A Year on Saturn

...is approximately 29.7 Earth years.


"A Year on Saturn" is the website of Shannon Fay,
freelance and fiction writer.



Exciting Summer Plans: Clarion West

Posted on: April 14th, 2014 by Shannon Fay No Comments

A few weeks ago I was getting ready for a party I was hosting. I had just bought some coke (to go with the rum) and some baguettes (to go with the fancy cheese) and was shying away from the rain by huddling in a cigarette carpeted doorway as I waited for my bus. My phone rang and I fished it out of my pocket:

“Is this Shannon Fay?”

‘Oh crap, it’s the dentist’s office.’ “Yes, this is she.”

“I’m calling to tell you that you’ve been accepted into Clarion West 2014…”

All right, as far as ‘Where were you when you got the call’ stories go, maybe it’s not that exciting. But it made that rainy day into the best day in months, and now when I see that grimy little overhang at the bus stop I smile and want to huddle in there just to try and relive the moment.

I’m going to Clarion West! I’ve been sitting on this for a while, at first because I had been sworn to secrecy (at my party I was grinning like a maniac but couldn’t tell people why), and later on because I’m just too lazy to post here. But I can’t keep quiet any longer (also, writing a blog post earns me some sweet, sweet HabitRPG points).

I am extremely happy to have been accepted to Clarion West. I applied last year, but I actually feel ready this year rather than just willing. It has been amazing getting to know my future classmates through the mind meld (aka a e-mailing list). To see what talented, accomplished people I will be learning aside is very humbling (I comfort myself that I still have plenty of time to forge some fake doctorates to impress them with when we all meet in Seattle).

 




The Secret is to Let your Stories Molder Like fine Cheese

Posted on: March 19th, 2014 by Shannon Fay No Comments

Last month I started a story but then got hit by a case of ‘no, this sucks, I suck, take it away,’ and let the thing sit in a word file for a month. I pulled it back out again today and…it’s not that bad. Still a few drafts away from good, but not as awful as I was expecting. I actually feel like I can finish it now.




Clarion 2014

Posted on: February 23rd, 2014 by Shannon Fay No Comments

Well, I have sent in my application for both Clarion West and Clarion USD. Now I’m just waiting for their reply. Good thing I have pressing dental problems to keep my mind off it.

Sorry for the lack of noise here lately. When I have a free moment I’ll post about the stupid TV shows I’ve been watching lately.




Mail Time

Posted on: January 27th, 2014 by Shannon Fay No Comments

Received some manga volumes that I will be editing soon, which is exciting, but more importantly the books also came with…

FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF BUBBLE WRAP!

So if I’m scarce around here for a little while, that’s my excuse.




More 2014, some 2013

Posted on: January 20th, 2014 by Shannon Fay No Comments

Super busy with work lately, but don’t feel too sorry for me- one of my day jobs involves reading a lot of manga and I love my work. I’ve also hit on a streak of inspiration lately, so the writing has been strong. I’ve written roughly five stories since the start of the year. All of them super short flash pieces, but stories nonetheless.

I’m taking a break from my regular scheduled programming to brag a little bit. Two of my stories that were published in 2013 have made it onto Tangent Online’s 2013 Recommended Reading List: ‘House Hunting’ (published in Crowded Magazine) and ‘Colossus’ (published in the June 2013 issue of Penumbra). Both stories got three stars and kind words from their reviewers.

Also in December, fellow writer Danielle N. Gales had some very flattering praise for my story ‘You First Meet the Devil at a Church Fete,’ naming it as one of her favourite stories of 2013. From her blog:

You First Meet the Devil at a Church Fete

by Shannon Fay (Interzone, #246)

Here’s the thing: I hate stories told in second person. Hate them. It’s a gut reaction. Usually I can’t get more than a paragraph in before becoming irritated beyond belief, no matter how well-written, no matter how intriguing the premise. And yet…

This one works. Hell, more than that, I couldn’t imagine it being told any other way. You First Meet the Devil… charts the life of a certain fifth member of a certain band as he is offered a Faustian bargain, and then follows the repercussions of the choice he makes. A great, imaginatively told story, and winner of 2013′s James White award, with good reason.

Wow. It makes me really happy to see my strange Beatles story connect with people.

All right, enough about 2013! Back to work.




2014 Goals

Posted on: January 3rd, 2014 by Shannon Fay No Comments

I’ve had a lot of time to think about my goals for this year, partly because that’s what people do this time of year and because I’ve been snowed in every other weekend and have had lots of time to mull things over.

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Happy Holidays!

Posted on: December 26th, 2013 by Shannon Fay No Comments

I just wanted to say that I hope everyone had a great holiday/is having a great holiday/ got some time off to do whatever. My Christmas was fantastic, spent with family and friends. I feel ready to tackle the new year.

Speaking of the new year, now would be a good time to go to The Coast’s website and see what my top ten DVDs for 2013 were. To be honest I’m still not totally sold on my list. There were some really good movies that I saw (Fruitvale Station) that didn’t make it because they haven’t been released on DVD yet, and then there are some supposedly great movies that I just didn’t get to see at all (The Art of Killing). Even now I’m waffling a little bit on what made it and what got cut- maybe Frances Ha should be there instead of Much Ado About Nothing or The Great Gatsby? Oh well, too late now.

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WTH Canada Post?

Posted on: December 12th, 2013 by Shannon Fay No Comments

Canada Post to phase out urban home delivery

What? But…I moved my mailbox! Why do you continue to punish me, Canada Post?!?




Mail Time

Posted on: December 3rd, 2013 by Shannon Fay No Comments

It’s been a rather trying time as far as ‘Mail Time’ goes. It all started a few weeks ago when I noticed that two weeks had gone by with no mail. I called Canada Post and learned that my mail had been suspended (which would suck for anyone, but as a freelance writer it struck a particular fear into my heart. My cheques! My rejection letters! My copy of Persona 4!). It seems that a few weeks ago a postal worker had been ‘jumped’ while delivering mail so to keep the mail carriers ‘safe’ they had changed the ‘rules,’ which meant that they were no longer delivering mail to mail boxes tucked away in the ass end of homes. Bleh.

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NaNaWriMo Dough

Posted on: November 21st, 2013 by Shannon Fay No Comments

I’ve got a ton of little tricks to keep me motivated throughout NaNoWriMo, and one of them is that for every 5k I write I donate 5 bucks to charity. The causes vacillate between websites I make use of and IRL meat space humanitarian efforts. So far I have given money to NaNoWriMo, the David Suzuki Foundation, Wikipedia, and Oxfam. The only reason I’m sharing this is to urge other Canadians to give to charities involved with the disaster response in the Philippines. Right now until December 9th the Canadian government will match your donation to NGOs such as the Red Cross, MSF, and Oxfam. I know I’d personally prefer that my tax dollars go towards the relief efforts rather than pay for some senator’s PEI summer home.

Whoosh! The Canadian current affairs references are flying like hockey pucks! Rob Ford!

Though if you’d rather donate to a local Filipino charity, that’s cool too. Next on my donation list is NAFCON, the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns.