Nina Munteanu’s latest SF thriller Angel of Chaos (Dragon Moon Press) is being launched at Hal-Con (Halifax’s prime SF Convention) October 29-31, 2010 at the Lord Nelson Hotel, where Nina will be doing a reading, signing books and giving a workshop on writing.
Angel of Chaos is the prequel to Nina’s award-nominated ecological thriller Darwin’s Paradox, featured and discussed on this website.
In 2095 Darwin’s Evolution Kills… Darwin’s Disease is tearing apart the ordered peace of North America. Julie Crane is a brilliant data handler with a unique talent for finding the impossible fast, and getting into trouble even faster. Her relentless search for a cure leads her to a horrifying discovery that incriminates her in a heinous conspiracy to recast humankind.
“Nina Munteanu’s Angel of Chaos is a gripping blend of big scientific ideas, cutthroat politics and complex yet sympathetic characters that will engage readers from its thrilling opening to its surprising and satisfying conclusion.”—Hayden Trenholm, Aurora-winning author of the Steele Chronicles.
Hal-Con is Halifax’s yearly prime science fiction convention that attracts over a thousand SF fans and participants in the motion picture industry as well as TV and literature. This year, special guests include Walter Koenig who played Chekov in the original Star Trek, Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar in Star Trek the Next Generation), and Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol in Battlestar Galactica), among others.
Nina will be giving a workshop on “the Hero’s Journey” Friday, October 29th at 4 pm. Angel of Chaos will be launched Saturday morning followed by a reception. Nina will also serve on several panels and looks forward to seeing you there.
Some good friends of Nina were strolling along the Seine in Paris France recently and were lured into a quaint bookstore on the Left Bank, Shakespeare and Company. The independent bookstore lies just across the magestic Notre Dame Cathedral on Ile de la Cite and steps away from the trendy cafes of Place St. Michel.
Shakespeare and Company resides in a building that served as a monastery in the 16th century. It’s located on Rue de la Bûcherie and serves as both a bookstore and a reading library, specializing in English-language literature. The bookstore was opened by George Whitman under Le Mistral then changed to its current name in honour of an earlier store which closed during World War II. The bookstore served as a focal point for
Darwin's Paradox in Shakespeare and Company
literary culture in Bohemian Left Bank Paris. Customers have included the likes of Henry Miller and Richard Wright. The store was a base for many writers of the Beat Generation like Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and William S. Burroughs. Whitman’s daughter, Sylvia, now runs the shop and regular activities include Sunday tea, poetry readings and writers’ meetings.
The bookstore houses young writers, known as “tumbleweeds”, who earn their keep by working in the shop for a couple of hours each day. The current store is named after and in honour of an
Autographed copy of Darwin's Paradox on the shelf
earlier store which closed during World War II. George Whitman calls the bookstore “a socialist utopia masquerading as a bookstore”. The bookstore includes sleeping facilities, with 13 beds, and Whitman claims as many as 40,000 people have slept in the shop over the years.
As Nina’s friends pored over the eclectic assortment of international and local English and French books they stumbled upon a copy of Darwin’s Paradox! They had to take a picture and here it is.
Are you looking to get published? What’s stopping you?
Join me for a FREE Webinar through Writer’s Digest University on how to improve your writing and succeed in getting published.
I join journalist and editor Vernon Oikle on “Toolkit Talks“, a conversation in which we share great tips on how to get published. We answer some commonly asked questions provided by Writer’s Digest Magazine editors; questions faced by writers getting started as well as those finding their career stagnating. Learn some of the secrets writers use to jumpstart and keep their career in upward motion. Get the answers you need to get published.
What’s the difference between a writer who publishes and one who isn’t publishing? It’s often not talent or storytelling ability; it’s more often attitude, organization and drive. For instance, do you suffer from any of the following?
You have cool ides but have trouble getting started
You’ve been writing forever but can’t finish
Time & schedules are getting in the way
You’re lost in a sea of plot & characters
You’re scared of getting rejected & being ridiculed
You’re scared of living a dream
Join my free webinar where I answer frequently asked questions that came straight from Writer’s Digest! Questions that will help you get published:
What resources and tools do you recommend for writers?
Which do you think aren’t worth the time?
How do I make sure I maintain the right level of objectivity when I’m writing about things I’m passionate about?
How do you balance plot and characters in your story?
What are the elements of a strong hero? What are the elements of a strong villain?
How do I know if my story moves too slowly or too quickly? How do I fix it?
How do you weave in theme within a story?
How do you choose the right point of view for your story?
Should I outline before I begin writing a story?
Where should I begin when I’m revising?
How do you promote your work?
How do you know when your story is ready to submit?
How do you know which markets are best for your work?
Register for my free webinar to view this on-demand webinar and you may have access to additional materials and be eligible for additional perks.
