The Okal Rel Universe in evolution and in the world.

 
Here's Stacey Schiller, a friend and former employee of mine, who kindly asked her book club if they'd take on Part 3: Pretenders for their March book. Always a pleasure to be adopted by a book club. I've asked her to report back on how people fared with starting on book 3 and the reactions of non-SciFi readers as well.

Labels: book club, Pretenders, Stacey Schiller

posted by Lynda at 07:51   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
Pretenders is grateful to Hal for giving it the friendly review on Amazon.ca

Labels: Hal Friesen, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 06:48   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

I've been charged with character abuse, and Catherine has taken Amel into protective custody on facebook. I guess if Amel can have an "envoy period" between parts 3 and 4 of the saga, he can do a little time out with a benevolent reader in there as well. Maybe we'll get an envoy-period story out of the idea. :-)

Labels: Catherine, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 08:13   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

KP, the woman who brings us the pleasure of new ORU buttons each time I add a new book to the saga, and is one of those inspiring people of integrity, energy and mission who makes me proud to be a librarian (in some of my past lives), posted about Part 3: Pretenders on her blog. She's in charge of the library of the College of New Caledonia.

Labels: Kathy Plett, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 08:03   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
> I saw Pretenders came out!  The bit that's up online is very good.
> Poor Amel.  (I guess a large portion of Okal Rel can be summed up
> as "Poor Amel" - haha.)  The Golden Demish prince  speaking with
> great emotion about bashing people's heads in is priceless.  I'll
> get the book at Christmas.

Shades of Mel's elevator speech! But I have promised Amel he'll "man up" (as Hal Friesen put it) in the second half of the series. Just a bit! And have a few good days. :-)

Labels: Jennifer Lott, Pretenders, Shannon Rae

posted by Lynda at 08:07   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 



Detail above is from EDGE newsletter received today.

Labels: Book Launch, Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 14:11   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

Many thanks to Stephen St. Laurent, videographer, for capturing the feeling of the book launch for Pretenders, Part 3 of the Okal Rel Saga, held at the Prince George Public Library at the end of September. A good time was had.

Labels: Book Launch, Pretenders, Stephen St. Laurent

posted by Lynda at 07:35   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

EDGE is hosting a book launch for its latest titles at World Fantasy Con in Calgary, Saturday November 1st from 1:00pm until 4:00pm. The books being launched are:

• Madman's Dance by Jana G. Oliver


• Pretenders by Lynda Williams


• Tesseracts Twelve edited by Claude Lalumière


• Gaslight Grimoire edited by J. R. Campbell and Charles Prepolec


• Writer's for Relief Vol.2 edited by Davey Beauchamp

Labels: Book Launch, Pretenders, World Fantasy Convention

posted by Lynda at 07:48   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

Labels: Friends of the ORU, Lisa O, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 17:13   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
Nice article about Part 3: Okal Rel Saga, Pretenders on LIS Wire, a librarians' wire service. Thank you Edge! And particularly Justyn.

Labels: librarian, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 10:05   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
Feedback from fellow SF Author Nathalie Mallet, on the launch for Pretenders last night at the PG Public Library. It was fun! Pictures soon.

Labels: Book Launch, Nathalie Mallet, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 08:08   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
Thanks to David Lott, the Pretenders Launch Sep 30, 2008 at the Prince George Public Library is included in the September 2008 edition of The Pulse, a Prince George digital promotions innovation masterminded by Shawn Petriw.

Labels: Book Launch, Pretenders, The Pulse

posted by Lynda at 20:41   1 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 1 comments links to this post

 




Cathy, a new convert who is a friend of my daughter Angela, called Courtesan Prince "Amel" and Righteous Anger "Horth". So I'm guessing she'll call Part 3: Pretenders "Di Mon". And it's here! My author's copies arrived this week!

Labels: Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 09:32   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 


Thanks to Kathy Plett, we will have new buttons for the launch of Part #3: Pretenders. The buttons are in to be produced as of lunch today. Artwork by Jordan Bacon.

