Tag Archives: meredith lyons

Magical Spaceships and Female Agency: author talk with Meredith Lyons

March 2026

Welcome to March’s newsletter! If you showed up by accident but want to receive monthly content, please subscribe below:

In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:

  • How to Make a Dragon
  • Slowburn’s hottest location
  • Podcast: Author Nook with Meredith Lyons
  • Captain’s Log: Snowy Wonderland
  • Review Corner

How to Make a Dragon

This month I had the absolute pleasure of presenting a writing workshop at the Banff Public Library to an incredible group of 6-12 year olds focused on how to write a dragon. We had so much fun, and I was honestly blown away with the imagination of these authors-in-training!

If you would like a copy of the dragon-creation workbook I created for this workshop, here you go! All I ask is that if you end up using it, jump over to my contact page and let me know how it goes (pictures are especially appreciated).

Dragon Creation WorkbookDownload

If you would like me to run a workshop at your local school or library, please jump over to my Contact page and send me a message – make sure you include your email address!

Slowburn’s Hot Location

Slow Burn Books moved to a hot new location – and bigger really is better!

Visiting bookstores and seeing your baby in the wild is always an absolute treat, and last weekend I was finally able to visit my girls at the new-and-improved Slow Burn Books!

It is such a pretty bookstore full of staff who are truly passionate about passion (and other forms of love stories!). If you’re in Calgary, AB – take the time to check out this amazing indie bookstore.

Author Nook

Welcome to my Author Nook, a monthly podcast I created where I chat with authors about their upcoming releases and we nerd out over their literary brain children. Find it on Spotify here, and Youtube here.

As you know, I release episodes once a month with no set date so the best way to stay in the loop is to follow and subscribe on either Youtube or Spotify. Also, if you want to read ahead, next month we’re chatting about The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

April

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
– literary chat with poet and playwright, Ash Caton

This month I got to sit down again with the wonderful Meredith Lyons to chat about her novel A Dagger of Lightning before the sequel, A Horn of Onyx comes out. We chat about how to write magic in space, how to create a whole new world, the importance of reclaiming female agency, and that no matter how bad things get, we can always do the next right thing.

If you’d like to check out my first chat with her and Helen Power: Meddling Phantoms and Not-so-friendly Ghosts, you can find that here.

More from Meredith Lyons
Website
Newsletter
Instagram

Captain’s Log

Snow-wonderland

A weekend spent in a snowed-in-lakeside cabin was just what the doctor ordered to make me like this white stuff again. What a dream it was, and so quiet out in the woods. The snow lays a blanket over the world and all the busy dizzy chitter chatter stops. Just a delight. Plus, we had a log fire in our room which made it especially cozy in the evenings.

Review Corner

Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens, Queen’s Catacombs , and Queendom Come out there. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be eternally grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who have left a star rating or review!

x live magically

featured image: https://wolvesandwizards.bandcamp.com/track/space-unicorn

Clinging to Spooky Season

November 2023

You may be of the mind to let the sleigh bells and Mariah Carey’s whistle notes ring out as soon as November 1st rolls over, or you may not. I pass no judgement either way, but I will say the theme of this month’s newsletter is ghosties and phantoms as we cling to the last dregs of the spooky season.

In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:

  • Mastering the Power Within booth chat
  • Book Nook- author talk with Meredith Lyons and Helen Power
  • Captain’s Log: Eating the Big Apple
  • Website Feature: Top 3 Reads of 2023
  • Review Corner

Consider this panel moderated!

I had so much fun moderating the CamCat panel: Master the Power Within at this year’s School Library Journal’s Day of Dialogue! Check out the panel below/ I chat magic systems and how to break them with H. J. Reynolds (Without a Shadow), Morgan Shamy (The Stricken), and Brielle D. Porter (Jester).

Book Nook

I see dead people: Meddling phantoms and not-always-friendly ghosts, an author talk with Meredith Lyons and Helen Power

Leave the light on and snuggle under your blankets because today’s chat is going to get a wee bit spooky.

I’m joined today by Helen Power, author of Phantom; and Meredith Lyons, author of Ghost Tamer and we’re talking all things supernatural whether it’s a phantom limb that shows its previous owner the nefarious deeds of the new owner, or a woman who suddenly discovers she can see the dead. Want a copy to take home?

They’re available where all books are sold, or check out CamCatBooks publishing http://www.camcatbooks.com and get 25% off until November 27th 2023.

Captain’s Log

Eating the Big Apple

I feel like I have unlocked an adulting achievement: driving during rush hour in New York City. What a rush. What a lawless land it is. And yet, what was most wild, was that there was a method to the madness, laws within the lawless. It was every woman for herself, yet without any of the malicious sting that I was expecting. If you hesitated, you were left behind. If you let someone in, five more would flood through your lowered defenses.

Also, it was very cool driving through neighbourhoods and thinking, “Hey, this is where Spiderman lives,” or “Oh, this is where that scene from Hitch was.”

It was wild. I feel like I have completed my hero’s journey and can now return home armed with the lessons I learned.

Also, I went apple picking in Hudson.

It turns out I did, in fact, like them apples.

Winter Came

It happens every year, but somehow this still comes as a shock. I’m determined to love the white stuff though, and there is a majesty in the way it cloaks the valley.

Top 3 Reads of 2023

Shepherd.com was kind enough to ask my opinion of my favourite books I read this year – a harder task than I thought it would be but I managed to whittle it down to three.

Click here to read the full article.

And if you’d like to watch the podcast episode with Elijah Menchaca we did about They Split the Party, check it out here.

Review Corner

Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens and Queen’s Catacombs out there. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be eternally grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who have left a star rating or review!

x live magically

feature image from here