Podcast appearances and mentions of marty chan

Edmonton has a long history of creating high-quality art, music, television and literature for kids. But what does it actually take to make content that resonates with fans of all ages? And what makes Edmontonians so good at it? Host Clare Bonnyman sits down with two experts in the matter — Juno-nominated musician Beppie and playwright and author Marty Chan — to talk about the magic of entertaining children and the power of nostalgia.

Odyssey Theatre is Ottowa's premiere professional theatre company, specialising in the old tradition of masked performance. So what happened when the world when into lockdown and theatre became, for a while, a think of the past?In the case of Odyssey, it became an opportunity to branch out into audio drama with 'The Other Path' - a magical podcast which reimagines traditional folk tales in a new and immersive modern setting.In this episode we meet Laurie Steven (creator and director) and writers Marty Chan and Daniel Peretti to explore the process of developing these modern twists on some classic tales.To support the Folklore Podcast on Patreon for as little as £1 a month and help us to keep producing free content, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcastLinks to guest biogs and more information can be found on the episode page for this episode on the Folklore Podcast website at www.thefolklorepodcast.com

Discovery this week is an original piece of theatre in line with the supernatural themes of this time of year. Double Trouble is a production of Odyssey Theatre from Ottawa. Liam and Jessie, a young couple fleeing bills and chasing cash in a trashed economy, decide to change their fate by stealing a mysterious artifact. But as the magical object toys with their desires, the pair get caught in an otherworldly spiral with cats, cops, and corpses. A macabre comedy of greed and black magic from playwright, author, and screenwriter, Marty Chan is inspired by the Chinese folktale, The Magic Cask.

Liam and Jessie, a young couple fleeing bills and chasing cash in a trashed economy, decide to change their fate by stealing a mysterious artifact. But as the magical object toys with their desires, the pair get caught in an otherworldly spiral with cats, cops, and corpses.  A macabre comedy of greed and black magic from playwright, author, and screenwriter, Marty Chan. It was inspired by the Chinese folktale, The Magic Cask.  Creative Team for Double Trouble:  Writer: Marty Chan Director and Co-Dramaturge: Laurie Steven Co-dramaturge: Janet Irwin Music Supervisor and Editor: Jeremy Hutton Supervising Sound Designer: Damian Kearns Cast:                                                     Paul Amato (Dimitri and Cop) Jesse Buck (Liam) Maryse Fernandes (Jessie) Jeremy Hutton (Narrator and Harold) Advisory: This episode contains course language and morbid events. Listener discretion is advised. To find out more about Double Trouble and The Other Path podcast series, please visit our website at www.theotherpath.ca. Please consider supporting our work and help us create new episodes by becoming a member at Buy Me A Coffee. Members gain access to special features, such as writer interviews, a chance to meet the artists and more.  Recommend us to your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoy Double Trouble!  About the seriesWhat do witches, ogres and shape-shifters have in common with dive bars, fashion shows and neighborhood parks? They are all on The Other Path!  Classic folk tales meet modern life in this fantasy audio drama series filled with magic, mystery, and danger.  Follow people so desperate to fulfill their dreams, they choose a path that leads them to wrangle with magical forces and creatures straight out of folklore. They will lure you with promises of good fortune but be warned, they'll lead you into danger. Whatever fate has in store, the other path reveals the unexpected. Our five dramas by award-winning Canadian writers are inspired by fantastical tales from the past, but set in today's modern world.  From haunting dramas to macabre comedies, these original tales come alive with the voices of professional actors and artfully crafted music and sound.  To find out more about The Other Path, the artists and upcoming special events, visit our website www.theotherpath.ca.   About Odyssey TheaterThe Other Path was created and directed by Laurie Steven, Artistic Director of Odyssey Theatre, a professional non-profit theatre in Ottawa, Canada.  Our imaginative award-winning productions range from satires to epic dramas, to enchanted myths re-envisioned for adult audiences.  Odyssey Theatre operates on the traditional, unceded Territory of the Algonquin, Anishnaabe peoples.  Odyssey Theatre is grateful to the Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council, City of Ottawa, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Ottawa Community Foundation and our wonderful donors for their support. 

