“I was lucky enough to recieve a signed copy of the novel from my Auntie in Canada and struggled to put it down from the moment I got it in the mail!

Nina writes in such a way that you are transported from your chair directly into the story. Her selection of language and delicate descriptions enable you to envisage every location in exquisite detail, keeping you fully involved with the action from cover to cover. By the closing chapters I felt as though I knew the characters on a personal level; as if I knew them in the real world! Again, another brilliant skill that Nina has developed through her career.

The main story itself is quite possibly one of the best I have had the pleasure to read.

I found myself up until the early hours of most mornings reading chapter after chapter in a bid to uncover more of Ms Crane’s story! All I can say is that if you like a good Sci-fi read then ‘Darwin’s Paradox’ shouldn’t be missing from your shelves!”–Toby Rottner, UK

Thanks, Toby! We’re very glad you enjoyed Darwin’s Paradox.

Angel of Chaos, its prequel, follows the story of how Julie Crane got to where she was in Darwin’s Paradox. It’s a medical eco-thriller not to be missed by fans of Julie Crane.

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.

Nina the writing coach

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.

Hope to see you there!

Nina with a workshop student

“The Writer’s Toolkit” DVDs Coming Soon!

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

Guests of Nina’s Writer’s Digest Webinar may be eligible for a special price

Here’s Nina’s story: 

“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 15^th 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’s SF ecological thriller Darwin’s Paradox was selected by Edgar Dunning of the Delta Optimist for a dog nutrition supplements
good Christmas read: "If you haven't selected the books you want as gifts for friends or yourself, here are some suggestions you might find suitable...Darwin's Paradox by Nina Munteanu, published by Dragon Moon Press of Calgary, is an engaging read that makes the reader think. When a virus and an intelligent machine conspire to seize North America's largest city, then threaten to spread world chaos, the only person who can save humanity is the woman who started it all. The author created an inventive future and an indomitable hero. It's an interesting read."

Merry Christmas! And happy reading!

Nina’s fiction writing guide, “The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now!” is currently on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca (in Canada) and Amazon.uk (in England). Go see it there and give it a review and/or tick off tags to help others find this very useful writing guide.

Nina drew from her many years experience in writing and publishing and includes personal examples of queries and synopses that worked, actual rejection letters and hilarious but educational stories about her publishing misadventures.

Nina borrowed from the wisdom of many experts in writing and publishing, notably Robert J. Sawyer, Elizabeth Lyon, Jack Bickham, Sol Stein, Janet Fitch, Tobias Bucknell, Ansen Dibell, Margot Finke, Marg Gilks, Crawford Killian, Ralph Keyes, Victor Frankl, among others. She mixes their erudite advice with her own educational experiences to produce a guidebook that fills a rare niche: a guidebook that seriously educates but is entertaining and fun to read.

We are delighted to report that The Fiction Writer and natural cat supplements
its associated course materials have been adopted by schools, colleges and universities throughout North America. Here’s what writing instructors, published authors and writing students had to say about The Fiction Writer so far:

 “I’m very impressed…Nina shares the hard-won knowledge she’s accumulated…I’m thoroughly enjoying the book!”—Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Wake.

 “Nina is…lively and knowledgeable…approachable, relevant and humorous.”—Pamela Richardson, Professor at University of British Columbia

 “Although aimed at the writing student, this is a handy book for the emerging or mature writer as well…a great resource to refresh one’s mind on every aspect of the writing process…I am keeping this book at my desk as I plunge into the writing of my next chapter.”—Shane Joseph, author of After the Flood

“Thanks, Nina! My songs, stories, and screenplays…can all benefit.”—Colin Wiebe, musician/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

“Great writing lessons! They are practical and simple for any budding writer.”—Graham Seager, writer

“Nina Munteanu’s The Fiction Writer is the book I wish I had 15 years ago. Writers young and old can find ways to improve their work, with the book’s fun, easy to read format.”—Theresa Vinson, bookseller

“Nina Munteanu’s book, 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, author of The Women’s Estate Planning Guide and Dream Catcher, the Power of Faith

“The Fiction Writer improves with each read. it reminds me of those ‘For Dummies’ books, back when they first were great – except without the ‘you are a dummy’ humor, which I greatly appreciate”—David Merchant, Instructor at Louisiana Tech University

The Fiction Writer packs twenty-six chapters of relevant, well-researched and easy to read instruction that encompasses virtually all the topics one needs to get published: beginnings and endings; characterization; dialogue; exposition; setting; plot; scene; metaphor & language; grammar; voice and point of view; research; query letters; rejection letters; synopses and outlines; showing vs. telling; writer’s block; attitude, inspiration and passion in writing.

