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Volume 1, Issue 6
October, 2024
Welcome to the Sixth 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)
Author Bio of the Month
Excerpt of the Month
Federation of BC Writers
Opportunities to Meet Local Authors
Points to Ponder
Filidh Publishing Corp
Friendly Authors Networking Socials (F.A.N.S.)
In response to requests, we are hosting gatherings for published authors interested in networking with other authors. The goal is 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, November 16, 2024, from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Followed by our first Terry Talk Writing Craft* class (12:30 PM to 2:30 PM)
Quality Foods- Upstairs Café,
Eagle Creek Village Shopping Centre, View Royal
Bring copies of the books you’d like reviewed.
*In memory of Terry Groves, author. It will be held monthly following our FANS gathering. Ron Kearse will facilitate the first one, which is a $10 pp fee and open to anyone interested in improving their writing skills.
Author Bio This Month:
Ron Kearse
Ron Kearse is a Canadian author who was born in Picton, on Quinte Island in Lake Ontario, in 1957. Because he was an “Army Brat,” he had a nomadic upbringing, having moved twelve times to various bases and provinces by the time he was eighteen years old. Ron has always enjoyed writing; it’s been his perfect form of expression, and his influences include music, art, reading, travelling, and socializing.
He came out as a Queer man when he was eighteen years old in 1975, only seven years after homosexuality was legalized in Canada. Throughout the years, he’s looked for stories of the Queer experience in Canada but found only stories from the US or Britain. He decided to change that and seriously began developing his writing skills in 2013, with the release of his first novel, Road Without End. That book evolved into a trilogy which includes the books: Just Outside of Hope, and Last Chance Town. From there, he has published: two short stories in anthologies, two coffee table books, he's compiled and edited two anthologies about Queer Elders sharing their stories, a children’s book – with another in the offing, a novella called Craig!, and is presently working on a follow-up to that.
Ron’s books often focus on the Canadian LGBTQ+ experience, and lately, he’s been branching out to a more spiritual realm in his writings. But the Queer experience is never very far away. His books can be found on the Filidh Publishing Book Store, Amazon.ca, Indigo’s website, and Russell’s Books in Victoria.
Preface: Craig is Neville’s guardian angel, and whenever he appears, unexpected, unusual, and magical things happen.
Neville and Craig entered the ER and reported to the check-in, where Craig explained to the nurse what had happened. After a few minutes with the initial paperwork done, Craig and Neville took their places in the waiting room. Craig put the two backpacks on the floor and quietly talked to Neville while they were waiting to see a doctor. As Craig spoke, he placed his hand gently on Neville’s knee.
A scruffy, burly guy sitting nearby noticed this and had been listening to the things they’d been saying to each other. He didn’t like seeing and hearing a couple of gay guys near him. The man had a scowl on his face as he glared at them.
“You two faggots?” he asked loudly and disapprovingly.
The ER went quiet.
“Yeah,” Craig answered. “What of it?”
“Please don’t make a fuss,” the petite woman with the burly guy said, trying to calm him down.
“Never mind that shit,” he barked at the woman. Then he turned his attention back to Craig. “You perverts got no right to be here among decent people.”
“Says who?” Craig answered.
“The guy stood up. “Me! Ya’ wanna make somethin’ of it?”
By now, the whole room was quietly watching what was going on. The two security guards posted to the ER were also focused on them. Craig smiled, looked at the guy, took his right index finger, and pressed it to his lips.
“Yeah, I do. What do you have to say about that?”
The guy glowered at Craig as he opened his mouth and… made a loud braying noise like a donkey.
He slapped his hand against his mouth as giggles from other people rippled through the room. Confusion drew across the burly man’s face. The security guards were quiet as they scrutinized him.
He opened his mouth again, but a confused babble of chicken sounds issued forth.
He stopped short again. There was a mixture of shock, horror, and dismay on his face as he opened his mouth for a third time and bleated like a plaintiff sheep.
He was now totally bewildered and noticeably becoming frustrated as he once again attempted to speak!
“…butthurt radar…”
Some people in the room were giggling a little louder, while others were uncertain whether to laugh. By then, the security guards had broad grins on their faces.
The burly guy’s brow furrowed as he bellowed, “Birdseed!”
Craig looked at him. “Dude, what did you smoke for lunch?”
Several people in the room were outright laughing, including two small girls sitting nearby.
“Mommy, that man is saying silly things.”
“…hot tulips!”
More laughter.
Then he pointed at Craig. “Homo hot lips…”
By now, the room was laughing out loud as the man tried to speak but could only make peculiar bubbling noises.
