Ink and Riffs: Deep sea horrors and fantastic worlds

Ink and Riffs is a regular review series written by me, Citywide Co-Host Max Bowen, to talk about what I’m reading and listening to and why I think it’s awesome. Feel free to send suggestions to citywidemax@yahoo.com. 

“Into the Drowning Deep” (Audiobook)
The audiobook version of this deep-sea horror, written by Mira Grant, had me hooked (no pun intended), right from the beginning as we’re introduced to a found-footage style recording of an attack by mermaids. Yep, that’s what’s happening here.

The story follows Tory Stewart, a sonar specialist who becomes obsessed with mermaids after her sister's disappearance. Tory's sister Anne worked as a reporter for Imagine Entertainment. While filming a mockumentary about mermaids, the crew of Imagine's ship Atargatis vanished. Tory vows to discover the truth about what happened to her sister, and when a second scientific expedition is commissioned to discover what happened, she joins up without hesitation.

Needless to say, things will not go as planned.

The delivery of the story by Christine Lakin is absolutely perfect. Lakin does the different voices effortlessly and really captures the feelings of the story, whether that’s love, sorrow, or bone-cutting fear—especially that last one. I’ve been turned off by lackluster narrations in the past, and this one had the opposite effect. A solid listen to a truly terrifying tale.

“The Hunger and the Dusk” (comic)
I’ve been a fan of fantasy for years, so when I saw the cover of this IDW title, I had to read it. So before I get into G. Willow Wilson’s awesome story, let’s talk about the amazing artwork by Chris Wildgoose.

The art is so damn good, with every color on the palette, laid out to create beautiful, detailed scenes that always capture the attention. I especially liked the diverse character designs, from the clothes to the creatures to the weapons. You can tell Chris is a fantasy aficionado.

Now, onto the story. In a dying world, only humans and orcs remain—mortal enemies battling for territory and political advantage. But when a group of ancient humanoids known as the Vangol arrive from across the sea, the two struggling civilizations are forced into a fragile alliance to protect what they have built.

The tension is high in this series, as humans and orcs fight not only the Vangol, but each other, as they strive to maintain the uneasy peace. This is shown in the relationship between Callum Battlechild, who leads The Last Men Standing, and orcish healer Tara, who both have to speak for their respective races and make this alliance work—because the fate of all rests in the balance.

I recently finished the first volume of the series, and cannot wait to see what happens next.

“Ben Huchenson” (music)
After hearing singer-songwriter Ben Hucheson’s new single “Almost There,” I decided to check out his self-titled 2022 album. Trust me, this one is worth listening to.

Ben’s got an amazing voice, and delivers a lot of stories over the 12 tracks, from a treasured relationship in “Thinking About You” to “Poison,” an upbeat, high-energy tune that warns of someone to watch out for. “Faith” is a really powerful song and my favorite off the album.

The music is really catchy, an easy-listening folk sound that puts one at ease in some tracks and gets the feet tapping in others. I can easily see Ben on a stage, the audience singing along with each song.

Ben’s been singing for some years now, and described as “wise beyond his years” by Julianne Regan (All About Eve). I think that sums it up perfectly. Ben sings with the voice of a seasoned traveler, but with the energy of someone in the early stages of their journey. The stories in the songs are instantly relatable and delivered in a way that you can’t ignore—and you really shouldn’t, because this is one musician to keep an eye on.

Line Spike Frontenac 2025 announces location for Canada Day weekend lineup

FRONTENAC COUNTY, ONTARIO – This June 28 and 29, 2025, Line Spike Frontenac 2025 will make history as one of the largest pre-Canada Day music events in the nation — a bold and brilliant "Power of Positivity Musical Harvest" set in the breathtaking hills of Frontenac County now officially announced at 3587 Harrowsmith Rd, Harrowsmith, ON. Bringing together musical icons and rising stars, the two-day festival promises an unforgettable celebration of community, inspiration, and unapologetic Canadian pride with legendary artists Burton Cummings, Walk Off The Earth, Chantal Kreviazuk, Alan Frew, Kelsi Mayne, Madison Galloway and just-announced KASADOR, Luscious, and Tom Green.

Created by Get2ThePoint Productions Inc. and producer/promoter Jeremy Campbell who was inspired by a moment of personal reflection on a remote lake in 2020 and the legacy of Expo ’67’s Peter Aykroyd. Line Spike Frontenac is a tribute to Canadian resilience and unity in uncertain times. After overcoming personal health battles and drawing wisdom from past experiences — including working under Michael Lang at Woodstock '99 — Campbell vowed to create an event that uplifts people and economies alike.

