tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308590572024-03-07T15:27:06.536+08:00Tyranny of the Blank PageThings to keep me writing when I'm not writing other thingsPete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.comBlogger371125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-91563373256381496522013-04-12T12:38:00.003+08:002013-04-12T12:38:47.873+08:00Back in time<!--StartFragment-->
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">So a sizeable dose of Real Life – notably an
extended trip to the UK, followed by even more deadline pressure </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">than usual in the Day Job – has taken me off the board recently. Apologies for it being so quiet…</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">But if I’ve not been writing here, I’ve
been writing elsewhere. I’m in the middle of something unusual for the
Australian Horror Writers Association (more on that nearer completion), and earlier
this week I finished off a project I’ve been chipping away at since just before
Christmas – a new </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Doctor Who</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> short
story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">It’s for </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Myth Makers</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, the fiction anthology of the Doctor Who Information
Network, and the first magazine ever to publish one of my short stories. In
fact, it’s safe to say that being picked up for </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Myth Makers</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> kickstarted my writing in more ways than one. Not only
did it get me “off the mark”, it also led directly to my being noticed and
commissioned by Big Finish for their </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Doctor
Who</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> and </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Bernice Summerfield</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">
ranges.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">So when editors Matt Grady and Andrew
Kearley got in touch to ask if I’d pitch for their upcoming issue – celebrating
the show’s 50</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> anniversary – I started to come up with some ideas.
But not having written straight sci-fi in five years, the switch from horror
back to the genre in which I started wasn’t an easy one. Cue a number of
rewrites to make my story “less dark”… </span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Slot that trip to the UK into the middle of
the process, and this was a story that took a long time to write, but one that I
hope has turned out well for its extended gestation. It’s called </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The Observer Effect</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, and will be
appearing in </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Myth Makers Presents: Golden
Years</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, scheduled for release a little later this year. It also allows me to
tick the Sixth Doctor off my list of “Time Lords I’ve Written For” (following Docs
Two, Three, Five and Seven). In case anyone else is counting…</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">You can find out more about </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Myth Makers</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> at the</span> </span><a href="http://www.dwin.org/home/mythmakers"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">DWIN website</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">,
where you can also pick up back issues of the magazine.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-85970442016434954382012-12-14T15:29:00.005+08:002012-12-14T15:33:42.644+08:00Dead, on time<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">I work better when there’s a deadline. If
I’m allowed to bimble my way through a project and just get it in
whenever, it’s a surefire way for me to spend all day slobbing in front of the
xBox with a coffee drip in my arm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">So yes, I like deadlines. There. I said it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Unless they’re day-job deadlines. Twelve
weeks of them, one after another after another, without let up, a sequence of circumstances
combining to create the Perfect Shitstorm. So for the last couple of months
I’ve written precisely nothing – the last thing I’ve wanted to do with my spare
time has been stare at a computer screen. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">That’s not to say I’ve not been ‘writing’
on some level. Little ideas have been jotted into notebooks, and plots have
been simmering at the back of my head, but it’s only now, with Christmas
approaching a</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">nd the pressure lessening, that I’ve been able to actually sit
down and write.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Yesterday broke the drought properly – a
full story outline from start to finish in the space of a lunchtime. It’s out
now with the editors, pending approval (or not), and doesn’t it feel </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">good</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">…</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1kGmJT0bFXuVn_RdQdc1h7mNtm_gdxZrhon_h5k8G_llqptzcryC1guFdvkB2VTVUfBAgpRwcq_nJEUi0gkw3BQxQBl4usB_i8U6XQk5xE_B-HFK0oDb6HZa8z3QPeRxF1xAgQ/s1600/Bloodstones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1kGmJT0bFXuVn_RdQdc1h7mNtm_gdxZrhon_h5k8G_llqptzcryC1guFdvkB2VTVUfBAgpRwcq_nJEUi0gkw3BQxQBl4usB_i8U6XQk5xE_B-HFK0oDb6HZa8z3QPeRxF1xAgQ/s1600/Bloodstones.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">In other news, I’ve had a couple of stories
released since I last posted here.</span> </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bloodstones-Pete-Kempshall/dp/1921857269/ref=sr_1_54?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355469403&sr=1-54&keywords=%22ticonderoga+publications%22"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Bloodstones</span></a></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">(edited by Amanda Pillar for Ticonderoga Publications), which features my story
</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Dead Inside</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, hit shelves last month,
at almost exactly the same time as the latest volume of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Years-Best-Australian-Fantasy-Horror-2011-Liz-Grzyb/9781921857140"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror</span></a></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">. That’s also from
Ticonderoga, and includes a tale of mine from 2011, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Someone Else to Play With</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Up in the Northern Hemisphere, meanwhile,
Graveside Tales released the third volume of its </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Beast Within</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> series,</span> </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beast-Within-3-Oceans-Unleashed/dp/0983314195/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354709945&sr=1-6&keywords=beast+within+3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Oceans Unleashed</span></a></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, at the start of December. Edited by Jennifer Brozek, it’s a
collection of stories blending lycanthropy and marine life, and features </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Dry Run</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, a tale I wrote about thwarted
love and shark attacks.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">And that’s it for my pre-Christmas output –
but as one last thing, I would just like to throw out a big hooray to</span> </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Collider-Shared-World-Richard-Salter/dp/1938644026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355469887&sr=1-1&keywords=worlds+collider"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">World’s Collider</span></a></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"> which made number two
on Amazon’s list of sci-fi books a couple of weeks back. It’s a great
collection, and a real labour of love for editor Richard Salter – you’d do well
