Mirror World Publishing has announced the winners of their Far, Far Away Anthology contest – and my story “Field Notes from the Unknown Planet” made the list!
The stories that will appear in the upcoming anthology! (Image from Mirror World Publishing)
I’m so thankful and honoured to have a story featured in a sci-fi/fantasy publication! I also want to express gratitude to the judges who read all of the entries – I know from experience how much time and work goes into reading submissions. So thanks to them, and thanks to Mirror World for providing this opportunity! I can’t wait to read all of the stories in this anthology!
Although it’s going to be a bit of a wait for the anthology (which is expected to come out next summer), the tentative release date for the revised edition of The Patch Project is mid-November 2020! The fantastic folks at Adventure Worlds Press have finished layout, and we’re just waiting on the cover design to be completed.
Stay tuned for updates on that, including the cover reveal! Peter Brinn is designing it, and it’s going to be quite different from the last edition!
Oh, hello! It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged. Partly because although there is a lot of stuff going on with A Place That Used to Be and writing in general, most of it’s every day tasks like putting together spreadsheets and mailing out orders. Part of the process for sure, but not super exciting for you to read about!
So this post is going to be more of a mini-photo album of what I’ve been up to the past couple of weeks!
A box of A Place That Used to Be
A new batch of books arrived! It’s such a thrill to receive these deliveries from the printers and wrap up each book to send off into the world!
Afternoon writing session in the backyard!
I’ve been working outside a lot, which has really helped with the social distance blues. The weather’s been perfect for walking by the river and finding a bench to sit and write on (or sketch!). I’m currently picking away at a 30 000 word space novel but am actually kind of stuck. Hopefully, the next couple of weeks will bring some new inspiration!
Artist Trading Card by Dawn Supina
Speaking of inspiration, I’ve been getting back into visual art as a way to relax and be creative! I’m part of an art swap group, and we’re currently trading circus-themed ATCs. I’m also participating in an online workshop series featuring various artists and styles, and I try to doodle daily pictures based on Inktober prompts.
Inktober, Day 2 Prompt: Wisp
Working through my to-read list, I finished The Black Veins by Ashia Monet, a YA urban fantasy about magical Guardians on a road trip rescue mission! It was wonderful to read about an ensemble of LGBTQ+ characters who had well-defined personalities and goals. The character interactions are by far my favourite part of the novel and I highly recommend it if you like YA fiction! “It’s the “no-love-interest”, found family adventure you’ve been searching for.”
The Black Veins by Ashia Monet
Although I am inconsolable about Dune’s release date being delayed until next year, I’m enjoying the book. I can’t help but imagine the David Lynch film (which I love in the way great bad movies should be loved) while I’m reading, but the world and the characters are way more fleshed out. I have thoughts, but I’m going to wait until I finish the book to discuss 🙂
Sci-fi classic Dune
Although our household is staying pretty close to home, we occasionally venture out to pick up coffee from The Green Bean Cafe (which is now open limited hours)! Here’s a picture of me wearing a mask and holding a View-Master from my friend Sarah!
Hope you enjoyed this brief overview of what’s going on in my creative life! Some days, I feel like I get nothing done and I’m definitely feeling the self-quarantine cabin fever – probably why I’m trying to get outside as much as I can before winter arrives. Trying to listen to what my creative self needs, and stay connected with people. I would love to hear about the everyday things you’re doing to stay creative and stay grounded!
Thanks for reading!
Did you like this post? Many of these photos were featured on my Instagram account, if you’d like to read more!
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If you’re interested in a signed copy of A Place That Used to Be (or its companion book, The Patch Project), let me know! Copies are also available at Juniper Books, Biblioasis, and on Amazon!
Mirror World Publishing released the short list for their anthology contest! I’m thrilled that “Field Notes from the Unknown Planet” made it this far!
Image by Mirror World Publishing
I usually don’t have much success with short stories, so having a sci-fi piece recognized in this way is a wonderful confidence boost. Submitting “Field Notes” was a good challenge, and I feel more open to sending out short fiction in the future.
But for now, just waiting for the final stories to be announced (by the beginning of October), and imagining what kind of worlds the titles on the short list may lead to!
Now that the sequel is out in the world, I’m turning my attention to the upcoming reprint of The Patch Project.
The first edition of The Patch Project was published by EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing in 2018. Although there are still a few copies in circulation, that edition has gone out of print.
To make sure that the first book in the Patch series is attainable for readers interested in the sequel, Adventure Worlds Press is releasing a revised edition of The Patch Project this fall!
I just sent off the manuscript for review. Most of the changes are minor: things like ellipses (why so many ellipses, Brittni-of-the-past?), grammar, word choice, and phrasing. The story, chapter order, and characters all remain the same. So if you have a copy of the first edition, you aren’t missing out. The revised edition is essentially the same book just with a few tweaks. The revised edition will have a new cover, however, designed by Peter Brinn.
That’s about all I can tell you about it for now! We’ll set a release date in the next little while and hopefully have the revised edition available before the end of the year.
In the meantime, the audio book of The Patch Project is up on Bandcamp for a limited time. Listen for free on the album page or download on a pay-what-you-can basis!
Today is the Adventure Worlds Press Virtual Book Launch! From 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (EST), we’re posting all kinds of sweet book content on the Facebook event page. If you just came from there, welcome! I’m going to give you a brief intro to A Place That Used to Be and talk about a special offer and an upcoming giveaway!
