Filidh Publishing Newsletter-November 2024

 

 http://filidhbooks.com  Phone: 250-589-2385  E-mail: info@filidhbooks.com

  Volume 1, Issue 7

November, 2024

 Welcome to the Seventh Issue of Our 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.

                                                                                   

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Friendly Authors Networking Socials (FANS) 

Terry Talks - Writing Skills Workshops

News - Updates                                                  

Author Bio of the Month                                                                      

Excerpt of the Month                                                                                               

The International Impact Book Awards                                                                

Points to Ponder                                                                                              

Filidh Publishing Corp                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                    Friendly Authors Networking Socials (F.A.N.S.)

In response to requests, we are hosting gatherings for authors who are published and 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 next F.A.N.S. Gathering:

Saturday December, 14 2024, from 10:30 AM until 12:00 PM

Quality Foods- Upstairs Café,

Eagle Creek Village Shopping Centre, View Royal

Bring your elevator speech and copies of the books you’d like reviewed.

 

 NEW - Terry Talks – Writing Skills Workshops

 Saturday December, 14 2024, from 12:30 PM until 2:30 PM

Quality Foods- Upstairs Café,

Eagle Creek Village Shopping Centre, View Royal

Ron Kearse facilitating.  Topic:  Basic Editing.

Anyone interested is welcome to attend.  $10.00 per person fee.

 

 NEWS – Updates

 November Newsletter Delay

We apologize for the delay in producing this month’s newsletter.   This has been an amazing month for in-person sales events.  Filidh Publishing was present at three Book or Craft Fairs, producing nice sales and having great networking moments.  FANS was present at two Book Fairs, and those authors working the vendor's table in both instances made good sales and great connections with readers and reviewers. 

 Canada Post Disruptions

Due to the ongoing Canada Post strike, we are having stock shipped to authors and our office via FedEx at a greater cost. 

On the website, please choose the UPS option to ensure that they don’t use Canada Post to ship.  Use the discount code BONUS25 to get 25% off any website orders over $10.00 now until the posties go back.

   

 

Author Bio This Month:  Jason A.N. Taylor

Jason A. N. Taylor loves ideas and thinking but has struggled with being read because of dyslexia (don’t worry, Jason has spent lots of money on editing). Taking inspiration from his parents, both of whom are dyslexic, and with the help of teachers, Jason has persevered and flourished. Having been the fat and slow kid, Jason strives for equity and compassion. Jason loves nature and sees as much nature in urban owls as in remote, unpeopled places. Jason lives in Victoria near his favourite places to be, fishing on the Salish Sea or looking for owls on Lək̓ʷəŋən territory. Jason’s day job is as a Safety Professional, where he puts to use his many stories of touching the hot stove, falling off chairs and tripping on stuff.

Excerpt of the Month

 

Not a Victim
 By Jason Taylor

 

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012

ISBN: 978-0-9880807-2-0

      Blue light from the gas station’s neon sign cut the dark. Its flickering and hum were the only sound at this hour of the morning. Inside a clerk sat on the table behind the cash register as the other clerk said, “What now?” as he finished mopping the store.

