49 Degrees: Canadian Pagan Perspectives

Canadian Paganism has a style all its own. Have a look at events, issues, celebrations, people, trends and events north of the border from the eyes of a Canadian Wiccan and Witch.

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"Riders of the Rainbow Ridge" Rides Again!

I don't feel right talking about things in this blog that aren't, at least vaguely, Pagan-related. So you haven't heard much yet about my editorial debut, an anthology of fantasy westerns called Gunsmoke & Dragonfire. But I'm very excited to announce that Diana Paxson will be contributing a story!

Diana is known in our community as a leader in Norse Paganism and Goddess Spirituality. She is known outside of our community as the New York Times bestselling author of the Chronicles of Westria, and the co-author of The Mists of Avalon series. As if she weren't cool enough, she's also one of the founders of the Society for Creative Anachronism.

It happened like this: I've been gradually tagging all my Facebook friends in the post I did about the Kickstarter. I don't know Diana well, but we are acquainted. I connected with a bunch of Pagan writers when I was still hosting the Pagan Pathfinders Podcast; and I took her excellent course on Saxon runes. Still have the set I made, in fact! So we've been Facebook friends ever since. She saw the post, and asked, "Are you still accepting stories? I would be interested."

Well, I wasn't, but I was certainly willing to make an exception! She has a wonderful story that is a Western featuring the Norse gods, and it's been sitting on ice since 1997.  I'm proud to be helping to introduce it to a new audience!

So thank you to Diana Paxson for throwing in your hat on what started as just a little indie publishing project. I can't wait to share your story with the world!

Diana's story is not the only one with Pagan elements. There are witches (for both bane and boon,) spellslingers, a Norseman who gets supernatural aid from the Apache, and my story features a fictional religion that is a syncretic blend of Wicca and Evangelical Christianity, with some First Nations' influence thrown in. (I know, I know. But I think it actually works!)

Fantasy fiction and Paganism have been linked for a long time. I've talked about it a few different times, and in a few different ways, on this blog before.

I hope you'll consider having a look. Release date is March 15 (special February pre-order price in effect,) and the Kickstarter ends in eight days. We've got a great reward available for the last few days: handbound copies of Gunsmoke & Dragonfire! Here's how Claire Ryan, who is also an author in the book and our typesetter and cover designer, gets it done. (Disclaimer: our book will be a lot thicker.)

I welcome reviewers to contact me for ARCs (Advanced Review Copies.) If you want a sample of what to expect, check out Storycast Rob's podcast of one of or stories, "Lonesome" by Carrie Gessner, here!

I'm releasing a new book trailer every Friday until release date. You can watch the list so far here.

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Sable Aradia (Diane Morrison) has been a traditional witch most of her life, and she is a licensed Wiccan minister and a Third Degree initiate in the Star Sapphire and Pagans for Peace traditions. Author of "The Witch's Eight Paths of Power" (Red Wheel/Weiser 2014) and contributor to "Pagan Consent Culture" and "The Pagan Leadership Anthology," she also writes "Between the Shadows" at Patheos' Pagan channel and contributes to Gods & Radicals. Sable is just breaking out as a speculative fiction writer under her legal name, and a new serial, the Wyrd West Chronicles, will be released on the Spring Equinox this year. Like most writers, she does a lot of other things to help pay the bills, including music, Etsy crafts, and working part time at a bookstore. She lives in Vernon, BC, Canada with her two life partners and her furbabies in a cabin on the edge of the woods.

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