Tag: fiction

Conventions and Events

My WorldCon Schedule!

Minerva Cerridwen

Hi!

The programme of the Glasgow 2024 WorldCon has been announced!

Here are the panels (and a stroll!) I’ll be on:

PanelDay (2024)Time (GMT+1)Where?
Introduction to Cosy SFFFriday,
August 9		11:30Meeting Academy M2/M3
Great Heroes in Children’s LiteratureFriday,
August 9		16:00Meeting Academy M4
The Purpose of DragonsSaturday,
August 10		17:30Hall 1
Stroll with the Stars
– Sunday, The Tall Ship		Sunday, August 1109:00Outside Crowne Plaza
Reality Bites: Escapism in SFFSunday,
August 11		11:30Meeting Academy M2/M3
Flash Fiction: the Art of Storytelling in Under 1,000 WordsSunday,
August 11		16:00Gala

You can check out the full WorldCon programme here. If you click the little arrow pointing down on the right of a panel title, you can read the description of the event, who will be moderating it, and who else is participating.

The programme looks so good! I’m already wishing I could be in several places at the same time.

For panels and other events with the other Atthis Arts authors, enter their names in the search bar on the right of the programme guide: Ava Kelly, Clara Ward, E.D.E. Bell, Gregory A. Wilson, and Joyce Chng will also be there!

I’m really looking forward to meeting all of these people in person (and Atthis Arts’ Managing Editor Chris Bell, too!). Ava is the only one of them I’ve already had the pleasure of seeing in 3D before.

Just one week left to count down before I’ll be arriving in Glasgow. I can’t wait, and am bracing myself for a wild, magical ride!

Hoping to see you there,

Minerva

Graphic showing the presence of Atthis Arts at WorldCon, Glasgow

And also

A Queer Market, WorldCon, and Vote for Your Favourite Sea Creature!

Minerva Cerridwen

Dear friends,

Last weekend I was at the Queer Market at the Zomerfabriek in Antwerp. It was my first experience selling books in a booth out in public—and it was amazing!

Photo of The Future is Queer booth at Queer Market Antwerp
The Future is Queer booth at Queer Market Antwerp – special thanks to photographer Leni, the leader of our book club!

In spite of the scorching heat, the people who organised the market had made sure we had everything we needed to thrive (from extra water and tents to provide shade up to clothes hangers for those who were selling second-hand clothing, and metal racks on wheels to put those on—I’m still marvelling at that bit). The atmosphere was great, and I actually sold and signed books! People’s favourites were The Dragon of Ynys, Community of Magic Pens, and Neon Horror.

I had the most wonderful day there with my friends from The Future is Queer book club, and the whole experience was really encouraging me to go out and sell books at events again in the future. Probably to be continued after this summer…

Because this summer is all about WorldCon 2024! As WorldCon is taking place as “close to home” as Glasgow, Scotland, I will be there in person for the whole duration from August 8 until August 12. I’ll write an update later with my panel schedule!

Finally, I’ve opened a poll where you can vote for your favourite Sea Creature at the bottom of the Sea Creature page (click)! Go ahead and pick your 8 favourites, and don’t worry if you need to sleep on it; the poll won’t close until September 1, 2024. I can’t wait to see which of these creatures will be the chosen ones to be turned into postcards as rewards for the Be the Sea Kickstarter. 

Thank you all, and happy summer!

Minerva

And also, Projects by Friends

Final day of the Kickstarter!

Minerva Cerridwen

Dear friends,

We achieved the final stretch goal of the Be the Sea Kickstarter!!!

Thank you all so much for your support!

There’s still 18 hours left in the campaign. Mind that the hardcover editions are limited to this Kickstarter—and the 8 (!!!) Sea Creature postcards that come with them as well!

For now I won’t write a very long message here—it’s time for me to go finish the final Sea Creature (and there’s still quite a bit of work on that, whoops).