I’m Brittni Brinn, by the way. I like coffee and reading and old neat things like typewriters. I’ve written two post-apocalyptic books, The Patch Project and A Place That Used to Be. I also have a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Windsor, and believe that you don’t need a degree to be a great writer! My friend Sarah Kivell took this photo the last time we met at a coffee shop. Remember when sitting in coffee shops was a thing? I miss that.
Anyway, more about A Place That Used to Be! It’s a post-apocalyptic novel featuring an ensemble cast, a wasteland, and a restaurant in a forest. The book is technically a sequel to The Patch Project (you’ll recognize some of the characters if you’ve read the first book) but also reads just fine as a stand alone story. It’s introspective and character-driven. I’m really excited for people to read it! Christian Laforet designed the stunning cover!
Here’s the part you were waiting for! If you order a copy of A Place That Used to Be from me directly today before 8 pm (EST), your book will come with a sticker featuring the cover! (Only 25 copies available, one sticker per person). You can comment below, or message me on Facebook.
Also, be sure to visit the Facebook event page around 3:00 pm (EST) as I’ll be posting about a giveaway!
If you have any questions, or want to hear the first chapter of A Place That Used to Be, I’ll be hosting a Facebook Live discussion at 7:00 pm (EST) tonight! Hope to see you there, and throughout the day as we celebrate Adventure Worlds Press and some really awesome books!
Coming up this Friday, August 21st, 2020, Adventure Worlds Press is hosting a virtual book launch! Celebrating The Space Between Houses, Broadcast Wasteland, and A Place That Used to Be, this all-day event will take place on Facebook, featuring readings by the authors, Q and As, and more!
I’ll be posting throughout the day, including details about the Patch series giveaway! Also, if you order a copy of A Place That Used to Be from me directly during the event, your copy will come with a sticker featuring the stunning cover designed by Christian Laforet!
I’ll also be hosting a FB Live reading and Q and A at 7 pm (EST). If you can’t make it, feel free to send questions beforehand!
Hope to see you there for a day of books and cool things!
Adventure Worlds Press will be hosting an online day-long celebration of the three books they’ve released this year – including A Place That Used to Be!
Image from Adventure Worlds Press
After a couple of date changes, we’ve settled on FRIDAY, AUGUST 21st, 2020 as the day for the book launch. The launch will be held online through Facebook, with posts throughout the day, readings, and a giveaway! I’m also planning a FB Live Q and A around 7 pm. For more updates, follow my Facebook page.
Thank you so much to everyone who has contacted me about buying a copy of A Place That Used to Be! Your support has absolutely blown me away. Signed copies will be available on August 21, 2020 as part of the Adventure Worlds Press book launch celebration.
Copies are currently available at Juniper Books and Biblioasis if you’re in the Windsor-Detroit area!
If you have any questions about the book, or publishing, or whatever, let me know in the comments and I’ll answer it during the book launch! Hope to see you there!
The audio book version of The Patch Project is currently available on Bandcamp! You can listen on the site or download the book on a pay what you can basis.
When deciding what to charge for the book, I was thinking about how so many people have already purchased a print copy. I didn’t want them to have to pay again for basically the same book. I also didn’t want cost to stop people from accessing the book, since covid continues to rage and work has dried up for many artists I know. Plus, I wanted to make the first book available so people who are interested in the sequel can be up to speed when it becomes more readily available. So, if you’re able to pay a few bucks for the book, feel free! If you’ve already bought a copy or don’t have the funds at the moment, listen for free!
Recording the book was a lot of fun. My husband and I used to co-host a podcast, and editing audio files and spending hours in a sound-proofed room is actually something I miss quite a bit!
The most challenging part of the whole process was accommodating two inexplicably needy cats. I could spend the whole morning with them, but as soon as I sat down to record, there they were, pawing at the door and meowing. Eventually, I just left the door open a crack so they could enter or leave as they pleased. There is one particular line in the audio book that I recorded directly after dealing with said needy cats: the part of the story is quite serious, but it sounds like I’m laughing.
Also, I recorded an entire chapter with something caught in my throat that no amount of coffee could fix! Aside from that, I feel like, all things considered, the audio book turned out pretty well.
Something else you may notice is that some words or sentence structures don’t quite match the printed version of The Patch Project. I’m currently revising the novel for a reprint with Adventure Worlds Press in the fall, and I incorporated a couple of those changes in the audio version. Also, some sentences were just really awkward to say aloud! I also cut adverbs and descriptors that I deemed excessive or contradictory. Reading aloud for an audience really changed how I look at the book, which is going to help a lot with further revisions!
So anyway, there’s the story of the audio book! If you give it a listen, let me know what you think, as I’m hoping to make more audio books in the future (I dream of a fully-voiced audio book with characters and a narrator who is not me 🙂 )!
A Place That Used to Be is now available for online order! Before you order from Amazon, please consider the following:
See if you can order the book through your local bookstore! Many businesses are offering curbside pick-up or other social distancing options.
Request the book through your local library!
Wait a few weeks: I’ll be getting an order of books to sell by hand, and I would be happy to sell you a signed copy!
The test copies just came in last week and they look amazing! You can watch the unboxing video here.
I’m still working on the audio book of The Patch Project. It’s been a lot of fun to spend a couple hours a day recording and editing the audio! Hoping to get that up on bandcamp in the next few weeks!
Also, stay tuned for news about an online book launch for A Place That Used to Be! Can’t wait to share more about the book with you!
