Darwin's Paradox Nominated for Aurora

Guess what? My book, Darwin’s Paradox, has been nominated for the Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Aurora Award for 2008! I am so jazzed! I should be…This is a prestigious award, basically Canada’s top prize for science fiction writing. And I’m honored to be among some of the giants of the SF & F craft in Canada. People like Robert J. Sawyer (Rollback), Guy Gavriel Kay (Isabel), Robert Charles Wilson (Axis), Dave Duncan (The Alchemist's Apprentice), Tanya Huff (The Heart of Valor), and others in a sea of powerful literature. Here’s some information on the Aurora:

Of course, it’s named after the Aurora Borealis, which has become a glowing symbol of Canada’s beauty and magnificence. Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) are latin for 'the dawn of the north', and were first used by Galileo in circa 1620 to describe the red northern lights phenomenon. Aurora is, in fact, the Roman goddess of the dawn—again, an apt icon for an award that could very well launch some new careers.

This will be the 28th year that the Canadian SF and Fantasy Association awards will be presented. Each year a different convention or group has hosted the awards. The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards ("the Auroras") have been presented annually since 1980 with the exception of 1984. In 2008 they will be presented in May at a ceremony hosted by Keycon 25 held in Winnipeg, May 16-19.

On a per-capita basis, the Aurora Awards have the largest voter turnout of any national SF award in the world, exceeding that of the American-dominated Hugos, the Japanese Seiuns, the British Arthur C. Clarke Awards, and the Australian Ditmars.

This year, for the first time, Canadian fans will be able to nominate and to vote on-line at the Prix Aurora website. In addition, over two thousand nominating and voting ballots will be distributed through Canadian SF specialty bookstores (such as Vancouver's White Dwarf, Calgary's Sentry Box. and Toronto's Bakka-Phoenix); with subscription copies of Canadian SF magazines (including the English-language On Spec, Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine and the French-language Solaris...); to all members of various associations for SF writers and many flavours of SC & F Clubs and groups; and at over a dozen science-fiction conventions coast-to-coast. Any Canadian resident may nominate and vote for the best Canadian-authored works of Science Fiction and Fantasy published the preceding year in either of the official languages.
Science-fiction conventions and occasionally other groups bid to be designated the year's "Canadian National Science Fiction Convention," or "CanVention," where the Aurora Awards are presented.

So, if you’re a Canadian (or even if you aren't) and you like science fiction, take a look at the list then read and then vote. This is a good opportunity for readers anywhere to see what’s out there in Canadian science fiction and fantasy.

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.

Vcon Fallout

Vcon (Vancouver's SF and F Convention) was a resounding success...for me as well. I wasn't on any panels. Nor did I do a reading of my upcoming novel, Darwin's Paradox...voice artist, Heather Dugan does a much better job, anyway! But that freed me up for...you guessed it! MORE BAR TIME! Yee! Ha! Beside me, is yours truly and Boba Fett as we are about to sidle over to the bar for a couple of Canadian brewskys. Being around Boba has its advantages. As you know, this guy gets around in the galaxy.


Within moments of getting our drinks, Boba introduced me to none other than Flash Gordon (Eric Johnson), who is even more gorgeous in person. And to Boba's left (your right) is the graceful Dale Arden (Gina Holden) who no doubt keeps Flash's heart nicely beating...


The con, of course, had its requisite activities such as filking, live theatre, masquerade, aliens and crazy people running down the halls (oh, that was Boba and I...never mind). Oh, yeah...and panels (like the one on medieval swordfighting) and readings and the hot tub on the 15th floor...The con's program, which showcased a lovely ad of my book on the back cover, posted these wise words of advice (by Ross Pavlac), which most aptly sum up what a con is all about:

The Four Rules of Con Behaviour:

1. do good
2. avoid evil
3. throw a room party
4. please don't damage the hotel


The Four Rules of Con Survival:

1. get at least five hours of sleep each night
2. eat at least two meals a day
3. do not confuse rules 1 and 2
4. shower, brush teeth and change into clean clothes at least once a day.