Marty Chan, author in Edmonton

An interview with Marty Chan, playwright and award-winning author of 18 books for young readers. Hear about his intricate revision process, his deep appreciation of young readers and writers, and his delight in making things hard for his characters. 25 minutes, all ages.   A full transcript is available at CabinTales.ca   Show Notes [0:00] Intro [1:10] Interview with Marty Chan CA: Are you a planner? Do you know the endings of your stories, or some of the major plot points, before you begin? MC: I'm a bit of both. …If it's a mystery, I definitely need to sit down and plan everything out because I need to know where the plot twists are, I need to know the solution so that I can write toward it. But if I'm doing something that's more of a character exploration, then I feel like I can just sort of jump in and improvise and discover the story as I'm writing. So … it really depends on the story.   [2:00] CA: Do you have any advice to young readers who might be stuck in the middle of a story? MC: That's the classic problem…And it leads to what they often call writer's block. And I always think that where you notice the problem is not where the problem started. It probably started a few scenes or a few pages earlier, where you made a decision that pushed your character into the problem that they're in now or the dead end that they've reached. … Go back a few pages, go back a few scenes, and then make a different decision for your character and see what that does to the story. It might push you to another dead end, but at least it'll start to inform you about what the character can do and who they are. …   [4:00] CA: Do you have a favorite first line? MC: Oh, one of my personal favorite first lines from my work is from the very first book I wrote, The Mystery of the Frozen Brains. And the opening line was: I hated secrets. …The opening line instantly raises the question of who hates secrets or how bad is the secret that this main character hates it?   [4:35] CA: Do you tend to write in first person? MC: Generally I like writing in first person for younger readers. … My middle grade fiction is often first person. …My steampunk fantasy series The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles, that goes more into third person because I have to cover a lot of different settings and subplots. So having third person gives me the latitude or the ability to jump from one to another.   [5:15] CA: And have you ever opened with dialogue? MC: … I know that when I work with kids and their writing, their natural instinct is to start with dialogue …. Just remember that if you don't identify or describe the people who are speaking, it's just a jumble of words flying at the reader. …So, if you start with dialogue, always remember you've got to give an anchor to the readers so they kind of know where we are, where we're situated, and who's talking and why we should care. That is when revision comes in handy …   [6:30] CA: …. Do you tend to edit yourself as you draft? Or do you sort of get it all out on the page and then go back and revise? MC: When I started writing, I was constantly going back to the beginning… And then I discovered that because I focused so much on second guessing myself and reshaping those opening few paragraphs, then at a certain point I started to lose the spark for the rest of the story. … Once I started seeing the pile of stories that I never finished, I started thinking, “Well maybe the approach is wrong for me.” … So what I often do is I will just work all the way through to the end of the first draft before I'll even start second guessing what's happening, because I just want the joy of discovery for myself to get to the end of the first draft. What that means, though, is that I spend more time revising than I will spend writing a first draft. …   [9:00] CA: And when did you start writing? Did you write as a kid? I started writing when I was in high school. … I did a lot of reading because I spent a lot of time hiding in the library from bullies. And by reading, like a lot of Hardy Boys novels, I started getting inspired to come up with stories. And oftentimes what I would do is I'd daydream. …. So I would daydream all the time, come up with different scenarios, but I never wrote anything down until my high school language arts teacher gave us a homework assignment. …. He said, “I want you to imagine you've won the lottery and you have $1,000,000 and you can spend that money on anything you want. All I want you to do is write down and describe how you use your lottery winnings to redecorate your bedroom.” I was a lazy teenager so my idea of a dream bedroom was to have a bed I never had to get out of to do all the things I wanted to do. So I said I would use all the money to put my bed on an elevator. … He said, “Marty, you have a great imagination. Have you thought about becoming a writer?” And it was at that moment that I was inspired to write... Because of him, I am the writer that I am today….   [12:30] CA: You give workshops to kids? Do you ever read kids' writings? MC: I have given feedback. I was the writer in residence at the Edmonton Public Library, and part of my job was to critique and give feedback to anyone who submitted their work to me. … Being a kids' author, that magical moment is when you can see a kid's eyes light up and they see the possibility that they could become an author just like me. It makes all the work I do worthwhile.   [13:35] CA: Do you have any favorite scary stories or scary movies? … MC: I am a huge zombie fan. When I was a teenager, a group of my friends went to a drive in. … And there was a dusk to dawn which included George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead…. I loved it and I've been a zombie fan ever since. … And I think it kind of reflects in the writing that I do. My latest book is called Haunted Hospital. … I feel like my love of scary stories has given me the inspiration to write scary stories.   [14:50] CA: And what scared you as a kid? MC: My mom. … I remember I had to deliver flyers to different houses…And there was a German shepherd in the yard. … And I froze as that dog came running right up to me. And thankfully she was happy to see me. …But ever since then I have been scared of big dogs, and it's only been recently that I've been sort of a little calmer about big dogs. CA: And have you ever put that in one of your stories? MC: …If you read the Marty Chan Mystery series, anything that you see in there that you wonder, “Did that actually happen to Marty Chan?” 7 times out of 10 the answer is yes.   [15:55] CA: So you do base some stories on your own childhood? MC: Yes. I think if you're a writer and an observer of the world, you can't help but put things from your own life into the stories. … Probably the most successful of all the books I've written is something called the Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul. … that is the one that is the most personal in terms of the elements in the story were very much based on experiences that I had as a kid. And to me it taught me how, when you come up with story ideas, the first reader that you have to engage or entertain is yourself. … I thought, “I'm the only Chinese kid in town who actually understands what that experience is like,” but I would capture things that were universal for anybody. The first chapter is about a clothes shopping nightmare … everyone has been in that situation where they've been embarrassed by a parent or guardian or family member while they're shopping for clothes. …   [1810] CA: You're sort of tormenting your character. You could solve their problems earlier but you're going to make them suffer for a while. How do you feel about that? MC: Well, I love it. Because when we're reading, we want to cheer for the character, and if everything is too easy for the character then why do we brought bother reading? …. If they see that the hero wins too easily, they wonder why bother going on the journey in the first place.   [19:20] CA: Do you have any favorite settings from fiction? MC: In general, my favorite setting is anything in New York. … The great thing to do is if you love a setting, a real setting, before you go visit that setting or that city, just read a whole bunch of books or watch movies that are set in that city, and then go through that city and try to find those landmarks. Because it's one of the most amazing things that you can do as a reader is to see how the writers have captured the sense of a place. …   [20:05] CA: Nice. And you do any setting exercises? … MC: … I do a lot of out-scenes. Like in the case of the Ehrich Weisz Chronicles, that's set in New York. …I found maps of the time period that I was writing about. … In the 1890s, before the subway was built, the trains were on elevated rails. … I actually flew to New York and … walked the route that the characters were to going to go through in that first book, just to get a sense of the place and what it would feel like. And it made it much more real in my mind…   [21:20] CA: Is there somewhere where you get your best ideas…? MC: Just from research. I love reading books… At a certain point it's like the confluence of several different things that I've heard and researched that will just come together one day. It literally is like a lightbulb … I can't explain how that happens. All I can say is that if you want to be a writer … open yourself up to the world and just pay attention to everything that goes on around you. …Fill your tank up as much as possible because you never know when that one thing you learn about will be the spark that gives you the great idea.   [22:35] CA: That's probably a great note to end it on. Thank you very much for doing this… MC: Great to meet you too. Take care. …   [22:40] Marty Chan introduces himself MC: My name is Marty Chan. I am a kids' author and playwright. I have a very short attention span, so if you take a look at my work, you'll realize that I hop around a lot. So I've worked in theatre, television, radio, kids fiction, magazine writing. One of the things I love about writing is that it gives me the opportunity to create worlds and it also opens a door to doing pretty well anything. The great thing about being a writer is that you're only limited by your imagination, and you know how big your imagination can be. So if you can dream it, you can make it real.   [23:30] Find out more about Marty Chan You can hear more creative writing advice from Marty Chan on Cabin Tales Episode 5.5, “Author Interviews about Tension,” on Episode 7, “Just Get it Over With,” about endings; and on Episode 8, “The Never-ending Story,” about revision. You can find out more about Marty Chan and his books from his website at MartyChan.com.   [24:30] Thanks and coming up on the podcast I'll be back next week with leftovers from my group interview with picture book illustrators and author-illustrators Katherine Battersby, Peggy Collins, and Christine Tripp. Thanks for listening. Credits Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use). Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com. Guest Author: Marty Chan writes books for kids, plays for adults, and tweets for fun. He's best known for Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul, which won the 2007 Diamond Willow Award. His newest book, Haunted Hospital, launched in Fall 2020. He works and lives in Edmonton with his wife Michelle and their cat Buddy. Find him online at MartyChan.com.  

