Anecdotes on being an “old” writer

Facebook has a fun way of reminding us of past events, through the daily “memories” it shows us. The one that came up today is particularly fun:
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From November 30, 2017:
Had another fun aspect of being an “old” author today At today’s book table, a couple of 20-something young women stopped by for a look. One saw my books & said to the other, “She came to our school.” “That’s me,” I said…. “OH!!! Did you come to St. Pius School?” Me: “Yes. About 15 years ago?” “Yes! I still have this book, and this one, and this one….”

And at a dinner night-before-last, the woman beside me and I had introduced ourselves on a first name basis. About 30 minutes later, she happened to say, “Are you Alison Lohans, the author? I know of your books….”

It happened in October, too, at a choir rehearsal….

And another episode last spring when re-validating my library card: the young man at that desk looked at my card & said, “Are you the Alison Lohans who wrote Mystery of the Lunchbox Criminal?” Me: “Yes…” Him: “You came to our school!” …. this for a book published in 1990….

I guess I actually do exist!

The newest review of Timefall

Thanks so much, Loretta Polischuk, for your great review of Timefall!
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Top review from Canada

Loretta Polischuk5.0 out of 5 stars A mind-bending futuristic novel
Reviewed in Canada on November 13, 2020
The earth and humanity are hanging by a thread, both in the present and thousands of years into the future. Thrown into, and between, these two devastating times are Katie, a teenage unwed mother, her small son, Tyler, and a classmate Lorne.

While dealing with their own daily issues of bullying, family disruptions and personal relationships, the three of them timefall into the future life of the young Seer, Iannik. Together, they must all face the challenge of saving the world called Aaurenan and what’s left of the human race.

Written as a YA novel, Timefall also deals with adult issues. Alison Lohans has masterfully woven a fantastical tale; it is both thought-provoking and mind-bending. An intense read!

Timefall e-book is now available on Amazon!

A week has passed since I clicked “Publish” for the new e-edition of Timefall.

My deepest thanks to all who’ve helped me along the way, at the various stages of this book’s varied life. Most recently, huge thanks go to Linda Aksomitis and all the others in our online course on e-publishing – Dianne Young, Sharon Plumb, Judith Silverthorne, and Gillian Richardson.

The amazing cover of this new e-version was created by Regina graphic artist Sandra Norman – so to Sandra as well, my heartfelt thanks!

Why not take a look, and check it out!

Timefall – prepublication work continues

Today I’ve been entering and uploading Timefall materials on Draft2Digital. The cover & manuscript document (115+K words) are posted as well as some of the other necessary details, but there’s still a learning curve for that site. Possible e-release date is October 20? Print copies will take a bit longer.

Coming soon

One of my ongoing projects these past several months is to get my novel Timefall up and going again (as an ebook, and print-on-demand) after its publisher sadly had to shut down due to pandemic issues. It’s been a complicated learning curve on my part and there are still some things I have to do. But here’s the new cover!! My extreme gratitude to talented graphic artist Sandra Norman for her wonderful work!

The blurb for Timefall:

“Two worlds sit on the brink of collapse. Katie, a teen mom, is trying to hold things together – but suddenly falls into another world. Iannik is last in a long line of Seers – with flawed Sight. Can he summon the infant T’laaure from the distant past, to save Aaurenan? Is Katie’s baby the one who holds all the answers?”

Finalist, 2019 Prix Aurora Award, Young Adult Novel

5-star review on Amazon

Storytelling – live this morning via Zoom

During this unsettled COVID-19 time, so many things have changed – and new initiatives are opening up to fill some of the gaps.

This morning I participated in a live storytelling session via Zoom, for Little Einstein’s Babysitting and Nanny Service.

Story Junction – Premiere showing on Access7: Saturday May 2, 11 a.m. Central Standard Time

Story Junction premieres Saturday, May 2, 11:00 a.m., on AccessTV. Join award-winning authors Alison Lohans and Judith Silverthorne for a half hour of storytelling.

LitCon – March 21 in Moose Jaw

I’m delighted to be one of the presenters at the upcoming LitCon in Moose Jaw, sponsored by the Saskatchewan Festival of Words, the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, and the City of Moose Jaw.
I’ll be giving a workshop on dialogue in children’s fiction: “Ways of saying it: Constructing active dialogue in children’s fiction.”

November Reading in Humboldt, SK

Last week I had the honour of reading from my work at Humboldt’s Reid Thompson Library, sponsored by The Writers’ Union of Canada.

https://www.discoverhumboldt.com/local/alison-lohans-brings-a-variety-of-work-to-the-reid-thompson-library

A profile article on my work process and habits

Posted recently on the CANSCAIP Sask and national CANSCAIP sites on Facebook:

https://skcanscaip.wordpress.com/2019/11/02/meet-our-members-alison-lohans/?fbclid=IwAR3IBGeGFqQbqYEchNaSj3wJbsTkdDyQF-oEjoTxS11Fb5cmXiAzKyeHhps