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Jonathan Ball, PhD

Creative Evil Overlord, STRANGER FICTION INC.

Author of stranger fiction. Advocate of writing the wrong way. Poet laureate of Hell.

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Featured Post

We're making a movie...

Hello from Jonathan Ball The Princess and the Dragon Hello, Reader! We're making a movie! Last year, GMB Chomichuk and I sold the film rights to our story "The Princess and the Dragon" to an intrepid crew of filmmakers and began a journey to make a movie! This week, we go into production. Wish us luck! I will have more to report when I have more to report. Suffice it to say, things have been hectic and busy lately, since this is not the only thing going on. Exciting times! 2024 promises to be...

3 months ago • 1 min read

Hello from Jonathan Ball We hit McNally's bestseller list! Hello, Reader! Stranger Fiction has TWO books on McNally's bestseller list this week! Of course, this is thanks to all of YOU! It's not uncommon to hit McNally's list if you have a well-attended launch. However, I still wasn't expecting us to hit it due to how we were launching two books. I thought people would buy one of the two and split the sales and dilute them in that way. But those of you who showed up really showed your...

5 months ago • 1 min read

Hello from Jonathan Ball Back in the Saddle of Evil Hello, Reader! I'm back in the saddle of evil. I keep saying this, hoping it will catch on. This time it's me, Jonathan, back after Lyndon's hijacking of the newsletter. Although maybe I shouldn't be! Lyndon's been doing a better job than me lately... A few things I wanted to tell you. First of all: Me, Myself, and Stranger Fiction will be at the Fireside Book Market TOMORROW (December 3). All the info is on this handy poster created by...

5 months ago • 1 min read

Hello from Jonathan Ball Strange Ink #6 Hello, Reader! Please join me at McNally Robinson on Nov. 29 at 7 pm for a double book launch! If you won't be in Winnipeg, or can't make it out that night, you can watch the simultaneous YouTube stream here. Bookmark it now! Although Stranger Fiction (and its precursor company, Martian Embassy Media) has published other books (most notably, GMB Chomichuk's Moon Patrol comic), this is our first substantial foray into prose fiction. I know what you're...

6 months ago • 1 min read

Hello from Jonathan Ball Strange Ink #5 Hello, Reader! Today's my birthday, and I have a birthday wish. This has been a hectic and busy year, although in many ways it has been a great year. I've taken on a lot of projects, and Stranger Fiction has made major strides as a publisher. Please support me and my company by ordering something from the Stranger Fiction store, as a birthday present to me... and as my present to you, you can have $20 off. In some cases, this will cover your shipping....

6 months ago • 1 min read

Hello from Jonathan Ball Strange Ink #4 Hello, Reader! We just published 2 new books! This is the first stage of a larger project that I'm embarking on with friends GMB Chomichuk, James Gillespie, and Chadwick Ginther, called SHARED WORLD. In essence, we have co-created a shared world where we can set sword and sorcery stories with a horror twist. Think Conan the Barbarian meets H.P. Lovecraft. We're putting out an anthology called Shared World that contains 6 stories (2 from each of us) and...

6 months ago • 2 min read

Hello from Jonathan Ball Strange Ink #3 Hello, Reader! What are you reading? The next book I am going to read is WHAT DRAWS US NEAR, an anthology edited by my friends Keith Cadieux and Adam Petrash, and published by Little Ghosts. I'll buy my copy at the McNally Robinson launch tonight. Will I see you there? If you're not in Winnipeg, you can still check out the stream. All the event info is here. The book features a great lineup of authors, including my fave Giller-Prize-winning author...

7 months ago • 1 min read

Hello from Jonathan Ball Strange Ink #2 Hello, Reader! How are you doing? Myself, I've been busy. So much has been happening of late that it has been overwhelming. Even though I have help from a small and great team, I have too many things going on. That doesn't make me special. I'm sure you feel the same. Let me know! This looks fancy lately, but it's still my personal, private email, and you can just reply to it and tell me how you're doing. Tell other people about Strange Ink! It's the...

9 months ago • 3 min read

Hello from Jonathan Ball Strange Ink #1 Hello, Reader! Welcome to Strange Ink. I revived my dormant newsletter as something a bit more timeless: a regular publication I am calling Strange Ink (because my company is Stranger Fiction Inc.) ... ... but it's still me, Jonathan Ball (and this is still my personal, private email, so just reply to get in touch). Strange Ink is a regular column featuring original fiction and poetry, writing tips, and thoughts on making a career as a creative person....

9 months ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, If you're LIVE in Hamilton, Ontario, you may see me at LIT LIVE! But I won't see you... They've been promoting my reading, but it's a little misleading on the poster. Where you see it say "in person," what they mean in my case is they will be playing a video I recorded. I'm still in Winnipeg. But I recorded the video in person! Anyway, I wish I could make it, because it looks like a great event. Please attend if you can! "In Person" ... LOL, as the kids say In other news......

11 months ago • 1 min read
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