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PUBLISHING NEWS
Mickey Mikkelson | |
|  | THIS JUST IN!
Like Water for Weary Souls, the critically acclaimed novel from accomplished author and book coach, Liisa Kovala has been named a Silver Winner in the prestigious 2026 IPPY Book Awards for the Canada East Fiction category
The police called it an accident. Essi Kivi calls it murder. |
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April 1933. Two police officers arrive at Rouva Ruusa’s boarding house in Sudbury’s Donovan district, and Essi Kivi already knows what their faces mean before they say a word. Her sister Hanna is dead. Found in Nolin Creek, beneath the railroad bridge, her red scarf barely visible under the snow.
The police call it an accident. Essi knows better. Hanna understood water. She had watched what water could do to someone she loved. She would never have risked that creek in early spring. Never.
But no one in this mining town investigates the drowning of a Finnish domestic worker. Not when the police are corrupt, the employer is powerful, and the grieving sister is just another immigrant nobody expects to find anything.
Essi makes a promise over her sister’s body. She will keep it, whatever it costs. Find out how far one woman’s sisu can carry her in Like Water for Weary Souls, a haunting historical mystery featuring an amateur sleuth fighting institutional indifference and a sisterly bond that survives death itself.
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*GLOBAL BOOK AWARD WINNER, WOMEN’S FICTION CATEGORY
*BOOKFEST 2026 AWARD WINNER, HISTORICAL MYSTERY
About The IPPY Book Awards:
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About Liisa Kovala
Liisa Kovala is a Finnish Canadian author, book coach, and podcaster. Like Water for Weary Souls (2025) is her second historical novel. Liisa is the author of Sisu’s Winter War (Latitude 46, 2022) and Surviving Stutthof: My Father’s Memories Behind the Death Gate (Latitude 46, 2017) which was shortlisted for a Northern Lit Award and published in Finland by Docendo (2020). Liisa lives with her husband in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. She is inspired by her Finnish heritage and the northern landscape she calls home. Learn more about Liisa at liisakovalabookcoach.com and visit liisakovalawomenwriting.substack.com. |  |
|  | The Commodore’s Gift
Steampunk Fiction at its best by critically acclaimed author
Mandy Eve Barnett
Published by Dream Write Publishing and available in paperback and e book worldwide |
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Fighting against the Victorian society’s feminine expectations, Owena is unusual in her excellent strategic and swordsmanship skills, which come to the fore after an attack and imprisonment of a village and a narrow escape. Running for their lives, a small group eludes persecution but find new dangers ahead. Propelled into the world of rebel forces, she joins the battle against the Buldrick Empire. After seeing the failings of the rebel encampment, she makes changes—some well received, others not. Her unlikely champion is a giant of a man, who is feared by all. Forbidden by her brother, Benjamin to associate with this ‘killer’ she finds herself falling in love. Their mutual respect and his acceptance of her as an equal propels them to organise a win or die fight to restore the rightful King to the throne.
The Commodore’s Gift : Eve Barnett, Mandy: Amazon.ca: Books
“Great read had me pulled in right from the beginning”, Reviewed by AMC, Amazon Reviewer
“What a great captivating read! Highly suggest!”, MirOh, Amazon Reviewer | |
|  | About Mandy
Mandy Eve Barnett is an Edmonton Best Seller, multi genre author, writing children’s, YA and adult books. With eleven books published since 2011, and another nine in various stages of completion, her writing life is full. This does not include her writing in numerous anthologies and magazines, and a variety of nonfiction projects through her freelance business, as well as presenter and panellist positions at various writing conferences and judging writing contests.
Mandy draws on over 16 years’ experience as a multi genre author, freelance writer and writing community advocate. She is the current Secretary of The Writers Foundation of Strathcona County and Scouting Manager for Relatable Media. She hosts the local Writers Circle monthly meeting and creates weekly writing prompts for the WFSC website.
Mandy has been blogging since 2010 and the blog has visitors from 209 countries. http://www.mandyevebarnett.com.
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| Writing The Business Speech:
A Practical Guide to Writing Speeches for Business People
A new direction for critically acclaimed novelist, Matthew Hughes
Before turning to writing fiction, Hughes spent three decades as the top ranked speechwriter in British Columbia, writing for leaders of all three provincial political parties and CEOs of the province’s largest corporations.