to check it out, if you haven’t already.</span></span></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-20256315075699111022012-10-10T09:45:00.001+08:002012-10-10T09:45:15.484+08:00Bloodstones interviews<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The end of the month sees the release of Ticonderoga Publications' latest anthology, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Bloodstones</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">. It's a collection of urban horror tales with a mythological spin, one of which - </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Dead Inside</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> - was written by yours truly.</span><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Another of the contributors to the book, Erin Underwood, took the time to interview the collection's editor, Amanda Pillar, as well as posing some questions to the authors. So for an idea of what the book holds, plus a glimpse into the individual fears of the writers, pop along to</span> <a href="http://underwordspress.com/2012/10/09/bloodstones-interview/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Erin's blog</span></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">and have a quick read.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">(</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Bloodstones</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> is released at the end of October, and can be ordered</span> <a href="http://www.indiebooksonline.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=10&products_id=137"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">from Ticonderoga directly</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, as well as being available from Amazon and The Book Depository).</span></div>
Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-62016686570215559162012-09-13T12:13:00.000+08:002012-09-13T12:13:33.211+08:00Free books!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">You like free stuff, don't you? Of course you do! So you'll be very pleased to hear that this weekend, Nightscape Books has decided to make three books available for Kindle download absolutely gratis.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">That means you can pick up a copy of the mammoth</span> </span><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Collider-Shared-World-Anthology-ebook/dp/B008J9X2P4/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;">World's Collider</span></span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> (featuring my story </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Closure</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">), as well as Trent Zelazny's</span> </span><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Potion-ebook/dp/B008GG1WU2/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;">Butterfly Potion</span></span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">and</span> </span><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Requiem-Dead-Flies-Supernatural-ebook/dp/B008E6QX3U/ref=tmm_kin_title_0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;">A Requiem for Dead Flies</span></span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">by Peter N Dudar... and it'll cost you nothing. I did mention that bit, didn't I?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">The offer doesn't come into effect until the weekend, but in the meantime you can nip along to Amazon and check out the write-ups and reviews for all three books. Whet your appetite...</span></span></div>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-36415535183434395362012-09-08T11:54:00.000+08:002012-09-08T11:55:20.566+08:00Last-minute reminder<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Well that's rolled around quickly: tomorrow's the Spec Fic Writers mini-con at Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre in Greenmount, where a host of WA writers, editors and publishers will be getting together for talks, panels, signings and the like.<br /><br />I'll be taking part in a panel at 1pm, focusing on critique groups and crowd-sourced editing, but the day's programme kicks off at ten with the first talk about breaking the rules of writing. You can find full details of all the events at the</span> <span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="color:#33ffff;"><a href="http://kspminicon.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/normal-0-false-false-false-en-au-x-none.html">KSP blog</a></span>.<br /><br />Hope to see a few of you there - it promises to be a great day!</span></span><br />Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-80666327569968261792012-08-11T10:37:00.000+08:002012-08-11T10:38:07.962+08:00September Mini Con<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Every two years, the Katherine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre in Greenmount, just outside Perth, holds a Mini Con for readers and writers of speculative fiction, and I'm excited to say that this year I'll be one of the writers attending.<br /><br />There'll be panels (I've volunteered for one, but haven't had it confirmed yet), a book launch and copies of author works for sale, all packed into the one day, Sunday 9 September, and all for less than $20.<br /><br />As soon as a timetable of the day's events is available I'll post it here, but in the meantime you can keep up to speed about the con and attendees at the</span> <span style="color:#33ffff;"><a href="http://kspminicon.blogspot.com.au/">Mini Con blog</a></span><span style="color:#ffffff;">.</span></span>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-78327936953429057922012-07-10T09:22:00.002+08:002012-07-10T09:22:19.213+08:00World's Collider - out now!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZh_xVTSTpBDAxCVEX6uvd5R1bp0fCCnAs97YP-D0KrEj0E5JKNwMvg4zud8xxHY0Kv_T2_30vg_yWOmN4mX5zbIZQGadCl1ObxAIpunlnRqHvOxwC2A4wdHUVKeCONFGuK1T4Cg/s1600/541559_10151081383260446_109750716_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZh_xVTSTpBDAxCVEX6uvd5R1bp0fCCnAs97YP-D0KrEj0E5JKNwMvg4zud8xxHY0Kv_T2_30vg_yWOmN4mX5zbIZQGadCl1ObxAIpunlnRqHvOxwC2A4wdHUVKeCONFGuK1T4Cg/s320/541559_10151081383260446_109750716_n.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">I'm very pleased to announce that </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">World's Collider</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> is now available to buy in ebook and dead-tree formats. It's a 'mosaic novel' - that's to say several short stories that fit together to form a single narrative - and at a monster 468 pages it's been a mammoth undertaking for the editor, Richard Salter. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The book features stories by James Moran, Trent Zelazny, Steven Savile, and many more besides (yes, that includes me) and can be picked up from the</span> </span><a href="http://www.nightscapepress.com/worldscollider/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Nightscape Press website</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, with links up in the next 24 hours for Amazon and the like. But why wait? Kindle edition is only $2.99 and you can have it right now. Yes, now!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">And while you're waiting for the download, you can read Richard Salter's list of</span> </span><a href="http://www.richardsalter.com/2012/07/worlds-collider-news/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">strange facts about the book</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, or the</span> </span><a href="http://www.richardsalter.com/worlds-collider/the-worlds-collider-writer-roundtable-interview/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">round-table interview</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">he conducted last week with the majority of the writers. </span></span>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-8373438662241390882012-07-03T13:33:00.002+08:002012-07-03T13:33:12.494+08:00Bloodstones story sale<!--StartFragment-->
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The table of contents for Ticonderoga’s
latest anthology, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Bloodstones</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, has just been announced, which means I can now
reveal that my story </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Dead Inside</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> has been selected for publication. It’s one of
17 tales of dark urban fantasy, each featuring a monster or mythological