Labels: buttons, Kathy Plett, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 17:39   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
Thanks to the miracle of google alerts, I discovered Part 3: Pretenders in the "mail bag" of a sub-page of http://www.fantasybookspot.com ... which is mildly confusing since I didn't think the book was out yet. But still cool.

Labels: Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 21:12   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 


A reminder from Morgan Duford telling me my account was about to expire on the CSFFS (Calgary Science Fiction and Fantasy Society) board prompted me not only to login but to try my hand and making a call for participation for the Con-Version 24 Event, August 15 - 17, 2008 in Calgary, AB. I'll be celebrating the imminent arrival of Book #3: Pretenders, there, and giving people an update of progress with the ORU Collection. Keeping my fingers crossed we'll have examples of ORU Collection books, day-job willing.

Labels: Con-Version 24, ORU Event, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 08:58   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
Many thanks to Australian SF author Marianne de Pierres for featuring Pretenders, book #3 in the Okal Rel Saga, on her own author's discussion site Parrish's Patch.

Here's a bit more about Marianne.

Marianne de Pierres is the author of the multi award-nominated Parrish Plessis and Sentients of Orion series. The Parrish Plessis series has been translated into eight languages and adapted into a Role Playing Game. Marianne has degrees in Film and Television, and Writing and Editing. Check out her website at www.mariannedepierres.com

Labels: Marianne de Pierres, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 00:31   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
Mel recently gave me some "chibbie" art -- which is a sort of anime style -- featuring characters in Righteous Anger. I'm puttering at getting it up in the gallery whenever she's around to supervise my work in photoshop doing the coloring. She has also agreed to take on the organizing for a student art show at the launch for Book #3: Pretenders, September 30, 2008, at the Prince George Public Library. Go Mel. One less thing for me to worry about as I slog away at porting titles with some help from First Expansion friends.

Labels: art, Book Launch, First Expansion, Mel, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 14:50   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

Yesterday, I finished cleaning up the manuscript for Pretenders, as phase one of getting the document ready for the publisher. It will now be proof read by wonderful, willing members of the First Expansion and their corrections input prior to its delivery to Brian Hades of Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy at ConVersion in Calgary this August.

Pretenders, Book #3 in the Okal Rel saga, features POV characters Amel,Ayrium, Di Mon and Ev'rel. The central question of the plot is who will fill the empty throne of the Gelack empire. The personal challenge for the characters caught up in that struggle is how to sustain a false front, when their true selves are always threatening to burst out. Amel, raised a commoner, wants to survie as a highborn. Ayrium must make friends at court to protect her home. Di Mon must swear to whoever will keep the empire strong, despite his personal inclinations, and juggle his feelings for the Reetion, Ranar. Ev'rel puts on a "Demish woman" act to keep the support of Silver Hearth. Everyone is his/her own worst enemy in maintaining false fronts, even before their plans are scrambled by the outcomes of duels and the awakening spirit of a legend.

Amel Snippet Amel was speechless. A wife? A princess? he thought. Just like that? All the places inside him that ought to react to a thing like that felt numb. Ev?rel patted his hand. ?Close your mouth, dear, and don?t fret. You can thank me later. Now I must go back to my guests. Can I trust you to behave until you are sent for?? He nodded. It seemed the only way to get rid of her.

Labels: Amel, Ayrium, Di Mon, Ev'rel, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 07:48   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
Follow the link to a positive reception for Righteous Anger from T.M. Martin of the Yet Another Book Review site. Best of all, he concludes with "Bring on the third volume" which is both exciting and daunting as I struggle with same. Horth was a dream to work with as an author - he's so direct! Di Mon plays a larger role in the third volume, Pretenders, and is anything but straight forward, damn him. Not to mention the multiple story line challenge. But at least I have the theme which is how power (fear of it, desire for it, or the mere fact it exists in the form it does) forces people to "pretend" to be something they aren't; the impact on identity which results; and how people either break or cope.

Labels: Di Mon, Horth, Pretenders, Review, Righteous Anger, T.M. Martin, Yet Another Book Review

posted by Lynda at 09:10   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post