An interview with Jeff Szpirglas, author of over 20 books for all ages, including scary novels, short story collections, and “choose your own ending” adventures. Hear about his love of the horror genre, his interest in dramatic ironing and shifting points of view, and the inspiration for his scary stories. 20 minutes. All ages. A full transcript is available at CabinTales.ca. Show Notes [0:00] Intro [1:10] Interview with Jeff Szpirglas CA: You do write spooky stories. JS: I do. I mean, I love scary things. … And in terms of plotting, sometimes I go off on my own stream of consciousness. There's like different types of scary stories. The ones that I wrote late at night and feel like they were written late at night… I actually find there's something nice and almost jazzy about them. …   [1:50] CA: And then what about with a novel? do you know the ending when you begin? JS: …The first novel I did, it's called Evil Eye. It actually began as a short story that ended up in Tales from Beyond the Brain. … I didn't really know where it was going to end. The other one I published with the same publisher, Star-Crossed Press, was called Sheldon Unger versus the Dentures of Doom. It's about an ancient demon that … chews the teeth out of your mouth while you're sleeping. So it's pretty gruesome. … I'm attracted to a lot of body horror…You will notice that my answers are tangential and that is probably how I write a lot of my stories, that they start in one place and very quickly go someplace else. [4:10] CA: So you would not say to young writers that you have to know where you're going when you start out writing. JS: I don't. In a lot of the projects that I've been working on of late, I have struggled with knowing the ending and plotting everything out.   [4:25] CA: And do you have a favorite plot twist? JS: … I didn't know where Evil Eye was going to go. … It was nice when I thought a story that was really spiraling out of control turned itself around. …   [4:55] CA: And how do you feel about tormenting characters? JS: I seem to have had success with books when I have been tormenting characters. “Oh, it's really awful how you died in that ending of the story.” … You know, you can address a real tangible scary thing that could happen, but in a way that is unlikely to happen or is so ridiculous that it's a little safer. …   [6:20] CA: Do you ever write for adults? JS: I've done a couple of books about movie soundtracks that have just come out. … When I'm writing for young people, I'm still writing for me. My wife and I have collaborated on children's books for emerging readers in grade one and grade two. … But they're still coming from an authentic place…. And they feel authentic to me as they would if I had written for an adult.   [7:20] CA: And how do you typically begin your stories? Like, do you begin with setting the scene? or do you begin in the middle of an action? JS: …. I have a story called “Colonel takes Root” in Tales from Beyond the Brain. The first line is: There was definitely something stuck between Jamie's teeth. And it's literally about something stuck between your teeth taking over your body and your mind. This was a story that was written while my children, my twin children, were infants and I was getting zero sleep. …I can't replicate the feeling of that story without having more kids and not sleeping. …   [8:25] CA: And do you have a favorite POV to write from? JS: Yeah, you know, with horror, I think sometimes first person perspective. I remember Richard Matheson writing, saying something that he didn't invent a lot of characters; he just pretended that he was the character, and what would it be like for him to be in that situation. Because you can always be authentic to yourself. … I write a lot of stories from the perspective of a character, but maybe partway through the story, it shifts and it's somebody else's perspective… there's a perspective shift and a shift in what the reader knows or understands. And sometimes with the reader knows or understands might be more than what a character understands. And that provides suspense. … I find horror and comedy are so intertwined, you know, and what is scary to one character and what is innocuous and silly and funny to another character. There's this nice clash of expectations. And when something is far worse than what you expect, it's very scary. When it's far better than what you expect, it's comedy. But it's all about the subversion of expectations. And that is kind of what makes horror and comedy what they are, sometimes simultaneously…   [11:55] CA: Do you have any favorite scary books? JS: Yeah. You know, I love Richard Matheson. … Joe R Lansdale also is a great short horror story writer I really like. … I love Stephen King, Clive Barker, you know, those guys. These are not children's authors…. For children's writers, Roald Dahl. I think The Witches is far and away his best book. … another great children's horror writer is David Lubar. …. If I was a young writer wanting to explore the world of horror and you were done with Jeff Szpirglas, you can try David Lubar out. He's great…. People say like I want to be a writer. Well, just write. … how you spin that story is unique to each person.   [13:35] CA: And do you have a regular writing practice? … JS: I try to write when I can. I work around the clock as like a teacher and I'm a dad, and I carve out the writing time when I have a break. … I've been way more successful, you know in terms of publishing things, since having children.… It never stopped me. And in fact, you know, you just use the time that you have much more creatively. … I've always tried to write a little bit each day or every other day.   [15:10] CA: Do you keep a journal or a writer's notebook? JS: No, you know what I do? Sticky notes up on my wall. …And even ideas that I filed away can sometimes come back and be a worthwhile premise for a story.   [15:45] CA: And is there somewhere where you get your best ideas? Is it from movies or books or real life or your kids or your own childhood? JS: So, it's a good question. And I think everything you said is the answer…. When I write stories with my wife – we've done a bunch of early reader chapter books –we have one that's coming out in the spring and it's called Shark Bait. … That's a real life scenario. And we've done other stories where they're based on real things that happen in the classroom. I don't need to invent that. I know what a classroom looks like and feels like…. sometimes a horror story works best in the world of the familiar…. Some writers … can evoke eras and times that t don't exist in the real world. … That's not me. …I'm much better at stories that are set in the here and the now.   [17:35] CA: Do you have a favorite setting that you've used in your own books? JS: … Sometimes I'm writing and I'm thinking like it's a movie. …. I always have to remind myself to engage in other senses. Horror especially is very tactile, right? … Setting-wise, I grew up in Dundas, Ontario, the valley town outside of Hamilton. … That's the setting of Evil Eye… It's a distillation of the Hamilton of my youth…   [18:55] CA: Cool. And do you have any phobias or fears? JS: Oh, so many! …Like a middle-aged person, you know, aging. I'm afraid of heights. I'm afraid of really cramped spaces. Fear of failure. You know, lots of fears drive. I have a lot of anxieties. CA: And do you ever use that when you write fiction? JS: Yeah. I think horror is cathartic. Why do we want to watch terrible things happening to people? It does feel cathartic. … It doesn't hide your fears from you; it throws them in your face. It tries to get you to confront them, but in ways that might be more pleasurable than confronting them in a realistic way.   [19:40] CA: Do you have any recommendations to young writers for getting keeping or organizing their ideas? JS: I'm a big fan of sticky notes. … My best thinking is like on a walk….The thinking time and processing time… that's really important when you're writing. … Go for a long walk in the woods. … I don't want to get up and take the dog for a walk, but it actually forces me to like have that time outside. I think it's important….   [21:40] Jeff Szpirglas introduces himself JS: Hello listeners. This is Jeff Szpirglas. I write stories. Many of them are scary. Some of them are very silly. This is the voice in my head sometimes when I write. I've written a bunch of books. Many are for young people; some are for young at heart. But I've written about everything from brains and vomit to scary stories to movie soundtracks. Even an instructional video on parenting when I was a young lad of 23.   [22:25] Find out more about Jeff Szpirglas You can hear more creative writing advice from Jeff Szpirglas on Cabin Tales Episode 5.5, “Author Interviews about Tension,” on Episode 7, “Just Get it Over With,” about endings; and on Episode 8, “The Never-ending Story,” about revision. You can find out more about Jeff Szpirglas and his books from his website at JeffSzpirglas.com.   [23:05] Thanks and coming up on the podcast I'll be back next week with leftovers from my interview with the award-winning children's author Marty Chan. Thanks for listening. Credits Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use). Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com. Guest Author: Jeff Szpirglas is the author of over 20 books for young readers, including entries for Scholastic's “Countdown To Danger” series and Orca's “Tales From Beyond the Brain.” Jeff has worked at CTV and he was an editor at Chirp, chickaDEE, and Owl Magazines. He is a full-time parent and full-time teacher. Visit him online at jeffszpirglas.com .  

Author and playright Marty Chan talks about the courage to be creative, and how to get halfway there then do it again