creature in a pivotal role. I’m not going to reveal which creature I chose for
my story – not just yet – but in the tradition of obscure tasters, the story
features the words ‘intinerant’, ‘malodorous’ and ‘demonic’.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The collection is edited by Amanda Pillar,
with whom I was lucky enough to work on </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Scenes From the Second Storey</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, and is
jam-packed with the kind of talent that makes one genuinely excited to be
involved. I’ll post updates on release times and availability when I have them –
in the meanwhile, you can see the</span> <a href="http://ticonderogapublications.com/index.php/our-books/our-books/142-bloodstones/266-bloodstones-uncovered"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">full ToC</span></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">at the Ticonderoga website.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">[Incidentally, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Dead Inside</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> is the second of
the three stories I wrote back-to-back over the last couple of months, and
the second to be sold. The third didn’t make it into the publication it was pitched for, but as hit
rates go, I’m pretty happy!]</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-58992622854416089922012-06-24T11:10:00.002+08:002012-06-24T11:10:45.887+08:00When worlds collide<div style="color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
I've just heard that the release date for <i>World's Collider </i>has been set at July 10 for both ebooks and print editions. </div>
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A whole lot of work has gone into putting this one together, and it's testament to the skill and drive of editor Richard Salter that the book's good to go. Tying together the stories of a dozen or so writers to form one continuous, connected narrative is no mean feat...</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">Anyway, see for yourselves in two weeks - you can get in early with your orders at the </span><a href="http://www.nightscapepress.com/worldscollider/" style="color: cyan;">Nightscape Press website</a><span style="color: white;">.</span></span>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-36807184000005996842012-06-18T13:21:00.003+08:002012-06-18T13:21:37.501+08:00Writing round-up<!--StartFragment-->
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">In the week since, I’ve heard back about
one of the trio. A story tentatively named </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Dry Run</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> has been picked up for
Jennifer Brozek’s anthology </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Oceans Unleashed</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">. 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”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">While all that has been going on, there’s
been some good news on other fronts. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Someone Else to Play With</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">
(originally published last year in</span> <i><a href="http://www.darkquestbooks.com/store/product-info.php?pid92.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Beauty Has Her Way</span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">) has been selected for
Ticonderoga’s </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">. 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</span> <a href="http://ticonderogapublications.com/index.php/our-books/our-books/139-the-years-best-fantasy-a-horror-2011/241-the-years-best-contents-announced"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Ticonderoga website</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">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</span> <i><a href="http://www.indiebooksonline.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=10&products_id=102"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Dead Red Heart</span></a></i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">(which
features my story </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">All that Glisters</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">) 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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">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</span> <a href="http://mondyboy.com/?p=564"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">his blog</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, 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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">I think that’s all. If I’ve missed
something, I’m sure someone will let me know. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">So, back to work then. The next project
beckons…</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-30423235571149587122012-04-21T11:15:00.000+08:002012-04-21T11:15:31.665+08:00Collision cover<div style="color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
The front cover for the forthcoming <i>World's Collider</i> anthology is now available for public consumption:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCG2owonWNtbzHa7RH8emNdqOGo5_Nwm4BIQi0JxclTpmvD-Rb1Fw7W7Pjdedo_wxWeptNhuXNRWPvGBszlGr16VBwpFZ3ZhP0UZPNCPYopxGJgus0c3zDmV3z2wJMRAYQ85Ygrw/s1600/collidercover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCG2owonWNtbzHa7RH8emNdqOGo5_Nwm4BIQi0JxclTpmvD-Rb1Fw7W7Pjdedo_wxWeptNhuXNRWPvGBszlGr16VBwpFZ3ZhP0UZPNCPYopxGJgus0c3zDmV3z2wJMRAYQ85Ygrw/s1600/collidercover.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Available from</span> <a href="http://www.nightscapepress.com/" style="color: cyan;">Nightscape Press</a><span style="color: white;">, it'll be out this summer (or winter, if you're living in the same hemisphere I am). That is, of course, dependent on whether I've written that 100 word bio I've been asked to do. Better get on that...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">(And for more info about the book, release dates and the like, you can follow the</span> </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/worldscollider" style="color: cyan; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">fan page on Facebook</a><span style="color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">. Go on.)</span>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-50785175627419337532012-04-19T13:43:00.000+08:002012-04-19T13:43:14.729+08:00Hearts for Dead Red<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">The release of Ellen Datlow's Honourable Mentions list the other day not only gave praise to individual writers, but - by extension - to the books they featured in. One book to come off particularly well was Ticonderoga's Australian vampire anthology </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Dead Red Heart</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">, with 16 of its 33 stories making the list.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Now, in further good news for the collection,</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><a href="http://ttapress.com/blackstatic/currentissue/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;">Black Static Magazin</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><a href="http://ttapress.com/blackstatic/currentissue/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;">e</span></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">in the UK has published a review that has plenty of love for the book, commenting on every story individually before giving the work as a whole the thumbs up.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">You'll have to grab a copy of the mag itself to read the whole review, but in the meantime I'm happy to say the reaction to my contribution was a positive one:</span></span></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13pt; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">In Pete Kempshall’s ‘All that Glisters’ the employees of a mining company discover that the legends about an old, abandoned mine have some truth to them, but the precise nature of the menace they face adds a startling note of originality. Along with the unusual concept, this story has some very deft characterisation, with two gay surveyors and a bigoted mine owner portrayed convincingly, while even the calculating agent has some qualms, so that he isn’t the cardboard cut-out villain of the piece.