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October

 

A big thank you to those who were able to join us for When Words Collide's 10th Anniversary last August, delayed by one year. While we had hoped to hold our anniversary in person, all bets are off while the pandemic is with us. We hope you enjoyed the online festival and look forward to resuming in-person gatherings.
 

 

  
When Words Collide Wins the 2021 Aurora Award!
 
Thank you to everyone who supported our festival for the Aurora Awards and congratulations to all the nominees and winners. We are thrill to receive this year's award. For a complete list of winners, click here:
https://prixaurorawards.ca/press-release-for-the-2021-aurora-awards/
 

 
What will the 2022 festival look like?
 
As announced on our web site last August, the organizing committee is holding off until January 2022 to discuss next summer's festival.

After anticipating the end of the pandemic and a regular in-person festival for 2021, then having to change course to hold an online festival in its place, we are no longer as optimistic as we once were. We do not know if large indoor gatherings will be safe next August, if there will be attendance restrictions, if vaccine passports will be required, or if masks will be required. There are simply too many unknowns. For now, registration is closed and we are not proceeding with any planning, including programming.

At our January 2022 meeting we will evaluate the state of the pandemic and, hopefully, have a clearer picture of what to expect. At some point prior to April 2022 we will need to decide whether to plan for WWC 2022 to be in person or, once again, online.

We do apologize for any confusion or inconvenience. Those who registered for the 2020 or 2021 in-person festivals are already registered for 2022. Your passes and banquet tickets have been carried forward. Once we are satisfied that 2022 will be in person and that we won't be forced to have a lower attendance cap, we will re-open registration. Unfortunately, given the pandemic, that is the best we can do.

 
Podcasts & Webcasts

We continue to post selected recent festival sessions to our Podcast and YouTube channels:

Podcast channel:
http://whenwordscollide.libsyn.com/

YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/channel/UCYLP-1XdcKWDyRftkL_a8lQ/

Recent additions include:

WWC 2021 Keynotes. Following a brief welcome by the festival chairman, Randy McCharles, each of this year's festival guests speaks on a topic of their choice. (2021 online festival)

2021 GUESTS OF HONOUR

CATHY ACE
Cathy Ace was born and raised in Wales, migrating to Canada at the age of forty where she turned her back on her previous life in marketing and turned to a life of crime...fiction. Her latest release is THE CORPSE WITH THE IRON WILL, which is set in British Columbia in a location inspired by Cathy's own rural neighborhood. Website:
www.cathyace.com/

VICKI DELANY
Vicki Delany is one of Canada's most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards. Vicki is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. Website:
http://vickidelany.com/

STEENA HOLMES
Steena Holmes is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with over 2 million copies of her titles sold world wide. She won the National Indie Excellence Award and the USA Book News Award. To find out more about her books and her love of travel, visit her Website:
www.steenaholmes.com/

FONDA LEE
Fonda Lee is the author of the Green Bone Saga, beginning with Jade City (Orbit), which won the 2018 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. She won the Aurora Award, Canada’s national science fiction and fantasy award, twice in the same year for Best Novel and Best Young Adult Novel. Fonda is a recovering corporate strategist, black belt martial artist, and action movie aficionado residing in Portland, Oregon. You can find Fonda online on Twitter @fondajlee. Website:
www.fondalee.com/

DAVE REYNOLDS
Dave has been the Associate Category Manager, Local Authors – Western Canada for Indigo/Chapters/Coles since January 2016. Dave started with Chapters as a bookseller in 1997 and has held various positions in the stores and Home Office since that time. Website:
www.indigo.ca/

MORGAN RHODES
Morgan Rhodes is the New York Times bestselling author of the Falling Kingdoms series, which has been described as "Game of Thrones for Teens." A former president of Toronto Romance Writers, Morgan lives in Mississauga, Ontario, where she refills her creative well by watching trashy reality TV and drinking a lot of delicious coffee. Website:
www.michellerowen.com


It's a Bold Business, Making the Mental Shift to Being a Career Author. Being a career author takes more than writing books, it requires you to successfully position yourself and take effective action. Are you where you want to be? Where do you want to go? Join us as entrepreneur, business coach and author, James Kademan, leads us through the matrix of shifting your mindset from someday to now. More than business savvy, this presentation dares you to be BOLD and live the life, and writing career, you
dream of. (2020 online festival)

Awakening to Social Sensitivity. Panelists Brandy Ackerley, Diane Terrana, Erin Weir, & Jay Martin discuss writing about other genders, races, classes, and cultures with honesty and sensitivity. How can a writer be inclusive without appropriating or creating token characters. (2019 in-person festival)

Where In the World. Location, location, location! applies not only to real estate. Your setting impacts tone, plot, character. It can include both time and space. Learn how and why our panelists chose their setting, from prosaic to exotic, city to wilderness, modern to historical time period. Panelists: Jonas Saul, Jayne Bernard, Jim Jackson, Axel Howerton, Robert Bose (M) (2019 in-person festival)

 
Your Feedback
 
We would love to hear your feedback for our 2020 online festival. If you wish to comment on something you particularly liked or disliked, or have suggestions for future festival guests or content, please let us know:
 
 
News & Notes Archive
 
This and past newsletters can be found at:


 
 
Owl's Nest Books Online Events
 
Book launches, readings, and other events listed at:
https://bookmanager.com/1675575/?q=h.calevents
 
 
Alexandra Writers' Centre Society Online Classes & Events
 
Check out the Centre's event calendar.
www.alexandrawriters.org/events/


 

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