The final fall episode of Cabin Tales is about the final stage of creative writing: revision. You'll hear 26 Canadian authors talk about their revision process, and their recommendations to young writers who want to improve their first draft. 45 minutes all ages. A transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca. Show Notes [0:00] Intro [1:30] Commentary on Revision If you don't want other people to read your work, you don't have to revise it. But if you do want others to read it and enjoy it, and if you want someone to publish it, then you must revise.   [3:55] Author Interviews I asked my guest authors about their revision process, how much time they spend revising vs drafting and which process they prefer. [4:00] Monique Polak envies writers who love revising [5:07] Lori Weber separates drafting from revising [6:15] Karen Krossing uses her intuition [7:35] Caroline Pignat separates creation and evaluation [9:00] Kari-Lynn Winters tries to resist editing while drafting [10:20] Philippa Dowding does not edit while she drafts [11:20] Tim Wynne-Jones usually revises along the way [12:50] Amanda West Lewis discovers more with each revision   [14:40] Commentary on revising for young writers For kids,  it would be crazy and boring to revise 20 times. Focus on the joy of creating, the passion of storytelling, the fun of it. But do try to revise at least once.   [16:00] Interviews on revising while young [16:00] Cary Fagan on the chore of revising while young [17:15] Sarah Raughley on taking your time while young   [18:45] Commentary on how to revise One of the first steps in revision is evaluating your work.   [19:15] Revision Recommendations One good practice in revision is to simply cut the word count by 10%.  [19:45] Jan Coates reads aloud and uses a thesaurus [20:45] Jeff Szpirglas saves his drafts to combine and revise [21:45] Rachel Eugster is looking for ways to lessen revision [22:25] Robin Stevenson has learned to revise wisely [24:00] Ishta Mercurio starts revisions with a blank page [24:50] Wendy McLeod MacKnight drafts very quickly [26:05] Amelinda Bérubé finds the drafting a slog   [28:15] Commentary on getting help with revision If you're ready, get feedback from a reader – your friend, other writers, your parents, your English teacher. All of the above. But don't let critiquing crush your creativity.             [29:55] Interviews about critiques [30:00] David McArthur encourages critiques [30:55] Lena Coakley spent 10 years on her first great book [31:45] Raquel Rivera revises with help from friends and editors [32:55] Marty Chan advises critique group [35:00] Lisa Dalrymple offers critiquing advice [36:10] Don Cummer is grateful for critique groups [37:20] Frieda Wishinsky says critiquing is a life skill [38:50] Kate Inglis likes the support of other writers [40:05] Karen Bass has learned to put story over ego   [42:05] Caveats  Creativity is always a good thing, even if your latest creation is not awesome. Maybe you can make it awesome with one more revision.   [43:40] Thanks and coming up on the podcast I'll be sharing my full interviews with all the Cabin Tales guest authors this winter, beginning on January 8th and continuing every Friday through the 2021 school year.  If you were hoping for a final story, I will be doing a national public reading  in January featuring an original Cabin Tale with multiple endings. More info in January. If you are a youth in Ottawa, the Ottawa Public Library's Awesome Authors Youth Writing Contest is on. I am a judge of fiction in the 9-12 age category and I want to read your story. But please don't make me read your first draft.  Have a creative December and a wonderful holiday break. Thanks for listening. Credits: Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use). Art: The B&W image for this episode is from a wood engraving by Frederick Sandys from Reproductions of Woodcuts by F. Sandys, 1860-1866. Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com. Guest Authors Karen Bass loves writing action and adventure, and she likes to slide in some history when she can. She has twice won the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction. Karen lived most of her life in rural Alberta but now lives in southern Ontario. Karen loves having a whole new part of Canada to explore and use as inspiration for new stories. Find her online at www.karenbass.ca.   Amelinda Bérubé is a freelance writer and the author of the YA novels The Dark Beneath the Ice and Here There Are Monsters. A mother of two and a passionate gardener, she lives in Ottawa, Ontario, in a perpetual whirlwind of unfinished projects and cat hair. Find her online at www.metuiteme.com.   Marty Chan writes books for kids, plays for adults, and tweets for fun. He's best known for Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul, which won the 2007 Diamond Willow Award. His newest book, Haunted Hospital, launched October 29th. He works and lives in Edmonton with his wife Michelle and their cat Buddy. Find him online at MartyChan.com.   Lena Coakley was born in Milford, Connecticut. In high school, creative writing was the only class she ever failed—nothing was ever good enough to hand in! She has since published two YA novels, Worlds of Ink and Shadow and Witchlanders. Wicked Nix, her first book for middle-grade readers, was nominated for numerous awards. Find her online at www.lenacoakley.com.   Jan Coates grew up in Truro, Nova Scotia, and has lived in Wolfville for most of her adult life. She has published six picture books, six middle grade novels, and 18 levelled chapter books for emergent readers. Her first novel, A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk, was a finalist for the 2011 Governor General's Literary Awards. Find her online at www.jancoates.ca.   Don Cummer is the author of the “Jake and Eli” stories published by Scholastic, set during the War of 1812. The first book, Brothers at War, was short-listed for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young Readers. Don spends his time between Canada and Ireland – where he's finding many more stories to tell. Find him online at www.doncummer.com .   Lisa Dalrymple has written 11 books for young readers, including Fierce: Women who Shaped Canada, and Skink on the Brink. She now lives in Fergus, Ontario with her husband and their 3 highly-energetic children. Find her online at lisadalrymple.com.   Philippa Dowding is an award-winning children's author, poet, musician, and marketing copywriter.  Her 2017 middle-grade novel, Myles and the Monster Outside, won the OLA Silver Birch Express Honour Book award. Philippa lives in Toronto with her family. Find her on her website at http://pdowding.com.   Rachel Eugster is the author of the picture book The Pocket Mommy and the "Ingredients of a Balanced Diet" series. A theatre artist, singer, and choral conductor, Rachel premiered in her original play Whose Æmilia? at the Ottawa Fringe Festival in 2015. Find her online at https://racheleugster.com/.    Photo by Mark Reynes Roberts Cary Fagan writes picture books and novels for children and adults. His many awards include the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, the IODE Jean Throop Award, the Betty Stuchner--Oy Vey!--Funniest Children's Book Award, and the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for his body of work. Cary lives in Toronto. Find him online at https://www.caryfagan.com.   Kate Inglis is an award-winning author for adults and children. Her novels, non-fiction, and poetic picture books are infused with the salt, woodsmoke, and fresh air of the North Atlantic coast. Kate is also a photographer and a corporate writer. Find her online at www.kateinglis.com.   Karen Krossing is the author of seven award-winning novels for kids and teens, including Punch Like a Girl, Bog, and Cut the Lights, plus two picture books on the way. Karen encourages new writers through workshops for kids, teens, and adults. She lives in Toronto. Find her online at www.karenkrossing.com.   David McArthur is a graphic designer and creative writer based in Victoria, BC. His “What Does…” picture book series started as a game that David played with his son as they were driving to daycare. Find him online at www.akidsauthor.com.   Wendy McLeod MacKnight is the author of three middle grade novels: It's a Mystery, Pig Face! , The Frame-Up and The Copycat. In her spare time, she gardens, hangs with her family and friends, and feeds raccoons. Visit Wendy online at wendymcleodmacknight.com .   Ishta Mercurio lives and writes in Brampton, Ontario, where she serves as the Chairman of the Board for The FOLD Foundation, a non-profit that promotes underrepresented voices in Canadian literature. Her picture book debut, Small World, illustrated by Jen Corace, won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for the Canadian region. Find Ishta online at www.ishtamercurio.com.   Caroline Pignat is a two-time Governor Generalʼs Literary Award-winning author of novels, non-fiction, and poetry. With over 20 years' experience teaching in schools, workshops, and at conferences, Caroline loves helping young writers find and share their unique voices. Find her online at www.carolinepignat.com.   Monique Polak is the Montreal-based author of 29 books for young people and a two-time winner of the Quebec Writers' Federation Prize for Children's and YA Literature. She has been teaching English and Humanities at Marianopolis College in Montreal for over 30 years. Find her online at www.moniquepolak.com.   Dr. Sarah Raughley is the author of five YA fantasy novels, including the bestselling Effigies series and the forthcoming Bones of Ruin series. Her books have been nominated for the Aurora Award for Best Young Adult novel. Find her online at https://sarahraughley.com .    Photo by Katya Konioukhova Raquel Rivera is a writer, artist and performer based in Montreal. She has published five books for young readers. She also writes about books for Constellations, a library and online database of quality children's literature, for use by teachers, librarians, and the public. Visit her online at www.raquelriverawashere.com.   Robin Stevenson is the award-winning author of 29 books for all ages. She lives on the west coast of Canada. Robin is launching three new books in 2021: a picture book, PRIDE PUPPY, a middle-grade non-fiction book, KID INNOVATORS, and a young adult novel, WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE. Find her online at https://robinstevenson.com .   Jeff Szpirglas is the author of over 20 books for young readers, including entries for Scholastic's “Countdown To Danger” series and Orca's “Tales From Beyond the Brain.” Jeff has worked at CTV and he was an editor at Chirp, chickaDEE, and Owl Magazines. He is a full-time parent and full-time teacher. Visit him online at jeffszpirglas.com .   Lori Weber is the author of ten books for young adults and middle-grade readers, including Yellow Mini, a novel in verse, and Deep Girls, a short-story collection. A native Montrealer, she taught at John Abbott College for decades before her recent retirement. Find her online at LoriWeberAuthor.wordpress.com.   Amanda West Lewis is a writer, theatre director and calligrapher. Her writing for children and youth ranges from historical YA fiction to craft books on the art of writing. She is the Artistic Director and Founder of The Ottawa Children's Theatre. Find her online at www.amandawestlewis.com.   Dr. Kari-Lynn Winters is an award-winning children's author, playwright, performer, and academic scholar. She is an Associate Professor at Brock University and the author of French Toast, Jeffrey and Sloth, On My Walk, Gift Days, and many other imaginative picture books. Find her online at http://kariwinters.com/   Frieda Wishinsky has written over 70 picture books, chapter books, novels and non-fiction books. Her books have won or been nominated for many prestigious awards, including the Governor General's Award, the Print Braille Book of the Year Award, the TD Literature Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture book award.  Find her online at https://friedawishinsky.com.    Tim Wynne-Jones has written 35 books for adults and children of all ages. His books have been translated into a dozen languages and won multiple awards, including the Governor General's Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, and the Edgar Award. Tim was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2012. Find him online at  http://www.timwynne-jones.com/.  

