I've just sent the copy-edited file of The Tapestry of Time back to my publisher, along with a form giving some information for the audiobook narrators. The book comes out in September. The next step is page proofs (and I should see cover art soon!)

My acquiring/developmental editor and I finished with the big picture stuff in December, and then the manuscript was passed to another editor for the copy edit, which covers grammatical and style issues line by line, clarifications and fact checks, as well as continuity and timeline snarls. This book has an intricate plot that weaves through very well documented history, and it went through revisions that moved around the events of the story. In the end, I'm pleased there were only a few small things that needed to be fixed. I'm always very grateful for the careful work of copy editors!

Authors do get some time (typically two weeks or so) to go over the copy edit to approve or reject changes, or address any queries. While I try not to reject a change out of sheer stubbornness, authors may choose not to take a copy editor's suggestion.

One of the things that my copy editor was checking for was British English, for two reasons: this book is coming out from a UK publisher, and it's written in the points of view of British people. It's very seldom I've been able to write any fiction in Canadian English, with the notable exception of short stories in Canadian magazines. The Venn diagram for how these three forms of English usually interact kind of looks like this (if I oversimplify to show what I mean):

Back in February, I was invited to be a guest speaker at a meeting of the Oxford University Speculative Fiction Group. (A remote appearance, alas. I'll get to Oxford one of these days!) I decided to speak about archetypes in fiction, and specifically character archetypes, and how they can support or undermine political structures. The talk draws on some examples from my own work, especially my next book, so it's a bit of a sneak peek at that as well.

We had a long and interesting Q&A session after this, but what follows is more or less what I said during the lecture portion.

On July 20, 2020, I was scrolling through Twitter on my phone, as one did in those days, and I came across a question from someone I didn't follow, just one of those questions people throw out on social media to get a conversation going. The question was this: "Combine the first movie you ever saw in theaters (that you can recall) with the last movie you saw in theaters. What film monstrosity have you created?"

Hi everyone! Apologies for a second missive so soon after the last (an unusual occurrence) but there's a cool and time-sensitive opportunity to let you know about, especially for those of you who will be in Ottawa in the last week of February.

I told you last week that my book The Valkyrie is the February book for the book club run by CBC Ottawa's afternoon radio show All In A Day (hosted by Alan Neal).

Tomorrow afternoon (Feb. 1) they'll announce the exact location and date in late February for the meeting. I can't tell you that yet, but it's a place in Ottawa that's very special to me. If you miss the announcement of those details on All In A Day, you can find them on or after Feb. 1 on my social media (Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Mastodon) and I'll also post it on the events section of my website.

Once that happens, there's usually a flurry of folks trying to get the limited seats.

Hi everyone! I have some exciting news. In late February, The Valkyrie is going to be the book for the All In A Day Book Club on CBC Radio here in Ottawa!

This feature highlights local authors. The host Alan Neal encourages listeners to read one book together for a month, and then he meets with listeners and the author in a special location in Ottawa, where we all talk about the book.

(People join both in person and virtually via Zoom.)

It's then recorded and broadcast on All In A Day (which is the afternoon radio show on CBC Radio One, heard 3-6 p.m. ET on 91.5 FM).

Happy new year, everyone! We've had a lovely family holiday, eating vegetarian tourtière and other goodies, and listening to my small but growing collection of vinyl on the Fluance record player that I asked for as my combined Christmas/birthday gift.

I'll be 47 in a few days, and as is often my wont with birthdays, I've been pondering mortality and other big questions.

I rewatched the 2021 David Lowery film The Green Knight this week. I know that it had a divided reception among medievalists, but I adore it. This time around I particularly appreciated the imagery of greenness as life/death, without any division where that slash is. The decision to be ready to die is the same as the decision to be ready to live. In a way, it complements the opposite imagery in T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, which is partly about clinging to half-life:

Hi everyone! First things first: it's been a while since we did a giveaway, and I have a few spare copies of some of my books, so let's do it! If you'd like a signed paperback of The Embroidered Book, The Chatelaine, Alice Payne Rides or Assassin's Creed: The Resurrection Plot, shipped anywhere in the world, email me at [email protected] by noon ET on Nov. 30 and I'll use a random number generator to choose one winner and ship it out. (Note that both AC: TRP and Alice Payne Rides are sequels!) If I choose you, I'll need to know:

• Which book (TEB, The Chatelaine, Alice Payne Rides or AC: TRP)

• Whether you want it personalized to you or as a gift (depending on where you live, I should be able to get it there before Christmas, although I can't guarantee that.)

• Your mailing address

This will be my last newsletter for 2023 (barring any huge news) and I just want to say thanks to everyone who's picked up one of my books this year, or spread the word. It was a big year for publications -- the paperback of The Embroidered Book, The Valkyrie, the reissued version of The Chatelaine, and Assassin's Creed: The Resurrection Plot. I wrote a blog post reflecting on the year in life and writing.

Hi everyone! First of all, a quick housekeeping note. I've just changed the newsletter delivery system from Mailchimp to Buttondown. My main reason for this is that Buttondown does not use newsletter content to train generative AI (or sell it to others to do so.)

So far, so good with the move, but if you notice any technical issues, please do let me know, at [email protected].

With Christmas coming up, a note that if you'd like a signed copy of one of my books, I recommend getting in touch with Bakka Phoenix in Toronto, or Perfect Books or The Spaniel's Tale in Ottawa. They all ship and have at least some signed copies in stock (and for the Ottawa stores, I can go in to personalize copies as long as you give us a little notice.) I'm also happy to mail signed and personalized bookplates, my treat. Brookline Booksmith will have bookplated editions of The Valkyrie available to coincide with our online event (see below.)

(Also: if you know anyone who'd like a copy of Assassin's Creed: The Magus Conspiracy in Italian or Polish, do get in touch! I have an extra copy of each and can send them out, signed, for the cost of shipping.)