Presses Renaissance Press

Happy Birthday to an amazing author and person, Cait Gordon, Author !

Thank you for being such an engaged and supportive of the Renaissance community, and we hope you have an excellent day.

Looking for something to do this Saturday, August 17th? Why not join authors Jen Desmarais and Éric Desmarais - Aspiring Something at the Indigo Pinecrest (near the Ikea in Ottawa) to get a signed copy of their newest urban fantasy novel, Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests?

Thank you to everyone who attended/participated/contributed in yesterday's event. We had a lot of fun and loved getting some insight into our authors' writing processes.

If you weren't able to attend, you can watch the stream on our YouTube page! (You can also pre-order the books on our website, Amazon, and Indigo)

Fall Release Showcase 2024 We will be chatting with three Renaissance Press authors including Stephen Graham King, Heather Chambers, and C.L. Carey, in anticipation of their upcoming r...

This is your reminder that the 2024 Fall Showcase is coming up this Sunday at 2pm!
Click the link below to watch the livestream on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a1bBF_m3Nw

We will be chatting with three Renaissance Press authors including Stephen Graham King, Heather Chambers, and C.L. Carey, in anticipation of their upcoming releases this fall. This will be an event to remember with fun games and the chance to get answers to your burning questions. If you have been looking forward to King’s The Infinite Heist, Carey’s Spaced!, or Chamber’s You Would Have Done It Too, or are simply looking to check out what we have in store, make sure to tune in! We’re looking forward to hosting these great authors and you, the wonderful readers of Renaissance.

Get to know the authors and their novels!

Stephen Graham King- From the mind that brought you the beloved series The Maverick Heart Cycle, introducing: The Infinite Heist, set to release this fall. Vrick and the Maverick Heart crew must once again answer the call for justice. When important friends go missing, they must trace the trail they left behind before it goes cold— the Pan Galactum depends on it. Continue the series or jump right into King’s wondrously crafted worlds of science fiction.

Heather Chambers- With her debut novel Earth Sucks and its sequel The Mercenary and the Hissing Woods, Heather Chambers has made a name for herself as an author with Renaissance Press. Now she’s breaking from dystopia and delving into a new genre: Mystery. You Would Have Done It Too is dangerously witty and set to release this fall. Soon, you will be able to investigate the bewildering series of on-campus murders alongside college freshman Felix.

C.L. Carey- Author C.L. Carey is passionate about creating intergalactic worlds of literature for her fellow Earthlings. Her novel Spaced! is an exploration into the catastrophic destruction of the Mars colony, bringing the Martians and Earthlings together in a fight for survival. Follow the galactic adventures of Sha-ne and the Earth Rebels in Spaced!, a novel soon to be released this fall.

The Montreal Review of Books recently published a thought-provoking and well-written review of Elvie: Girl Under Glass by Elvira Cordileone. If you would like to read more of the review, check out this link: https://mtlreviewofbooks.ca/reviews/elvie-girl-under-glass-elvira-cordileone/

Elvie: Girl Under Glass is available for purchase on our website, Amazon, and Indigo online.

We at Renaissance wish to take a moment to congratulate Jen Desmarais for her nomination for Best Fan Writing and Publication for the 2024 Aurora Awards.

“The Travelling TARDIS” moves, with the power of timey-yarney crochet, through time and space visiting and taking pictures with cosplayers, landmarks, celebrities, and cute babies. This blog-style piece showcases the joy and creativity of con culture at its best. With Renaissance, Jen Desmarais has recently published such excellent titles as Crushing It and Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests. We wish you luck with the Aurora Awards and know you’ll keep crushing it in literary circles.

For over forty years, the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association has granted awards to nominated authors to recognize their excellence in science fiction.

In order to vote for Aurora winners, you will need to register as a 2024 member of the Canadian SF & Fantasy Association, and vote before July 13. While this may sound daunting, registration only costs $10 CAD and gets you access to all nominated works (17 novels, 5 novelettes, 5 short stories, and more)!

Heartfelt congratulations to Lynne Sargent for their nomination in the 2024 Aurora Awards under the category of best poem/song.

Their poem “Lying Flat”, as featured in the October 9th, 2023 edition of the Strange Horizons magazine has captivated its readers. The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association has recognized Sargent’s mastery of poetry and exploration into themes of art and humanity. Sargent’s work calls into question the world of capitalism and climate change, closing the distance between science fiction and reality. A skilled storyteller, Sargent has worked with Renaissance to publish their novel A Refuge of Tales. We commend them for this great accomplishment!

For over forty years, the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association has granted awards to nominated authors to recognize their excellence in science fiction.

In order to vote for Aurora winners, you will need to register as a 2024 member of the Canadian SF & Fantasy Association, and vote before July 13. While this may sound daunting, registration only costs $10 CAD and gets you access to all nominated works (17 novels, 5 novelettes, 5 short stories, and more)!