     “That’s it. The odd person or insomniac comes in to buy coffee but that’s it till about five.”
     “Four hours of boredom?”
     “Yeah, with moments of terror.”
     “What?”
     “This is the time of night we’re most likely to get robbed.”
     “What do yeah do?”
     “Boss says give 'em the money. I did that once, but the fucker smacked me in the face with his gun for the hell of it.” Mark smiled and clicked his top plate out.  “Now I’m down two front teeth... sure, the boss paid for the plate, but I ain't going to be a victim again.”
     John joked, “You a train as a ninja or sumthin’?”
     “No, but I’m ready with this,” Mark turned to open the till, and in a fluid sweeping motion, he swung a cut-down golf club iron from next to the till through the air where a customer’s head would be so quickly it was a blur.
     “Fuck... you could kill someone with that.”
     “You don’t want to wing someone with a gun.”
     “Here, show me where it is.” John walked behind the till.
     “It’s tucked in right here so you can grab it while opening the till. The robber should focus on the till and you hit 'em.” Mark repeated his obviously trained swing.
     John let out a low whistle, “That’s fast. Let me try.” John took Mark’s place at the till and swung the club awkwardly and slowly compared to Mark’s swing.
     “This is no game; if you hit the guy, you want him down, so don’t go for the top of the head. The top of the head is hard. Hit the side, there is more soft stuff to hit; the ear, the temple, the eye, the jaw, throat. Hit the ear, eye, throat, or jaw and the guy will try to defend it and turn away. Hit the temple or behind the ear, the guy will go down, at least concussed, possibly dead.”
     “Man, you’ve put some thought into it.”
     “Do you really wanna bounce a club off some fucker with a gun’s forehead... think about it. This shit is serious. You only get one chance. Practice.”
     The next three hours were spent perfecting their swing. They made a model robber out of a stool topped with boxes. And with a WHACK, the robber was taken down. Long after that night of training, John still practiced for a few minutes a night. It had been two years, and he had not been robbed, but the practice got the blood running, which helped keep him awake at three thirty in the morning.
     2:00 am and the summer heat was not helping John stay awake as he sipped a coffee and re-read the paper. The door opened with a chime, but John did not look up from his paper. The person walked straight to the counter, “The money and cigarettes.”
     John heard cigarettes and replied, “Economy $6.50, premium $7.00, and king size $7.50.”
     “The money or I’ll cut yah!”
     John became conscious of the scene. A guy in a grey hood drawn tight with sunglasses was waving a 13-inch carving knife at him. Instinct and practice took him. “Buddy, let me open the till, and you can have it.”
     The knife seemed bigger as the robber yelled, “The smokes too!”
      A bing came from the till, and the robber glanced at it as John swung the club, hitting him square in the temple with a sick thud softened by the hoody. John saw the robber’s face slacken and droop as the rest of the robber’s body followed. The club vibrated in John’s hand and stung like the feel of discomfort after hitting a baseball on the handle of a graphite bat. The robber continued to fall straight down like the World Trade Centre, hit and spilling the rack of impulse buy candies. John’s hand dropped to the counter, his club cracked the glass on the lottery ticket case. The robber’s knife landed with only the sound of his hand hitting the counter.
     A reflex had John start to say, “You got...” but reason cut the gloat short. John looked over the counter. The robber was lying in an unnatural heap, arm and leg in a tonic contraction. Glasses askew, one eye was exposed, open, looking nowhere. Blood stained the robber’s temple. John could not look anymore and turned his attention to the phone.
     “I’ve just been robbed. I need the police and ambulance.”
     “Are you ok sir?”
     “Yes... the robber is not.”
     “They are on the way. Are you in danger?”
     “No, the robber is unconscious.”
     “Is he breathing?” John gathered some strength to look but the dull grey of the knife laying on the counter stole his attention.
     “Plastic! It’s fucking plastic!”
     “I don’t understand, are you ok? The police will be there soon.”
     “I killed a guy with a plastic knife.”
     “The ambulance will be there soon.”
     John’s mind went numb and he sat on the floor answering yes or no to the 911 dispatcher. Visions of the robber’s face drooping and body falling lifeless to the ground filled his thoughts. Flashing lights lit the store. Police came in, guns drawn. Then paramedics. John sat there. Cops asked stupid question like was this the weapon and where was John. John answered yes or no but was not there. A cop patted him on the shoulder. John’s distance grew closer as he thought, hoped, he was under arrest. Then the cop squatted in front of John,               “Son, don’t worry you did what you had to do. You’re not going to get in trouble. The law says if you feel your life is in danger you have the right to use any force necessary to defend yourself. It’s on camera – you defended yourself.”
     John mouthed, “I did?”
===============

 

The International Impact Book Awards

 The International Impact Book Awards, is a prestigious platform that welcomes submissions from self-published authors, traditional publishing houses, and innovative publishers alike. 

 They embrace both print and e-book formats because they believe in not only recognizing printed publications but rather, celebrating impactful stories that resonate with excellence. Winning an International Impact Book Awards is more than an accolade – it’s a testament to the quality and significance of your work.

The International Impact Book Award signals to readers and media professionals that your work stands out in a crowded literary landscape. They firmly believe that every book deserves the opportunity to be recognized and assessed based on criteria such as content, quality, writing style, and presentation.

 The International Impact Book Awards aims to help millions of authors around the world become known in a wider market. They believe that every author’s voice deserves to be heard and every story deserves to be told. By providing a prestigious platform for recognition, they aim to amplify the impact of authors and their work, creating a bigger and better literary community.

 Their Commitment

The International Impact Book Awards are a heart-centered organization committed to supporting authors around the world. They aim to create a global family of authors and a community where every writer can support one another. Their passion for the literary arts drives them to go above and beyond in providing the resources and recognition authors need to thrive.

To find out more about The International Impact Book Awards, visit their website at:  https://internationalimpactbookawards.com

   

Points to Ponder

 Vancouver Writers Fest - https://writersfest.bc.ca

Surrey International Writers Conference - https://www.siwc.ca

Victoria Festival of Authors - https://victoriafestivalofauthors.ca

Federation of BC Writers - https://www.bcwriters.ca

Canadian Authors Association - https://canadianauthors.org

Victoria Writers’ Society – http://victoriawriters.ca

 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

To comment or contribute to this newsletter email info@filidhbooks.com.  To subscribe, see the link bottom of the main page filidhbooks.com

 

 

 

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