A “telling tales” format with guest authors Marty Chan, Jeff Szpirglas, and Frieda Wishinsky. Featuring an original story with an ambiguous ending; a famous twist from Ambrose Bierce; gorgeous last lines and satisfying summations; and a story prompt about a deus ex machina. PG. 50 minutes. A full episode transcript and a Fright-free version (with the creepy story removed) is available at CabinTales.ca. Show Notes [1:15] Story Intro Have you ever met someone who seemed the total opposite of the rest of their family? Listen to this story about a tender-hearted boy whose parents love to hunt. [1:40] Trigger warning: Violence against rodents. To share the podcast with very young listeners, find “fright-free” episodes on CabinTales.ca. [2:30] Story: “Chewing, Chewing, Chewing” When Gabriel's parents told him they'd rented a cabin in the woods, he didn't want to go….   [14:00] Commentary on Ambiguous Endings [15:00] Copy the Technique: Ambiguous Endings   [16:00] Excerpt from “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce Before there was M. Knight Shyamalan, there was Ambrose Bierce, whose short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," was like the “Sixth Sense” of 1890. [18:30] Copy the Technique: Twist End your story in a way that changes everything that came before.   [19:15] Excerpt from A Dog's Life by Ann M. Martin You will often hear the advice that the ending of a story should echo the beginning. The novel A Dog's Life by Ann M. Martin begins and ends with a dog by the fire with her owner. In between the bookended scenes, we learn the life story that led here. [20:30] Copy the technique: Echo the Beginning Go back to the beginning of your story and find something to echo in your ending.   [21:45] Excerpt from Charlotte's Web by E.B.White Another tried-and-true way to make a satisfying ending is to sum things up. Charlotte's Web has a poignant ending that acknowledges but softens the sadness of Wilbur's journey and Charlotte's death. [23:30] Copy the technique: Sum Things Up Acknowledge that the lives of your characters go on. End your story by telling us a tiny bit about the future, the whole span of your character's life, in a very brief summing up.   Gorgeous Last Lines: [24:05] Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte [24:30] The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald [24:50] Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson [25:50] Copy the technique: A gorgeous last line Write a last line that is musical and beautiful and moves the reader by what it means and how it resonates with the whole story and by how it sounds.   [26:05] Interviews [26:40] Jeff Szpirglas on discovering the ending [28:10] Marty Chan on ending each book in a series [30:50] Frieda Wishinsky on endings mirroring the beginning   [32:30] Interviews about sad endings [33:05] Frieda Wishinsky on keeping hope alive [35:15] Marty Chan on being true to the character [36:45] Jeff Szpirglas on softening the horror with humour   [39:00] Advice for young writers on how to end a story [39:10] Jeff Szpirglas on enjoying the discovery [40:25] Frieda Wishinsky on outlining the story [41:50] Marty Chan on telling your story out loud   [43:10] Story Prompt: “Not Dead Yet” Life sometimes sends you a lifesaver.   [48:10] Thanks and coming up on the podcast If you need more help ending your stories, tune in next week for Episode 7.5 of Cabin Tales, to hear guest authors Lena Coakley, Lisa Dalrymple, Karen Bass, Ishta Mercurio, and Tim Wynne-Jones share their advice.   [48:50] Scary Movie Quote “That's all there is. There isn't any more.” Thanks for listening. Credits: Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use). Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com. Art: The B&W image for this episode is from a wood engraving by Gustave Doré from The Days of Chivalry by Ernest Lépine, 1866.   Guest Authors Marty Chan writes books for kids, plays for adults, and tweets for fun. He's best known for Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul, which won the 2007 Diamond Willow Award. His newest book, Haunted Hospital, launched October 29th. He works and lives in Edmonton with his wife Michelle and their cat Buddy. Find him online at MartyChan.com, on Twitter @Marty_Chan; on YouTube MartyChanAuthor; on Instagram @MartyChanWriter; and on Facebook @MartyChanAuthor. Jeff Szpirglas is the author of over 20 books for young readers, both fiction and nonfiction, including entries for Scholastic's “Countdown To Danger” series and Orca's “Tales From Beyond the Brain.” He has co-authored two books about film soundtracks, and is a regular contributor to the award-winning horror magazine Rue Morgue. Jeff has worked at CTV and he was an editor at Chirp, chickaDEE, and Owl Magazines. These days, he spends his non-writing time as a full-time parent and full-time classroom teacher (and part-time werewolf). Visit him online at jeffszpirglas.com and find him on Twitter @jeffszpirglas or on Facebook.  Frieda Wishinsky has written over 70 picture books, chapter books, novels and non-fiction books. Picture book biographies are one of her favourite genres. She's written biographies about Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Frederick Law Olmsted and most recently, Emily Roebling (How Emily Saved the Bridge). Frieda loves sharing the writing process. Find her online at https://friedawishinsky.com.   

A “talking tales” episode -- all interviews – about how to begin a story. With guest authors Frieda Wishinsky; Sarah Raughley; Don Cummer; David McArthur; and Wendy McLeod MacKnight, speaking about their favourite first lines, their advice to young writers on how to begin, and how they began to write professionally. 45 minutes. All ages. A full transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca. Show Notes [0:00] Intro [1:15] Commentary on Finding the Beginning of your story Beginnings are important. They're like a first impression: the opening of your story will colour the reader's experience of everything that comes after. But the beginning of your story is always a made-up moment.   [3:45] Interviews on what makes a good beginning [4:30] Frieda Wishinsky on letting the reader know what they're getting into [6:40] Sarah Raughley on the delicate balance between too early and too late [8:35] Don Cummer on the revising a beginning [10:45] David McArthur on setting a scene [13:20] Wendy McLeod MacKnight's favourite first line   [15:20] Commentary on first lines One thing most people agree on: a reader should have some sense of what type of book they're in for from the opening.   [18:35] Guest author recommendations to young writers [18:55] Sarah Raughley knows how hard it is to begin [20:30] David McArthur knows that beginnings can change [22:00] Frieda Wishinsky likes to stick to the point [23:20] Wendy McLeod MacKnight wants to be hooked [24:45] Don Cummer suggests you just dig in   [26:30] Commentary on motivation There's the technical sense of where and how to open your story. But there's also the motivational sense of how to make yourself write when you're not sure what your story is.   [28:05] Guest Authors' beginnings as writers [28:15] Wendy McLeod MacKnight was a Deputy Minister [29:40] Don Cummer was a speechwriter [31:30] David McArthur read and wrote through dyslexia [34:25] Frieda Wishinsky loves being part of the human story [36:15] Sarah Raughley learned to believe in herself   [39:35] Thanks and Coming up on the Podcast Tune in next week for Episode 7: “Just Get it Over With,” all about the endings of stories. That's a “telling tales” format, so you'll hear stories, excerpts, and prompts, and guest authors Marty Chan, Jeff Szpirglas, and Frieda Wishinsky. Thanks for listening. Credits: Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use). Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com. Art: The B&W image for this episode is from a wood engraving by Amédée Forestier from Wilkie Collin's Blind Love, 1890. Guest Authors Don Cummer is the author of the “Jake and Eli” stories published by Scholastic – a series about two best friends growing up during the War of 1812. The first book, Brothers at War, was short-listed for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young Readers. Don was born in Calgary and grew up on a ranch. He moved to Ottawa, where he wrote speeches for a living, and now spends his time between Canada and Ireland – where he's finding many more stories to tell. Find him online at www.doncummer.com and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSJOMFDqjhk&t=2s David McArthur is a graphic designer and creative writer based in Victoria, BC. He struggled with reading and writing as a child, and those struggles are part of the reason he created a series of books which give children confidence to read. The “What Does…” series started as a simple game that David played with his son as they were driving to daycare. Seeing the way his son joyfully reacted to the story was so wonderful that David turned the story into a book. The rest, as they say, is history! Find him online at www.akidsauthor.com. Wendy McLeod MacKnight grew up in a small town with a library card as her most prized possession. She worked for the Government of New Brunswick for twenty-five years until the siren call of writing became impossible to ignore. She is the author of three middle grade novels: It's a Mystery, Pig Face! (Sky Pony Press), The Frame-Up and The Copycat (both from Greenwillow Books). In her spare time, she gardens, hangs with her family and friends, and feeds raccoons. Visit Wendy online at wendymcleodmacknight.com or on Twitter @wendymacknight or Instagram @wendymcleodmacknight. Dr. Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario. She is the author of five YA fantasy novels, including the bestselling Effigies series and the forthcoming Bones of Ruin series. Her books have been nominated for the Aurora Award for Best Young Adult novel. Her academic research concerns representations of race and gender in popular media culture, youth culture, and postcolonialism. Sarah is a fangirl of manga and sci-fi TV. Find her online at https://sarahraughley.com and on Twitter at ‎@s_raughley Frieda Wishinsky has written over 70 picture books, chapter books, novels and non-fiction books. Picture book biographies are one of her favourite genres. She's written biographies about Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Frederick Law Olmsted and most recently, Emily Roebling (How Emily Saved the Bridge). Frieda loves sharing the writing process. Find her online at https://friedawishinsky.com. 