Frontenac County, just north of Kingston — Canada’s first capital — is a hidden gem brimming with cottage country charm, granite ridges, pristine lakes, and soul-soothing trails. A perfect weekend escape, it offers a scenic and serene backdrop for music lovers looking to turn this festival into a staycation. Picture this: morning swims in crystal-clear lakes, afternoons exploring quaint artisan shops, and nights under the stars, singing along with Canadian legends.


THE LINEUP: ICONIC, ECLECTIC, AND 100% HOMEGROWN

BURTON CUMMINGS
One of Canada’s most treasured rock icons, Burton Cummings brings his timeless voice and towering legacy to the Line Spike stage. As the lead singer of The Guess Who, Cummings has delivered classics like American Woman, These Eyes, and Share the Land. His solo career boasts chart-toppers such as Stand Tall and My Own Way to Rock, with album sales exceeding 10 million worldwide. Expect a hit-filled, soul-stirring set from a true national treasure.

WALK OFF THE EARTH
The genre-defying pop innovators known for their viral covers and platinum-selling originals (Red Hands, Rule the World) are set to bring their kaleidoscope of sound and spectacle to Frontenac. With over 1 billion YouTube views and JUNO Awards under their belt, WOTE is known for their wild instruments, contagious energy, and a live show that will have festivalgoers dancing from the first chord to the last confetti cannon.

CHANTAL KREVIAZUK
A multi-platinum singer-songwriter and humanitarian, Chantal Kreviazuk is beloved for emotionally rich hits like Surrounded, Before You, and In This Life. Her work as a songwriter spans artists from Drake to Gwen Stefani, and her voice has become a defining sound in Canadian pop. She’ll bring both heartfelt intimacy and powerhouse vocals to the Line Spike main stage.

ALAN FREW (of GLASS TIGER)
Frontman of the iconic 80s band Glass Tiger, Alan Frew is known for Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone) and Someday, both of which dominated global charts and helped sell 5 million records worldwide. With a career spanning decades and a voice that continues to shine, Frew’s set will be a singalong masterclass in Canadian rock history.

TOM GREEN
Comedian Tom Green has released a new country album alongside his Amazon Prime show Tom Green Country. The album includes the show’s theme song, “Home to the Country.” Originally from Ottawa, Green rose to fame with The Tom Green Show on MTV in 1999.

KELSI MAYNE
Country-pop firecracker Kelsi Mayne is a rising force in Canadian music. From her anthem Takin’ U Home to charting in the Top 10 on SiriusXM with As I Go, Mayne is proving she’s more than a triple-threat — she’s a powerhouse. A former medical student and track athlete, her fierce work ethic and genre-blending edge make her one of the most compelling new voices in the country scene.

MADISON GALLOWAY
At just 24, Madison Galloway has already made waves with her blues-infused roots-rock sound. Her EP Open Your Eyes and performances alongside The Glorious Sons and 54-40 have cemented her status as a future headliner. Drawing on folk, rock, and southern twang, she’s an earthy, magnetic presence who brings depth and authenticity to the Line Spike experience.

KASADOR
Kasador’s back with a vengeance. Their gritty new single “Golden” confronts fame, greed, and numbness with their heaviest sound yet. A new double EP drops in 2025. If you want real rock and roll, stay tuned.

LUSCIOUS
Over the years Luscious has established themselves as a staple in the Kingston music scene. Their music is best described as a modern interpretation of Classic Rock. Luscious has a simple mission statement; to keep Rock n' Roll alive in a constantly changing musical landscape.​

But the music is only part of the magic.

Maple Leaf Vendor Village will spotlight Canadian-made goods, with artisans and manufacturers showcasing everything from gourmet maple treats to locally crafted outdoor gear. It’s a nod to Canada’s entrepreneurial spirit and an economic boost for the region.

Set against a backdrop of towering pines, serene lakes, and community warmth, Line Spike Frontenac 2025 invites you to rediscover what it means to be Canadian — proud, passionate, and unified through music.

Early bird tickets now onsale via www.LineSpike.ca. Don't miss your chance to be part of a moment that will be talked about for decades.

Five by Five: Charting your own path to happiness

By Max Bowen 

Deb Miller’s book, “Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness” seeks to challenge the age-old notion that marriage is the surest path to the good life, and hopes that readers will strike out on their own journey.

In this interview, Deb talks about her own life experiences that helped make the book, the theme of fulfillment, and finding real happiness.

