Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop is a regional writing organization that encourages writing and helps to fund local/regional writing projects. I'll be repeating a wildly successful publishing workshop, along with friend and fellow author, Jean E. Pendziwol, in two weeks so they asked to run a quick bio of the facilitators. Here's mine! :)

How long have you been a member of NOWW?
 
I joined NOWW about 3 years ago.
 
What do you normally write?

I’m a speculative fiction writer. That includes science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, sword and sorcery, etc. Anything that involves a great deal of imagination!

Do you have a favourite book or favourite author?
 
Oh, that’s easy. Canadian speculative fiction author Guy Gavriel Kay is my favourite author, and his novel, Lions of al Rassan is my favourite novel of all time.
 
Let’s get to know you a bit better. Tell us a bit about yourself: 

I grew up here in Thunder Bay as a quiet, shy, nerdy kid who would rather spend time with books and animals than with people. I studied Zoology at the University of Guelph and worked in the Edinburgh Zoological Gardens in Scotland with lions, tigers and bears (oh my.) I have three dogs, three cats, three kids, one horse and one husband, and while I am still nerdy, I’m not nearly so shy or quiet anymore. And while I still enjoy spending time with animals, now the friends I do prefer are all Foxes!

Tell us a bit about your writing:
 
I have been writing since I was in kindergarten and actually finished my first novel at the age of 11. I’m also an artist and I pencilled my way through university with the help of DC Comics. While I have had a New York agent and a book contract, I prefer the life of an indie author. I think it must be the freedom and self-control that I find in that field and if you look for it, you will find freedom is a recurring theme in my work. Whether it’s freedom from prejudice or freedom from societal rules, or simply freedom to be oneself, I think all of my characters are searching for freedom in some form or another.
 
What are your favourite things or some of your inspirations?

I love classical music, and I’ll often find myself turning to music when I’m stuck writing a scene, or missing a crucial character point. I also read the works of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, etc. when I was quite young, and I think their influence is evident in my work. For me, it is always about the ‘what if’, so I find inspiration in almost everything, as long as I can take it and turn it on its head. ‘What if insanity was simply seeing into other dimensions?’ or ‘What if scientists spliced the DNA of humans with that of big cats?’ or ‘What if Black Beauty was a War Dragon?’ That kind of thing.

Can we see you at any upcoming NOWW events?
 
My friend Jean E. Pendziwol and I will be running a NOWW workshop on April 29 called “The Business of Writing” and we’ll also be taking that same workshop to Dryden in May. I do love the Write NOWW events – informal, social yet informative at the same time.
 
How can others learn more about you?
 
I’ve written seven books to date and I’m working hard now on the eighth. The books are available at Chapters/Coles and on Amazon. I do have a fun website, am very active on Facebook and I do tweet, but I don’t understand why.; @hdickson62.
I’m not a terribly prolific blogger. I prefer to write epic novels with fantastical word counts.
 
And to end things off, tell us something surprising about yourself!
 
I have been chased by a lion. True story.

Here's the link to the NOWW website - stop by and say hi if you're a regional writer! (And yeah, I did the logo...) ;)
http://www.nowwwriters.ca/noww-blog/meet-h-leighton-heather-dickson
 

Very, very proud to show off the cover for the audiobook of Dragon of Ash & Stars by Podium Publishing. The scheduled release date is January 31, 2017 and the narrator is the ineffable John (Rafter) Lee, who has narrated works by authors such as Terry Brooks, Ken Follett and George R. R. Martin. So yeah, I'm in pretty good company.

I'm also very proud that they chose to work with Dragon's existing cover rather than suggest something different. I think we all agree that this Stormfall cover is a work of art, and therefore, pretty much a keeper. Take a peak and let me know what you think!
​

I recorded an interview with podcaster Joshua Pantalleresco this August during When Words Collide. It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon and we sat outside on the hotel's patio, getting slowly burned and chatting about books, comics, zoology and life in general. It was super fun and if you have an hour to spare, put on some tea and have a listen here.

www.cbc.ca/player/play/2694233208

​Short and sweet radio interview about Dragon of Ash & Stars, the Laughing Fox and Indie Publishing. Many thanks to Lisa Laco for being a great host! 

​Here I am after day 1 of When Words Collide, a Canadian Readercon based in Calgary, Alberta. I'm sitting on 7 panels, attending 2 Steampunk-themed parties and joining the Tyche gang for readings and autograph sessions. I'm learning so much but it's only day 1 and I'm exhaused!

The first panel was called Meet the Public: Book Launches and Signings, a Guide to Social Interaction for Authors and Other Introverts. I was joined by Aviva Bel'Harold, Faye Reinberg Holt and moderator Mark Leslie Lefebvre. We were all from very different experience and genres but it was very dynamic and I think the audience had fun.

Here's a list of the panels I'm speaking on, and the times. If you're in Calgary this weekend (Aug 12-14), do drop by. I'd love to connect with a friendly face (although everyone's very friendly here!) The first run of Dragon of Ash & Stars is also available to purchase, as is Cold Stone & Ivy. I couldn't fit the cats on the airplane. Some rule about swords. Sheesh.

WWC Panel Schedule

Friday 4:00pm          Fireside      Meet the Public: Book Launches and Signings
 
Saturday 11:00am       Fireside       The Write/Read Balance
Saturday 12:00pm      Fireside        Tyche Books Presents
Saturday 3:00pm       Canmore       Cross-Cultural YA
Saturday 4:00pm       2 Kan           Navigating the Online Author Landscape

Sunday 2:00pm          Bonavista      Gaslights, Clockworks and Steam
Sunday 4:00pm          Fireside        The Real Cost of Self-Publishing

Looks like I'll be plunking my books down in Southern Ontario this October - first at a rather major book signing in one of the largest bookstores in Canada, the Chapters/Indigo in the Eaton Centre Mall in downtown Toronto. Tentatively scheduled on Saturday October 15 from 12:00 - 3:00, I'll have copies of TO JOURNEY IN THE YEAR OF THE TIGER, TO WALK IN THE WAY OF LIONS, COLD STONE & IVY and DRAGON OF ASH & STARS on hand. This is actually a very large deal for a a very small writer and my brain is awash in terror...

Two days later, I'll be reading from both COLD STONE & IVY and DRAGON OF ASH & STARS at the Oshawa Public Library on Monday Oct 17. I'll post more details about that once I have the times and exact location but this will be another first for me - actually being invited to speak/read because someone was looking for a science fiction/fantasy author from Ontario. My name popped up along with my hero, Guy Gavriel Kay. He was busy. I wasn't. So off I go to the GTA. Mr. Kay, I will meet you some day and much gushing will ensue.

So if you live close to either Toronto or Oshawa, check and see if you're free for a spell. If you are, come on down - I'd love to meet you and say hi. Give you a bookmark. Sell you a book, sign it for you. You know the drill. I'm just learning it!

Looks like I'll be plunking my books down in Southern Ontario this October - first at a rather major book signing in one of the largest bookstores in Canada, the Chapters/Indigo in the Eaton Centre Mall in downtown Toronto. Tentatively scheduled on Saturday October 15 from 12:00 - 3:00, I'll have copies of TO JOURNEY IN THE YEAR OF THE TIGER, TO WALK IN THE WAY OF LIONS, COLD STONE & IVY and DRAGON OF ASH & STARS on hand. This is actually a very large deal for a a very small writer and my brain is awash in terror...

Two days later, I'll be reading from both COLD STONE & IVY and DRAGON OF ASH & STARS at the Oshawa Public Library on Monday Oct 17. I'll post more details about that once I have the times and exact location but this will be another first for me - actually being invited to speak/read because someone was looking for a science fiction/fantasy author from Ontario. My name popped up along with my hero, Guy Gavriel Kay. He was busy. I wasn't. So off I go to the GTA. Mr. Kay, I will meet you some day and much gushing will ensue.

So if you live close to either Toronto or Oshawa, check and see if you're free for a spell. If you are, come on down - I'd love to meet you and say hi. Give you a bookmark. Sell you a book, sign it for you. You know the drill. I'm just learning it!

"Of the hundreds of self-published titles received each month, only a handful of the very best are selected for review." - Book Life, Publisher's Weekly

TO JOURNEY IN THE YEAR OF THE TIGER was one of that handful...

http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4781-2709-3