You can purchase The Fiction Writer at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.uk, or at www.ThePassionateWriter.com.

Oh, and about my neat adventure in Georgia…

Stoked by some cool times at the World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal, Nina and I hopped on a plane at Trudeau International Airport and flew to sunny Georgia because we felt like it. Well, we actually stopped in Jacksonville and drove to St. Simon’s Island on the southern Georgian coast. The drive was boring for me (Nina forgot me in her briefcase!) We drove to Sea Palms Resort, a golfer’s mecca on St. Simon’s Island, to deliver a lecture on “The Hero’s Journey” at a local con there, Scribblers Writers’ Retreat. While Nina slaved on her lecture and handouts, I slipped out of the confining briefcase and wandered the grounds. I remember thinking that they could use the touch of David McLay Kidd, the golf course minimalist that Nina—er I wrote about on The Alien Next Door.

My adventure took a natural pet supplements
hairpin turn for the better when I came underfoot of Mildred Wilcox, a beautiful and elegant southern lady, local art expert and art gallery owner of The Left Bank. Being a lady of impeccable taste, she picked me up and invited me to her house on St. Simon’s where she offered me orange julep and we traded stories about French Impressionism, Paris in the springtime, Georgian marshes, live Oaks and why there are no cats on St. Simon’s Island… She was teasing me, I’m sure!

While Nina did a reading and signings at Hattie’s Books, a quaint independent bookstore in Brunswick, GA that carries both Darwin’s Paradox and The Fiction Writer, I hid in her briefcase. Marcia Stutz, the bookstore owner lets the store’s feisty terrier mascot, Mister Wiggles, run around freely without a leash! Imagine that! I didn’t like him. Even though everyone else did.

The next day, Nina did at least a dozen one-on-one consultations in the lobby of the hotel. The sessions were filmed by Rizzuti Productions and Starfire World Syndicate. She reminded me of Ellen DeGeneres; she was having way too much fun in front of the camera! I was amazed; she did the whole thing without a single break, even though she must have had a dozen coffees. I bet you’ll see a blooper reel on YouTube shortly. I saw a few choice bloopers! That’s what happens when you don’t take any breaks, Nina! But a few victim—er clients walked away from her advice with genuine smiles on their faces, not just dazed grins of confused euphoria… “What did she say?” I heard them whispering to each other in the hallway by the espresso machine where Nina would have preferred to be. “Did she really want me to spell ‘the’ for her?...”

Talking about bloopers… Despite fully embracing new tools, Nina isn’t particularly adept technologically. So, when she decided to give a fancy Power Point lecture using interactive interface and a Wacom Bamboo Tablet, I sniggered and asked her why she didn’t just use a whiteboard and colored felts like she always did. She insisted (rather petulantly, I might add) and what could go wrong did—computer and projector refused to talk, the tablet had a hissy fit with lines scrambling everywhere and the screen decided to cave into a black hole. So, after much hand waving (which never works; she isn’t a Jedi yet…) Nina resorted to her twenty-year teaching experience using a whiteboard and colored felts. Of course, the lecture went well and the audience appreciated her instruction, if not her bad jokes. But I took the opportunity to say “I told you so,” anyway. One must take them as they come. Where I’m from in southern France—No! I wasn’t born in Michigan! I was just rescued from there—there is a saying: quel sera, sera…

I may be posting for her again… I don’t think she’ll get those 90 articles done as quickly as she thought.

montreal at night

Several weeks ago, Toulouse and nupro dog vitamins
I got onto a jet plane and travelled to Montreal, Quebec (my old digs when I went to university). We went there to participate in the World Science Fiction Convention.

These guys put me in  a pile of cool panels on top of doing my regular readings and signings. I participated in science/ecology, writing and SF panels with rock stars like Tom Doherty, Julie Czerneda, and new faces like Bruce Rockwood, David B. Coe, Peter Cohen, John Kessel, Jason Tuell, Kristin Norwood, Bob Sojka, Mike Gallaher, Michael Sestak and many others.

