by Jason Fischer | Jun 25, 2012 | Announcement, Winner!
Well, it’s all official and such. The results for this year’s AHWA Short Story and Flash Fiction Competition are as follows:
SHORT STORY COMPETITION
WINNER: “Always a Price”, Joanne Anderton
HONOURABLE MENTION: “Life, Death and Customer Service”, Nicholas Stella
FLASH COMPETITION:
WINNER: “Blood Lilies”, Shauna O’Meara
HONOURABLE MENTION: “Fragments of a Botanical Journal”, Matthew J Morrison
(more info here http://australianhorror.com/index.php?view=57)
Congrats to the winners, and well done to all who entered. I was especially chuffed to see Jo win the short story contest – all entries were blind-judged, so we had no idea who the authors were until we’d made our decision. Jo is going great guns with her writing, and her story in Midnight Echo #6 was top-shelf.
Many thanks to fellow judges Alan Baxter and Felicity Dowker, and huge high-fives to Martin Livings for wrangling this thing, and keeping it together when we judges got all Battle Royale on each other. I have it on good authority that the winners will be getting the plague through the post soon. Erm, I meant their plaques, of course 🙂
by Jason Fischer | Jun 18, 2012 | Pimping, Writing
Over at the Australian Horror Writers Association page, the Mentor Program for 2012 has just been announced:
http://www.australianhorror.com/index.php?view=104
There’s a bunch of great folks giving their time to the program this year, and I’m lucky enough to also be on this list. No matter what you’re working on, chances are there’s an AHWA mentor who can help you with your project. I’m specifically interested in working with novellas/short stories, and I look forward to helping my mentoree get their work into shape.
All the relevant details are at the above link, but if you’ve got any questions, please feel free to contact me or the AHWA. It should be noted that the Mentor Program is only open to AHWA members, but membership is cheap and you get many benefits (such as this program, the short fiction contests, Midnight Echo, comraderie, and all sorts of goodies).
by Jason Fischer | Jun 14, 2012 | Pimping
Of all the friends requests to get! A certain Tamsyn Webb (resident of Gravesend, Kent) has gotten hold of a working mobile phone, and can be found on Twitter via the following link:
http://twitter.com/TamsynWebb
Last I heard, things were getting pretty tough over there, but apparently these folks have thrown up some sort of barricade to keep out the neighbours. You know, the ones that are dead but still walk around? If it’s not on the news yet, I’d be asking some serious questions…
Tamsyn in action – I imagine something dead and walking is about to wear that arrow. IN THE FACE.
Tamsyn seems quite happy to chat to folks (well, for as long as Twitter lasts, given that all other communications with the UK seem to be failing). We’re quietly working on the telling of her adventures, which is hard given that she can only write to me 140 characters at a time.
Here’s what we’ve come up with so far, if you’re interested then by all means order a copy in. Her share of the profits will go towards new archery kit, baked beans, ramen noodles and medicine. Okay, apparently she just wants chocolate.
http://aftertheworld.com.au/
by Jason Fischer | Jun 4, 2012 | Awards
The list of winners and honourable mentions for the 2011 Australian Shadows Awards has been released into the wild.
http://australianhorror.com/index.php?view=304
And colour me tickled pink, we’ve nabbed an Honourable Mention for our editing work on Midnight Echo #6! Huge congrats to Russ Farr for winning with Dead Red Heart, and of course these congrats are extended to all winners and HMs. Special kudos go to our authors Joanne Anderton and Andrew J McKiernan, who also got individual HMs for their Midnight Echo stories.
And massive high-fives to my co-editors, David Conyers and David Kernot 🙂 well done, chaps!
by Jason Fischer | Jun 4, 2012 | Karaoke
So, I gathered up the posse on Saturday and descended on the State Finals for the Karaoke World Championship. Representing the Rex Hotel were my good self and Vonnie Barber, and we went up against the venue winners from pubs far and wide for the chance to represent South Australia in the Nationals. There were folks who travelled all the way from Mt Gambier and Whyalla just to sing, and it was an excellent night.
The place was absolutely packed, and there must have been 500 people in the room. The competition consisted of two rounds, and each contestant got two songs to sing. There were all sorts of fancy outfits and gimmicks, including someone who did a burlesque routine, and some joker who got up and sang “I’m Just a Gigolo” in a pimp outfit 🙂
Didn’t make the grade this time, but there’s always next year 🙂 The winner was absolutely outstanding, and everyone sung their hearts out. A top night, made awesome by my cheer-posse who ate, drank and made merry. Special guest was my wife’s 85 year old granny, who said she had to hear me sing to believe it. Closed off my tilt at the title with Joe Cocker’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On”, complete with harmonica stylings.
Been a long time away from the karaoke mic, but I’m back with a vengeance. You don’t need me to tell you that I’m entering this thing next year – and looking at singing lessons in the mean-time 🙂 Gotta kick it up a notch, y’all!