Interviews with Canadian children's and YA authors on the subject of tension and how to make a reader turn the page. With guest authors Kate Inglis, Lisa Dalrymple, David McArthur, Jeff Szpirglas, and Marty Chan. Hosted by Catherine Austen. 40 minutes. All ages.  A full transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca. Shownotes: [0:00] Intro [1:15] Interviews on adding tension to fiction [2:10] Kate Inglis on showing characters [4:30] Jeff Szpirglas on creating a tense atmosphere [6:50] Lisa Dalrymple on asking your character questions [8:50] David McArthur on planting clues [10:55] Marty Chan on leaving answers hanging   [13:10] Commentary on tension as a balancing act Think of a story as a character facing a problem that's in the way of what they want. Envision a scale with the character on one side and the problem on the other. Increase tension by adding to the weight of the problem or reducing the weight of the character. Isolate or burden the protagonist. Move the danger closer in time or space.   [16:20] Interviews on drafting and revising for tension [16:45] Marty Chan on revising multiple times [19:10] Jeff Szpirglas on drafting quickly [20:50] David McArthur on editing as he drafts [22:30] Kate Inglis on irresistible revision [25:15] Lisa Dalrymple on over-editing   [27:30] Interviews on plot twist dos and don'ts [28:20] David McArthur doesn't twist fully [29:45] Lisa Dalrymple sticks to the rules of a story [30:40] Jeff Szpirglas builds up the danger [32:35] Kate Inglis's favourite plot twists from television [34:25] Marty Chan's favourite plot twist from film   [36:15] Write your own tale Outline or draft a scene, then ask how you might enhance the tension.   [37:30] Thanks and coming up on the podcast Thanks to today's guests. Next week's episode, “Picture a Story,” will feature interviews with great Canadian illustrators – Katherine Battersby, Farida Zaman, Peggy Collins, Christine Tripp, and Chris Jones. Then on October 30th, I'll have a special Halloween episode of Cabin Tales featuring weird tales from student writers. (Submission guidelines on the website at https://CabinTales.ca.) Thanks for listening. Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).  Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.   Guest Authors: Marty Chan writes books for kids, plays for adults, and tweets for fun. He's best known for Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul, which won the 2007 Diamond Willow Award. His newest book, Haunted Hospital, launched October 29th. He works and lives in Edmonton with his wife Michelle and their cat Buddy. Find him online at MartyChan.com, on Twitter @Marty_Chan; on YouTube MartyChanAuthor; on Instagram @MartyChanWriter; and on Facebook @MartyChanAuthor.   Lisa Dalrymple is a wandering, wondering, dabbling, babbling, addle-brained author and mind-muddled mum. She has written 11 books for young readers, including Fierce: Women who Shaped Canada, A Moose Goes A-Mummering and Skink on the Brink. Lisa has taught kindergarten in South Korea and Thailand, caught and eaten piranha in the Amazon jungle and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. She now lives in Fergus, Ontario with her husband and their 3 highly-energetic children. Find her online at lisadalrymple.com; on Facebook: @LisaDalrympleBooks; on Twitter: @DalrympleWrites; and on Instagram: @lisa_dalrymple.   Kate Inglis is an award-winning author for adults and children. She writes about pirates and giants and mermaids and all the ways we love each other. Kate's novels, non-fiction, and poetic picture books are infused with the salt, woodsmoke, and fresh air of the North Atlantic coast. Kate is also a photographer and a corporate writer. Find her online at www.kateinglis.com; on Instagram @kate_inglis, on Twitter @kate_inglis; and on Facebook @kateinglisbooks.   David McArthur is a graphic designer and creative writer based in Victoria, BC. He struggled with reading and writing as a child, and those struggles are part of the reason he created a series of books which give children confidence to read. The “What Does…” series started as a simple game that David played with his son as they were driving to daycare. Seeing the way his son joyfully reacted to the story was so wonderful that David turned the story into a book. The rest, as they say, is history! Find him online at www.akidsauthor.com.   Jeff Szpirglas is the author of over 20 books for young readers, both fiction and nonfiction, including entries for Scholastic's “Countdown To Danger” series and Orca's “Tales From Beyond the Brain.” He has co-authored two books about film soundtracks, and is a regular contributor to the award-winning horror magazine Rue Morgue. Jeff has worked at CTV and he was an editor at Chirp, chickaDEE, and Owl Magazines. These days, he spends his non-writing time as a full-time parent and full-time classroom teacher (and part-time werewolf). Visit him online at jeffszpirglas.com and find him on Twitter @jeffszpirglas or on Facebook.     

A "telling tales" episode about how to build tension in fiction, with stories, excerpts, and prompts. Featuring guest authors Lena Coakley, Sarah Raughley, and Don Cummer. 45 minutes. PG. A full transcript of this episode and  "fright-free" version with the opening story removed are available at CabinTales.ca.   Show Notes [0:00] Introduction: [1:15] Story Intro: Today you'll hear a story where a pair of sisters are alone on a swimming platform with their old blind dog and a container of worms. And everything starts to squirm. [1:35] Trigger warning: Fishing (animal cruelty); bullying; violence; accidental death. To skip the story, ahead 10 minutes when you hear the musical bar near the beginning. Or download the “fright-free” version from CabinTales.ca. [2:40] Story: “Sisters” [13:40] Commentary: Books worth rereading Work hard on your prose so that your story is a pleasure to read. [14:55] Excerpt from The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss [15:45] Copy the technique: write well.   [17:05] Commentary: Anticipation You create narrative tension by making the reader hope for things to resolve one way, and dread that they'll turn out another way. [20:15] Excerpt from Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda [19:45] Copy the technique: Build dread with foreshadowing and dramatic irony.   [22:40] Commentary: Stakes Make your reader care about your character and their goals. [24:15] Excerpt from Lost Boy by Christina Henry [25:05] Copy the technique: Add more obstacles on your character's path, and more need inside your character to overcome those obstacles.   [26:05] Interviews with guest authors [27:05] Lena Coakley on planting questions [28:15] Sarah Raughley on raising stakes [30:00] Don Cummer on looking for trouble   [31:30] Drafting and revising for tension. [31:45] Lena Coakley revises at every stage [32:45] Don Cummer revises to find the best pacing [34:00] Sarah Raughley adds tension to her outlines   [35:15] Anecdotes [35:15] Don Cummer on vulnerable characters [37:55] Lena Coakley on her agent's advice [37:15] Sarah Raughly on stakes in a series   [39:00] Story Prompt: “Simon and Woolly”   [41:35] Thanks and housekeeping Tune in next week for Episode 5.5, “Author Interviews about Pacing” with guest authors Kate Inglis, Lisa Dalrymple, David McArthur, Jeff Szpirglas, and Marty Chan.   [42:50] Monster Movie Quote:  “Why don't we just wait here for a little while, see what happens.” Thanks for listening.   Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).  Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.   Guest Authors: Lena Coakley was born in Milford, Connecticut and grew up on Long Island. In high school, creative writing was the only class she ever failed—nothing was ever good enough to hand in!—but undeterred, she went on to study writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She has published two YA novels, Worlds of Ink and Shadow and Witchlanders. Wicked Nix, her first book for middle-grade readers, was nominated for the Silver Birch Express Award, the MYRCA Sundogs Award, and the Rocky Mountain Book Award. She now lives in Toronto with her two cats, Bonbon and Pirate Jenny. Find her online at www.lenacoakley.com; @lenacoakley   Don Cummer is the author of the “Jake and Eli” stories published by Scholastic – a series about two best friends growing up during the War of 1812. The first book, Brothers at War, was short-listed for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young Readers. Don was born in Calgary and grew up on a ranch. He moved to Ottawa, where he wrote speeches for a living, and now spends his time between Canada and Ireland – where he's finding many more stories to tell. Find him online at www.doncummer.com and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSJOMFDqjhk&t=2s   Dr. Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario. She is the author of five YA fantasy novels, including the bestselling Effigies series and the forthcoming Bones of Ruin series. Her books have been nominated for the Aurora Award for Best Young Adult novel. Her academic research concerns representations of race and gender in popular media culture, youth culture, and postcolonialism. Sarah is a fangirl of manga and sci-fi TV. Find her online at https://sarahraughley.com and on Twitter at ‎@s_raughley    

Marty Chan has been working as an Award-winning author, playwright, and, self-identified professional liar and 1988.  His ability to bring, humour, wit and adventure to the page, and the stage, has made him a favourite with students, teachers and librarians across th country and around the world. Alanna King, no stranger to voicEd Radio. Currently an English teacher at Ontario's Centre Wellington District High School, Alanna has a heart for literature of all types, but especially writing that captures the hearts and imaginations of young people. We're happy to bring the energy of both Marty and Alanna together in this special conversation.

In this piece, playwright Marty Chan shares a couple of childhood memories of Edmonton's Chinatown along Jasper avenue. He talks about the trip to Chinatown that his family frequently made for groceries and Dim Sum. Marty also shares memories of a nearby store where he found his favorite Chinese treat, Haw-flakes and the Chinese comic "Old Master Q."

When local playwright Marty Chan married his wife Michelle, they decided to pay tribute to their heritage. Marty’s parents choose their favourite Chinatown restaurant to host the Chinese wedding banquet. He talks about one dish in particular that he remembers.

