WHEN WORDS COLLIDE

FILE UNDER BAD NEWS/GOOD NEWS

12/3/2025

FIRST THE LESS GOOD NEWS

Let me tell you something you haven't learnt yet, something you learn only by living awhile.
As you get older, you find that life begins to wear you down.Doesn't matter who you are or what you do, it happens."
― Terry Brooks, The Elf Queen of Shannara

Okay, so... Terry Brooks SWORE up and down and sideways that he would be in Calgary come heck or high water in August 2026… and then he retired. Look, we can’t blame the guy. At 81 years old, he’s been working harder than almost anyone would (Face it, some of us are just counting down the days until we can collect CPP/OAS/GIS). He deserves a break.

However, he knows how excited we all were to meet the writer of the epic fantasy series, Shannara. So he has offered to come and meet us in the virtual realm. Stay tuned for details on a very special online In-Conversation with Terry during the festival.

We love you, Terry.

Hurt leads to bitterness, bitterness to anger. Travel too far that road and the way is lost.”
― Terry Brooks, The Elfstones of Shannara

NOW THE BETTER NEWS

Give me power and also weakness, struggle but also reams of joy. Our lives are made of this fabric--our stories deserve nothing less.”
― Amanda Leduc, Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space

We are excited to tell you that Amanda Leduc has just confirmed she will join us as a Special Guest for 2026.

Long-listed for the 2025 Giller Prize for her novel, Wild Life, Amanda is a writer of magical realism, as well as a notable non-fiction writer and disability rights advocate. Amanda is speaks regularly at festivals, conferences, and events across Canada, the US and Europe on accessibility, inclusion, and disability in storytelling, and contributes regularly to publications across Canada, the US, and the UK.

Read an interview with Amanda.

Amanda Leduc’s dazzling new novel follows two walking, talking hyenas as they interact with humans over decades. Blurring the line between human and animal, these strange messengers reveal what is possible when the cages that contain us are broken."
― Penguin Random House

GUEST AGENT CECILIA (CECE) LYRA

12/1/2025

ABOUT CECILIA LYRA

Wendy Sherman Associates (WSA)

Cecilia “CeCe” Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates representing a range of fiction and nonfiction authors writing for the adult market.

Born and raised bilingual and bicultural in Rio de Janeiro, CeCe is passionate about representing under and misrepresented voices. She is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) and a co-host of the podcast The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, which has over four million downloads. A mixed-race Latina, CeCe is a proud member of Latinx in Publishing. She is also a recovering lawyer but asks that you do not hold that against her.

GUEST AGENT CARLY WATTERS

12/1/2025

ABOUT CARLY WATTERS

PS Literary

Carly Watters began her publishing career in 2009 in London at the Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency. She has a BA in English Literature from Queen’s University, a MA in Publishing Studies from City St. George’s at the University of London, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports program.

She’s been a literary agent for 15 years and represents award-winners and bestsellers in a variety of categories. She is known for her long-term vision for her authors and being an excellent collaborator with a nose for commercial success. She has close ties to publishers in the major markets and works directly with film agents to option film and TV rights to leading networks and production companies. Her clients’ books have been translated into 40 languages, optioned for TV and film, adapted into podcasts, and have been on every bestseller list from coast to coast, including the New York Times, USA Today, the LA Times, the Washington Post, the Toronto Star, and the Globe and Mail.

Carly recently completed two terms as Vice President of the Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents (PACLA) and is also a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA). She’s on the board of the Ottawa International Writers Festival.

Carly is drawn to: emotional, well-paced fiction with a great voice and characters that readers can get invested in, and platform-driven non-fiction.

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News & Views

FILE UNDER BAD NEWS/GOOD NEWS

FIRST THE LESS GOOD NEWS

NOW THE BETTER NEWS

GUEST AGENT CECILIA (CECE) LYRA

ABOUT CECILIA LYRA

Wendy Sherman Associates (WSA)

GUEST AGENT CARLY WATTERS

ABOUT CARLY WATTERS

PS Literary

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