Laura McKay

“A down-on-his-luck guy…who happens to be part-unicorn”: An Interview With TJ Berry

Laura McKay (LM): Today’s #SpecFicPicks Q&A starts now! Special guest: TJ Berry, author of Space Unicorn Blues and Five Unicorn Flush, published by @angryrobotbooks. LM: @TJBerry, thank you joining me today! Let’s start with a few general writing questions. TJ Berry (TJB): Sure! I’m excited to hang out with you this morning! LM: What inspired…

“Stories and teachings passed down in a new way”: An Interview with Karen McBride

Laura McKay (LM): Today’s #SpecFicPicks Q&A starts now! Special guest: Karen McBride, author of Crow Winter, published by Harper Avenue (@harpercollinsca) LM: @kmcbridewrites, thank you for speaking with me today! Let’s start with a few quick and easy questions. LM: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel? Karen McBride (KM): Definitely has to be A Monster Calls…

7 Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Speculative Fiction Books by Canadian Authors Coming out Fall 2020

This time of year, whether it’s the cooling weather or the “back to school” vibes of September, I always find myself looking for new books. CBC often puts out great lists, but they didn’t have a speculative fiction list for this fall, so I decided to create one of my own! In creating this list,…

“Sailor Moon meets Never Have I Ever via The Dark Crystal”: An Interview with S.M. Beiko

Laura McKay (LM): Today’s #SpecFicPicks Q&A starts now!Special guest: S.M Beiko, Winnipeg writer of The Realms of Ancient series and creator of the teen fantasy webcomic Krampus Is My Boyfriend! LM: @SMBeiko hello! Thank you for agreeing to the interview today. I’ll start with a few easy questions to get us warmed up. S.M. Beiko…

“Pretty, Blown-Glass Ornaments”: An Interview with Scarlett Kol

Laura McKay (LM): The first #SpecFicPicks Q&A starts now! Special guest: Scarlett Kol, Manitoba writer of the Faraway High Fairytales series as well as several standalone novels. Today, we’ll be discussing her fantasy young adult novel, Wicked Descent, published by Evernight Teen. LM: Thank you, @ScarlettKol, for joining me today! Let’s start with a few…

How to Support Your Favourite Authors (beyond #IReadCanadian Day)

The first #IReadCanadian Day is coming up on February 19, 2020. The event encourages readers across the county to read a Canadian book for 15 minutes, and then talk about it within their community. But how can you continue to champion Canadian creators after #IReadCanadian Day is over? Keep reading to learn more about the…

A bookshelf completely full of books fills the image. None of the titles or spines are legible, but the books are a range of colours and appear to be mostly novels.]

“Fragment”: An Interview With Craig Russell

“A wonderfully thoughtful eco-thriller from one of Canada’s best writers. Bravo!” Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Quantum Night Fragment is the latest novel from Canadian writer Craig Russell, published by Saskatoon’s Thistledown Press. Described as an eco-thriller, the book begins when an ice sheet the size of France breaks off from Antarctica and heads out…