Two highly hyped productions on the ‘cast this week: Marty Chan’s The Bone House gets a remount at the Varscona Hotel, and Ballet Edmonton debuts their first works with Wen Wei Wang. Did either meet our great expectations? Listen in to find out! I Don’t Get It is a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB. […]

Two highly hyped productions on the ‘cast this week: Marty Chan's The Bone House gets a remount at the Varscona Hotel, and Ballet Edmonton debuts their first works with Wen Wei Wang. Did either meet our great expectations? Listen in to find out! I Don't Get It is a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB. Lew Wetherell and Jason Hardwick in The Bone House. Photo by Ryan Parker Photography. https://idontgetityeg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IDGI-S5E9-Final.mp3★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Daniel Emberg wanted to know why green onion cakes took hold in Edmonton when they did. He flew in from Winnipeg to join us for a live panel at the Mercury Room to find out the answer. Featuring special guests Linda Tzang, Siu To, and Marty Chan.

In our annual FunDrive fundraising episode, we explore ghosts in libraries and archives. We also talk with Marty Chan and Ben Ehlers abut makerspaces, storymaking, and how libraries might respond to zombie invasions, the singularity, and more….!

The second half of our chat with Jeff Samsonow is all about his indie media production adventures. We learn about the company started by he and Sally Poulsen, The Edmontonian Media Co. Some of the things discussed: Comedy that punches up, other talented Edmontonians, and advertising in this digital age. Where did our guest go after AMI? Jeff shares his adventures with Postmedia and Capital Ideas. He also mentions gastropost. Karen Unland and Brittney Le Blanc started Capital Ideas according to our guest. Jeff also adds how he got to know them through McEwan and 630 CHED. Karen runs Seen and Heard in Edmonton, the Edmonton podcast meetups and is trying to start a podcast network. The Edmontonian Media Co. was born from the work Jeff & Sally Poulsen put into The Edmontonian. Their first production was called, wait for it, Sick Day. The first short was inspired by the cold opens they did on the 6 part series The Edmontonian Presents that aired on Shaw TV. Jeff tells us about Startups, another short they made featuring Karen Unland, Owen Brierley of EDAC and former guest Marty Chan. The Edmontonian Media Co. also produced Obstacles. Jeff worked with Christian Zyp during Startups. The most recent production from Sally & Jeff was the amazing Underdogs of Comedy. They were inspired by The Meltdown. Simon Gorsak and Brett McCrindle often host the Underdog Comedy Show. Dion Arnold started the show, originally. More comedians in the area mentioned: Clare Belford, Carina Morton & Simon Glassman. Speaking of places to find comedy in Edmonton, try The Underdog, The Empress Ale House and El Cortez. Keep your fingers crossed, Jeff & Sally have submitted The Underdogs of Comedy to AMPIA’s web series award category. Jeff’s newest venture is Edmonton Quotient, telling the stories of Edmonton in an online magazine. Chris always makes it weird and tells a story of companies reaching out to advertise in porn. Chris also makes a pitch for Someday in February. Learn more about podcasting in Edmonton at seenandheardyeg.com. Thanks so much for listening. Really grateful that Jeff Samsonow took time to drop in at Chris’ place to do the podcast. Be sure to check out Edmonton Quotient and The Underdogs of Comedy. Questions, comments? Hit us on Twitter, Facebook or Patreon. We’d love to hear from you. Support Montreal Sauce on Patreon

Paul & Chris are back! They’re kicking it old school. Join them as they go to warp speed. Well, just as soon as they can remove all the Google bloatware from the engineering software and find a cool external hard drive. Here’s a new season of the Sauce but what about Film Frown? Where is our lost episode featuring Marty Chan? Right here and here, smart ass. “What browser are you using these days?” Chris answers in a blog post. How to “Remove Uninvited Google Apps from Launchpad” on Macs. Chris used Homebrew & the Cask to install all his applications on his Mac during his clean install. Lifehacker has a decent guide. Little Snitch is a great firewall to tell you which applications are trying to connect to the web. For example, Apple location services on want to connect to the internet every 10 seconds. That seems wasteful on a desktop. Chris reviews his experience with MailPile. Then he shares that he moved to Airmail. Checking system stats on your Mac? iStat Menus is great or there’s GeekTool. Less expensive Monity is another option, but it doesn’t do temperature. If you are just concerned with temperature, there’s TG Pro. Paul has Automatic connected to his OBD-II port in his vehicle. He can track his car’s health with his Apple Watch or his phone. You need Shia LaBeouf freestyle rapping. Just do it. External hard drives? Lacie makes decent drives, but Chris & Paul prefer enclosures with fans, if it is a rotating drive and not an SSD. Chris has Vantec cases for his externals. Paul recommends buying in pairs for your backup. What’s on your external? Chris has some work resources like Death To The Stock Photo images. We interviewed one of the minds behind that site once. Paul & Chris really like their TP-link gigabit switches. You rock. Thanks for listening and let us know on twitter if you have any feedback. Support Montreal Sauce on Patreon

This is the second half of our discussion with writer Marty Chan. The first half is here. Topics are writing for the stage vs. novels, favorite authors, Houdini and the cleverly named new insulin. Authors mentioned: Cory Doctorow, Charles Stross and Kenneth Oppel. Warning, Mad Men finalé spoilers. Once you hear “Spoiler Alert,” fast forward 1 minute. Old Coke vs. New Coke, Soylent Green and eating right. Marty had The Hardy Boys growing up and Chris was obsessed with Encyclopedia Brown. The Mystery of the Mad Science Teacher (Marty Chan Mystery Series 3) deals with discrimination against a girl because of diabetes. Vertical integration and the popular song, “I’d like to buy the world some insulin.” Marty’s steampunk, young adult series, The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles begins with Demon Gate and Infinity Coil was recently released! Marty was a fan of the Marvel What If series and it somewhat inspired his alternate history in The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles. Mentors A time travel TV show that also inspired Marty. The publisher of Marty’s latest series is Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Chris and Marty agree that the Houdini miniseries was awful. Episode one fact checked and episode two. Chris recommends Make Believe. Marty says one of the students in the film, Krystyn Lambert went on to join Criss Angel’s reality show. Sheldon Casavant is a magician who Marty hired for his book party. What’s Marty reading? The Hunchback Assignments and The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu. Make Something Edmonton is the home for Edmonton made projects. Find Marty on twitter or Facebook and buy Infinity Coil or get started in the series with Demon Gate. Thanks again for listening! Special thanks to Marty Chan for joining us! Support Montreal Sauce on Patreon

The gents were incredibly lucky to talk to author Marty Chan. His works include books, plays, radio and television scripts & hilarious tweets. Discussion topics include actors who overdub Hollywood star’s in films shown in other countries, prejudice, the Chinese word to describe “your life is going terribly wrong” and of course cats. The Batusi. Chris plugs the chat room we have for the live show that you can find on the live page. Can’t make it at 6pm PDT, 7 MTN, 8 CDT or 9pm EDT? Tweet comments and questions to @MontrealSauce. Marty was enrolled in university in a subject he really wasn’t interested in so he earned the Dean’s Vacation. Chris majored in Euchre during his first attempt at college. Thus, he understands the concept of Dean’s Vacation. Memories of the dot matrix printer (and Rocky). Edmonton is insanely in love with theater. Come join us at Edmonton Fringe Festival. Marty auditioned for Jake and the Kid in hopes to get into television writing. It worked! Marty did some time with the improv group, Rapid Fire Theatre. The Incredible Story Studio which Marty worked on, was a great concept for a show. Marty’s books include selections for children and young adults. Our guest was obsessed with The Hardy Boys books as a child. Young Marty pursued a detective career in his parents grocery store thanks to The Hardy Boys Detective Handbook. Mom, Dad, I’m Living With A White Girl. Chris wishes Marty would have joined them to review Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon. The Young Alberta Book Society helps schools & authors connect. Marty enjoys presenting to schools and loves YABS. The library? Thanks to Marty for taking the time to join us. Subscribe on MontrealSauce.com or iTunes so you don’t miss part 2 with Marty and thanks for listening. Support Montreal Sauce on Patreon

