Volume 2, Issue 8
August, 2025
Welcome to the August Newsletter!
We hope to keep you posted on local events, inspire you to read emerging authors, review your next great read and share tips and opportunities to help you keep your finger on the pulse of the Canadian literary community.
Friendly Authors Networking Socials (F.A.N.S.)
In response to requests, we are hosting gatherings for published authors who are interested in networking with other authors. To learn and share insights on sales, networking, branding and other things that may facilitate income and possibly collaboration on future writing projects and events. It is not a writers' group but more a writers' 2.0 group. What is next, and how do I get these boxes of books into the hands of readers? Let's chat, share tips and learn from and with each other.
The first F.A.N.S. gathering for the fall season will be:
Saturday, September 13, 2025, 10:30 AM until 12:00 PM
Quality Foods - Upstairs Café, Eagle Creek Village Shopping Centre,
#110 - 27 Helmcken Road, Victoria, British Columbia
Bring your elevator speech and copies of the books you’d like reviewed.
September’s Flash Workshop will be: Book Launch Organizing on any Budget. It will be held on the same day from 12:30 pm until 2 pm, and there will be a $10.00 charge!
Author of the Month
James McDermott
James McDermott is a disability advocate, inventor, humorist, and loving father. For the past twenty-nine years, he has been advocating for his daughter and other people living with developmental disabilities. In the year 2000, following the initiative to create the Child Services Equity Act, he received a publication grant from Royal Roads University to produce the experiential report titled Direct Democracy: BC’s Initiative Act Repair Manual. He has also published various articles and writing unrelated to disability.
In 2005 he was a candidate in the provincial election, advocating for disability rights and proportional representation.
McDermott’s background as a maintenance technician and engineer gave him the skills and knowledge needed to create the CareChanger. An assistive technology for people in wheelchairs.
James has several new writing projects in the works, most notably a stage play he calls, “A journey of reconciliation through education”.
He lives on Bear Mountain in Langford, British Columbia.
Highlighted Book of the Month
In November of 1995, birth trauma left James McDermott’s daughter Mariel profoundly brain-injured, physically disabled and unable to care for herself. This event started him on a journey of love and compassion for her and others who face similar challenges.
Ever an energetic and tenacious person, James immediately rose to the occasion, determined to create a meaningful and empowered life for his beautiful daughter. He has stood bravely in the face of people and systems that devalued her and others like her.
Using humour and positivity to cope through hard times, James dedicated himself to improving the lives of people with developmental disabilities, fighting for both their inclusion and their health. In 2017, he invented the CareChanger, a device he built for his daughter that will revolutionize personal care for wheelchair users. He continues to pursue CareChangers’ commercial development with passion and determination.
In this book, James honours both his adventures with Mariel – from clever Halloween costumes to a memorable Vegas vacation – and the many people who have touched her life through their compassion and care.
We also get to meet the Glorious Golfers, a wonderful story about friendship, overcoming adversity and being inspired by inclusion.
Go Fast Go Faster is a tender, funny, and profoundly moving story of a father’s love for his daughter, and how together, they continue to triumph over tragedy.
Book Excerpt of the Month
Mariel spent 13 years at Victor School for Special Needs Children.
The following is a brief excerpt from the Victor School Chapter.
“The primary fundraising focus for Victor School was to support the school’s wheelchair accessible vans, so students could have better access to community resources and events. The Variety Club of BC helped purchase the vans, but insurance and maintenance was up to us. So, we sold Purdy’s chocolates for an annual Christmas fundraiser.
Our other big fundraising event was to construct a wheelchair accessible playground. This was a major project and we got plenty of community support. A local radio station, CFAX News, was a major contributor to the playground fundraising through their Santa’s Anonymous program, as was the Victoria Foundation and QA. The wheelchair accessible playground opening in 2010 involved a group picture with all the students and staff.