How did the theme of fulfillment coming from a marriage come to be part of your book?
That message was everywhere when I was growing up—from my mom, from society and from every pop culture role model I saw. “Leave it to Beaver.” “The Brady Bunch.” Rodgers & Hammerstein’s epic “Cinderella.” I thought all men wanted to be providers like Charles Ingalls or Ward Cleaver. Marriage, I was taught, was the ultimate destination. My memoir exposes how misleading that narrative is—and what it takes to rewrite it.

What parts of your life were included in this book?
Experiences that mattered to the theme made it in. From early childhood memories and first love to career highs, heartbreaks and finding peace in 2020. If it shaped my understanding of love, purpose, or happiness, it’s in the book—sometimes raw, sometimes funny, always real.

What is the ‘traditional princess narrative’ and how does your book address it?
It’s the belief that happiness comes when Prince Charming shows up. That if you're pretty and patient, a man will “rescue” you with marriage, and your life will be complete – you’ll reach the happily ever after. My book challenges that myth head-on. I spent years trying to live that fairy tale. Then, I realized the heroine I was waiting for was me.

How did you find your own real-life happiness?
Did you know that 50% of your happiness is genetically determined, only 10% is affected by life circumstances and situation and the remaining 40% of happiness is within your self-control?* Despite the title of my book, happiness, isn’t found—it’s chosen.

I stopped chasing what society told me I should want and started doing what brings me joy. At first, it was guiding my kids. I’m happy to report that they are all set now, so I can sip tea and work on my book in the morning instead of taking a long commute and working 12-hour days. I love being outdoors with my dog, hiking and landscaping, and hanging out with people I enjoy—especially my grandkids. We have the most interesting conversations.

What do you hope readers take from this book?
The title says it all: “Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness.” I want readers to feel empowered to chart their own path—not the one prescribed by others. When you stop chasing someone else’s version of happiness and start following your own, that’s when the real happy ending begins.

I hope readers realize they don’t need a glass slipper, a castle, or anyone’s approval to build a beautiful life. Ditch the script. Write your own ending. The journey isn’t about finding a prince—it’s about finding ourselves.

*According to research by Harvard graduate and Stanford university PhD, Sonja Lyubomirsky.

Five by Five: Author explores the story of Jo van Gogh

By Max Bowen 

Joan Fernandez’s historical novel, “Saving Vincent” (She Writes Press, April 15) which tells the untold story of the woman who saved Vincent van Gogh’s art after his death, marketing his works and turning his once-failed career into one of art history’s biggest successes.

In this Five by Five, Joan shares how she learned the story of Jo van Gogh, and what inspired her to pen a novel about her, a mixture of fiction and history, and the lengthy research done and what was learned in the process.

Who is Jo van Gogh and how did you discover her?
Jo van Gogh is the famous artist Vincent’s sister-in-law, for she was married to Vincent’s younger brother, Theo, who was an art dealer in Paris. When Jo became Theo’s wife, she knew the brothers’ relationship ran deep, for Theo had nurtured Vincent’s talent for a decade (though he hadn’t been able to sell Vincent’s unconventional paintings). When Vincent died by suicide, Theo was devastated and passed away six months later, leaving Jo and their infant son an inheritance of hundreds of Vincent’s paintings. Motivated to prove the legacy had value, Jo took on advocating for the paintings herself and gradually developed an international market for his art.

I discovered that Jo deserved credit for saving Vincent’s legacy on a visit to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in 2016. At the time, it stunned me that she was not better known. Her story caught my imagination like a fishhook and wouldn’t let go. Eighteen months later I retired from my professional corporate career to become a full-time author to write her story.

Is any portion of the story fictional?
The Van Gogh and Bonger family members, artists and art dealers, exhibitions, names of specific Van Gogh paintings, day-to-day life in a boarding house are grounded in research. I did adjust the timeline slightly to create tension and imagined the dialogue and characters’ motivations. Happily, some of this could be informed by the diary entries and letters I read. If I couldn’t find photos of real people, I drew from imagination to describe physical features.

The one significant fictional element is Jo’s nemesis, a Parisian art dealer named Georges Raulf, who personifies the negative headwind she faced from the art establishment at that time. I have Raulf embody both the political values of an emerging French nationalism as well as the patriarchal bias Jo felt by entering the male-dominated profession of art dealing. In real life, Jo did not have a singular enemy, but I felt it would provide higher drama for her to be opposed by a powerful enemy.

What did the research portion entail?
To get a feel for Jo and Theo’s relationship I read a wonderful cache of 101 letters the two exchanged when they were fiancés. Jo was in her parents’ home in Amsterdam while Theo was working in Paris. In addition to daily life and family news, they share ideas and questions about Vincent, other contemporary artists like Monet and Pissarro, and philosophize about art. Vulnerably, they share hopes and dreams for their future life together too. I have pages of notes!