I met a lot of new people at the con and was delighted to see many old friends. Friends like:

• Rhea Rose, award-winning poet and short story writer


• Robert J. Sawyer, Nebula and Hugo award-winning author of Rollback


• Bruce Taylor, author of Edward: Dancing on the Edge of Infinity


• Karl Johanson, editor and this year's Aurora award-winner for Neo-Opsis Science Fiction Magazine


• Stephanie Johanson, assistant editor of Neo-Opsis and extra-ordinary artist of many media


• Paula Johanson, writer and editor


• Nathalie Mallet, author of The Princes of the Golden Cage


• Lynda Williams, creator of the incredible Okal Rel Universe and series and recent nominee for an Aurora award for her book, Righteous Anger


• Linda Demeulemeester, author of the YA novel, The Secret of Grim Hill


• Mary Choo, poet and writer


• Rebecca Bradley, author (Lady in Gil) and anthropologist


• Dave Duncan, fantasy author and recipient of this year's Aurora Award for best long-form


• Eileen Kernaghan, poet and Fantasy writer, including The Alchemist's Daughter


• Donna McMahon, author of Dance of Knives


• Virginia O'Dine, author and editor of Bundoran Press


• Jean-Louis Trudel, author and recent recipient of an Aurora Award


• Alison Sinclair, author and historian, co-author of Throne Price


• Craig Bowlsby, actor, writer and creator of the hilarious TV series, "The Commander's Log"


• Brian Hades and his team at Hades Publications (Edge Publications, Dragon Moon Press, Tesseracts)


• Matt Hughes, accomplished short story and novel writer and Guest of Honor at Canvention (part of Vcon to present the Aurora Award, Canada's award for excellence in the SF and F)

Here's the announcement list of this year's Aurora Awards winners:
Best Long-Form Work in English:* Children of Chaos, Dave Duncan (Tor Books)
Best Long-Form Work in French:* Reine de Memoire 4. La Princesse de Vengeance,Elisabeth Vonarburg (Alire)
Best Short-Form Work in English:* "Biding Time," Robert J. Sawyer (Slipstreams edited by Martin H. Greenberg and John Helfers, DAW [and also in The Penguin Book of Crime Stories, edited by Peter Robinson])
Best Short-Form Work in French:* "Le regard du trilobite," Mario Tessier (Solaris 159)
Best Work in English (Other):* Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine, Karl Johanson, editor
Best Work in French (Other):* Aux origines des petits hommes verts, Jean-Louis Trudel (Solaris 160)
Artistic Achievement :* Martin Springett (MartinSpringett.com)
Fan Achievement (Publication):* Brins d'Iterniti, rid. Guillaume Voisine(alegracia.com/brins/faq/faq.php)
Fan Achievement (Organizational):* Cathy Palmer-Lister (Con*Cept)
Fan Achievement (Other):* Fractale-Framboise, Eric Gauthier, Christian Sauve, Laurine Spehner (blogue/blog)

Next Year's CanVention will be: KeyCon 25 in Winnipeg, a four-day con over the 2008 Victoria Day weekend.

You Make Me Smile! And 8 Random Facts

That great gal over at Climate of Our Future says I make her smile! :) Thanks for the award, Deborah. Now YOU made ME smile! I, in turn nominate the following people for the SMILE award! You all make me smile for different reasons, all wonderful: you're fun, charming, hilarious & sometimes ridiculous, satirical, clever, sweet and entertaining:

Jean-Luc, Karen, Rino, Melanie, and Mimi.



Mark over at Brain Broadcast also tagged me with the 8 random facts meme. So here goes:

1. I play a mean set of drums. When I was a kid I used to think that I'd be a fireman (I just loved the hats) and a singer/drummer in a rock and roll band. Well, I didn't go for the fire and brimstone career (opting for a career in environmental sciences with a sideline in writing) but I do play the drums with an ad hock band. We won't be cutting any CDs but it's great fun.
2. My husband and I first met on a blind date. Well, not really...when we did meet (on a blind date through a dating agency) we found out that we'd actually met earlier at an environmental trade show. Neither of us had been overly impressed with the other: he thought I was cute but very disorganized and I thought he was a bit of a nerd and too quiet. When we met on the date, we both had to laugh about it and it went from there... :)


3. I'm a cat-person. No, not like catwoman...I guess, I prefer cats to dogs for company. I find them more complicated, complex, unpredictable if not more dangerous, and downright more interesting. Despite this, I find that with every cat I've owned (okay, we co-own each other), I've tried to turn them into a dog. I did so enjoy dressing up my dog in clothes and taking his picture when I was a kid...some habits die hard, I guess.