It is with great pleasure to announce that Avi Silver has been nominated for Best Novelette/Novella for the 2024 Aurora Awards.

Pluralities is a brief, but engrossing read about cosmic and gender discovery which has quickly become a fan favourite. Avi Silver’s involvement with Renaissance Press includes their work in Nothing Without Us Too. Congratulations and best of luck!

For over forty years, the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association has granted awards to nominated authors to recognize their excellence in science fiction.

In order to vote for Aurora winners, you will need to register as a 2024 member of the Canadian SF & Fantasy Association, and vote before July 13. While this may sound daunting, registration only costs $10 CAD and gets you access to all nominated works (17 novels, 5 novelettes, 5 short stories, and more)!

In honour of , we've rounded up 12 new and notable reads from disabled writers. Learn about these (and more!) books right here: https://alllitup.ca/book-list/reads-for-disability-pride-month/

August is not only my birthday month, but I get to be on two awesome panels! On August 10, Knee Brace Press is hosting a virtual panel, “Bodies and Disability in Science Fiction and Fantasy” at 11am PDT/2pm EDT. On August 17 at 4pm MDT at the When Words Collide writers conference, I’ll be on a panel called “We are the heroes, not the sidekicks: Building worlds and stories in SFF that centre disabled protagonists.” Learn more details at https://caitgordon.com/events!

July is Disability Pride Month!

At Renaissance, we are honoured to be able to work with diverse, vibrant, and creative disabled authors, editors, and admin. Publishing stories written by disabled people about their own experiences has always been something we take pride in. As such, we are excited to celebrate these stories.

Stay tuned for some upcoming posts that will feature incredible novels and anthologies telling the stories of disabled people from their own point of view.

While today is a good day to celebrate the good things that come with being a Canadian, we also need to remember Canada's complicated history and push for ongoing commitment to truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and nations.

There are currently 94 calls to action put to the Canadian government that you can read about here: www.reconciliationeducation.ca/what-are-truth-and-reconciliation-commission-94-calls-to-action

Robert Hamilton (he/him) is a long-time writer, having written poetry, short fiction, scripts for stage and film, and journaled his gay life since 1988. He authored Our Story: Coming Out in the Time of HIV and AIDS a memoir that tells not only Robert’s story but provides an intimate look at the impact AIDS had on his family of gay friends and those around them.

Niamh Norwood has penned and published short fiction, poetry, novels, and comics. Niamh authors Consensually Complicated, a recent release from Renaissance, a bisexual, polyamorous love story that grapples with self-love and messy exes. Niamh identifies as bisexual.

Our final week of pride spotlights starts with MJ Lyons (he/him). He is a writer, journalist, and game maker. Author of Murder at the World’s Fair, he also co-penned a long-running column on lesser-known LGBT history known as History Boys for Xtra magazine and contributed original stories to Bang*Bang, a webzine for original gay fiction and boys’ love stories. MJ is Queer-identified.

Want an idea of what books you can get for FREE today? Take a look!

bit.ly/stuff-your-kindle-fantasy

Today is the day! Head on over to bit.ly/stuff-your-kindle-fantasy to get your free ebook copy of some really excellent books!

What's better on a rainy day than books? Join Cait Gordon and Dissatisfied Bruce, Author at the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair!

Beauty and brains? Now that is a romance to root for! Find out if these two are Lucky in Love and be prepared to swoon! with Crushing It by Jen Desmarais, a coming-of-age story of teenage love and STEM. Get your free copy at the Stuff Your Kindle event on June 23rd.



bit.ly/stuff-your-kindle-fantasy

In honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day, consider picking up a book by an Indigenous Canadian author. Some of the books we suggest are:

Unstable Graves by Betty Guenette
North of Nowhere: Song of a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner by Marie Wilson
Unreconciled: Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance by Jesse Wente
Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
We Sang You Home (Children's book) by Richard Van Camp

A disappearance, a strange city, three high school friends, and one savvy sleuth. How far is Elizabeth willing to go to find out the truth? Pick up the wildly captivating mystery, A Study of Aether by Éric Desmarais as a free eBook at the Stuff Your Kindle event on June 23rd.



bit.ly/stuff-your-kindle-fantasy

Meet some authors! Buy some books! Show some love to the local publishing scene!

Join Renaissance at the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair on June 22nd (tomorrow) from 12-5 at the Tom Brown Arena. More info here: https://smallpressbookfair.blogspot.com/

Join us for a celebration: https://www.facebook.com/events/395598352708307

We are at Can-Con this weekend! Come and see us and please stop by for our launch tomorrow morning at 10, no tickets needed! New books by Evan May , Elizabeth Hirst, and S. M. Carrière !

CAN-CON 2022 Ottawa's local Con, now hybrid! - October 14-16, 2022