Thursday, September 29, 2016

My Fall To-Be-Read List

Below is a list of books sitting on my shelf and in my e-reader, patiently waiting for me to get to them. I know I won't read them all in the next few months, and you may not care, but if nothing else this keeps them all in one place as a reminder for me. And hey, if you're wondering how my mind ticks, checking out lists like this is a pretty good way to find out.

Welcome to Deadland by Zachary Tyler Linville

One of the winners of the Nerdist/Inkshares publishing contest I took part in last year, I'm actually in the middle of this book right now and I'm enjoying it immensely (which is good, because I was quite disappointed with the other winning book). It's a zombie apocalypse story with some actual strong YA themes about coming of age and sexuality, and I'm very pleased with how it's going so far. Again, I'm only halfway through so there's plenty of time for it to go off the rails, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

The Pickpocket by Celine Jeanjean

I love Celine Jeanjean's fantasy/steampunk/mystery whatever-you-want-to-call-it series, and she just released a new novella detailing one of the main character's backstories. It's burning a hole on my e-reader right now waiting for me to finish Welcome to Deadland.

Sawdust & Spangles: Stories & Secrets of the Circus by W.C. Coup

My post about The Toronto Circus Riot last week renewed my fascination with 19th-century circuses, and I found this book, written around the turn of the last century, filled with first-hand accounts of living and working with said travelling shows. It's said to be pretty hard to stomach in places (they weren't exactly known for the sterling animal rights) but it should be an curious read.

The Bear Who Wouldn't Leave by J.H. Moncrieff

I've been meaning to get to this one for awhile, as it's by a fellow Canadian horror author as well as a member of the IWSG. Plus how can you resist that creepy fucking bear on the cover?

Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

I read a collection of PG Wodehouse stories earlier this year and it blew me away. The fact that such simple jokes stand up nearly a century after they were written speak to the exceptional style and skill of the writer. Plus, his influence on future British comic writers like Stephen Fry, Douglas Adams, Hugh Laurie and even Terry Pratchett is obvious. I picked this one up on sale at Kobo and I'm really looking forward to it.

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

I'll be honest, I know next to nothing of this book, but I've heard it described as the funniest book ever written, and it in fact was one of the influences on Wodehouse. That is more than enough to make me want to check it out.

Utopiates by Josh Finney & Kat Rocha

I won a copy of this cyberpunk graphic novel in a contest - apparently it's about a bleak, Blade Runner-esque future where the most popular drug changes people's personality, rewiring their brains to basically swap their souls with someone else. Sounds pretty freaky and worth a looksie, but I will admit when I signed up for the contest I actually thought it was for another book (Casefile Arkham) by the same authoer. Still, I'm not one to turn down a free book!

Wisconsin Vamp by Scott Burtness

Scott is the organizer of Vampire Books For Blood, the charity drive I'm taking part in during the month of October. Wisconsin Vamp is just one of the many fine books that are available (including of course Hell Comes to Hogtown!), proceeds from which will be donated to the American Red Cross and Canadian Blood Services. And just looking at the cover, you KNOW this book is right up my alley...

One Goblin Army by Philip Overby

It's Philip Overby. It's Splatter-Elf. You just have to read it.

We've been waiting for this one for a long time. It had better be good, Phil. ;-)

Rise by Brian Guthrie

Another book from the Nerdist/Inkshares contest that I somehow got a free copy of. Once again, I know nothing about this one or how it was entered into the contest when it was already published last year, but I am willing to check it out. 

So what books are you planning on checking out this Fall?

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

The Toronto Circus Riot of 1855

Some of you know that I love weird Canadian History (see: The soldier who adopted a bear and brought it overseas to World War I), and the following is one of the weirder stories out there. How this hasn't be dramatized as a film, I have no idea. I'm thinking I'm going to have to write a novel about it myself.

Picture this: Toronto, mid-nineteenth century. Victorian prudishness has not yet settled into the only recently-incorporated city, which was mostly still a booming frontier town. Canada would not officially exist as an independent country for another twelve years. The city had a huge Irish Catholic population that clashed regularly with the Irish Protestants (as well as the English and the Scottish), having brought the ancestral grudges with them when they came to the colonies to escape the Great Irish Famine.