I took a similar tack to get inside Vincent van Gogh’s thoughts by reading the collection of letters he wrote to Theo and a few others. My husband gave me the six-volume collection of 902 letters as a Christmas gift. Reading 10 letters a day, it took me months. But at the end I learned about Vincent as Jo had—for she “found” him in his letters too—since she only met him three times in person.

Next I turned to secondary research in search of information about Jo’s life. A wonderful source was a biography published by the Van Gogh Museum about Jo. Great, right? Except that this was 2019 and the biography was only available in Dutch—and I don’t know this language. When the pandemic arrived, the museum’s work on the English translation slowed with no estimated time for when it would be finished. In response, I tried gradually Google translating the Dutch biography, but the output was incoherent.

As I was looking for an answer, an author friend recalled that she knew a teacher in the Netherlands who was furloughed. This Dutch teacher agreed to translate pages of the biography into English. As the pages arrived in my inbox each week, I filled in a spreadsheet of names, locations, dates and more until a picture of Jo’s life emerged. A few years later, when the English-language biography was published, I was able to check the facts I’d gleaned.

What initially drew you to Vincent van Gogh?

Curiosity. Vincent has a legendary mystique as a misunderstood genius ignored by an indifferent world. I believe rooting for an underdog like Vincent is universal because I think we believe deep down that we’re misfits too! And for Vincent it’s even more tragic that he died by suicide because he’s so globally beloved today.

I believe I first heard art criticism about his paintings in a Fine Arts 101 class in college In that class I found out that he’d departed from Impressionism, striking out on his own to experiment but also to tackle expressing something “beyond the paint.” He once testily wrote to Theo “when people say [my painting is] done too quickly you can reply they look at them too quickly.” He was a real maverick. When I traveled to Amsterdam in 2016, it was a foregone conclusion that we visit the Van Gogh Museum.

How does Jo handle marketing and promotion in this time period?
She had an intuitive sense of advocacy. Among the first things she did was to give away paintings to influential people. Frederick van Eeden, Theo’s doctor, received a gift on the condition that he loan it back to her if she wanted to include it in an exhibition. When the painting was hung with a note that it came from the “Private Collection of Dr Frederik van Eeden,” it created a little FOMO.

A similar tactic was to print the names of paintings “not for sale” in exhibition catalogues to demonstrate the volume of Vincent’s work. The inaccessibility created a sense of scarcity.

Jo moved from Paris to a small town in Holland and opened up a boarding house, taking Vincent’s artwork with her to store in the attic. From there she wrote letters to art dealers across Holland, persuading them to include Van Gogh’s in their shows. By concentrating on Vincent’s home country, she established a familiar fan base who would be more open to a fellow countryman’s work then the Parisians with its epicenter of thousands of aspiring artists. Once a footprint had been established in Holland, Jo was able to expand to other geographies,

Finally, one of my favorite marketing strategies is how she shared excerpts of Vincent’s letters to the public, along with his sketches in a series that ran in the Parisian art journal, “Le Mercure de France.” Vincent’s letters can be witty, angry, heartbroken, resilient—all demonstrating a vulnerability and desperate yearning to express himself better through art. Jo revealed the person behind the unconventional paintings. The strategy captivated the public’s curiosity.

Play It Loud! Receives 2025 Golden Sheaf Award nomination

The Yorkton Film Festival has announced the first round of nominees for the 2025 Golden Sheaf Awards, with Ultramagnetic Productions’ new documentary Play it Loud! How Toronto Got Soul earning a nomination for Best Arts/Culture Film.

The TVO Original doc reveals the vibrant but largely ignored Toronto Jamaican music scene from the 1960’s to the ‘90’s, through the life and music of the legendary Jay Douglas. The teenaged Douglas moved to Toronto to join his mother in 1963 and was quickly initiated into a thriving, underground Black music scene. As the lead singer of The Cougars, a group that included local legends Jackie Richardson, Jo Jo Bennett and Everton “Pablo” Paul, Douglas broke into the competitive Yonge Street music scene as one of only two bands to play at the storied Le Coq d’Or. The other group was Ronnie Hawkins’ Hawks, precursor to The Band.

Directed by Graeme Mathieson, produced by Andrew Munger with Clement Virgo as EP, Play it Loud! has been enjoying a surprisingly successful theatrical run with sold out screenings in Toronto (re-opening the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Theatre), Vancouver, Hamilton, Waterloo and Whitehorse.