Everybody was laughing. One of the security guards was talking into the mic on the lapel of his shirt, and the two of them chuckled as they made a move toward him.
“Sir, could you please calm down?”
“Fridge auto cucumber!” This was said seemingly as a warning.
They continued to move toward him.
“Auto cat rectal…”
“Sir, if you’ll please calm down, we can take you to see a nice doctor that you can talk to.”
“God donkey!”
Two more guards appeared, along with two men in scrubs and a doctor in a white coat.
“Wawa skittletips…”
Most people in the room were doubled over in laughter. All four guards advanced on the guy who tried to take a swing at them.
“Ruckus Taliban!” He barked backing away from them. “Dude spinach!”
The four guards closed on him.
“Crustacean auburn crotch-rocket… God donut!”
They finally subdued him and led him down the hall with the white coat and the two scrubs following. He continued to bellow amusing gibberish as they escorted him down the hall.
Everyone in the ER roared with laughter while the person sitting beside the petite woman who was accompanying the burly man, turned to her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she sadly said, “I’ve been so worried about him lately.”
The last of the deranged babble from down the hall was cut off by the closing of a heavy set of double doors.
Neville smiled, shook his head, looked at Craig and spoke under his breath. “Okay, what did you do?”
Craig shrugged. “I just auto-corrected the guy, that’s all.”
“What do you mean?”
“He insisted on saying stupid shit, so I autocorrected him, you know, like your smartphone does to you sometimes when you text.”
Neville nodded. “Will he be okay?”
“Oh sure,” Craig answered. “As long as he doesn’t say stupid shit.”
The two of them silently looked frontward while they both smiled.
“Still,” Neville added, “I have to admit that was pretty entertaining.”
“Yep, I knew it would be,” Craig answered
Federation of BC Writers
Writing is a solitary act, and it can be difficult to connect with other writers. In the late spring, I became a member of the Federation of BC Writers, and I have to say I’m glad I did.
A whole new world has opened for me, with a choice of various monthly courses and programs I can avail myself of, plus a wonderful variety of writing groups that I can become part of. I am presently a member of one of those writing groups, and we meet once every two weeks via Zoom. It gives me a chance to move forward with writing my next book. Plus, I see it as an opportunity to connect with other writers and exchange ideas, gain inspiration, or have the chance to communicate with other writers. It is also a chance for me to get regular critiques of the story I’m presently working on. This is always good for me, especially if I want to get the work published. Of course, this always opens the possibility of making friends with members of my own tribe! If you think you may be interested in joining the Federation of BC writers, then check them out at the link in our Points to Ponder Section of this newsletter. I’m sure glad I did.
Ron Kearse
- Opportunity for Our Writers to Display Their Books
45th Annual Creative Craft Fair - November 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2024, at the Pearkes Rec Centre (Tillicum Mall), Victoria. This event has over 125 exhibitors and is a great source for your gift-giving. Filidh Publishing will be well-represented there for the second year in a row for all three days! It is an opportunity for our authors to sell their books, and spaces are still available in ‘Featured Author’ two-hour blocks. If you would like an opportunity to sell your books, you can contact Zoe Duff at publishiing@filidhbooks.com. C’mon out and schmooze with the public and sell some of your books, just in time for Christmas!
The Victoria Writers’ Society’s Read Locally Book Fair - November 9, 2024 - Broad View United, 3703 St. Aidan’s Street, (Cedar Hill Cross/ Richmond) Victoria. All tables are booked with one table hosted by authors from the FANS group. Drop by and meet some local authors and add to your gift-buying list.
Holiday Book Fair – November 23, 2024- Support Your Local Authors, sponsored by Filidh Publishing and the Victoria Writers’ Society. Broad View United, 3703 St. Aidan’s Street (Cedar Hill Cro/Richmond) Victoria. A few tables are still available to local authors. Authors from FANS, Victoria Writers’ Society and Filidh Publishing will be onsite. Artists, Crafters and musicians, too! Drop by and check out the amazing creativity of your local community members.
Points To Ponder
Federation of BC Writers - https://bcwriters.ca/page-18141
Whistler Writers Festival - https://whistlerwritersfest.com
Canadian Authors Association - https://canadianauthors.org/bc/
Vancouver Writers Fest - https://writersfest.bc.ca
Gibsons Art and Words Festival 2024 - https://gibsonspublicmarket.com/event/art-words-festival-2024-august-22-25/
Surrey International Writers Conference - https://www.siwc.ca
Victoria Festival of Authors - https://victoriafestivalofauthors.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 filidhbooks.com. To comment or contribute to this newsletter, email info@filidhbooks.com. To subscribe, see the link at the bottom of the main page, filidhbooks.com
