zombie Apocalypse which launched in the fall of 2016. Her short Stories have placed in numerous contests and have been published in the Forging Freedom II Anthology, Freefall Magazine, and the Metro News. Her unpublished Sci-fi novel, Solar, was shortlisted for the Writers’ Village International Novel Contest. She’s also a regular contributor at Operation Awesome, a blog for writers. When she’s not writing, Melinda works as marketing director and acquisitions editor at Rebelight Publishing Inc., a Winnipeg based publisher of young adult and middle grade novels. Facebook: /melindafriesen1 Twitter: @MelindaFriesen Instagram: @MelindaFriesen LinkedIn: /melindafriesen Pinterest: @melindafriesen Website: melindafriesen.com |
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Timothy GwynTim Armstrong grew up in Winnipeg, mostly, but these days he is a professional pilot in Kenora. Under the pen name Timothy Gwyn, he writes science fiction that often involves alternative aviation. Five Rivers Publishing will be releasing his novel, Avians, in August. It’s a YA SF adventure about a girl who joins a cadre of pilots in a world without metal, steam or electricity. Online, Timothy Gwyn Writes is Tim’s blog about the adventures and misadventures of a science fiction writer on the road to publication, while his Lake of the Woods Ice Patrol offers aerial photos and updates on the ice-out in cottage country each spring. Website: http://timothygwyn.com Twitter: @timothygwyn. |
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Ronald HoreAfter winning a Canadian Authors national short story contest with a romantic ghost tale, Ron had a vampire tale accepted in the anthology, “Evolve.” In the following years, Ron, writing as R.J.Hore, connected with Champagne Books of Alberta to complete “The Dark Lady” fantasy trilogy, followed by “The Queen’s Pawn” trilogy, and his fantasy detective series of eight novellas: “The Housetrap Chronicles.” His most recent novel with Champagne is “Alex in Wanderland,” a tale of a modern couple thrust into a Dark Age alternate universe. Ron recently signed with a second publisher, eTreasures Publishing of Florida, with “We’re Not in Kansas,” a near-future thriller, followed by a what-if, “Toltec” trilogy. His books are available in print and ebook formats through the publishers and the usual on-line outlets such as Amazon and Kobo. Sometimes you can even catch Ron working a book table at a venue such as KeyCon. Ron, a member of several writing groups, reviews genre novels for an on-line magazine and on occasion escapes to his sailboat on Lake Winnipeg when permitted by his wife or the large cat patrolling near his keyboard. Facebook: /RonaldJHore Website: www.ronaldhore.com |
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M. C. JoudreyM. C. Joudrey, Canadian writer, artist and designer. His second novel Of Violence and Cliché was released September 2013, followed by his collection of short stories Charleswood Road: Stories in August 2014, which was nominated for a 2015 Manitoba Book Award. His forthcoming novel Fanonymous will be released by At Bay Press. M.C. Joudrey has also been a member of the submission selection committee for the CBC Short Fiction Prize and a jury member for the Manitoba Book Awards. His titles reside in permanent legislative and national government collections. He is also a bookbinder and a number of his works are held in galleries internationally. Website: mattjoudrey.com |
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Lindsay KitsonLindsay is Manitoba born, daughter of a beekeeper, and spent a lot of time as a child out in the country, catching small animals, exploring abandoned buildings, and lighting fires.
She’s a writer of dieselpunk fantasy and science fiction, and long time member of several face to face writing groups as well as the OWW – sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com. While she started writing when she was thirteen, she actually started telling stories at five years old in a friend’s basement, using cardboard boxes as props. Those boxes became castles, circus trains, soup pots, and we were princesses, circus animals, and rabbits escaping from the stew. That was when it started.
Her parents complained that she always had her head in the clouds, and she did. After spending several years researching aviation for a work in progress, she realized writing about it was never going to be enough. She now holds a commercial pilot’s licence, multi-engine and float ratings.