</span></blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Dead Red Heart</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> is still available to order from</span> <a href="http://www.indiebooksonline.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=10&products_id=102&osCsid=f24452c05f44629e49cfa42ebd389776"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;">Ticonderoga</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">,</span> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Red-Heart-Russell-Farr/dp/0980781310/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334813937&sr=1-8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;">Amazon</span></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">and</span> <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Dead-Red-Heart-Russell-Farr/9780980781311"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;">The Book Depository</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">.</span></span><o:p></o:p><p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-91092234870485684022012-04-17T11:36:00.001+08:002012-04-17T11:37:33.318+08:00Ellen Datlow's Honourable Mentions 2011<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Just a quick post, this one, if only because it's being reported extensively elsewhere.</span><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Uber-editor Ellen Datlow has just released her Honourable Mentions for Best Horror of the Year, and I'm pleased and privileged to say I have a story on the list. The yarn in question is </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">All That Glisters</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> from the Australian vampire anthology </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Dead Red Heart</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, and it's just one of an impressive number of stories from Australian writers to make the cut. </span><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Congrats to everyone chosen, especially the significant number of my mates who also got mentioned. Far too many to name here: you know who you are :)</span><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">There are a shade more than 600 stories listed overall (if there's anyone on the planet who reads more than Ellen Datlow, I'd be very surprised...), and you can check out the full list</span> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://ellen-datlow.livejournal.com/#post-ellen_datlow-392479">here</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. </span>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-78430151637666423622012-04-16T12:07:00.000+08:002012-04-16T12:07:00.297+08:00Damnation and Dames launch<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">This time last week saw </span></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Damnation and Dames</span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> get the equivalent of a bottle of champagne smashed across its bow, when it had its official launch.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Scheduled for release as part of this year's Swancon programme, the paranormal noir anthology was sent out into the world by one of the guests of honour at the convention, Marianne de Pierres, alongside the brilliant publisher/editor team from Ticonderoga Books, Russell Farr and Liz Gryzb.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">I was very pleased to be asked along to help out, and as well as scribbling in some copies of the book, I was persuaded to do an impromtu reading from my story </span></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Sound and Fury</span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">. Given that I was on the brink of a bout of flu that ended up wiping out most of the next week (which is why this blog post is so very late...) it was a relief to get through the excerpt without coughing up internal organs midway through. Not the kind of horror the audience had signed up for.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">So, a big thanks to everyone who attended and bought copies of the shiny new book - for anybody who wants to pick one up for themselves, you can order one</span> <a href="http://www.indiebooksonline.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=10&products_id=113&osCsid=3d2d4dcdf53290c25d2046b18359e7ee"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;">direct from Ticonderoga</span></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">or (quite soon, as I understand it) the Book Depository and Amazon.</span></span><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKI-3ciH-glC-gbQ8X36qlBUf2K5qR6cSL9gflcFCzeBVY66dABNu5KH2lb86tk4GTk7dzv6iOvgno2VcPtWdQYwB98haoVbFDYjzjZc_kwm7bVtai7O3gGeVarWptghwmVNqgxQ/s1600/DDlaunch1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKI-3ciH-glC-gbQ8X36qlBUf2K5qR6cSL9gflcFCzeBVY66dABNu5KH2lb86tk4GTk7dzv6iOvgno2VcPtWdQYwB98haoVbFDYjzjZc_kwm7bVtai7O3gGeVarWptghwmVNqgxQ/s400/DDlaunch1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731821057974689202" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">From left: Russell Farr, Liz Gryzb, myself, Marianne de Pierres.</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtNXE6Li_MsS2FiDrds9VEV7QA2Sn4t9dHQrN1eg3qk6GcZJmELp0FB9o48cZWr2GKe74RYTkXZx-FeddiV7kFEtVYsQbGTgZj2HupiMLz50_ml3s1AqlX_Xf6_CgRbKiijaD4w/s1600/ddlaunch2b.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtNXE6Li_MsS2FiDrds9VEV7QA2Sn4t9dHQrN1eg3qk6GcZJmELp0FB9o48cZWr2GKe74RYTkXZx-FeddiV7kFEtVYsQbGTgZj2HupiMLz50_ml3s1AqlX_Xf6_CgRbKiijaD4w/s400/ddlaunch2b.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731822096763698658" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Reading from </span></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Sound and Fury</span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">(Pictures courtesy Liz Gryzb)</span></span></div>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-76200752599065471312012-04-03T12:17:00.000+08:002012-04-03T12:17:07.135+08:00Countdown to launch<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Just a quick reminder to anyone in the Perth area that </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Damnation and Dames </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">will be launching at Swancon this Friday.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2r3Gsszo2jmaJo21Y_IapIWQJ_KgLUbV9Fu5h13xwv3F7akci_JhFYgq7offs95xLIpqFDsJ9BbOT0AyYzsa9-stuj8uaziDKX6JO1w9SUFL5i1s6F2TCFC0gEEg9MfmAzqEo8A/s1600/damnation--dames---ed-grzyb--pillar-web.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2r3Gsszo2jmaJo21Y_IapIWQJ_KgLUbV9Fu5h13xwv3F7akci_JhFYgq7offs95xLIpqFDsJ9BbOT0AyYzsa9-stuj8uaziDKX6JO1w9SUFL5i1s6F2TCFC0gEEg9MfmAzqEo8A/s400/damnation--dames---ed-grzyb--pillar-web.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727022974728706146" /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Damnation and Dames</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> is a collection of 'paranormal noir' stories from the likes of Lisa L Hannett and Angela Slatter, Alan Baxter and Felicity Dowker, Rob Hood, and yes, me. And it's edited by Liz Grzyb and Amanda Pillar, who've got stellar records at this kind of thing, so you know it'll be well worth a look.<br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Usually you'd have to have forked out for convention tickets to attend, but this year - for the Friday only - a gold coin donation is enough to get you in the door. The launch kicks off at 5.30pm at the Pan Pacific Hotel on Adelaide Terrace in Perth city. I'm not completely sure what the format is, but I imagine there'll be signings and stuff.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">So if you're at a loose end on Friday, pop along. Be good to see you!</span></span></div></div></div>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-48340365951308061802012-03-21T11:39:00.004+08:002012-03-21T11:45:51.675+08:00Collision alert<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Promotional material for the upcoming anthology </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">World's Collider</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> is starting to trickle out. This here is a postcard that will be distributed to every attendee at the World Horror Convention in Utah:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_EXOQFvgA1o9SAZEWGKFJvORiY4GwFDrjmr1eZVGID6LUZHCC3g0c6C_7ODc1KWAKa5TxW85i2XFQuZe3GIK_AZYPSHxLCozDborn-czOCiHBtIRxFbGZMOh5uzsuSPUAP-ZeA/s1600/WCpromo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_EXOQFvgA1o9SAZEWGKFJvORiY4GwFDrjmr1eZVGID6LUZHCC3g0c6C_7ODc1KWAKa5TxW85i2XFQuZe3GIK_AZYPSHxLCozDborn-czOCiHBtIRxFbGZMOh5uzsuSPUAP-ZeA/s400/WCpromo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722191159624676962" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">For a number of reasons, the publisher for the anthology had changed, and</span> <a href="http://www.nightscapepress.com/books/anthologies/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;">Nightscape Press</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> will now be distributing the book. Release date to be confirmed, so watch this space.