Thank you,
Minerva

PS Happy Non-Binary Awareness Week!

Photo of a crocheted jellyfish hanging from the arm of a cactus

And also, Projects by Friends

Three days left: order your Sea Creature postcards!

Minerva Cerridwen

Hi!

Great news: we made it to the first stretch goal in the Be the Sea Kickstarter, so 4 of my Sea Creatures will be turned into postcards! They’re included with every hardcover reward, can be added to every physical reward, and all backers will get high-resolution digital downloads of the postcards. I’ve made a page here on my website where every Sea Creature of the Day is added as soon as it’s come out to play.

In fact, we’re already very close to the second stretch goal: you could be the one to push the Kickstarter to the $5000 mark right now! This will bring us a bonus story by Clara Ward and a better quality of hardcover!

Floral illustration of a spotted moray, black and white
Day 22: Only flowers, and yet a whole spotted moray.

We really hope the Kickstarter will make it to $6000, as that’s the full amount needed to make the audiobook. Besides, $6000 brings 4 more Sea Creature postcards, AND foil stamping to the cloth cover of the hardcover edition!

You can find all the possible rewards for this Kickstarter here.

Photo of a crocheted sea snake
Day 21: A crocheted Ace Sea Snake who loves to play games!

Whether you’re able to support the Kickstarter or not, don’t forget to read the updates; they’re so much fun! In the latest, Clara and Chris took us on a Bookstore and Chocolate Shop Tour, Clara has talked about childhood memories inspiring Be the Sea, and Matt has given a Behind-the-Scenes Peek at Hand-Colored Numbered-Edition Hardcovers.

Please do tell everyone about this project and let’s make these last days of the campaign really impressive! Clara, Chris, Matt, the team at Atthis Arts, all the Sea Creatures, and me are so grateful for your support.

This image includes 20 small square images, each showing a Sea Creature.
The first 20 Sea Creatures

Thank you and have a great weekend!

Minerva

And also, Projects by Friends

Sea Creature Postcards

Minerva Cerridwen

Hi!

Great news! The Be the Sea: Audiobook and Hardcover Editions Kickstarter has reached its minimum funding goal already! And you know what the first stretch goal is??? Postcards of my Sea Creatures!!!

Small photos and scans of the first 10 Sea Creatures of the Day for the BE THE SEA campaign
A small recap of the first 10 Sea Creatures of the Day

If the campaign reaches $4000, 4 of my Sea Creatures will be made into postcards. They’d be included in all hardcover reward levels, available as an add-on for all physical reward levels, and included digitally for all backers. I’d be very proud if that happened! Personally I hope the Kickstarter will go far beyond that, of course—my peeks behind the scenes have told me there are more brilliant stretch goals coming up!

Of course, the Sea Creatures you can see in the image above aren’t all of them: there’s still a new one arriving every day until the end of the campaign, and for everyone who isn’t using social media, I’ve made a new page here on my website where you can comfortably see them all together, just one click away! I will update that page regularly.

For EVEN MORE Sea Creatures of my hand, I refer to today’s Kickstarter Update, which was a guest post I wrote!

Thank you so much for sailing along!

Minerva

Projects by Friends

Be the Sea and Meet a New Sea Creature Every Day

Minerva Cerridwen

Hi!

Be the Sea is a science fantasy novel written by my friend Clara Ward, and—like my own novella The Dragon of Ynys—published by Atthis Arts. I was a proofreader for Be the Sea, but most of you will know that I write honest reviews, and that not every book I proofread gets five out of five stars. This one did!

Here is my review as originally posted on The Storygraph and Goodreads, in October 2023:

“Be the Sea is a near-future solarpunk science fiction/magical realism book that is definitely worth taking your time for. The gentle atmosphere ebbs and flows like the ocean, introducing new characters on your path, most of whom I found very loveable. 

