Read our Anthology of stories in honour of Canada’s 150th Anniversary. From the North West Company, through prairie settlement and war to modern-day life, with joy, humour and sorrow woven in. We had fun writing these stories, and you’ll have some fun reading them.
Celebrate us!
We went to wonderful concert with the Victoria Philharmonic Choir, Peter Butterfield directing. The music was of Claudio Monteverdi, Vespers of 1610. It was moving, the singers were fabulous, both the choir and the soloists. The musicians were great, some playing the sackbut – the ancient version of the trombone. What a gift that these talented people share their energies and love of music with us.
“The scooter frame jolted under the impact of bullets hitting the fender. Beth’s brother, Abe, felt a strange sense of destiny. A moment ago he’d thought he could be injured when he saw the first aerial coming at him, but now realized he was under attack and may not even survive the encounter.
As suddenly as it started, the scooters backed off and faded into the forest on either side. To his astonishment, they simply disappeared. Then a military transport rounded the corner and came toward him down the Southern Highway. Its lights swept the roadway and showed no one there but Abe on a damaged solar scooter limping painfully toward Romeo Road and home.”
The Last War: Khandarken Rising. Book One.
Major Dante Regiment must find a way to protect Beth, as the Emperor is not the only one causing chaos in Khandarken
Bethlehem Farmer is helping her brother Abram run Farmer Holdings in south Khandarken after their father died in the final battles. She is looking after the dispossessed, keeping the farm productive and the talc mine working in the hills behind their land. But when Abram takes a trip with Uncle Jade into the northern territory and disappears without a trace, she’s left on her own. Suddenly things are not what they seem and no one can be trusted.
Major Dante Regiment is sent by his father, the General of Khandarken, to find out what the situation is at Farmer Holdings. What he sees shakes him to the core and fuels his grim determination to protect Bethlehem at all cost, even with his life.
books2read.com/KhandarkenRising
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Copyright and ISBN (International Standard Book Number)*
In the simplest terms, copyright means ‘the right to copy’. In general it means the sole right to produce or reproduce work, or a substantial part of it. If it is unpublished, copyright includes the right to publish the work or any substantial part of it. By defining it by ‘substantial’ it is electing to leave out reproduction of minor parts of a work, as quotes are often used in reviews or discussions.
What is covered by copyright law? A work must be original and can include literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works or compilations. Copyright is granted the moment the work, whether professional or amateur, is created. There is no distinction between production of work for profit or hobby. Literary work includes anything that is written, such as speeches, essays and books and may be in any form. Dramatic works include the characters, scenes, relationship between characters, dialogue and dramatic expression. That’s interesting because I didn’t realize the characters we create as novelists would also be protected.
How do you obtain copyright in Canada? All powers to legislate copyright law are in the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Canada, by virtue of the Constitution Act 1867. Yet, copyright exists at the moment of creation of a work in Canada.
Some have promoted the ‘kitchen sink’ method of copyright. This was obtained by mailing a copy of the written work to yourself and once received, leaving it sealed in the envelope. You now had a copy of the work with a date and time provided by the post mark, proving your possession prior to any possible publication by someone else. My mother preferred that method, and had me mail her poems to her before she put them out to the public to give herself some assurance she could prove ownership.
The Canadian government offers a formal way to obtain copyright but it is not free. Currently, if the work and fee are submitted online, the cost is $50. If it is done other than online, such as by mail, the cost is $65 per work. Go to the official website to learn more – https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr02281.html
How long does copyright last? Generally in Canada it lasts for the life of the author, plus 50 years. Therefore protection expires on December 31 of the 50th year after the author of the work dies. However, if the original author assigns ownership to another, either personal or corporate, it only lasts for 25 years after the author’s death.
The ISBN is different. It is a system of numerical identification, again provided by the federal government, for books, pamphlets, educational kits, microforms, CD-ROMs and other digital and electronic publications. Assigning a unique number to each published title provides that title with its own, unduplicated, internationally recognized identifier. Each different format of an electronic publication (e.g., Kindle, Kobo, EPUB, MOBI, PDF) that is published and made separately available shall be given a separate ISBN.
I didn’t know this. I was aware the print book had one ISBN and the ebook had a separate one, but this says each type of ebook requires its own number.
How is the ISBN used? Publishers, booksellers, libraries and others in the book industry use ISBNs to identify publications and determine the publishing country. An ISBN is required for the sale and distribution of a publication. Originally the numbers in Canada were 10 digits in length, but changed to a 13-digit number as of January 1, 2007. To learn more or apply for ISBN numbers, go to the government website – http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/services/isbn-canada/Pages/create-account-isbn-canada.aspx
Luckily, these numbers are free in Canada. The Library and Archives Canada assigns 10 numbers upon application. When they have been used, another 10 are assigned for your exclusive use.
*Information courtesy of Wikipedia and Library and Archives Canada
Spring is here and my garden is leaping ahead as the weather finally warms. And where am I? I’m glued to my laptop, working away on a story about Canada, 150 years since Confederation.
It’s been a challenge, a group of writers who have committed to each compose a short story or novella about Canada illustrating an era sometime in the last 150 years of history. The interesting thing is we’ve all chosen a story that is quite different from the others, taking place in a separate place and time. With a country this big, and a history this long, it hasn’t been too difficult to do.
Given the different areas from the north, the eastern maritimes, the west coast, the prairies, the vast stretches of Upper and Lower Canada, there is a lot to choose from. With connections to French settlers, British immigrants, Russian contact in the north, the gold rush up the western mountains and into the Klondike, America along the southern border, the Doukhabors, Mennonites, Viking explorers—there’s a huge choice.
It’s a stretch for me to step out like this, and also a lot of fun. One day soon, it will be available for your enjoyment.
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