Mark Feenstra

The River Bride A short fantasy story in which a no-longer-young man confronts the limits of his devotion.

New short story up on the newsletter this morning.

Read or listen free:
open.substack.com/pub/markfeen...

Great day at CONnections today. Met so many lovely people and sold out of Wolf of the Library and Vanthology!

Appearances and Publishing Update Come see me at CONnections where I'll be speaking on panels, reading, and signing books!

I'll be at CONnections this week, speaking on panels, reading, and signing books! Come say hi if you're in the Vancouver area.

open.substack.com/pub/markfeen...

Exactly.

Accidentally got the French sports channel subscription for tonight’s Jays game and only understood every third word, but in the end, I think it made the whole thing more dramatic.

Four books to get to know me

Vanthology paperback mockup

VANTHOLOGY is here!

From misty seawalls to far-flung worlds, Vanthology gathers original short fiction from the Vancouver Genre Writers community.

If you love discovering new voices and fresh blends of genre, Vanthology belongs on your shelf.

Get your copy now: mybook.to/vanthology

A Trick of Moonlight A short fantasy story in which students try to untangle a late-night mystery.

New (free) short story available now. Read or listen: markfeenstra.substack.com/p/a-trick-of...

So wrapped up in work that I forgot my kid was home sick. Freaked out for a moment wondering who was walking through the apartment.

Readers: those permanent bookclub/award stickers are The Worst.

Publishers: hold my beer.

I think there’s still at least one parrot(?) at Bloedel that was born in 1977!

One of these is mine.

I met my fiancé through a local writing group, and now she’s my alpha reader and biggest support. Does that count? 😅

Yuuuuup. Also, I don't give a shit if some of the worst people in the world think I am being performative or am virtue signaling. Fuck 'em. They don't get to tell me how to be.

Anyway, trans rights are human rights, y'all. It's not complicated.

A behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making a book cover. This represents 15,000 Procreate brush strokes and more than 15 hours of work to get to the final cover treatment in Photoshop. [Book link in bio.]

Just want to give a shout out to an awesome writers group that I've been a part of since 2022. We have super-fun in-person meetups at pubs and cafés. Come join us when you're in the area! www.vancouvergenrewriters.com

Two people stand and hold a giant trans flag billowing above them. Across the flag is written “Vancouver” Trans March. A flock of pink and blue sheep with a drawn heart on each run across a green grassy field beside and ahead of the people. A dog frolics beside them. A text bubble says “August 1st @ Commercial Drive 5-9pm.” Another bubble says “Masks Encouraged. Certain zones mandated.” Another says “ASL provided”. Along the bottom is @vancouvertransmarch. In a blue box text reads 5pm at Trout Lake on Gravel Field (near community center parking lot) Free pre March speeches and sign making. In a white box it says “around 6pm March up Commercial”. In a pink box it says “around 7:15pm at Victoria Park Live performances, haircuts, clothing swap, vaccines.” At the very bottom of the poster it says: “This event is situated on the unceded, traditional territories of the Musqueam (x"ma®k"ayem), Squamish (Skwxwú7mesh), and Tsleil-Waututh (salilweta?4) Nations.”

Mark your calendars! Vancouver Trans March is happening August 1st! Full schedule will be shared soon.

Our wonderful poster by www.instagram.com/amesketches

Seems like a great adaptation so far!

Made the mistake of watching Murderbot with my partner, and now I’ll have to wait every week until we can find time to watch it together.

I don’t really care who the Pope is, but seeing the reactions from a certain subset of bigots makes me think the cardinals made a good choice.

I started reading James before it was cool. Like, a day before… but it still counts right?

May 5 is Red Dress Day. We remember and honour the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People. Their stories, their lives, and their memories matter.

#RedDressDay #MMIWG2S #NoMoreStolenSisters #IndigenousEditors

it’s highly anticipated because you sat on the land for 17 years after getting a $211 million interest free loan

Book: Botanical Curses and Poisons by Fez Inkwright

A little light reading on a Sunday morning.

My kid just started book 9 of the Keepers of the Lost Cities series. She’s about to discover the agony of waiting for the next book to release, which feels like a rite of passage for any fantasy reader.

Car alarms are violence.

Ploughed through the first half of The Bee Sting by Paul Murray yesterday. Not sure why, but I’d been worried this might be a slow read for me. It’s turning out to be one of my favourites of the year so far.

Happy launch day!

CIVILIZATIONS RISE

CIVILIZATIONS FALL

HEDY FRY IS FOREVER

SHE WINS VANCOUVER CENTRE FOR THE 11TH STRAIGHT TIME

Took a break from watching election results to leave flowers at the Lapu Lapu day memorial on 41st and Fraser. Arrived during the candlelight vigil. Absolutely gutted, but somewhat buoyed by the outpouring of community support.