Fire and Water: Pixl Press Collides with Words and Worlds…

Fire and Water: Pixl Press Collides with Words and Worlds…

Smoky Sun through the Rockies

Several weeks ago, Pixl Press author Nina Munteanu travelled with me through the smoky Rockies to the 8^th annual ‘When Words Collide’ writers festival in Calgary, Alberta.

The 8^th annual ‘When Words Collide,’ held August 10-12, 2018, brought together just under a thousand readers and writers in multi-genres to attend presentations and panels on writing & publishing. The three-day writers’ festival ran a 10-track program that included informative panels, Blue Pencil Café, Editors Speed Mingle, pitch sessions with agents and publishers, and challenging workshops.  

Pixl Press books were on sale in the Merchant’s room and there was a lot of interest in The Fiction Writer—particularly after Nina’s talk on world building and character. The ‘world building’ and ‘setting/place’ aspects of Nina’s course at George Brown College on how to write science fiction have been steadily growing into major workshops and presentations. It will make up a new writer’s guidebook (see below).

By the third day, Myth Hawker Travelling Bookstore sold all available copies of Water Is…

Pixl Press associates participated in panels and several presentations and workshops:

• You Oughta Be in Audio: a discussion between author Nina Munteanu and audiobook narrator and producer Dawn Harvey on the making of the audiobooks for The Splintered Universe—now available in three formats, print, ebook, and audiobook. While paper sales dwindle, audiobooks continue to be the fastest growing segment of the publishing world with sales increasing by 30% year over year for the past decade.

• World-Building: Your World Is a Character: a presentation by Nina Munteanu on creating a world with meaning. In most science fiction and fantasy, the world that we create is often very different from our own; in speculative fiction it’s often very similar; in contemporary fiction it is virtually the same. In all cases the world you build should embed in your story with layered metaphoric meaning. Nina Munteanu will discuss how to build a world that interacts with character to inform greater meaning in story.

Nina also networked her writing community for world examples to use in her next Alien Guidebook on world building: “The Ecology of Story: World as Character.” Pixl Press anticipates release of this third guidebook in the Alien Guidebook series in summer of 2019. Cover art and design has already been selected. In keeping with the branding of the series, artist Anne Moody is providing the illustration for the cover of The Ecology of Story and Toronto artist Costi Gurgu will design the cover. Covers for the previous two books were also illustrated by Anne Moody and designed by Costi Gurgu.

Earlier in the summer, Nina and I had travelled north to Anne’s ranch in Vanderhoof to requisition a cover from her for Nina’s book. After days of discussion, “show and tell”, exceptional eating and drinking, and after several pieces of art were tentatively selected, Anne pulled out a piece that stopped our search dead. ‘Everyday Hero’ depicts a lonely firefighter, trudging in the burning forest, tired gaze aimed up to the burning crown of a tree. Considering the subject matter and our world today, I thought this was perfect for Nina’s book. Depicted in shades of blue, charcoal and brilliant red, the cover will contrast and harmonize well with the typology and cover band design by graphic artist Costi Gurgu. It also provides an ideal platform for the material inside, which will present ecological settings and metaphoric links to story.

I think I’m as excited as Nina to see the final book out. Now she needs to get down and research it and write it. So, Nina?...What are you doing?

Plan to Garden and Garden to Plan

"Can I get under the fence?"

When my family and I settled into our new house in Delta, I happily noticed the raspberry bushes in the rectangular garden by the house and dreamed of the berries I could eat with my breakfast cereal. Those bushes that promised bounty soon delivered more frustration than I’d anticipated. The lawn was a little too narrow for my mower to make a single pass between the garden and the fence. And my coveted berries were also coveted by my always ravenous Labrador Retriever, who always beat me to the ripe ones. I hated getting mad at my sweet Labrador for doing what came naturally to her: forage and eat. The whole garden thing was turning into a challenging case of anger management.

I decided to fix the breakfast issue and treat my anger management in one full sweep by transplanting the bushes to the other side of the fence, where the dog couldn’t reach. I recycled some sod from a new garden I created to fill in the  large rectangular plot of dirt left by the raspberry bushes.  It was a cool and seamless move of mutual benefit.

I was no longer mad at my Labrador, I could mow the lawn easily and I enjoyed my breakfasts of raspberries on my cereal. Even the raspberry bushes were happier in their new location.  I am not sure the dog was so happy as she looked at me with forlorn eyes through the fence as I picked the berries.

When I became a Director with Pixl Press Canada not too long ago, I happily noticed this small press’s potential and dreamed of achieving literary excellence in publishing. We had published Nina Munteanu’s writing guidebook The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now! in May 2009.  We felt it was time to update our look to match the new brand so August 2013 finds us planning a new cover for this very popular writing guide. We will be using award-winning artist Anne Moody and Aurora finalist cover designer Costi Gurgu for our brand on this excellent writing series (see the covers for The Journal Writer and Natural Selection, both by Nina Munteanu).

We’ll keep you posted once the new cover is ready.

Author Praises "The Fiction Writer" as Frank Helpful and Fun

Lynda Williams, author of the Okal Rel Series (Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing) likes Nina Munteanu's "The Fiction Writer" for its short sections and snappy chat:

"High energy writer and teacher of writing Nina Munteanu is an upbeat coach for new and published writers seeking to refresh their art. She relates tales from her own experiences to personalize her frank and helpful advice on getting published. I particularly liked how she focuses on writing good stuff, though. Her light-hearted "alien's perspective" complete with cartoon character combines with her sense of humour and cheerful tone to make the book a positive experience. Short sections. Snappy chat."

Lynda Williams is a science fiction author and blogger. William's fiction is centered around a series of ten novels set in the fictional Okal Rel Universe (ORU). The ORU founded by Williams has been embraced by fans in a big way. Williams has opened the ORU to fan and pro artists and writers, wishing to engage and create in the ORU phenomenon.

The Fiction Writer Praised as Succinct and Useful

Top 100 Amazon Reviewer (furioush) gave Nina Munteanu's The Fiction Writer this review:

"I have enjoyed Munteanu's fiction, so I was happy when she gave me the chance to read her book on writing. I found it a useful practical guide full of tips and links that any writer focusing on craft should remember. Even if it isn't saying anything particularly new, what it does say is worth repeating, and is rarely said in such succinct form. It is also nice that it has some emphasis on speculative fiction, something many writing guides ignore completely."

You can find Nina's fiction writing guide in most quality bookstores and online bookstores throughout the world.

Georgian High School Student Recommends The Fiction Writer

About Nina Munteanu's "The Fiction Writer":
"We use this book weekly in my Writer's Workshop class, and it gives us all the right tips to write like a professional author. It is written with a direct, clear style that enhances our understanding and helps us to truly grasp the concepts presented. The chapters are brief and concise, and really help us write both fiction and nonfiction. We have learned how to properly use dialogue, create characters, and find our 'muse'. I would highly recommend this book for anyone hoping to enhance their writing."--Mark J. Bujold, writing student, Glynn Academy, Saint Simon's Island, GA

Mark's teacher, Susan McLemore, was so impressed with Nina Munteanu's lecture at the Scribbler's Writing Conference on Saint Simon's Island, that she ordered "The Fiction Writer" for her class.

Motivational Author and Speaker Loves The Fiction Writer by Nina Munteanu

Zoe M. Hicks, motivational author and speaker of Encouragement Unlimited Inc. met Nina Munteanu during a writer's conference on Saint Simon's Island, Georgia, where Nina was giving workshops including one on The Hero's Journey. Zoe is the author of "Dream Catcher, the Power of Faith", a non-fiction guidebook to help empower women, but admitted that she was always interested in writing fiction.

She attended Nina's workshop and was impressed. "I was fascinated by Nina's clear and extremely interesting lecture on the hero's journey. Maybe all writer's have a novel in their heads they want to write one day, and the techniques Nina shared with us will help me when I get to that point. In fact, because of her, I may get there a lot sooner than I had planned."

Of Nina Munteanu's book, Zoe says, "The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now! is a terrific resource in my professional library. I started reading it almost as soon as I got home after purchasing it. Nina shares tips and techniques from many great writers and I loved soaking all that up. I highly recommend it."

Zoe M. Hicks was born in Des Moines, Iowa and grew up in Atlanta, GA. She

Zoe M. Hicks

graduated from the Emory University School of Law and after practicing law for thirty years, now pursues her avocation of spiritual growth and empowering women in all facets of life.

Soft Launch of "The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now!"

The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now! soft-launched today at Pixl Press in Canada (with subsequent print launch scheduled later in the United States and the world through Starfire World Syndicate).

The Pixl Press party today was attended by family and friends, and in which copious amounts of sushi and green tea were consumed, not to mention a huge Tuxedo Cake.

You can get the details on The Alien Next Door, Nina Munteanu's blog.