Sunday, May 31, 2009

Pointers Mean Prizes

Just a quickie ... There's a competition now open to promote pre-orders for Grants Pass, and entering is simplicity itself.

All you have to do is post details of the GP pre-order link on your own blog or LJ account and link your post to the original contest entry (http://jennifer-brozek.livejournal.com/50584.html)

The magic address you'll need to big-up is http://www.morriganbooks.com/?page_id=172 and if you want to paste on the trailer or any of the early reviews (you'll find them all at the LJ address above), so much the better.

The randomly selected winner will receive a Grants Pass prize pack, including a letter from the book's catalyst, Kayley Allard, and memorabilia from the actual Grants Pass.

Can't say fairer than that!

Friday, May 29, 2009

Grants Pass Trailer Online

I've been Internet-challenged for the last couple of days. With my wireless connection turning up its toes, it's been a question of hunching down in a cold corridor with a laptop plugged into the wall if I've wanted to go online ... not greatly appealing.

After 48 hours of being given the run-around by tech-support, my wife bumped into the modem while carrying a basket of washing. The aerial fell off. Turns out it was loose, which is why the wireless wasn't connecting. Tighten it up and everything's back to normal. What a colossal waste of two days.

Anyway, while I've been faffing around with that, the chaps at Morrigan have continued to busily promote Grants Pass. Here's the newly released trailer for the anthology:




If they keep this up you should be foaming at the mouth for a copy by the time August rolls around.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Initial Pass

It's a couple of months until Grants Pass comes out, but already there's a review of the anthology online. Horrorscope has the distinction of being the first cab off the rank, and I'm pleased to say that the reviewer loved it. Go and have a look!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Info Dumping

As you might have guessed, I've been a bit busy.

Unfortunately not all of the things that have drained away my time over the last month have been particularly exciting. Topping the "Bleeding from the Eyeballs" charts is my tax return, involving the usual agonising trawl through receipts and bills that would undoubtedly be easier if I actually organised them as I went along instead of relying on my haphazard piling system ... harumph.

But let's stick with the interesting stuff. As I might have mentioned, I'm now a member of a story critiquing consortium for the Australian Horror Writers Association, offering my (sometimes shonky) advice to fellow writers in return for their feedback on mine. It beats working in a vacuum, which is an ever-present peril for writers, and has had the additional benefit of imposing deadlines on my unsolicited work. Knowing I can only submit to the group once a fortnight has spurred me to have something ready for the start of each submission period, and that's done wonders for my productivity. Hooray!

(I say that, but of course this last fortnight has been so filled with Other Concerns I missed my own deadline ... )

A belated thanks is also due to AHWA member Amanda Spedding, who provided me with exactly the information I needed about decomposition in human corpses within moments of my mentioning it. It's a worry that she had it to hand like that, but in recognition of her help I've not alerted the authorities ...

Meanwhile I've been chipping away at a couple of pitches for publishers, one that's involved hitting the books for research and another that's involved ... well, sitting about and waiting for the right idea to bubble to the surface. Reckon I've cracked both now, so it's all about finding the time to sit down and actually write the things.

The promotional machine has now ground into action for August's release of the Grants Pass anthology. Morrigan Books' electronic arm, Three Crow Press, has released a couple of teaser tales to give you all a taste of what to expect from the post-apocalyptic anthology. Just click on the links to read Snake Oil by David Priebe and Warlord of Rhode Island by Rick Silva.

(Incidentally, Amanda Pillar has been nominated for a Ditmar Award for her work as co-editor on Grants and Voices - congrats to her, and don't forget to sling her a vote if you're one of the few people eligible to do so!)

And lastly Big Finish's Short Trips range is now on sale pending the wrapping up and deletion of the series. You can now grab my stories in The History of Christmas and Transmissions for around AU$19 - cracking value for hardback books when you consider what a paperback costs these days. Again, click on the links and then spend freely.