Writing round-up

It’s been a busy couple of months, one of my most productive writing periods for more than a year. The downside is, of course, that while I’m working on other things, I’m not writing this… so here’s what’s been keeping me busy.

By the end of April, I’d somehow managed to have three stories with May 15 deadlines. Maybe everyone out in editing land is colluding or something… Come the day, two out of three were done, and I’d been granted an extension on the third. That took me up to the first week of June, and by working right up to the deadline, that story too got away safely.

In the week since, I’ve heard back about one of the trio. A story tentatively named Dry Run has been picked up for Jennifer Brozek’s anthology Oceans Unleashed. I’m not sure what the publication date is, but in the meantime – to rip off someone else’s gimmick – I can tell you the story features the words “poseur”, “flashmob” and “air-breather”.

While all that has been going on, there’s been some good news on other fronts. Someone Else to Play With (originally published last year in Beauty Has Her Way) has been selected for Ticonderoga’s The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror. It’s a massive honour to be included in the line-up, with so many hugely talented writers, and it’s safe to say I’m chuffed to bits. The book’s due out in the next few weeks, and you can check out the full list of stories selected (plus order a copy, of course) at the Ticonderoga website.

It’s also been convention and awards season over on the east coast. As usual, being stuck in the far distant Western Australia, it wasn’t possible for me to attend any of the events this year. But I’m very pleased to say that Dead Red Heart (which features my story All that Glisters) won the Australian Shadows Award for Best Edited Work. A huge congrats to all involved, especially the editor, Russell Farr, who certainly made my story a hell of a lot better with his attention.

The last couple of weeks has also seen the 2012 Snapshot. A round of interviews with figures in the Australian Spec Fic community, the Snapshot takes place every couple of years and acts as a record of where the industry stands, something to dip into now, and then again in future years to see how the genre publishing world has progressed in the interim.

This year was the first time I’ve been interviewed for the event (and a big thanks to Ian Mond for thinking of me!). You can still read the results on his blog, as well as find links to the dozens of other writers, publishers and editors who contributed. It’s a wide-ranging and fascinating glimpse into the field in which we all love to work.

I think that’s all. If I’ve missed something, I’m sure someone will let me know.

So, back to work then. The next project beckons…