April 07th, 2026

      I’m dictating this while driving on Sunday out to the Faerie and Fantasy Faire, Horns and Hooves, in Sidney, BC. Absolutely marvellous so far. I had a great time Saturday, with a ton of really kid-oriented activities, which was awesome to see. Everyone was in costume, and everyone was having an absolute blast. There were large vendor displays and demonstrations, and it’s been great to see everything come together.

It’s a great step forward for having a ren faire in the Greater Victoria area, so I’m really looking forward to more events like this in the future.

In other events coming up, two weeks from now I’ll be at the Ladysmith BookFest (www.facebook.com/groups/makersandmarketsvi/posts/4416573418581385/) (April 11th 10am-3pm). If you’re following me from further up-island, that’s a nice place to touch base. I should be sharing a table with Richard Winder, who has science fiction space opera novels available, as well as his mushroom cookbook—which is quite unique and really fun. If you don’t know him, I’ve mentioned him before in the newsletter because of the scope of what he writes. He’s also a friend, and I love hanging out with him.

In other news, I seem to have found my mojo again, which is lovely, because I feel like I misplaced it two months ago. However, at this point, I’m delighted to say I’ve got writing back under my belt. After some time away, I’m promising myself to produce more consistently, while also getting a little more sleep, because that doesn't help my situation!

In other news, I'm working on a new project I can’t give you details about just yet, because it’s only at phase two of three at the moment. But a handful of Sooke Writers’ Collective members have been getting together, sharing ideas, and working on a new anthology. This is completely separate from the regular anthology, which should be launching at the end of May (and includes a short story from me! "The Fragility of Magic")

If you don't know about the annual anthology, it's a huge array of genres and styles, all polished and put together as a snapshot of British Columbia, and is released every year.
The big change for this new project is that we decided to create a shared world. Think along the lines of Thieves’ World, edited by Robert Asprin. If you’re not familiar with it, I’m rereading it right now, and it’s a lot of fun! Very short stories, all existing in the same overlapping environment: the city of Sanctuary, which has a rich history as it acts as a boiling point of cultures, people, and problems.

We’ve taken that idea and created our own world collaboratively with about twelve other authors. We’ve now finished “phase one,” and I feel confident enough to say we’ve got sufficient material and skill to move on to phase two, where the stories will overlap even more as we get to know each other’s characters and conflicts.

To say it’s been a lark would be an understatement. I’ve been getting to know new characters, including building some of my own. So far, the world we’re writing in varied enough that it’s been a real treat to stretch creatively through collaboration.

We’re aiming for publication in 2026. That timeline may shift, but at the moment, I’m genuinely excited about the project, and I need to get on my part as soon as I get home.

That's all for now! Check out the limited-time free offers below to find a new book or author! 

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