</span></span></div>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-87758219169061985842012-03-13T13:13:00.002+08:002012-03-13T13:18:26.153+08:00Working without a net<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">I’d hoped to get an update online a little sooner than this, but real life being what it is, other things got in the way. Never mind – that just means there’s lots to report later... </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">For now, though, I promised to provide some details about the project I’ve decided to work on during 2012. So here goes. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">After a few years of concentrating on short stories (and after some harassment from other writers, urging me to get my finger out), I’ve started work on my first novel. It goes without saying that this is an entirely different discipline to the one I’m used to and the learning curve isn’t steep so much as precipitous.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">If anything’s held me back from attempting something bigger than my usual writing, it’s the planning. With short stories, I plot meticulously – there’s still room for the tale to breathe, to change and surprise me, but I don’t normally write the first word unless I know with a reasonable degree of detail how I’m going to get from A to B. Taking a similar approach to a novel (while fitting it in around a mentally draining day job) would mean I’d still be tinkering with the plot in 2022, so I made the decision to just </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">start</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">. I know very roughly what I want to happen, and in what order, but large swathes of this story will be developed on the fly. It’s like working without a safety net – it could be spectacular, or I could end up getting scraped off the floor of the Big Top.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">What it has done is get me writing – I’ve committed to 2000 words a week, with the target of 80-100,000 by the end of the year (allowing for slip ups). I write on Sundays, and during the week concentrate on plotting the next weekend’s draft. And so far it’s working. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">The problem is, it’s not very efficient.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">I’ve found that the key part of writing anything is getting words on the page – no matter how rough, how crap it is, if you have a first draft, you can fix most things in the rewrites. But on this kind of scale, with this level of planning? That really cool piece of character development I thought of during the week? Clashes with what I wrote in week one. That idea that emerged on Thursday lunchtime to pump up the ending? That’ll mean reworking week seven. Again. Ten weeks in, and I’ve had to go back and revise at least half of my total word count.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">I’ve attempted to limit the damage by purchasing Scrivener, a piece of software the praises of which Mac users have long sung and which has finally become available for Windows. A one-stop organization tool for long-form writing, it’s actually proven very useful so far, structuring my draft more solidly than if I’d not used it. But the process is still very daunting. And while it’s still early days, I’ve not yet got a sense of whether or not the project is really coming together. For someone who’s used to having everything wrapped up prettily in 5000 words or less, it’s shit-scary.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">But I won’t know unless I try, so I’ll forge on and try to update here on progress. One thing that has emerged from the process, however – and something I’ll take away even if this does turn into an almighty car crash – is that I’ve once again got the taste for writing. After such a long fallow period in 2011, piecing this story together has fired my enthusiasm for others – I have two short story drafts running parallel to this novel, more stories on the go at any one time than I’ve ever had.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">And that, at least, is a win.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-78699603362422704702012-01-26T18:09:00.000+08:002012-01-26T18:09:55.781+08:00Oh there you are...<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">So it's about time I got back on this particular horse, I think.</span><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Through a combination of factors, I took a bit of a break from the whole writing affair, and it's hard to see that as anything but a good thing. Now I've returned to the fold and already I'm enjoying it a lot more than I was when I decided on the time off.</span><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">So what's been going on? I started writing again in November, having got the kick up the arse I needed to get moving. Blame Richard Salter, the editor who commissioned my first ever piece of fiction, and who got in contact with me to ask if I was interested in pitching for his new anthology, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">World's Collider</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. It's a shared-universe collection that revolves around a disaster with the Large Hadron Collider, published by Open Casket Press and featuring a slew of top scribes. Full Table of Contents is available from</span> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(102, 255, 255);" href="http://www.richardsalter.com/bibliography/coming-soon/worlds-collider/">Richard's website</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. However, for all the news about the anthology (including announcements of interviews with all the authors) your best port of call is the</span> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(102, 255, 255);" href="http://www.facebook.com/worldscollider">official Facebook page</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Go on, Like it.</span><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">That was back in July, but by the time I had my idea ready - and felt ready to write it - it was the end of the year. Mercifully, Richard's reaction to the story has been positive, so it's on to edits in the next few weeks.</span><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">At about the same time as I was writing for </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">World's Collider</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, I had two more stories hit the shelves. </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Rule of Three</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> is a sci-fi horror piece I sent to Black House Comics on spec, and which was picked up for</span> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(102, 255, 255);" href="http://blackhousecomics.com/articles/after-the-world--anthology---issue-3-out-now.html">issue three</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">of the company's </span></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">After the World</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> anthology.</span><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Meanwhile Morrigan Books released the international edition of its </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Scenes From the Second Storey</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> collection. If the name rings a bell, that's because I edited the Australian edition with Amanda Pillar a year or so back, a book of which I'm very proud and which bagged a few awards and nominations in the last twelve months.