The panels were lively, contentious in some cases, erudite and fun. But I measure the success of a con through its surprises as well as by how many old friends I visit with and new friends I make. This one was a resounding success because I met so many wonderful people and encountered many thrilling surprises.  The list is too long to give here but I'll include some unexpected highlights.

• The rockin' Tor party (held at a penthouse suite in the Delta Hotel): where the bathroom had been converted into a wine and beer celar...
• meeting L.E. Modesitt and his wife at the rockin' Tor Party
• sharing an awesome world-building panel with Julie Czerneda
• the rockin' Tor party (where rumor has it that the bathroom was raided by strange ladies intent on having a shower)
• seeing Cory Doctorow in a tux (for the Hugo Awards)
• the rockin' Tor party (where someone who shall remain nameless jumped on the bed and didn't spill a drop of his drink!)
• being "abducted" by a group of Romanian writers who took me to an "Old Montreal" cafe to interrogate me using devious means like roasted wild duck and local cider (they were successful, btw)
• the rockin' Tor party (well, I won't go there--you'll have to attend the next con to find out for yourself!) 

Nina’s book got some very nice reviews from fellow Canadian authors, Lynda Williams (author of Righteous Anger and others of the Okal Rel Universe series) and Jennifer Rahn (The Longevity Thesis). Nina recently reviewed Lynda’s book, Righteous Anger on Lynda’s blog, Reality Skimming. Here’s what these authors had to say about Darwin’s Paradox:

“Lively action with a people plot”

By Lynda Williams (The Okal Rel Series)

Darwin’s Paradox is rich with real science and vitamin c dosage for dogs
people who care about each other, whether in a good way or a bad one. Lovers of techno-thrillers will enjoy the blend of super AIs and biological AIs bent on meddling with mankind. At the same time, Darwin's Paradox injects hope into a post holocaust type of setting threatened with a typically SF scenario of doom. Munteanu writes with energy and a lively sense of joy in her work. Her main character, Julie, possesses the superpowers of an info-age homo superior: she can communicate pseudo-telepathically with others like herself and with AIs. In addition to her mental gifts she is also physically superior. What's unusual about her as a homo superior heroine is her role as the unwitting vector of the plague that decimated her people. While Julie contends with the twists and turns of the plot, she is simultaneously threatened by the risk of losing her husband and daughter, both literally and emotionally. The challenges she navigates are personal, throughout, in parallel with the fast-paced action.

"Nina gives more than a story"

Imagine a mysterious virus that devastates half a population, while giving certain individuals enhanced mental abilities, allowing them to "psychically" link to a server containing an artificial intelligence that seems to be developing autonomy. What if that virus turned out to be deliberately engineered? What would be the motivations of the designer? What if the virus turned out to be more than it seemed, and had ideas of its own?In "Darwin's Paradox", Nina Munteanu (author of "Collision with Paradise", and "The Cypol") serves up a dually plotted story that's part novel, part philosophical treatise on the nature of mankind and its inexorable evolution, driven by both natural and man-made pressures. Julie Crane, the central character, is a woman with a complicated and violent past, who must deal with the life she left behind to protect the peaceful existence she enjoys with her family now. As the novel opens, the back story and contemporary plot line are unfolded concurrently, until they eventually collide, and Julie is faced with the struggle of her life against unknown political forces in Icaria-5, her previous home, from which she had to flee as an unfairly labeled murderer and deliberate spreader of Darwin's Disease. She's never sure of who her allies or enemies are as she struggles to free herself from old accusations . . . and neither is her innocent, 12 year old daughter, who naively stumbles into her mother's past.Looking for a thinking person's novel? Give "Darwin's Paradox" a try.  

Press Release

Darwin’s Paradox: Runaway Bestseller from Acclaimed Author Nina Munteanu

A World on the Brink of Violent Change… When an intelligent virus and an intelligent machine community conspire to threaten the world with destruction and chaos, the only person who can save humanity is the woman who caused the cataclysm in the first place.

Chicago, IL (Bluehost/PRWEB ) November 16, 2007 — Darwin’s Paradox–a book that explores humanity’s evolution through our relationship with nature and machine … What would happen if they came together?