One of our school’s favourite special events was in the spring and appropriately named the Victor School “Spring Fling”. The all-day event featured a bake and plant sale. We had a silent auction and raffle table with a fantastic variety of items. On a couple of occasions, internationally known local artists Robert Amos and the legendary Ted Harrison came to the school, set up easels, and did a little painting while talking with guests and showcasing some of their art. Ted Harrison actually signed one of his art works and auctioned it off to help our little school. I made certain to bid enough to win this amazing painting, titled “Love in the Midnight Sun”, which proudly hangs on my wall.
Both the vans and the playground funding were driven by Peggy and her team, plus one very special parent, Lillian Crabbe. Lillian’s daughter Julia was a Victor School student who also died at such a young age. After her beautiful child left us, Lillian jumped to the forefront of the van and playground fundraising. Following her efforts at Victor School, Lillian went on to open an orphanage in Nepal, helping children on the other side of the world. It’s truly inspiring to meet and spend time with such remarkably courageous individuals. We named one of our vans after Julia to honour her and her mom’s commitment to helping our children gain access to the community.
Yet another group, The Knights of Pythias, also came aboard to help with funding on a number of occasions. The Knights of Pythias are a non-sectarian, fraternal organization established in 1864 and are dedicated to the principles of friendship, charity and benevolence.
Music was a big part of the Victor School experience. In addition to trips to the conservatory for music therapy, every Friday afternoon a gentleman named Cam Calham came by the school to play a variety of contemporary and children’s songs for the students. Cam “The Wandering Troubadour” became Victor School’s resident musician, and it lasted for Mariel’s entire school career and continues to this day with her program at Wellspring Support every Friday afternoon. I can’t say enough about this incredible human being.
Cam would also put himself in the silent auction at the Spring Fling fundraiser with the offer to come and play a set at a location of your choice. Of course, I’d stuffed the auction box every year to win Cam for Mariel’s birthday party. He finally told me that I didn’t have to do that, as he would love to come to her party every year and play for her and her guests. During COVID, when we had to cancel Mariel’s birthday party, Cam came by at Christmas, stood at our front door, and played a few Christmas songs for Mariel. It was a touching moment that I will never forget.
Cam’s story is an incredible journey on its own. As a young man, Cam was the son of a military father stationed in Germany. During his time there, he babysat a little Canadian girl living close by. He would take his guitar along to entertain this youngster. Her name was Alanis Morrisette. They remain good friends today. In fact, Cam got an invite to the premier of Jagged Little Pill, Alanis’s hit play on Broadway.
Perhaps his most famous gig was performing for Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the son and daughter of William and Kate when they visited Victoria. He had one song called “I love Sandwiches” that had a line where the singer went to visit the Queen who gave him a sandwich and kicked him down the palace steps. Of course, Cam thought it wasn’t a good idea to sing about William’s grandmother committing an act of violence, so he changed the lyrics on the fly to have the Queen give the man a sandwich and a happy goodbye. What a save!
I’m so grateful to Cam for all the joy that he has brought to the lives of Mariel and all her friends at Victor School and Wellspring Support for more than three decades. Speaking of the royal family, in 2007, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth’s only remaining daughter in law, came to Victor School while on a visit to Victoria. After touring the school and meeting with staff and others, The Duchess was kind enough to help Mariel with her task of watering the plants using a special watering device. Sophie was wearing a red blazer and white scarf that definitely captured Mariel’s gaze. Dressed in a beautiful Lavender- coloured sweater, Mariel looked quite regal herself as she enjoyed all the attention while watering her plants.”
***
When Words Collide Festival for Writers and Readers
Calgary August 2025 Report
Ron Kearse, Kelly Duff, and I were fortunate to attend this renowned conference. Although Filidh Publishing was not selected to participate in the Vendors’ Marketplace this year, Ron and I had panel session proposals accepted and were able to contribute as panel experts.
My session focused on troubleshooting manuscripts before submission to publishers or contest selection committees. I was joined by two other panellists with backgrounds in magazine submission screening and publishing house acquisitions. The audience was highly engaged, asking insightful questions and sparking a lively discussion.
Ron’s panel addressed the impact of current political and cultural climates on the literary aspirations and freedoms of Queer and Trans authors. The panel included a literary agent as moderator and three authors, all identifying as queer, with one also identifying as trans. The stories shared were both heartbreaking and inspiring. The moderator, Naomi Davis, guided the conversation with sensitivity and humour, encouraging meaningful audience participation.
