Author and Editor of Dark Fantasy & Horror
One of the stories I’m best known for is a piece called “Ian”. The story was originally published back in 2005 by Ticonderoga Online and went on to be nominated for a Tin Duck (a runner-up, apparently, which surprised me). The main reason it’s a well known story is that it is listed under the […]
I’ve written a 4-page comic book script (based on my short story “Spin the Witch Bottle”), and if an interested illustrator would like to draw the art (to a professionally accepted standard!), the story is likely to be published in a new Australian horror graphic novel/anthology. It’s a 4-the-love project (i.e. the publisher isn’t paying […]
In case anyone missed the plethora of announcements, media releases, and emails today, the finalists have been announced for the 2009 Australian Shadows Awards! Congratulations to all the nominees. As the Director, I’d like to acknowledge and thank the Herculean efforts of judges Craig Bezant, Stephanie Gunn, and Chuck McKenzie in coming up with the […]
So in the good news column, publishing-wise, I had a good year in 2009. It’s probably a little late for an end-of-year summary, but what the hell, I kinda missed the boat. Besides, reminding myself of past successes will likely spur me on. The tally is decent: Books Shards (collection) Shards: Damned and Burning (chapbook) […]
I’m writing this as I sit in the garden near Sahma’s grave. The colours are impossibly bright: the endless blue of a mid-summer sky, the varying shades of green of the fiddlewood trees and the grass bursting into life on the lawn, and even the sand and terracotta of the shade sails over the pool, […]
And knowing is half the battle! Here are more very important messages from our benevolent friends, the Autobots: 1. Don’t Steal Carshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckx2Cli0APA 2. Don’t Run Away From Homehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ_Bl4l8q0o 3. Don’t Jump To Conclusions About Peoplehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE5s0tG6Bwc 4. Don’t Bike At Night Without Your Reflectorshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xu-zbuE7kw 5. Don’t Boat Without A Life Jackethttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGo83DGspMA
Who are the Australian SF/F/Horror writers we should be reading right now – and why? (Not just the folks with the established reps, but writers who have produced compelling work in the last 12 months, present company – and your own self – excluded)
Just a random note: I know that this blog is often a sterile space, largely devoted to my writing and opinions on publishing. This is intentional, and I’m well aware that it can sometimes make me look: 1. cold/distant; 2. obsessed on minor issues; 3. a prat; or 4. uninteresting. There are much bigger and […]
I know it’s a belated sentiment, but my heart goes out to the victims and their families of the Victorian bushfires. Several of my family members have served in the NSW Rural Fire Service, most notably my Uncle Bill, who lost his life – along with all four others in his crew – fighting a […]
Something has been on my mind for quite some time. I know writers have fragile egos and all, and they claim credit where they can – publication, reprints, award nominations. It’s all part of our currency of reputation. But I’m mystified by the value many writers place on Honourable Mentions in Year’s Best anthologies. Don’t […]
There are very VERY good reasons that I do not respond to emails quickly – lack of time being foremost – and I sincerely apologise to anyone who has been waiting to hear back from me (or Angela, for that matter). I try to respond as quickly as I can, but the following activities tend […]