</span><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The international edition puts me on the other side of the fence - writer instead of editor - and includes the story </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Temptation</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, about a woman who ... oh that'll be giving it away. The book's currently available as an ebook only (I believe) and you can</span> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(102, 255, 255);" href="http://morriganbooks.1freecart.com/i/244113/scenes-from-the-second-storey-international.htm">order a copy</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">from the publisher's website.</span></span><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">And most recently, I've received confirmation that my story </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sound and Fury</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> has been picked up for inclusion in</span> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(102, 255, 255);" href="http://ticonderogapublications.com/index.php/our-books/137-damnation-and-dames/199-damnation-a-dames-contents-announced"><span style="font-style: italic;">Damnation and Dames</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, a paranormal noir collection from Ticonderoga Publications. Edited by Liz Grzyb and Amanda Pillar, it promises to be packed with hard-boiled supernatural loveliness, judging from the Table of Contents.</span><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">If that seems like a fair amount to have happened since my last post here, I have to balance that with the knowledge that very little new writing has been done in that time. I'm pleased to say that's changed now, with some new projects taking off in the last month or so. One has the potential to be very big, either as an achievement or the proverbial car crash... but I'll get into that next time.</span><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-60315258944348122292011-04-26T16:13:00.000+08:002011-04-26T16:13:59.781+08:00Swancon wrap<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Today's the last day of what's amounted to five days of public holidays, and I've spent the majority of the time at Swancon, the Perth sci-fi and fantasy convention. This year, Swancon was also the national convention, so a good number of writers from over east made the trip to attend, allowing me to catch up with many of the people I met for the first time in Melbourne last September. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Inevitably, that meant that my highlights for the convention involved meeting people rather than attending panels, although I did manage to get along to the odd one or two. My </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Scenes From the Second Storey</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> co-editor Amanda Pillar (and ever-cool partner Tom) were among those to make the journey over - aside from the time spent in my usual inane blathering, that also gave us a chance to talk about some upcoming projects. More news on that later, but if you were one of the writers to buttonhole her for news about it (and you know who you are!) expect something in the next month.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Alan Baxter was great value for the whole con, and his two-hour workshop on writing realistic fight scenes was an eye-opener (hint: they're nothing like the fights you see in movies). For anyone who didn't make it along, I'd recommend Al's e-book</span> </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.alanbaxteronline.com/write-fight">Write the Fight Right</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, which covers all the material in the workshop. Top knowledge.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">It was also good to catch up with Paul Haines, whose latest collection, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Last Days of Kali Yuga</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, launched on Sunday and is packed with writing goodness (including the superb novella </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Wives</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> and his entry in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Scenes From the Second Storey</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I've Seen the Man</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">). You can order it now from</span> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.brimstonepress.com.au/">Brimstone Press</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> and I strongly suggest you do.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I spent a lot of time nattering with Russell Farr and Liz Grzyb from Ticonderoga Publications, and attended the 15th anniversary party for the imprint, which included the launch of</span> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.indiebooksonline.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=10&products_id=101"><span style="font-style: italic;">More Scary Kisses</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">(which uses a review quote by me on the cover, so you know it's quality!) and the vampire anthology </span></span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.indiebooksonline.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=10&products_id=102"><span style="font-style: italic;">Dead Red Heart</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Signed a few copies of the latter and got to meet the unfeasibly talented duo of Angela Slatter and Lisa Hannett along the way. If they're not already on your radar, they should be...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A big thanks to Robert Hood, too, who gave me the benefit of his expertise in a field about which I'm writing something soon. My questions and concerns were answered, and we got to swap comics recommendations too, so wins all round!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Time for a quick shout-out to Daniel Russell and his partner Sherie, in town from the more rural parts of WA - great to see you, and I'm sure we'll be catching up sooner rather than later.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">And I think that's it, except for the awards - a huge cheer for Kirstyn McDermott, who took out a Ditmar for her</span> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.morriganbooks.com/?page_id=214"><span style="font-style: italic;">Scenes </span>short story <span style="font-style: italic;">She Said</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">(that's two big gongs for that tale, after her</span> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.australianhorror.com/index.php?view=265">Australian Shadows win</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">). And a smaller one for me - I landed the best WA Short Written Work, which was nice. Thanks to everyone who voted, and I promise never to use the term "award-winning author".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">After that time, obviously.</span>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-75430411307210165512011-04-11T13:52:00.002+08:002011-04-11T14:05:40.068+08:00Heart Starting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_clOdHA-zzSKZT85huDoQfUDJTYXh_BCMUzVcWvw3UW7XCZHWC4yaJKfQ7MqOtA4fzgEHnzXgN9MHw51DtG8eawZ-ITK0s_tXFFqHs3rXRC08mg8NtuEZG-SE-HbIFzlDeisWiQ/s1600/DRH-front.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_clOdHA-zzSKZT85huDoQfUDJTYXh_BCMUzVcWvw3UW7XCZHWC4yaJKfQ7MqOtA4fzgEHnzXgN9MHw51DtG8eawZ-ITK0s_tXFFqHs3rXRC08mg8NtuEZG-SE-HbIFzlDeisWiQ/s400/DRH-front.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594202159599782738" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Pre-order details are up now for </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Dead Red Heart</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">, Ticonderoga's anthology of bloodsuckers Down Under.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">At more than 500 pages, it's a monster tome, and the contributors' list reads like a who's who of Australian horror, so it's going to be well worth picking up. And if that doesn't convince you,</span> </span><a href="http://www.indiebooksonline.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=102&osCsid=cdbc2f334f608d92f5e1134910ae99b1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;">pre-orders from the website</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">are 20% off, so get cracking before May 5. It'll also be available through Amazon, The Book Depository and Barnes and Noble in early May.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Of course, you can always grab a copy at Swancon - the book's having it's official launch at the convention, and there's bound to be the odd author there willing to scribble in it for you...