April 2023 - It's starting to feel like spring

Jeannette Bedard

Apr 1, 2023

Hi Everyone,

It’s starting to feel like spring in my neck of the woods—soon, I’ll be spending a ton of time prepping my garden. In case I haven’t mentioned before, I grow as much of my own food as I can on my urban lot. By my best calculations, we get about one month’s worth of calories for my three-person household.

One of my favourite thought exercises is planning my garden beds—it’s like tetris with plants (and tetris is my all-time favourite video game).

Recently, I stumbled upon Dinner on Mars: The Technologies That Will Feed the Red Planet and Transform Agriculture on Earth by Lenore Newman and Evan D. G. Fraser in a local bookshop, I couldn’t resist. It played perfectly into my favourite thought exercise with a scifi twist.

The authors proposed an interesting diet. They concluded there wouldn’t be much in the way of grains as they take up too much space to grow—but there would be plenty of fruits, vegetables and fungi. And of course potatoes. Oil crops would be limited, which I suppose, would be better for the martians.

They also proposed vat grown meat and dairy-like products (because cows won’t like the trip). But, there could be fish. They didn’t mention it, but I also see no reason why there couldn’t be chickens and ducks.

I think I could live on this kind of diet (and would prefer vat grown meat over insects). How about you?

Writing News

Hope is the Thing With Feathers is now out in the world—and the response has been overwhelmingly positive (it’s still on sale, so don’t wait to get your copy). A physical version will be available shortly. And… I’ve already started plotting a follow-up novel with the same characters, I can’t wait to write it.

The Alien Algorithm is now available in paperback form. And Subject 34, the final instalment in the Encoded Orbits trilogy is due to the editor at the end of the month. For some reason, this book has been a difficult one to write, but I can honestly say that I’m really happy with it. I’ll set a release date once I hear back from the editor.

As I’m planning my next author steps, I’m curious what you would be interested in.

Are you interested in audio? (at this point it would be AI narrated)
Are you interested in large print physical books?
how about a kickstarter for special editions?
more books in the Settler Chronicles world?
anything else?

Inputs

I just started The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin and I’m already finding it incredibly inspiring. I’ll probably write a full review when I’m done.
I finished The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart and it was fantastic novel. It’s a murder mystery of sorts set in a hotel next to a time travel station. Hijinks occur. Now I’m pondering writing my own time travel novel.
I’m currently rewatching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in anticipation of the next season which is coming in June.

What have you been enjoying lately?

Cheers,

Jeannette

If you are looking for some new reading material, here’s a great sale highlighting female scifi authors (myself included)

My Books:

Hope is the Thing With Feathers - direct or from the shops

Encoded Orbits

Fractured Orbits - direct or from the shops
The Alien Algorithm - direct or from the shops

Settler Chronicles

Lunar Escape - here or here
Day 115 on an Alien World - direct or from the shops
Far Side of the Moon - direct or from the shops
Abandoned Ships, Hijacked Minds - direct or from the shops
The Alien Artifact - direct or from the shops

And if you aren’t already a subscriber, what’s stopping you (especially if you have read this far)?