Can you picture what we're dealing with now?
 Downtown Toronto c. 1868 
On the evening of July 12, 1855, the Hook and Ladder Firefighting Company visited Mary Ann Armstrong's brothel on King Street, as was the accepted after-hours activity for a volunteer fire department at the time. Now, it must be pointed out that two weeks prior, this same company had gotten into a brawl with a rival firehouse when both groups showed up to combat the same blaze.

Yes, they had a "rival" firehouse. Yes, they fought over who got to put out a fire.

Trust me, it gets even better.

It turns out the circus was in town, and actual honest-to-gods clowns from SB Howes' Star Troupe Menagerie and Circus showed up to partake in Ms. Armstrong's "services." It doesn't mention in the history books whether they were still wearing their costumes and make-up, but I would like to assume that they were. The story goes that a drunk fireman named Fraser picked a fight with one of the clowns (because of course he did) and a brawl broke out. The clowns then proceeded to beat the ever-loving daylights out of the burly firemen, putting two of them in the hospital.

Source

Seriously, how would you react if these guys showed up at your whorehouse in the middle of the night?

Yes, clowns beat up firefighters. I'm not sure if that's some kind of fever nightmare or really weird fetish porn.

The firefighters were all Irish Catholic Orangemen, and an army of their countrymen showed up at the circus fairgrounds the next day (poetically, Friday the 13th) to cause trouble and get retribution. Police were called, but since they were mostly members of the Orange Order themselves, they just stood by and smoked cigars while the crowd grew more and more violent, demanding that the carnies "send out the clowns."

Source
See? Actual newspaper clipping of the event. I'm not making this up.

The situation got nastier as the locals set fire to the circus tents and wagons. The Hook and Ladder Company was called, but instead of putting out the fire (someone should have called that rival firehouse), the firemen started tearing down the last of the tents where the carnies were hiding. The mayor and police chief Samuel Sherwood showed up at the scene themselves to try and restore order, but to no avail. Chief Sherwood actually attempted to personally arrest a rioter and got beat up for his efforts. The mayor allegedly grabbed an axe from a dude who was about to commit coulrocide. Yes, that is the academic term for "clown murder."

Source
This ad seems to imply the circus had tigers. TIGERS. Why didn't they unleash their tigers on the rowdy Irishmen??? 

Finally the mayor had to call in the army to put the riot down. Amazingly no one was killed. Several locals were hurt but I can't find records of what sort of injuries were suffered among the circus folk. Something tells me the carnies wouldn't have cooperated with the police even if they had bothered to question them, and the circus quickly fled town. Many of them actually jumped into the lake and swam away.

Source
I would like to imagine that Lake Ontario wasn't as disgusting back then, but somehow I doubt it.

Afterward, seventeen rioters were arraigned in court but the police present at the scene claimed they were unable to identify even a single participant in the riot. This came as a surprise to no one, as they acted similarly during the previous firemen's brawl as well as the ongoing Protestant-Catholic street fights. Police constables of the day were appointed by city councilors with no training or vetting processes, and were, to be polite, massively corrupt bastards.

The public and the press put heavy pressure on the local government to fix the much-maligned police department. In 1858 the province finally put down legislation for an overhaul of the police force, and in 1859 the entire force was fired, leading to the basis of a new, better and less corrupt police organization in Toronto that exists to this today.

I can hear you snickering about a "better" and "less corrupt" police force in Toronto today, but compared to where it was in 1855, it's miles ahead.

Well, slightly better.

Sources:
http://www.russianbooks.org/crime/cph4.htm#_ftn36

http://torontoist.com/2013/09/how-a-fight-with-clowns-led-to-the-birth-of-modern-policing-in-toronto/

http://blogs.canoe.com/parker/news/the-great-toronto-circus-riot/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

I Signed Up for Vampire Books for Blood!


Want to check out some fun vampire-themed stories this Halloween season?

Want to support a very important cause at the same time?

Vampire Books for Blood is an author-created and driven donation drive run every October to raise money for the American Red Cross and Canadian Blood Services. I could go on, but here are the details directly from the source:

From VampireBooksForBlood.org:

Author Scott Burtness created the Vampire Books for Blood (SM) event in 2014. It is held annually from October 1st through October 31st.

The event brings authors and publishers of vampire-themed books together for a shared goal: to raise money for the American Red Cross and Canadian Blood Services.