</span></span></div>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-87336952429072500502011-03-27T13:40:00.000+08:002011-03-27T13:40:22.177+08:00A Load of Ballots<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">I keep feeling like someone who's turned up for a party just as everyone else is leaving... another late blog means most of you will already know that the final ballot papers have been revealed for both the Ditmar Awards and the Tin Ducks. Some of you will already know that I've scored a couple of nominations on them.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">First up, a huge thank you to everyone who read this blog and voted for me in the initial round. Without your support, I wouldn't be writing this now.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">Next, a look at the Ditmars. I've been nominated personally in the Best New Talent category and with Amanda Pillar as editors in Best Collected Work for <em>Scenes from the Second Storey</em>. As with all the awards doing the rounds right now, both are tough fields, with very deserving nominees. My blog has decided not to allow me to cut and paste today, so I can't list everyone here without spending an hour retyping the names. Suffice it to say a large number of those I suggested for nominations in my previous posts did indeed make the final lists - the complete ballots for </span><a href="http://ditmars.sf.org.au/voting/index.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#33ffff;">online voting</span><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">and</span> </span><a href="http://wiki.sf.org.au/File:2011_Ditmar_ballot.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#33ffff;">physical votes</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> <span style="color:#ffffff;">have all the details. As I understand it, members of this year's Swancon and last year's Worldcon are eligible to vote, as are Supporting Members (those who can't make it to Perth for the convention are able to pay $20 to cast their votes in absentia). I'll make sure and get back to you.</span></span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">Meanwhile Swancon will also see the voting for the WA-only Tin Duck awards, and this year I have two nominations, both for Best WA Professional Short Written Work. You probably remember I suggested <em>Signature Walk</em> for this category, as a story of which I'm very proud that's set in WA and published by a WA company - what surprised me was that another story I didn't suggest, <em>Brave Face</em> from ASIM issue 46, has also made the final list. It's a little piece of flash fiction I wrote last year that I didn't think would get much attention, so thanks to those who voted for it - it was a pleasant shock.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">There are nearly 20 stories in this category, which is going to make it a tight-run thing, if only because the votes are likely to be diluted, so if anyone's a full or supporting member of Swancon and would like to vote, it could be the odd nod that makes the difference. Take a look at</span> </span><a href="http://2011.swancon.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/TinDuckVoting.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#33ffff;">the ballot form</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> <span style="color:#ffffff;">and see what I mean! </span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">And now, back to my boxes. Moving house next week, and the sheer volume of clutter I've accumulated since the last move is terrifying.</span> <span style="color:#ffffff;"></span>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-56238635635927008602011-03-22T15:56:00.000+08:002011-03-22T15:57:15.788+08:00Aurealis Awards<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">Being in WA and a few hours behind everyone else means I'm posting a while after the rest of the writing community... but if, by some remote chance you haven't heard, the Aurealis Award finalists were announced today and <em>Scenes From the Second Storey</em> made the last five for Best Anthology.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Obviously it's a huge honour and I'm chuffed to bits not just for myself and Amanda but for all the writers who put in such sterling efforts. As with other awards, the competition is very very strong - a big congratulations to everyone who made the respective short lists, which you can find at the</span> </span><a href="http://www.aurealisawards.com/finalists2010.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#33ffff;">Aurealis website</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">. The winners are announced at a ceremony in Sydney on May 21.</span>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-69150748066329310962011-03-15T20:01:00.000+08:002011-03-15T20:01:22.505+08:00The 'e' in Book<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">Things are a little quieter at the moment, although an impending house move means they won't stay that way for long. I've used the time to finish off the first-round edits on a novella I've been asked to look at, but now that I've sent the comments off to the writer, my time's my own (until he gets back to me with his comments on my comments, at any rate). </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">I've got a novella of my own that needs rewrites for publication later in the year - more on that a bit closer to the time - but aside from that all there is to report is that two books with which I've had some involvement have got the 'e' treatment.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>Voices</em> - an anthology about nastiness in hotel rooms - contains my story <em>Just Us</em>, described as a 'brutal police procedural' by one reviewer. You can now buy it on </span></span><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/26243"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#33ffff;">Smashwords </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">or as a Kindle book from</span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Voices-ebook/dp/B004RJ9DFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS&s=digital-text&qid=1300163295&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#33ffff;">Amazon</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Meanwhile, <em>Scenes from the Second Storey</em> is also available now in electronic format. There's been a lot of positive buzz about this one - see for yourself in the</span> </span><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/46769"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#33ffff;">Smashwords</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> <span style="color:#ffffff;">and </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scenes-Second-Storey-ebook/dp/B004RZ2ZLG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS&s=digital-text&qid=1300163340&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#33ffff;">Kindle</span> </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">versions.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">And since I'm talking about it, let's not forget the award-winning apocalyptic anthology <em>Grants Pass</em> has been out in e-format for a while and can still be bought on, you guessed it,</span> </span><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/26164"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#33ffff;">Smashwords</span> </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">and </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grants-Pass-ebook/dp/B0038VZHLA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS&s=digital-text&qid=1300163426&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#33ffff;">Kindle</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">Here ends the sales pitch.</span>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-10755629806907045052011-03-12T10:37:00.000+08:002011-03-12T10:37:52.547+08:00Honour Amongst Writers<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">Very pleased to wake up this morning to find that <em>Signature Walk</em> has made the (very) long list of stories on Ellen Datlow's </span><a href="http://ellen-datlow.livejournal.com/334109.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#33ffff;">Honourable Mentions for Best Horror of the Year</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">. It's weird to be mentioned on the same list as Christopher Fowler, Stephen King, Rob Shearman, Neil Gaiman and Lawrence Block... at least without the words "not nearly as good as" being used.