In today’s multiplex world of rapid planetary change, the lines between biology and technology are swiftly blurring in wondrous and equally terrifying ways. We are witnessing an increase in studies that link a growing infertility in humans to industrial activities and urban lifestyles. Yet, those of us who are born today can expect to live with enhanced intelligence, longevity, and health thanks to technological advances such as neuromorphic engineered implants, nano-A.I. medicine and other biotechnological advances.

Co-evolving with our exploitation of young at heart dog supplement
the world's ecology is the spread of emergent and resistant diseases. Futurist Michio Kaku suggests that because of the rampant use of anti-biotics "our own bodies have become a Darwinian battleground where only the nastiest mutant strains of bacteria thrive." Yet, Doctor Lynn Margulis proved the notion that cellular evolution of virus and host cell may evolve through cooperation, often into a single symbiotic entity (e.g., evolution of eukaryotic cell). Virologist Frank Ryan states that "every monkey, baboon, chimpanzee and gorilla is carrying at least ten different species of symbiotic virus." And, while Lynn Margulis argues that a virus is intelligent, Transhumanist Ray Kurzweil predicts the inevitability of self-aware sentient robots.

In her book, Darwin's Paradox (Dragon Moon Press) ecologist, educator and acclaimed author Nina Munteanu explores the frightening prospect of an intelligent self-organized virus joined with a self-aware A.I. in a world preoccupied with issues of infertility and the residual effects of an industrial plague.

Driven by an ambitious virus stirring inside her, Julie Crane sets out on a quest to save her family from the clutches of a terrified government. Instead she's abruptly caught in a web of intrigue...one that will betray her identity as Darwin's Paradox and define the evolution of humankind.

Says Doctor Rhonda Low, host of "Your Health"--CTV News, and Clinical Associate Professor in the Dept. of Family & Community Medicine, University of British Columbia: "Loved Darwin's Paradox! ... A good neurology refresher for me! ... The story is intricate ... imaginative, and intelligent ... The medical and scientific (premise is ... completely plausible and perhaps our fate ... Sign me up for 'neurgery'."

"Munteanu [has created an inventive and exciting future ... a mystery virus ... unsettling artificial intelligences ... and an indomitable hero," says Kay Kenyon, SF author of Bright of the Sky.

Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of Rollback, calls Darwin's Paradox "a thrill ride that makes you think and tugs the heart."

Darwin's Paradox is Nina's third novel. Her previous fiction was nominated for the Gaylactic Spectrum Award, Ecataromance Reviewers' Choice Award, the Aurora Prix, and the Foundation of Speculative Literature's Fountain Award. Praise for her previous fiction has been generous.

Tangent Online calls Angel's Promises "A stunning example of good storytelling with an excellent setting and cast of characters." Of her first novel, Collision with Paradise, Romantic Times says, "Munteanu presents a very intelligent story, with fantastic world-building...an intriguing tale." Another Book Review Site said, "Munteanu asserts her mastery of the sensual SF romantic thriller. An unforgettable read that's immensely alluring, surprising, and heart throbbing. The vivid intimate details, colorful descriptions, and wonderfully drawn characters leave one breathless and asking, when and where is the next book coming out?"

Nina holds a Masters Degree in Ecology from Concordia University (Montreal) and has taught university courses at Simon Fraser University, Douglas College and the University of Victoria. She has published over fifty scientific papers, technical reports and guides, including a controversial paper on "creative destruction", which uses chaos theory to explore nature's intelligence. Nina conducts research in risk analysis, pollution abatement and environmental protection as senior scientist with an environmental consulting firm in Vancouver, B.C.

A Book Tour is planned for Darwin's Paradox, starting with a launch in Vancouver November 15 through 24. The tour will move to the Toronto area between November 28 and December 3. Nina's New Year Tour kicks off in Seattle, WA in January, 2008; with stops in 12 major U.S. cities.

Darwin's Paradox audiobook will be available Spring 2008, featuring Heather Dugan: The Voice of Darwin's Paradox.

Nina's award-winning blog, The Alien Next Door provides lively discussion on elements of science and science fiction, philosophy, and futurism, as well as spiritual and metaphysical issues.

Press Contacts:
Karen Mason
Darwin's Paradox
502-428-7667
armonelyon@yahoo.com

Publicist:
Justyn Perry, Marketing Manager
Hades Publications, Inc.
403-254-0160
justyn@hadespublications.com

Executive Producer:
Karen Mason
Starfire World Syndicate
502-428-7667
armonelyon@yahoo.com