The book is now available in print and eBook format in North America | |
| | Praise for Matthew Hughes:
“I really enjoyed Barbarians of the Beyond. Matthew Hughes does Jack Vance better than anyone except Jack himself.” —George R. R. Martin
“Lock the door, turn off the phone, get into a comfy chair, and deep dive into a marvellous continuation of Jack Vance’s Demon Princes series. Matthew Hughes is a treasure and Barbarians of the Beyond is a terrific adventure.” —David Gerrold
“Matthew Hughes follows nimbly in Jack Vance’s footprints, then breaks some fresh trail. First class space opera.”— Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award winning author of Hominids
“Engaging and enchanting…a fine companion adventure to Jack Vance’s The Demon Princes series, told with Matthew Hughes’s excellent sense of charm, ethical complexity and exotic world-building. Let’s hope this is just the beginning!”—Kurt Busiek
“…a tale that captures that special ‘golden age’ feel in which mankind has travelled far into the stars yet still behaves as though it’s the Wild West.”—David White, RNR Magazine
George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois included Hughes’s stories in several of their anthologies, including the renowned Jack Vance tribute antho Songs of the Dying Earth. On two occasions, Gardner relied on him to supply stories on short notice when invited authors failed to deliver.
More from Matthew Hughes:
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|  | About Matthew:
Matthew Hughes is a Canadian author of science fiction and fantasy.
His speculative fiction novels are: Fools Errant, Fool Me Twice, Black
Brillion, The Commons, Majestrum, The Spiral Labyrinth, Hespira, Template, Passengers & Perils, The Other, The One, The Damned Busters, Costume Not Included, Hell to Pay, A Wizard’s Henchman, A God in Chains, A God in Hiding, Henchmen, Baldemar, Cascor, Margolyam, and Yalum.
As Hugh Matthews, he has also written two media tie ins: Song of the Serpent, and Wolverine: Lifeblood,
His magnum opus is What the Wind Brings, a historical novel with magical realism elements. It was the first Canadian work to win the international Endeavour Award. He waited more than forty years to write the novel, and spent a year composing several drafts, made possible by a $25,000 grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.
His major influence as a writer of speculative fiction is the Grandmaster Jack Vance. Booklist has called Hughes Vance’s “heir apparent.”
In 2021, Vance’s estate (Spatterlight Press), published Hughes’s Barbarians of the Beyond, an authorised companion novel to Vance’s iconic revenge series, The Demon Princes. The book prompted George R.R. Martin to say, “Hughes does Jack Vance better than anyone except Jack himself.”
His short fiction has appeared in Asimov’s, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Lightspeed, Pulp Literature, Postscripts, Storyteller, Interzone, Amazing, Unfit, and several anthologies edited by Gardner Dozois and George R.R. Martin, including the bestseller, Rogues.
He has won the Crime Writers of Canada’s Arthur Ellis Award, the Endeavour Award, and the Global Book Award in the dark fantasy category. His works have been short listed for the Aurora, Locus, Nebula, Philip K Dick, A. E. van Vogt, Neffy, Alberta Book Publishing, High Plains, and Endeavour Awards.
In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association’s Hall of Fame.
From 2007 to 2026, he has travelled the world as a housesitter, living in thirteen countries.
His Wikipedia page has more information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Hughes_(writer)
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From Late Night Shifts to Billboard Charts—Saxophonist & Author Jackiem Joyner Redefines What It Means to Rise
Los Angeles, CA—Jackiem Joyner didn’t just beat the odds—he outran them on a bicycle at 2 a.m., fresh off a late night work shift, just to make it to class by 7 a.m. At just 16, Joyner was living on his own, working full time to pay the rent, and chasing a dream bigger than his circumstances. Today, Joyner stands as a Billboard charting saxophonist, published author, and an unstoppable creative force whose journey blends the rawness of his personal story with masterful artistry.
Joyner’s sold out shows have lit up stages across the globe. And while his saxophone speaks volumes, it’s his journey fuelled by his relentless drive, self-made success, and creative reinvention that echo far beyond the stage. From his motivational book Bold Moves to his sci fi adventure Zarya, Joyner is expanding what it means to be an artist in Today’s world and is grabbing attention beyond the world of music.
“Bold Moves came out of real struggle,” he says. “I had to break through some serious stuff to find my own voice on stage and in life.”
Currently on a nationwide tour and gearing up to release a brand new album under Shanachie Entertainment, Joyner is giving fans access to more than just music—he’s sharing his inspiring testimony of perseverance, growth, and courage.
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|  | Happening Now:
• On Tour electric performances & exclusive book signings
• New album dropping soon via Shanachie Entertainment
• Newsletter Sign up for access to exclusive content
Follow Jackiem Joyner:
Instagram: @JackiemJoyner
Facebook: Jackiem Joyner Music
Website: www.jackiemjoyner.com
Zarya: Cydnus Chronicles is an enthralling series that centres around the young and fearless heroine, Zarya, a fifteen-year-old girl tasked with the monumental challenge of saving her home planet, Cydnus. In a dystopian world where life is strictly controlled by a ruthless military, Zarya emerges as the beacon of hope against an imminent catastrophe
Zarya: Guardians of Cydnus Series (2 book series) Kindle Edition
With a New Album and a new tour!!!
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- June 11th – Atlanta, GA
- June 13th – Boca Raton, FL
- June 18th and 19th – Philadelphia, PA
- August 9th – Denver, CO
- August 15th – Temecula, CA
- September 12th – Harrisburg, PA
- October 16th – Rehoboth, DE
- October 30th and 31st – Charlotte, NC
- November 12th – Oakland, CA
- November 22nd – Seal Beach, CA
- December 31st – Boston, MA
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| | SAW YER ON SCIENCE FICTION
ROBERT J. SAW YER
Incisive commentary (and divisive opinions!) about every aspect of the science fiction genre by the man the CBC, the Ottawa Citizen, and the American Library Association all call “the Dean of Canadian Science Fiction,” including:
- Why Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics are abhorrent
- How Star Wars ruined science fiction
- The power of SF to change the world
- And ways writers might still thrive in the age of artificial intelligence.
From speeches at the Library of Congress and Cambridge University to articles in Science and Slate, this massive 225,000 word career capstone nonfiction collection contains:
- Commentary on the works of Margaret Atwood, Arthur C. Clarke, Michael Crichton, William Gibson, Cixin Liu, Judith Merril, Frederik Pohl, Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells, and many more
- Sawyer’s introductions to books by David Brin, Lois McMaster Bujold, David Gerrold, Jack McDevitt, Mike Resnick, Robert Charles Wilson, and other greats of the genre
- A comprehensive history of Canadian SF
- And a peek behind the curtain at how Sawyer’s own bestselling novels were written.
“Sawyer is the rarest sort of figure in contemporary Canadian writing: a Canadian genre author deeply loyal to both his genre and his Canadian identity.” —The Globe and Mail
ROBERT J. SAWYER has won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best science fiction novel of the year. The ABC TV series FlashForward was based on his novel of the same name, and his Quantum Night was long listed for Canada Reads. A member of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, and the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, Rob lives in Mississauga.
Publication date: Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Shadowpaw Press • Regina, Saskatchewan • shadowpawpress.com
Distributed in the USA and Canada by LitDistCo:
905 877 4411, ext. 241 • 1 800 591 6250 • Fax: 1 800 591 6251 • orders@litdistco.ca
Trade Paperback • 690 pages • ISBN 978 1 998273 74 4 • US: $29.99 • Canada: $39.99 |
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Author Alert: AI Scammers Are Impersonating Real Publishing Professionals
By Desireé Duffy, Founder of Black Château, Books That Make You, and The BookFest®
The publishing world has always had its share of unsavoury players: scammy publishers, vanity presses, fake literary agents, and bad actors impersonating reputable marketing firms.
What is new is how artificial intelligence has made these scams faster, more polished, and harder to recognize.
Authors, especially independent and emerging authors, are regularly targeted by email with promises of book reviews, bestseller status, media appearances, film interest, networking with famous authors, or some magical shortcut to literary fame and visibility.
Scammers are using AI to write more convincing emails, impersonate legitimate professionals and firms, and mimic trusted voices in the book industry. They are no longer sending just clumsy messages with obvious typos and suspicious promises. Many of today’s scam emails are polished and specific enough to make most authors pause.
How AI Scam Emails Work
The pitch often begins with flattery or specific details that make it seem credible. You may receive an email praising your book, sometimes even using the correct title, themes, characters, or subject matter.
Spoiler alert: they likely pulled that information from your book description, legitimate reviews, Amazon, Goodreads, your press release, your website, or your social media channels.
Yes, in a way, you are being punished for successfully marketing and promoting your book. As someone who has spent over a decade in this industry and many years in marketing and PR, I have seen this pattern often: when you raise your head above the crowd, you also become a target.
The email you receive may claim that the sender is impressed by your voice as an author, your message “resonates” with them, your audience potential, or the “cinematic qualities” of your book. They may seem friendly and just want to chat, or they may cut straight to the sales pitch. They may send several different messages using various tactics to grab your attention. Don’t give it to them.
Their goal is usually to get money, personal information, manuscript files, account access, or all of the above. Because AI can help them personalize these messages at scale, authors may receive numerous scam emails that appear tailored to them.
Why Authors Are Being Targeted
Authors are especially vulnerable because their work is personal. Your book is likely the culmination of years of effort, research, revisions, and, frankly, courage. You were brave enough to bleed onto the page, so when it seems like your hard work may finally be paying off, that email can be incredibly enticing. Scammers know this. That is why they use flattery as bait and the dream of visibility and book sales as leverage.
They also know that many authors are trying to navigate publishing, marketing, publicity, social media, reviews, events, and sales without a full support team. Publishing offers extraordinary opportunities for do-it-yourselfers, but it also asks authors to master tools, platforms, and industry norms that are not always easy to understand or access.