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">Anyway, better yet the list also includes three tales from <em>Scenes from the Second Storey</em>: <em>The Blind Man</em> by Felicity Dowker, <em>Ego</em> by Robert Hood and <em>The Desert Song</em> by Andrew J McKiernan. Big congrats to them, as ever I'm immensely proud. Of course, I'm duty-bound to suggest this as further reason to vote for all of these stories in the upcoming awards. Check out my previous post for details on how to show your support, now you've got further proof that they're deserving.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ffffff;">If that's not good news enough, the list is further populated by talented individuals from Down Under: Kirstyn McDermott, Kaaron Warren and Paul Haines all make the list, as do Chris Green, Mark Farrugia and Amanda Spedding from the AHWA critique group - as good an advertisment for the fine work that the group does as you're likely to see. I've said it before and I'll say it again, there's no way you can overestimate the quality of the service these guys provide. My writing would be a lot poorer without them.</span>Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859057.post-654681708753688072011-03-08T17:38:00.000+08:002011-03-08T17:38:30.291+08:00Voting Thoughts 3<p style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal" >There are two more categories I’d like to cover before voting for both the Ditmars and the Tin Ducks close this weekend. First up is the Ditmar for Best Collected Work.</p><p style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal" ><?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></p><p style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal" >This is one of the two categories for which I’m pushing my own product. <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Scenes From the Second Storey</span> (edited by Amanda Pillar and myself, Morrigan Books) came out at WorldCon last year and has garnered uniformly positive and enthusiastic reviews in the months since. An anthology that features a stellar line up of writers all at the top of their respective games, I’m very proud of it and everyone who was involved. So if you wanted to throw it a vote or two…</p><p style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal" ><o:p></o:p></p><p style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal" >But the competition is stiff this year, with some equally worthy contenders out there. The biggest – in page count and stature! – is <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Macabre</span> (ed. Angela Challis and Marty Young, Brimstone Press). A history of Australian horror writing, it’s jammed with gems and recently made the final ballot for the Stoker Awards, no mean feat for an Aussie book in a stateside award.</p><p style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal" face="trebuchet ms"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal" face="trebuchet ms">I’ve already mentioned <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Cthulhu’s Dark Cults</span> (ed. David Conyers, Chaosium) in relation to one of my tips for Best Novella, and the same reasons for voting in that category apply here – I loved the <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Call of Cthulhu</span> game back in the old days, and the stories in this anthology are a lovely blast of nostalgia.</p><p style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal" face="trebuchet ms"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal" face="trebuchet ms">I’d also like to mention <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Scary Kisses</span> (ed. Liz Grzyb, Ticonderoga) for showing you can do paranormal romance without selling out, and <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Sprawl</span> (ed. Alisa Krasnostein, Twelfth Planet Press) for a fine collection of stories that distils the more disturbing side of life in the Australian burbs. Both are great reads and worth considering.</p><p style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal" face="trebuchet ms"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal" face="trebuchet ms">Things get more complex, when it comes to the Best Short Story noms, if only because my short list… well, isn’t.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>I’m not putting any of my own shorts into this category, preferring to concentrate on the Tin Ducks for that particular area. I am, however, going to nominate everyone who contributed to <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Scenes From the Second Storey</span>. They are:</p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Dream Machine</span> by David Conyers<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">She Said</span> by Kirstyn McDermott<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The Blind Man</span> by Felicity Dowker<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">I’ve Seen The Man</span> by Paul Haines<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The Desert Song</span> by Andrew J. McKiernan<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Home</span> by Martin Livings (also eligible for the Tin Ducks)<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">It’s All Over</span> by L.J. Hayward<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Temptation</span> by Trent Jamieson<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Out</span> by Stephen Dedman<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Ego</span> by Robert Hood<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Seven</span> by Stephanie Campisi<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Purity</span> by Kaaron Warren<br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The Piano Song</span> by Cat Sparks</p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal">I’m quite, quite serious when I say there’s not a single dud in the entire book. Anyone on that list who gets a nomination will truly have deserved it.</p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal">Aside from the above, however, there’s a wide field to choose from. Stories I’ve particularly enjoyed are:</p><p style="FONT-STYLE: italic; FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Bread and Circuses</span> by Felicity Dowker: a love story that transcends the grave, managing to be romantic and disturbing simultaneously.</p><p style="FONT-STYLE: italic; FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The King’s Accord</span> by Alan Baxter: a tale of political intrigue that asks how far is too far where the greater good is concerned. Wonderful ending.</p><p style="FONT-STYLE: italic; FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The School Bus</span> by Jason Fischer: not many stories have lingered in my mind after reading as long as this one did. Chilling.</p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Lollo</span> by Martin Livings: What’s scarier than aliens, clowns or creepy dolls? A creepy alien clown doll. Easily the best story in the <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Close Encounters of the Urban Kind</span> anthology. Also eligible for the Tin Ducks in the Best Professional Short Written Work category.<br /></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">A Bagful of Arrows</span> by Mark Farrugia: A story I got to see evolve through the AHWA critique group, growing into a tight, clever yarn. </p><p style="FONT-STYLE: italic; FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Darwin’s Daughter</span> by Christopher Green: it’s difficult to pick any one of Chris’s stories as a favourite – he’s that good. <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Darwin’s Daughter</span> melds an intelligent concept with emotional punch.</p><p style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">And that’s it for my recommendations – for what they’re worth. If you’re thinking of voting, get in before Sunday. Details and voting forms are</span> <a style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255)" href="http://ditmars.sf.org.au/2011/nominations.html">here</a> <span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">for the Ditmars, and</span> <a style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255)" href="http://2011.swancon.com.au/tin-duck-awards/">here</a> <span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">for the Tin Ducks.</span></p><!--EndFragment-->Pete Kempshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581552826827440875noreply@blogger.com0