Participating authors and publishers pledge to make a financial donation to the American Red Cross or Canadian Blood Services at the conclusion of the event. The donation can be an amount per book sold in October, a percentage of royalties earned from book sales in October, or a flat amount at the conclusion of the event.

When an author or publisher pledges their support, their book is listed on the "Vampire Books for Blood" event website. The website allows readers to easily browse books from participating authors and publishers, and link to where the books are sold. By purchasing a book from a participating author or publisher, readers know they're helping that author or publisher support the life-saving work of a vital organization.

Blood products are perishable and the need is constant to help prevent a shortage and ensure an adequate blood supply for patients. Red blood cells have a shelf life of only 42 days and platelets just five days, so they must be replenished constantly – there is no substitute.

Proceeds from “Vampire Books for Blood” will help the American Red Cross and Canadian Blood Services organize, promote, and manage blood drives, as well as support other great services.
Donating blood is of course an important responsibility - there is always a critical need for blood supplies to perform life-saving procedures. But if for some reason you can't donate blood, chipping in a few dollars is the next best thing. Now you can do that, and check out some great new books at the same time!



I've signed up for Vampire Books for Blood. I pledge to donate $1 to Canadian Blood Services for every copy of Hell Comes to Hogtown sold during the month of October. There are lots of other authors signed up as well, so head over to the website to see if there are any books you'd like. It's a win-win situation for everyone!

And hey, if you're a writer yourself (I know there are a few of you who read this blog) and you have an appropriately bloody book, why don't you sign up yourself? Submissions are open until October 15th!

Will you be supporting the American Red Cross or Canadian Blood Services this Halloween season?

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

And Summer Ends... (#IWSG September)

I missed the August IWSG post (my second miss this year!) for a very good reason. No, not because I was on vacation, but because some idiot ran into our car. Again.

Which, incidentally, was the main reason I missed that previous post, too.

Like the last time, it was completely the other driver's fault and fortunately I was the only one in the car (no babies this time!) but for various reasons this one was much more complicated and involved fighting with insurance companies and numerous trips and calls to the police station, all while we were on vacation half-way across the country no less. I was fuming and seething for a week and thus missed the post.

Amazingly, it all worked out and didn't up costing me a cent, nor should it affect our premiums. That was a huge relief to find out last week. Hopefully the other driver also loses their license over this, but that's not up to me to decide.

The vacation was rocky, as in addition to the car accident the baby also got sick for a few days, but my older son had the time of his life getting to visit (and be spoiled by) his grandparents, getting to play with his cousins and go camping and to the beach and a variety of other things. So if nothing else at least he should have good memories of the trip. And hey, I also actually sold a bunch of books to my relatives, so that was pretty fun. I have no idea if any of them will actually read them, but it's still awesome that they're being supportive.

Actual picture of me and the boy.
All that said, I actually did get a good bit of writing time in since I've got back to town, and have actually made some solid progress on several projects. Projects which I won't discuss since I've learned my lesson about hyping things before they come to fruition. I'll just keep it to saying I'm happy with the way things are progressing. :-)  And you know what? After a very busy and stressful two weeks on "vacation," it was actually very nice to get back to a regularly writing schedule.

Speaking of writing schedules...

IWSG September Question: How do you find the time to write in your busy day?

I've mentioned this a few times so any of my regular followers (both of you) have heard it but it's worth repeating. I have a young family and a full-time job with a hour-and-half commute each way, so I don't really have a lot of free time... except that I've taken to use that commute time for writing. My latest book, Hell Comes to Hogtown, was written almost entirely on the bus with my laptop on my knees.
Actual picture of my writing office.
It's not an ideal way to write, but you do what you have to do. It's part of my daily routine now, and I actually feel pretty crummy if I don't get my morning and evening bus-writing time for some reason (usually because I fall asleep). Just like any priority, if you want to write, or if you have to write, you find a way to make it work. If I didn't have the bus, I would probably just end up sleeping even less, which is probably not healthy because I don't sleep much as it is...

Oh and hey, one other nice little highlight of August: I got my first reviews for Hogtown, and so far, so good! I mean, Amazon deleted them for a few days, but then they came back, so huzzah! We're off and running.

Till next time...

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group here.


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