Producer Andrew Munger attributes the success in engaging audiences, especially in the dead of the coldest winter in decades, to the strategy of making every screening an “event” featuring lively post screening conversations with the filmmakers and cast, often concluding with a Bob Marley singalong led by the film’s star Jay Douglas.

To promote the film, Munger used his learnings from producing the music docs Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band and Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry it On. A music documentary, especially one celebrating a great artist or culture, presents many opportunities for cross promotion. He partnered with Exclaim Magazine and Austin’s Light in the Attic Records for record and ticket giveaways, created an in-store event featuring Jay Douglas live at Sonic Boom Records (Toronto’s leading independent record store), and presented Jay live in performance at the Drake Hotel with Lula World Promotions and Jeff Rogers’ Handsome Boy Records. The producers also worked with Jamaican Canadian personality and influencer Danae Peart (CBC Commotion and Vibe105 FM) to engage with Jamaican and Caribbean communities. Play it Loud!’s theatrical release was supported by Ontario Creates and Telefilm Canada’s Marketing and Distribution funds, in concert with domestic distributer White Pine Pictures.

Play it Loud! was developed in collaboration with TVO Docs and further supported by the CMF, Telefilm Canada, Ontario Creates, Rogers Documentary Fund, Slaight Hot Docs Music Fund and federal and provincial tax credits. Play It Loud! is currently streaming on TVO (TVO Docs YouTube channel, TVO.org and Smart TV app) and Knowledge Network.

Five by Five: Debut author kicks off four-book fantasy series

By Max Bowen

Take a walk through the Wythic Woods with Tilly, Jess, and Zach as they journey to find Tilly’s missing cousin, Michael, who disappeared in the woods a year ago. In Vanishings: The Wythic Wood Mystery Series (Sparkpress, May 20), debut author Catharina Steel encourages young readers to step off their phones and step out into the world.

In this interview, Catharina talks about the creation of this new series and what we can expect in future books, as well as how her own life helped inform the story. We also learn about her main characters and the process of bringing them to life.


This book is the beginning of a new series. What can we expect in subsequent books?
There are four books in The Wythic Wood Mysteries Series as follows:

Book Two Working Title: Weredog Curse. Tilly wants to reverse the curse the Witch of Wythic Wood has placed on the weredogs in her territory, so they search for the cure.

Book Three Working Title: Ancient Magic. They search for the elves Clayton eventually tells them about, and the truth about the Witch’s goal is revealed.

Book Four Working Title: Elven Battle. Tilly and friends team up with a group of good elves to battle the Wythic Wood elves at the fortress within this forest.

I read that your own battles with anxiety are incorporated in this book. How so?
Like myself, Jess was being bullied at school, but I allowed her personality to show me how she would be impacted by this. I love being outside because I enjoy exploring, but it felt truer to Jess’s personality that she initially struggles with anxiety in the outdoors.

I draw from my experience with anxiety symptoms, and how spending time outdoors allowed my body and mind to relax. You can see the impact on Jess, while at Opa’s property, with how she becomes enthusiastic about her surroundings as the anxiousness dissipates—at least until they head into Wythic Wood.

How did you develop your main characters?
I allowed Tilly, Jess, and Zach to develop as I wrote the story. Early on, I decided to create a profile of each of them, which I added to during the initial stages of writing and editing. This gave me a snapshot that I could refer to if I felt unsure about their reaction as I edited the story and enabled me to draw out their personalities more each time.

The more time I spent on the story the better I knew them. My experience with this is similar to meeting someone and getting to know them better.

What is the Wythic Wood?
The Wythic Wood is a forest situated on the south side of Opa’s property. It’s a wild place which used to be inhabited by many ancient mythical creatures—before the evil witch made it her home. An elf of old named it by mixing the two words wild and mythical together to create the name Wythic for this ancient homeland of their people.

In this forest lives the witch, weredogs, black bears, ravens, green snakes and a group of elves ruled by Timitus. There are abandoned fairy tree cities, smokestacks, underground tunnels, a spelled cave and the witch’s castle.

How did you create the “Gobight” martial art?
I needed a character skilled in martial arts to train the children, so Mort, a good goblin, became their teacher. But how could children go up against goblins who have greater reach with their long arms and weapons at the ready with their sharp fingernails and toenails? These attributes made it necessary to modify fight stances, strikes, and blocks.

It made sense to come up with a name to describe this new style of martial arts. I replaced the “f” in fight with “gob” from goblin to get the name gobight—a goblin style of martial arts.