4. I grew up with five languages in my house and didn't learn English until I went to school. That might explain a lot about why I'm still poor at spelling and make up words (which is okay since I write science-fiction!). My father spoke Romanian with us (so we would inherit his language) even though my parents spoke German to each other (my mother's native tongue); my brother and sister and I spoke French with our friends in the French neighbourhood that we lived in. I only learned English out of need when we were sent to an English Protestant school.


5. I enjoy cycling. The terrain where I live is ideal for it, being flat country roads under mostly sunny skies. I'd love to do more touring and have a desire someday to ride across Canada, tour Italy, France and Great Britain. It's an excellent way to see any country.


6. I switched out of my university program on registration day. Not only that but I switched out from fine arts into science. I was enrolled and received an early registration for fine arts courses (I was initially intending to become a commercial artist) when the environmentalist bug bit me and told me to go into science where I could make a difference. It was a scramble but I managed to get all the courses I needed for the core biology program. All my electives were...you guessed it...in the arts, though!
7. I hate liver. It's one of the few foods I dislike but there you go. I'll even eat raw oysters. But liver has an awful smell that I can't get past my nose. A good friend thought she could get me to like it by drenching it in butter and garlic. It almost worked. My husband likes liver so everytime he goes out of town, he orders it (because it sure isn't being cooked in MY house!)
8. I met Ray Bradbury. It was at a writer's conference in Palm Springs and I'd gone solely to meet him. When I came face to face with him all I could get out was "You're my hero!" to which he laughed rather uneasily and said something self-efacing. It was worth the trip to hear his rowsing and inspirational speach about writing.

Oh, and because I believe in the baker's dozen, here is one more random fact about me (and it serves as a segway to a joke I just love): I'm an environmental consultant. Here's the joke:
A consultant, driving along a country road, stops to let a bunch of sheep cross the road. When he sees the shepherd, he asks him, "You have a lot of sheep there; If I can tell you exactly how many sheep you have would you give me one?"
The shepherd shrugs and answers with a quizzical smile, "Sure."
The consultant gets out his laptop and downloads his satellite imagery, google earth and a bunch of other software then proceeds to calculate this and that. After much deliberation and the shepherd patiently waiting, the consultant looks up and says proudly, "You have exactly 328 sheep."
The shepherd looks amazed. "Wow."
The consultant says, "So, can I have my sheep?"
"Sure," the shepherd answers. "By the way, if I can tell you what you do for a living can I have my sheep back?" The consultant agrees. "You're a consultant," says the shepherd.
The consultant is amazed. "WOW! How did you know that?"
"First, you came here uninvited, then you told me something I already knew, using fancy technological equipment when all you needed was your eyes." Then he added, "So, can I have my dog back?"
(chuckle...chuckle...)
Here are five people I tag for the random fact meme: Bob, Ilker, Charlotte, Kitem, and Your Translator.

I LoveYour Blog Award

It seems that it’s a week for memes. I just received yet another wonderful award: this one from WalksFarWoman: herself an accomplished writer and storyteller (catch her latest published story here on Karen Mason’s Nameless Grace site), a philosopher, and a woman who dispenses great wisdom and inspiration. If the byline of her blog, Kissing the Dogwood (“Being the Best You Can Be”) isn’t hint enough, check out her philosophy posted on her blog. Here’s a small excerpt: “I have endured many of life’s slaps and knock outs but still I came around and ventured onwards because I knew I was here for a purpose, but aren’t we all. Low self-esteem, lack of confidence, loneliness, heartbreak, abandonment, rejection…I’ve had them all - and laughed in their face; they won’t defeat me, walksfarwoman is enduring and passionate and also very importantly - forgiving, you must be too…I offer my friendship to you unconditionally … Who am I? Just a traveller journeying with an open ticket between life and death, always learning, always smiling, always happy to greet a fellow traveller.”

So you know why I was delighted to find that she just loves my blog! Enough to bestow this award to me:Here are a few blogs, which, in turn, I think you'll just LOVE:

The Federation
Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin’ Blog
In Cinq

Princess Haiku

The Modern Matriarch

You can pass this award on to any other deserving blog. Now, go forth and multiply! :)

The Thoughtful Blogger Award!