That makes authors targets for fraudsters. AI helps them scale the scam. It can generate customized messages, imitate professional language, summarize your book, fabricate legitimate-looking email signatures, and make fake companies look more credible than they deserve.
This is not just annoying anymore. It’s harmful. It can damage authors financially and emotionally. It also harms legitimate companies whose names, brands, and team members are being impersonated. It degrades trust in the publishing community and makes everyone have to work harder to verify what should be straightforward.
AI Email Scam Red Flags Authors Should Watch For
One of the biggest signs of an email scam is the email address itself. Specifically, look at the From line. If someone claims to represent a professional company, look carefully at the sender’s full email address. Legitimate company communications usually come from that company’s official domain.
A generic email address does not automatically mean a message is fraudulent, but it should prompt extra caution, especially when the sender claims to represent a company, agency, publisher, publicity firm, awards program, or media outlet.
Look closely at the name and address. If it uses odd formatting, unnecessary numbers, misspelled names, or a free email domain while claiming to represent a professional organization, treat it as a red flag.
If the message is a newsletter or eblast, it should come through a reputable email platform and include a clear unsubscribe option. Email platforms like MailerLite, Constant Contact, Mailchimp, and others often include compliance information that helps recipients manage their subscriptions. These are positive signs, but they are not proof by themselves. Always look at the sender, the links, the message, the offer, and whether the outreach makes sense.
Red flag checklist:
- A generic email address claiming to represent a company.
- Urgent pressure to act quickly.
- Promises of guaranteed bestseller status, film deals, reviews, media bookings, or awards.
- Requests for payment, especially through unusual methods.
- Links that look suspicious, are shortened, or do not match the company’s real domain.
- Poorly defined services or vague credentials.
- Flattery that feels specific but could have been pulled from Amazon, Goodreads, a press release, or social media.
- A sender who discourages independent verification, insists you communicate only through the contact details they provide, or refuses reasonable requests to verify who they are through a professional channel.
- A sender who asks you to keep the opportunity confidential or move the conversation to a different platform, such as WhatsApp.
What to Do If You Receive a Suspicious Message
Do not click links. Do not download attachments. Do not send money. Do not provide personal information, account access, or copies of your manuscript.
Do not reply to the sender to ask if the message is real. Scammers often use replies to confirm that your email address is active. They may also use your response to continue building trust or pressure you into the next step.
Verify independently. If the sender claims to represent a company, publisher, publicity firm, awards program, media outlet, author, or industry professional, do not use the links, phone numbers, or contact information provided in the suspicious email. Go directly to the official website by typing the URL into your browser or searching for the company by name.
Remember, scammers can create websites that look professional or similar to legitimate companies, so look closely. If you are not sure, the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine can help you see whether the site has a history, what it looked like in the past, and whether its content has changed recently.
Whois Domain Lookup can show when the domain was registered and which company manages the registration. If the domain is very new, recently changed hands, or the registration details do not seem to match the company’s public identity, verify further before engaging.
If the message appears to be a legitimate newsletter or eblast from a company using a reputable email platform, such as MailerLite, Constant Contact, Mailchimp, or another professional service, use the unsubscribe option if you no longer want to receive it. Blocking and reporting legitimate brands can be harmful to real companies and professionals in the industry.
If you determine the message is suspicious or fraudulent, block the sender and report the message through your email provider.
If you sent money, shared account access, signed a contract, downloaded an attachment, clicked a suspicious link, or provided sensitive information, preserve the email and any related records before reporting it. You may need them later.
Take appropriate precautions, such as changing affected passwords, contacting your bank or payment provider, replacing compromised cards, running malware scans, and asking an IT professional or trusted tech support person to check your device if needed.
A Note About Impersonation of Black Château, The BookFest, and Books That Make You
We know this problem firsthand. Scammers have impersonated Black Château, The BookFest, Books That Make You, and even individual members of our team. They have used our transparency, public-facing information, and brand reputation to make their fraudulent outreach seem credible.
If you receive a message claiming to be from one of our brands and you are unsure whether it is legitimate, do not reply to the sender, click links, or download attachments.
Instead, visit our official website directly and use the contact form to reach us. We will help you verify the message.
For more guidance, read: Is That Email Really from Black Château, The BookFest, or Books That Make You?
A Final Word to Authors
Authors deserve real support, real transparency, and real opportunities. Scammers deserve to be insta-blocked, reported, and assigned a special place in the depths of Dante’s Inferno.
If you determine an email to be spam, your best defence is blocking and reporting it. Not only do you help clean out your inbox, but you also help other writers and professionals in the publishing industry. We really are stronger together.
Remember, legitimate professionals do not need to trick you into trusting them. Scammers do.
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