Throughout the conference, we attended a variety of panels and workshops. Seven rooms hosted hourly sessions across the lower level of a large hotel, which meant a fair bit of jogging to secure seats for popular events.
Several Masterclasses were available for an additional fee and required pre-booking. The keynote addresses were well attended and enjoyable. One, by author Stephen Graham Jones, included a complimentary light breakfast. Another, by author Finnnian Burnett, came with a free light lunch. I attended the latter.
The opening ceremony featured a beautiful speech, prayer, and song in Cree, followed by a keynote from Eden Robinson, author of Son of a Trickster, which was adapted into a CBC TV series. Eden’s talk was hilarious and engaging. I was lucky enough to chat with her in the lounge one afternoon when she sat beside me.
Evening events added to the experience. These included a meet-and-greet for presenters and panelists, an Open Mic, an Improv night, a Gala dinner, a drag show, an 80s dance (ticketed), and a Goblin Casino and Marketplace event that was especially fun.
The closing ceremony featured heartfelt thanks from the organizing team to their featured authors and guests, as well as the 200 volunteers who kept everything running smoothly. Hotel staff were exceptional, and the food was excellent. Despite the large crowd, there were plenty of opportunities to connect with new faces and reconnect with familiar ones. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming with a true sense of community and belonging.
-Z.Duff-
Last Call for Submissions!
A Whale of a Tale: Anthology of the Sea
August 31, 2025
Are you a writer with a passion for the ocean and its inhabitants? Filidh Publishing invites you to submit your short stories or essays for our upcoming anthology, "A Whale of a Tale: Anthology of the Sea."
Submission Guidelines: Genre: Short stories or essays Word Count: Minimum of 2,000 words Theme: The main character must be a sea creature or a creature of the sea
ü Payment: 2.5 cents per word paid upon publication
Additional Benefits:
ü A copy of the completed work
ü Ability to purchase at publisher's price in the future
ü Proceeds to charity as chosen by contributing authors
Deadline Extended: August 31, 2025
Dive into your imagination and bring the mysteries of the sea to life. We look forward to reading your tales!
Events to Ponder
Ø Vancouver Writers Fest - https://writersfest.bc.ca
Ø Gibsons Art and Words Festival 2025 - https://gibsonspublicmarket.com/event/art-words-festival-2024-august-22-25/
Ø Surrey International Writers Conference - https://www.siwc.ca
Ø Victoria Festival of Authors - https://victoriafestivalofauthors.ca
Ø Federation of BC Writers - https://www.bcwriters.ca
Ø Canadian Authors Association - https://canadianauthors.org
Ø Victoria Writers’ Society – http://victoriawriters.ca
Ø Pride In The Word - https://victoriapridesociety.org/pride-2024/literary/
Ø Denman Island Readers and Writers Festival - https://denmanislandwritersfestival.com/festival-2025/
Ø Elephant Mountain Lit Fest – Nelson, BC - https://www.emlfestival.com
Ø Word Vancouver - https://www.wordvancouver.ca
Ø Fraser Valley Book Festival - https://www.fvwritersfestival.com
Ø Weaving Words Indigenous Writers Festival, Prince George - https://www.weavingwords.ca
Ø Comox Valley Writers Society - https://cvwriterssociety.ca/conference/2025-north-island-writers-conference/
Ø Whistler Writers Festival - https://whistlerwritersfest.com/
Ø Wine Country Writers’ Festival - https://wcwfestival.com/
Ø Word on the Lake - https://wordonthelakewritersfestival.com/
Ø Word on the Water - https://www.wordsonthewater.ca/
Ø Vancouver Island Children’s Book Festival Nanaimo - https://www.vibookfest.ca/
Ø When Words Collide, Calgary, AB - https://www.whenwordscollide.org
FILIDH PUBLISHING CORP
A Victoria, BC based small independent press that has been producing quality literature of adult and children’s genres from poetry to fiction to non-fiction for over 20 years. See us on Facebook, X, Instagram and at filidhbooks.com
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