Magic | Climate Catastrophe | Revolution
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Bio
I’m an activist, graphic designer, and for my sins, a high school teacher. Through magic dark as Vantablack, I have somehow conjured the time to write a book series, The Sleep of Reason. If you’re looking for more disaster wizards, check out my first novel, Cascade. I’m part of the Night Beats artist collective, so if you like my ideas, you can subscribe to my newsletter.
Writing
Blight (The Sleep of Reason Book II), published by BumblePuppy Press.
What use is a revolution in a world ruled by magic?
A young wizard on the brink of burnout searches for her lost mentor. A bereaved mother, summoned to the sea by an ancient god, risks all to avenge her child. Her ex-husband smuggles weapons to a rag-tag resistance.
The Cascade ruined the world that was; the Blight nearly destroyed what remained. The magical catastrophe unleashed demons and shriekgrass, an endless winter, and a promise of worse to come.
In what remains of Canada, the genocidal Dominion government rules with an iron fist, while the libertarian Silicon Valley Autonomous Region chips away at the country’s sinking west coast.
Can a restive coalition of revolutionaries, defectors, and magicians pick up the pieces?
Cascade (The Sleep of Reason Book I), published by BumblePuppy Press.
In the wake of a worsening climate crisis, magic runs rampant and demons roam across the Canadian prairies. A long-dead god stirs in the Pacific Ocean, while the wilderness is choked by invasive, screaming grass.
The Cascade has shattered political stability, leaving a scandal-plagued government clinging to power in Ottawa. As catastrophe looms ahead, a precognitive rainman, Ian Mallory, stands between run-of-the-mill corruption and a nightmarish, dystopian future. It is up to a diverse and unlikely band of activists, scientists, journalists, and one underpaid, emoji-spell wielding intern to save their beleaguered country from its own worst impulses.
The Sad Bastard Cookbook: Food You Can Make So You Don’t Die (Night Beats Productions), with Zilla Novikov and illustrated by Marten Norr
Life is hard. Some days are at the absolute limit of what we can manage. Some days are worse than that. Eating—picking a meal, making it, putting it into your facehole—can feel like an insurmountable challenge. We wrote The Sad Bastard Cookbook to share our coping strategies.
Read 22 stories of the human, the alien, and the artificial—including my story, “solidAIrity.” Oh yes, and I also did the cover.
They may soon live among us: cyborgs, genetically-enhanced humans, interspecies hybrids, androids, artificial intelligences, aliens in disguise. These 22 stories explore what might come next.
Instant Classic offers nine sardonic tales holding a carnival mirror to writers and stories. From a deal with the Devil to the ultimate AI vs human showdown, witness the terrifying spectacle of artists who’ll do anything to clamber out of the creative trenches alive.
These stories include a reprint of “solidAIrity” and a new story, “Hell of a Manuscript,” about a literary agent in Hell.
Read solidAIrity, which appears in both Instant Classic and Beyond Human, here!
What would life be like if things had been different?
Trying to answer this question, The Dance features stories that traverse multiple universes to explore the way our choices and fate affect the directions of our lives.
Includes my story, “Do You Love the Colour Of the Sky?”
By articulating our love for one another and desire for justice, we reject an ideology of hatred, built on blame, sustained on increasing human misery, and most importantly, doomed to fail. Anti-fascist literature is one way to fight back. By itself, it’s not enough, but neither is any other single effort. We all need to come together, to spurn divisiveness, to embrace a coalition of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Use your voice while you still can, and thank these marvelous authors and poets employing their pens on all our behalf.
Includes my story, “What If We Kissed While Sinking a Billionaire’s Yacht?”
Visions of Utopia in Culture + the State 4: Alternative Interventions
Design
I also design book covers. Here are a few of my favourite projects.
Available from the BumblePuppy Press.
Available from Silver Shell Publishing.
Rachel Rosen is one of those rare professionals who is personable, insightful, and incredibly skilled. Her knowledge of desktop publishing is impressive, extending from trending cover designs and ideas to eye-catching fonts and formats. Not only did Rachel steer my cover ideas to an age-appropriate market, she added zing to my book title through her suggestions. Rachel is easy to communicate with and provides constructive feedback. She meets all her dealings with integrity and generosity of spirit. Her eye for detail is second to none. If you can select your own desktop publisher (shout out to all those self-publisher’s out there), choose her. It’s a decision you will not regret.
Rebecca Reultan, Brisbane, Australia