“The story is told in three acts: first you sail across the ocean with a small cast of characters, experiencing an adventure on the sea and listening to the characters’ stories and memories whenever nature allows such peaceful luxuries. Once on land in act 2, the story unfolds into something larger, with more characters, more intrigue, and higher tension. 

“The reader gets to follow the characters and conversations so closely that it feels to me as if the story has actually taken me on a holiday to Hawaiʻi. I felt the water, smelled the scents of all the delicious food, enjoyed visiting an extraordinarily pretty mall. In Wend, the main character, I found one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever seen. Be the Sea contains an amazing amount of representation for queer and neurodiverse characters all around. But while I love Wend and find them so very relatable, I must admit my favourite character was Aljon, the asexual cook and local ray of sunshine.

“Throughout everything that happens, the theme that stood out most to me was the power of working together—even when interactions with other people can be challenging and confusing. Everything in the narrative is treated with kindness, including the difficult subjects that come up. (A list of content warnings can be found via https://www.atthisarts.com/content/) 

“If you enjoy learning (or already knowing things) about biology, the environment and technologies that could help protect it, the memories and dreams that shape someone, or simply need to be reminded of how the traces we leave in the lives of others can make a huge difference (something we all may need to hear whenever we feel insecure), this is the book for you. Biology nerds will be particularly delighted. 

“In the acknowledgements, I learned that the author’s royalties for this book will be donated to Conservation International, an organisation protecting the ocean. This fits the book and the characters’ ethics so well that I feel like it deserves a separate shout-out.”

Now let’s return to the present (free time travel!):

Today marks the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to make Be the Sea accessible as audiobook and hardcover editions. I’m part of the marketing team of this campaign and we have some really fun things planned—for example, I’ll be posting a Sea Creature of the Day over on Instagram every day! The first one is up right now. There will also be lots of cool updates from author Clara Ward on the Kickstarter page itself!

I really feel it’s important that stories like Be the Sea, which has a non-binary, neurodivergent main character along with a cast of queer and neurodivergent characters, become widely accessible. You all know I’m very fond of Atthis Arts as an independent publisher who allows our voices to be heard—and the audiobook starts from $1 thanks to the “pay what you can” setup. Aside from the audiobook, paperback, and hardcover, you can also grab an Atthis Arts book bundle (which includes my own The Dragon of Ynys as well as other great titles!), AND there’s an extra special Numbered-Edition Hardcover Edition hand-coloured by illustrator Matthew Spencer! Don’t miss it!

Be kind to our oceans!

Minerva

Go to the Kickstarter for "Be the Sea"!

Neurodiversiverse, Paranatellonta

10 days left for a flourising new universe!

Minerva Cerridwen

10 days left in the Neurodiversiverse Kickstarter!

Since my last blog post, the campaign has been labelled a Project We Love by Kickstarter and further Stretch Goals have been announced: bookmarks, goodie bags, an audiobook, and a sequel anthology!!!

But first, of course, we need to cross the minimum goal. Please keep sharing the Kickstarter link and consider preordering your own copy of the anthology!

Banner for The Neurodiversiverse with a Kickstarter Project We Love Logo

On a personal note, my grandmother passed away last week. I wrote the latest Paranatellonta edition in her memory.

Love,

Minerva

Neurodiversiverse

Introducing The Neurodiversiverse

Minerva Cerridwen

Hi!

I’ve got some big news!

See this cool new science fiction anthology with short fiction, poetry, and art that celebrates human neurodiversity? The one called The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters?

Well… It includes a short story written by me!

Banner for The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters Kickstarter

I’m so proud that my story is part of this new universe. The book celebrates human neurodiversity, with a focus on own voices stories told from the perspective of folks who are neurodivergent themselves, featuring autism, ADHD, PTSD, OCD, synesthesia, anxiety, and more. Representation is so important, as you’ve probably heard me say many times if you’re here to read this. Personally I cannot wait for this anthology to come out!