Website: http://Lindsaykitson.com
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Van KunderVan Kunder, writer/editor from Winnipeg. She has published work exploring dance, music, theatre, and culture. As the art director of SANDBOX magazine, she was one of four individuals who brought the world of fashion, culture, and lifestyle to print in the Canadian prairies. Van Kunder’s science fiction and fantasy stories have been included alongside Stephen King, Peter S. Beagle and Charles de Lint. She has received her diploma in Creative Communications from Red River College in Winnipeg. Website: vanessakunderman.com |
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Daria PatrieThe author is a delusion, agreed upon by society, which sometimes manifests during the process of reading. If you are reading this right now, you may be under the presumption that Daria exists. You would only be partially wrong. When not writing, Daria works for the University of Manitoba’s IT department and is a loyal web-minion for multiple groups including the Manitoba Editors’ Association the Society for Technical Communication, the Aurora Awards, and the Shadow Over Portage & Main anthology. Daria also teaches creative writing classes for the MEA, as well as being a freelance editor and writing mentor. Daria’s fiction has appeared in Postcards from Hell, Brain Harvest, Thaumatrope, Prairie Fire, Tomorrow’s Cthulhu and The Shadow Over Portage & Main. Website: dariapatrie.com |
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Sherry PetersSherry Peters is a Certified Life Coach who works with writers at all stages of their writing career looking to increase their productivity through pushing past the self-doubt holding them back. Sherry graduated from the Odyssey Writing Workshop and earned her M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Her debut novel Mabel the Lovelorn Dwarf placed 1st in the 2014 Writer’s Digest Self-Published e-Book Awards in the YA category. Both Mabel the Lovelorn Dwarf and it’s sequel Mabel the Mafioso Dwarf are Aurora Award finalists. For more information on Sherry, visit her website. Website: sherrypeters.wordpress.com. |
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The QuestgiverThe story behind the idea to portray a Quest Giver is a simple one. Once her love for nerdy conventions had blossomed, a new era of craft time hobbies started – cosplay. Spending hours playing the beloved World of Warcraft series for many years sparked an idea. What if she dressed up like a quest giver and gave out actual quests? Thus Quest Giver was born. The debut of Quest Giver was at the very first Anime Fargo convention in 2013. The costume of choice was an old renaissance festival outfit and a hand-made foam exclamation point painted yellow. The quests started out small with finding such common objects as pens, napkins, etc, as well as taking pictures of items around Con. The Quest Giver idea received positive feedback from Anime Fargo and turned into being invited to Core Con, Valley Con, and later on, Key Con. Quests have morphed into finding specific objects posted all over the convention, visiting key areas of the con, participating in activities in fan suites, and completing on-the-spot challenges all in exchange for Epic Loot. Prizes of coins, gems, knickknacks, and badge ribbons are handed out with completion of questlines. You even have the chance of leveling up with the completion of challenges. Being the Quest Giver has allowed her to meet more people who love the things she does and interact more in the con community. It has expanded her knowledge and allowed her to be more immersed in what each con has to offer. So find the Quest Giver and let your adventure begin! |
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Craig RussellAuthor
Praise for Fragment “A wonderfully thoughtful eco-thriller from one of Canada’s best writers.” “The book is a page-turner; once you start, you won’t be able to put it down until you reach the end. The parts featuring the whale Ring are compelling in their depiction of an alien mind and society. And the action is nonstop.” Praise for Black Bottle Man “I loved the writing and characters… I read the book in pretty much one gulp, then went back to savor some of my favorite parts… this is a fine bit of writing. Highly recommended.” “Flawless. This book sings, from the first word to the last.” Honours for Black Bottle Man:
E-mail: craigrussell@mymts.net |
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Den ValdronDen Valdron is a reclusive fantasy author, part-time lawyer, and full time nerd, rumoured to live in Manitoba. His first novel, ‘The Mermaid’s Tale,’ was released by Five Rivers Publishing in Ontario, in August, 2016. Since then, he has released two more books – ‘The Greatest Unauthorized Doctor Stories,’ about Doctor Who, and ‘Lost Continents… Found’, a series of speculative fiction essays, through Fossil Cove Press. Upcoming in 2017, he’s been contracted for ‘The Luck’ a sequel to the ‘Mermaid’s Tale.’ He’s published dozens of short stories, from England to Australia and had stories translated into French and Russian. Online, Valdron is best known as leading authority on the worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and for his horrific Green Antarctica series. A youth misspent working at a Drive In Theatre has given him an enduring fascination with b-movies, pop culture and everything fun and weird.
Facebook: /den.valdron
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