Walks Far Woman certainly took a long stroll to give me this incredible award! Thank you so much, Walks Far Woman! Speaking of thoughtful, this site is a flowing stream of reflections and images that brace the soul and challenge us to be more, to live more, to love more, to care more.

The thoughtful blogger award was conceived by Christy at Writer's Reviews and is given to those "who answer blog comments, emails, and make their visitors feel at home on their blogs. For the people who take others feelings into consideration before speaking out and who are kind and courteous. Also for all of those bloggers who spend so much of their time helping others bloggers design, improve, and fix their sites. This award is for those generous bloggers who think of others. "

This is what Walks Far Woman said: "Nina blows me away because she’s an expert in a subject I know little of but she writes in such a way that makes it uncomplicated and intriguing." That means so much to me.

I've put a lot of thought into this and now pass on this award to those have certainly made this blogosphere such a nice community for me:

• Somerset Bob (Kingsley), who's friendly and warm advice to fellow bloggers has made this place a little less daunting for many of us;


• In Cinq (Adria Balgassi), who excudes warmth and kindness and beauty at every turn;


• Jean-Luc Picard, who appears to be everywhere all at once (I don't know how you do it, Jean-Luc--perhaps you've mastered time-travel-- but I admire your kindness and enthusiastic presence);


• Zephyr1, whose tireless and caring nature fills the blogosphere with her radiant dedication; and,


• Steve Tennant (Time Line Journey), whose quiet, unassuming nature and great sense of humor make this place smaller and cozy.

Please visit Christy at Writer’s Reviews for an explanation of the different awards and the guidelines for passing them on. You can choose one for a dark or light background and resize if you wish.

Rockin' Girl Blogger!

...Oops, I missed my Friday Feature yesterday (I was caught in a high velocity windstorm out by the HD189733 system and didn't make it back until today. But...when I got back, I was surprised by this cool very pink thing! So, hey, I'm just a rockin' SF Girl! Thanks, Zephyr1 (definitely a rockin' girl herself) at Climate of our Future for tagging me with this cool award. I immediately thought of several awesome girl bloggers and found that they'd already had bestowed upon them this neon pink badge of coolness. But I'm going to link to them anyway, because you may wish to visit their rockin' sites :)

They include:

• Theresa (Sqt), whose site Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin' Blog is the coolest (I may be a little biased, given my love for space travel and such);
• Adria (in cinq), whose poetry/photo project continues to inspire so many of us
• W for Wonder, another rockin' site on subjects I love
• Walks Far Woman, whose idea for a blog and insightful thoughts I find compelling

Well, you gals already have this pink badge emblazoned on your site. So, here are five rockin' girl bloggers I have tagged with this award:

• Orbitgal's site is devoted to wonderful self-expression, thoughtful ideas and photos that sparkle with feminine energy
• Peggy K's two blogs (e.g., Biology in Science Fiction and Women in Science) rock with strong girl power that linger in our thoughts like a rich dark coffee
• Jennifer Rahn's generous nature and creative sense of humor characterize her blog, Random Synaptic Transfers, with an aluring female energy
• Tricia's The Modern Matriarch is an incredible distaff reflection of the world that surges with female lightening--uplifting and challenging
• Karen Mason's exuberance and selfless devotion in creating and maintaining a site dedicated to my next book, Darwin's Paradox merits special mention for the female trait of giving. Thank you, Karen; you're a rockin' girl blogger!

Congratulations, Rockin' Gals!

I'm a Schmoozer! The Schmoozing Award

Zephyr1 over at Climate of our Future, must think I schmooze a lot, because she's just honored me with this cool award. Thanks, Deborah and Francis!

According to Maurica author of Maurica wishing on a falling star, schmoozing is the natural ability “to converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.”


"Good schmoozers", says Deborah, "effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship."



So, now it's my turn to bestow this award on 5 other schmoozers who I think you will find are just as kind and considerate:

• Captain Picard's Journal
• Sqt (Teresa) (Fantasy and Sci-fi Lovin' Blog)
• Orbitgal (Kim) (Bare)
• Grasshopperkm (Diary of a Heretic)
• walksfarwoman

You are all super schmoozers. You make the blogosphere a place of friendship and community.