About 45 creators have worked on this book, including Cat Rambo, Tobias S. Buckell, M. D. Cooper, Ada Hoffmann, Jody Lynn Nye, and my Atthis Arts friends Clara Ward and Stewart C. Baker. It was edited by Anthony Francis and Liza Olmsted, with cover art by Barbara Candiotti.

You can preorder it now, and directly support all of these creators, on Kickstarter. The campaign will run until May 13. Please don’t miss it! Aside from the ebook and paperback edition (with a discounted early bird price!), you can add an original sticker, tote bag, or pin to your hoard, order bundles of books from Thinking Ink Press, and even acquire a special hardcover edition with slipcover that will be exclusive to this Kickstarter.

From the campaign:

“The Neurodiversiverse is for anyone who loves science fiction that stretches the mind!

In fact, when we first voyaged to your planet, we noticed that some members of your species coped better than others with the symphony of thought process found across the galaxy. These beings, whom many of you call neurodivergent, have diverse thinking styles enabling extraordinary responses to mind-bending situations. 

Since your species communicates with words and images for enjoyment, we thought collecting stories, poems and art describing neurodiverse encounters with aliens would not only provide entertainment and edification to lovers of science fiction all across your globe, but also would facilitate our attempts to infiltrate your society. 

The realized form of that collection is our science fiction anthology, The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters!”

Read more about the Neurodiversiverse here!

As if that news wasn’t big enough, there’s something else I’d really like you to know. Snap, my dragon of Ynys, is on a T-shirt! And on a tank top! In different colours! Including purple!

The pop-up shop with Atthis Arts merchandise will be open until April 30. Artist Matthew Spencer created a brand new design that combines elements from the Atthis Arts stories, and you’ll recognise Snap as one of the three featured dragons. (Want to recognise all of the elements? Get some Atthis Arts books!) Aside from those shirts, there is also the option of a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants with Graystick, from the E.D.E. Bell comics inspired by Gregory A. Wilson’s Gray Assassin Trilogy. Make sure to have a look at these handsome, soft cotton clothes before the shop disappears!

Illustration on the Atthis Arts shirts, created by Matthew Spencer

Projects by Friends

Dedication!

Minerva Cerridwen

Today I would like to talk about the newest book release by my friend and editor of The Dragon of Ynys, E.D.E. Bell. It is titled Just Chad and collects 25 adventures of a robot named Chad, whom we got to know in the first part of the Just Duology: Just Bart.

Cover of "Just Chad" by E.D.E. Bell

I’m so, so honoured that E.D.E. Bell dedicated a book to me, and not just a book, but this one. Everyone, grab your copy!

Love, beeps, and boops,

Minerva

Queens in Wonderland

A Semi-Sages of the Pages Interview!

Minerva Cerridwen

Hi!

To promote last week’s release of Queens in Wonderland, LS Reinholt and I were interviewed by editor Theresa Halvorsen on the Semi-Sages of the Pages YouTube channel.

You can watch this interview, which includes the reading of a fragment of both of our stories, here:

If you’re thinking it would be amazing to watch interviews and readings from the other authors of the anthology as well, you’re in luck! The YouTube channel contains a whole list of author interviews by now, which you can find here. (If you’re reading this post sometime in the future: it might be easier to find them if you enter “Queens in Wonderland” into that page’s search bar.)

I hope you’ll enjoy watching the interviews! (Even when they sometimes contain nervously grinning Cheshire cat-dragons. I was sticking to the theme!!!)

Queens in Wonderland is a collection of short stories inspired by Lewis Carroll’s iconic books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. It includes LS Reinholt’s “Oosh Lea in 1D Land” and my own “Good-Natured Anxiety for the Queer Creature”. All of the stories contain LGBTQIA+ characters and themes. You can now buy the book in ebook and paperback format, via Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and add it on The Storygraph and Goodreads.

Cover for "Queens in Wonderland"