Paul & Chris sit down and chat about central vacuum and avocados! What more could you want from a host-full show? Well, surprise guest Tina pops in to talk delicious cookies & not-so delicious undercooked cheeseburgers. Chris is excited for the next episode with author Marty Chan. A last minute shot in the dark, Chris attempted to get Adam Dachis from Supercharched as this episode’s guest. However, he’s hoping to schedule Adam and Darren Herczeg for a future Film Frown. Paul asks about Chris’ latest writing gig, Lost Highway. Chris was also lucky enough to have an article posted on the arkOS blog. Glen Fleishman’s The New Disruptors is an excellent podcast. In particular, they discuss the episode featuring Nicole Dieker where she talked briefly about working for CrowdSource. Discussing the terror of possibly offending a movie star hero during your bad movie podcast. Here’s the show in question. Here’s a recap. Panasonic, why you no have Ernie Reyes Jr. kick your Toughbook & Toughpad around in commercials? We’d buy one then. IF IT COULD SURVIVE HIS MARTIAL ARTS! The ridiculous 3D music video for Edmonton’s Brewery District development. (Turn off your speakers unless you want to hear synth trombones. In fact, do not watch this at all.) Paul enjoys listening to the podcast Core Intuition. Paul wants to incorporate Searchpath into the new site to hosts our podcasts. He currently bakes pies when he uploads these notes and podcasts? WHA? A backstage look at how Paul publishes and hosts the podcasts. Chris has been editing images for episcura.com. So, if you need seamless textures or HDRI, check it out. The fellas discuss using tags and how John Gruber uses tags. Patent trolls 101 and The Temple of Gloom. Chris shares a review of Sony’s Powers. Only available on PS4? REALLY? Rory from Doctor Who is in CW’s new Legends of Tomorrow. The kids need a GyroBowl! Paul loves the “fabulous central vacuum.” Skype boxes built from Raspberry Pis? Why not. The Wolfson Audio Card might be a decent audio solution. Paul’s audio mixer used for the show, Mackie Onyx 1640i. Dan Benjamin now suggests some Focusrite products for podcasting in his show Podcast Method. Thanks for listening to our host-full show. It was a lot of fun for us to catch up with each other instead of getting to know a rad guest. It’s a bit of a throwback episode; we hope you enjoyed it. Support Montreal Sauce on Patreon

Well, we've done it, Edmonton. We've made 50 episodes of this here podcast. Scott and I are pretty excited to celebrate this milestone. So, we basically "invited" back all of our guests and did a big clip show. So if you haven't listened to all of our episodes yet, you can basically get the gist of everything in less than 2 hours! Here's the breakdown: Intro - "burning hot poker" Ep 1 - Brittney Le Blanc and social media Ep 2 - Don Iveson and civic politics Ep 3 - Anita Kuny and Ramin Ostad and videogames vs movies Ep 4 - Scott Lilwall and ruining MMORPGs Ep 5 - Simon Crowley and Mike Young and writing a Fringe play Ep 6 - Peter Daly and insects in Edmonton Ep 7 - Dan Tencer and sports in Edmonton Ep 8 - Brent Jans and Pure Speculation Ep 9 - Dave Cournoyer and Duncan Wojtascek and post-partisanism Ep 10 - Marliss Weber and haunted houses in Edmonton Ep 11 - Jeff Samsonow and Sally Poulsen and new media in Edmonton Ep 12 - Cary Williams and the Next Gen Ep 13 - Karen Unland and the future of newspapers Ep 14 - Scott & Adam's first Christmas together Ep 15 - Mike Kendrick and Rob Fishbook and the future of journalism Ep 16 - Jeremy Lye and foreign journalism Ep 17 - Brenda Kerber and sex Ep 18 - Dave Berry and the Oscars Ep 19 - Mack Male and all things digital Ep 20 - Ken Bautista and all things entrepreneurial Ep 21 - Roma Sobieski and working with CAMTA Ep 22 - Adam & Scott's guest falls through Ep 23 - Erica Viegas and local music Ep 24 - Lynda Steele and being a big deal on TV Ep 25 - Nate Box and opening a restaurant Ep 26 - Tom Ohle and Empire Avenue Ep 27 - Brittney Le Blanc and random talk Ep 28 - Ben Gelinas and videogames Ep 29 - Chris Martyniuk and YEGLive Ep 30 - Variety Show Ep 31 - Daniel Kaszor and nerdy ramblings Ep 32 - Susan MacGregor and Diane Walton and OnSpec magazine Ep 33 - Sean Healy and Joel Jackson and being programmers Ep 34 - Owen Brierley and digital media Ep 35 - Darryl Plunkie and Dedmonton Ep 36 - Election recap Ep 37 - Matt Marshall and Emily Bachinsky and Middle Men TV Ep 38 - Archie McLean and journalism Ep 39 - Scott & Adam's second Christmas together Ep 40 - Rachel Dunn and Anita Kuny and pet peeves Ep 41 - Marty Chan and writer Ep 42 - Felicia Dewar and the perils of dating Ep 43 - Ashley Wiebe and Gregg Beever on the Oscars Ep 44 - Ryan Ro and wrestling and making music Ep 45 - Chad and Colin from Makin' Whoopee Ep 46 - Scott Lilwall and Mike Otto and urban planning Ep 47 - Laura Collison and Duncan Wojtascek and the federal election Ep 48 - Jay Runham and summer blockbusters Ep 49 - Kendall Barber and fashion in Edmonton Ep 50 - EVERYONE! We made it! Enjoy!

Here we go, our second show of 2010. This time with stage and literary luminary Marty Chan, EPL's newest writer in residence! Here's the show breakdown: 0:00: Intro: "Snow burial" 1:50: A very important and special contest — with prizes, even! 3:50: Part 1 of our interview with Marty Chan — in which he is pants-ed 19:45: We chat with Mike Anderson, the site coordinator for Freezing Man 28:34: Part 2 of our interview with Marty Chan — in which he tells us of his TV stardom 47:30: We chat with the founders of pluggin.it, the only social, commission-based market place on the web 58:25: We chat with Sarah Jackson, the owner of Lazzara coffee shop on Whyte Avenue (she loves scooters) 1:08:49: Part 3 of our interview with Marty Chan — in which Adam talks about his most embarrassing moment 1:18:40: The Fast Fifteen with Marty Chan 1:22:25: Marty Chan's "Fire-back five" The Unknown Studio is a proud member of the League of Extraordinary Media. ===================================================== EDMONTON JOURNAL STILL SPONSORS THE UNKNOWN STUDIO ===================================================== We're helping EJ to promote their new iPad app. If you have any comments about the new app, let us know and we'll pass it along! =====================================================

"Meeting you with a Vue to a Fringe"Vue Wave 4: Vue to a FringePLAYLIST:“James Bond Theme”The Monty Norman OrchestraThe Best of James Bond 30th Anniversary Limited EditionEMIMusic bed: “007”The John Barry OrchestraThe Best of James Bond 30th Anniversary Limited Edition EMI“Man With the Golden Gun”Alice CooperMuscle of LoveWarner BrosMusic bed: “Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus”The John Barry OrchestraThe Best of James Bond 30th Anniversary Limited EditionEMIPlay excerpt: God’s EyeWritten by Marty ChanDirected by Wayne PaquetteStarring Anne-Marie Felicitas, Mich CheladynPlaying at Stage 9 (Walterdale Playhouse)“Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”Shirley BasseyThe Best of James Bond 30th Anniversary Limited EditionEMIPlay excerpt: Our Kind of Love is an Ugly LoveWritten by Mark StubbingsDirected by Dave DeGagnéStarring Tasha Weenk, Joelle Lemmen, Taylor Chadwick, Mark StubbingsPlaying at Stage 6 (Catalyst Theatre)Music bed: “Death of Tilley”The John Barry OrchestraThe Best of James Bond 30th Anniversary Limited EditionEMI“Goldfinger”Shirley BasseyThe Best of James Bond 30th Anniversary Limited EditionEMIMusic bed: “The Laser Beam”The John Barry OrchestraThe Best of James Bond 30th Anniversary Limited EditionEMIPlay excerpt: The World's WifeWritten by Carol Anne DuffyDirected by Trevor SchmidtStarring Leona Brausen, Cheryl Jameson, Davina StewartPlaying at Stage 2 (Strathcona Centre Community League)“Live and Let Die”Guns N’ RosesUse Your Illusion IGeffenPlay excerpt: Mostly Water Theatre's Woah Woah Woah! Hold on a Second. Wait Just a Minute. There's WAY Too Much Butter on That.Written and performed by Craig Buchert, Liz Ludwig, Matt Stanton, Sam Varteniuk, Trent WilkieDirected by Sam VarteniukPlaying at BYOV J (Filthy McNasty's Pub)“A View to a Kill”Duran DuranThe Best of James Bond 30th Anniversary Limited EditionEMI