For those of you waiting to purchase my DVD set of “The Writer’s Toolkit“, a 3-set DVD collection based on “The Writers Toolkit” workshops, your wait is soon over! These three major workshops cover ”How to Get Started and Finish”, “Craft of Writing” and “Marketing” your writing. The DVDs will be available shortly for purchase on the Passionate Writer. Here’s what students of “The Writer’s Toolkit” said:
“I felt inspired to look at my writing again…I found my ideas unlocked, problem areas exposed and strengths endorsed.”–Jane Morrell
“Nina was very relaxed, informal, very knowledgeable and interesting…She gave a lively presentation and gave lots of examples to relate to.”—Lauren Seaton
“Nina encouraged me to actually start my novel. She is very good, easy to understand.”—Patricia Slauenwhite
“Nina was engaging and inspiring… I was able to use specifics that were discussed to immediately improve my writing.”—Susie Buck
“I found what I had been searching for a long time.”—Candice Croft
“What you’ve done for me, Nina, is you’ve just opened up a whole new world. You’ve shown me how to put soul into my books … You’ve transformed me from what I considered an oddball to somebody special and for that it’s worth a fortune.”–Hectorine Roy
Nina recently gave three substantial workshops for aspiring writers in the South Shore area of Nova Scotia, based on her Aurora Award-nominated writing guidebook, “The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now“. Held at the Bridgewater Library, Nina engaged and challenged students in an actively participated workshop to hone their skills as successful writers. Students participated in writing exercises, and had their stories, query letters and ”elevator pitches” critiqued.
Her workshops, covered by Vernon Oikle in the South Shore Now, included:
Workshop No. 1, which was titled “Getting Started … and pet vitamin supplements
Finishing". In this session, Nina shared the strategies and techniques she used to write, finish and successfully publish while serving as a full-time scientist, teacher and mother. The workshop reviewed common misconceptions in the writing and publishing industry and provided practical strategies to help aspiring authors succeed.
Workshop No. 2, "The Art and Science of Craft", covered several models of storytelling, and examined the interrelationship of plot and theme, setting and character in a book's overall story arc. Nina explored the language of page-turning writing with examples on the use of the five senses, power verbs, use of dialogue and other writing techniques that will transform your page into a compelling read.
Nina enjoys answering a question
Workshop No 3, "The Science and Magic of Marketing", focused on a different but critically necessary creative process in an author's writing and publishing career - revision, marketing and promotion.
Response to Nina's workshops was very positive. Here are some of the things students had to say about Nina and her workshops:
"Nina was engaging and inspiring in a low-key way, no hype, practical, good humour. This was a really pleasant and helpful experience. I was able to use specifics that were discussed to immediately improve my writing."--Susie Buck
"Nina was very knowledgable, relaxed, personable, unpretentious."
"I enjoyed it. I was intrigued. Nina put her heart into her workshop."--Darlene Tong
"I found what I had been searching for a long time."--Candice Croft
"What you've done for me, Nina, is you've just opened up a whole new world. You've shown me how to put soul into my books ... You've transformed me from what I considered an oddball to somebody special and for that it's worth a fortune."--Hectorine Roy
The series of workshops were filmed as part of "The Writers Toolkit" series and will be available for sale shortly. Go to www.ninamunteanu.com or www.ThePassionateWriter.com for news on availability and cost of these DVDs.
“When I began to vitamin b12 for dogs
teach college and university biology courses (some years ago…) I was struck by a major observation: many of my students were borderline literate. Many couldn’t spell (I’m one to talk. But even I could see the glaring errors). Many used poor grammar, fragmented and scattered language, and ineffective construction. They didn’t know what a paragraph was. Others couldn’t string a sentence together or make convincing arguments, let alone provide clarity of thought. Their ability to communicate in the written form was downright appalling. Convinced that their knowledge of science was severely compromised by their inability to communicate it, I dedicated myself to include literacy in the science courses I taught. As my students applied themselves to relevant tasks using my feedback, their writing skills eventually improved."
Simply put, literacy is the ability to read and write (in all its facets) and essentially comes down to the ability to effectively communicate. Here are some startling facts:
Four out of 10 adult Canadians, age 16 to 65 - representing 9 million Canadians - struggle with low literacy (Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALL) Survey, Statistics Canada and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2005). They fall below level 3 on the prose literacy scale (of 1 to 5), which is equivalent to high school completion, and the desired threshold for coping with the rapidly changing skill demands of a knowledge-based economy and society (International Survey of Reading Skills (ISRS), 2005).
Now, some twenty years later, Nina has written a guide to writing that is not only fun and entertaining but enjoyed by youth and adult alike. It celebrates effective writing (in all its forms) and the power of literacy.
Students, young and old enjoy 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, high school English student
“I have six book shelves at home (and about as many at work) devoted to books on writing and the teaching of writing covering all the writing genres. Before Nina's book, I was getting rather bored with them.” D. Merchant, English Instructor
If you’re a Canadian, you have the chance to “vote for literacy”. Nominate “The Fiction Writer” for an Aurora. The Aurora is a prestigious award and provides good exposure for works recognized. If you think that the world can benefit from this entertaining and easy to use (and youth-friendly) literary aid, nominate The Fiction Writer using the online form below. You have up to February 15th to submit your nominations for the Aurora online: http://www.prixaurorawards.ca/English/AwardProcess/nominationForm.php
ANY CANADIAN or permanent resident of Canada can nominate a work for the Aurora Awards. You don’t have to be part of some organization or pay any fee; you just have to be a Canadian. The top five works in each category with the most nominations will be short listed on the final ballot.
There is no fee to nominate and selections are given equal weight. A full list of all eligible works for the Aurora can be found here: http://canadiansf.com/node/42
Nina Munteanu’s latest SF thriller Angel of Chaos (Dragon Moon Press) is being launched at Hal-Con (Halifax’s prime SF Convention) October 29-31, 2010 at the Lord Nelson Hotel, where Nina will be doing a reading, signing books and giving a workshop on writing.
Nina will be giving a workshop on “the Hero’s Journey” Friday, October 29th at 4 pm. Angel of Chaos will be launched Saturday morning followed by a reception. Nina will also serve on several panels and looks forward to seeing you there.
You have until February 15th to 
