Spec Fiction Sampler
Thursday, November 17 | 12:00pm
Stanley A. Milner Library
Audio-Visual Collections Area (main floor)
Join spec fiction authors Jo Walton, Dave Gross, Barb Galler-Smith, Eileen Bell and Billie Milholland as they talk about the exciting genre of speculative fiction. These talented writers will talk about classic works vs. new works and the trend of blending together genres and weaving diverse cultures into stories. They'll also share their insights about the business of writing speculative fiction in this one-hour panel discussion.
Eileen Bell lives in Edmonton, Alberta. She won the 2010 Aurora award for her novella 'Pawns Dreaming of Roses' in the Women of the Apocalypse collection, and is hard at work on a serialized shared world ebook concept called 'The 10th Circle.' When she's not writing, she's living a fine life in a round house with her husband, her new 3 legged dog, and her daughter's cranky cat. You can follow her exploits at www.eileenbell.com.
Billie Milholland is a reader of everything; writer of fiction & non-fiction; visual artist; information junkie; urban farmer; zombie hunter.
Dave Gross escaped a brief sentence in the lower depths of academia for a much longer but happier term in magazine publishing. Among other titles, he's edited Dragon, Star Wars Insider, and Amazing Stories. Today he enjoys the horrible, horrible freedom of the freelance author, writing primarily fantasy and horror. His latest work includes the novels Prince of Wolves and Master of Devils for the Pathfinder Tales shared-world setting. If you want to chat with him, movies are a good starter. A well-built cocktail is even better. Dave lives in Edmonton, Alberta, with his fabulous wife and their small menagerie.
Jo Walton writes Science-Fiction and Fantasy novels, and she reads a lot, and eats great food. It worries her slightly that this is so exactly what she always wanted to do when she grew up. She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2002 and the World Fantasy award for her novel Tooth and Claw in 2004. Her novel Ha/penny was a co-winner of the 2008 Prometheus Award. Jo was born in Wales but currently lives in Montreal where the food and books are much more varied. You can find Jo’s blog on http://www.tor.com/Jo%20Walton#filter and her personal blog here: http://papersky.livejournal.com
Author Barb Galler-Smith resides in Edmonton with her fabulously supportive husband, John, and two Yorkies, Darby and Sailor Moon. She's a former Compuserve IMP, a member of Edmonton's Cult of Pain writers group, and a new groups of emerging writers called "the Scruffies". She's also busy editing with On Spec magazine where she gets to read lots and lots of stories. She terribly proud her recent novel DRUIDS, a collaboration with US Author Josh Langston, was nominated for 2010 Aurora Award for Best Novel in English. The second book in the series in scheduled for Spring 2011, from Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing.
