The scarily brilliant Angela Slatter has whittled up this simple chart of her writing process. I’ve sat in on all sorts of weird and wonderful writing classes, groups, all of that schtick – but I’ve never seen a writing workflow summed up so well.
Ponder this well, my padawans, because Angela Slatter? She’ll write your FACE off. The lady knows her biz.
The rest of the advice lies here: http://www.angelaslatter.com/reminder-to-self/
…the artist just dropped this nifty piece of quest artwork onto the Facebook page. Check it out!
A nice taste of things to come 🙂
URL is here: http://www.dragonassault.com/
Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dragon-Assault/461417370535039
Feast your eyes on this!
I’ve written some content for this upcoming RPG, which is soon to be released as a beta for Facebook and on the web. I’ve seen some of the other artwork for it, and it’s absolutely GORGEOUS. Do yourself a favour and sign up for the beta, this world is amazingly detailed and I reckon it’s going to be lots of fun.
More info here:
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).
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:
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.
A recent interview I did over at 40K books, where I wax philosophical on e-books and such. Check em out, they’ve got a great range of books from authors such as Kaaron Warren, Bruce Sterling, and Jeff VanDerMeer.
http://www.40kbooks.com/?p=13470
To celebrate the release of the “VIRAL” series onto the Kindle, the books are currently listed at half-price. Four collaborative novellas, five authors, plenty of political thriller action that anyone can sink their teeth into. Links to the books on Amazon can be found in this post. http://jasonfischer.com.au/?p=817
Also, I’m running a limited promotion here – free .EPUB versions of the four novellas to the first ten folks who put their hands up. All I ask is that the winners consider leaving a rating or review via Amazon, Goodreads or similar. This condition is enforced only by karma and my good wishes, no biggy if you don’t 🙂
More info on the series can be found here – http://viralnovels.com/
“Ifo was the size of a small city, and what it lacked in traffic lights, it made up for in other ways. Corpse-trucks were everywhere, soldiers blocking off the roads as drivers sped the infected remains out of camp. A trio of Red Cross trucks had just arrived, and anyone who could walk was out on the roads, trying to be first in line.
A large group of refugees, brawling over a butchered goat. The fracas had spilled out to block Felix’s way. Soldiers rushed forward, firing M16s into the air. Cursing, Felix put the pick-up into reverse, took another path.
It was just under two miles, but it took Felix almost forty minutes to drive across Ifo. He felt every second, bristled at every pointless delay. His people were dead or dying, and here he was, in a stolen vehicle and playing at spies.
Felix pulled up in front of the weatherboard clinic, left the engine running. The moment he stepped out, he knew that something was wrong.
Apart from the quiet ticking of the pick-up, there was no noise, no movement. The adjacent tent-suburb was eerily quiet, with no coughing, no sign of life. Either the disease had wiped out everyone, or the refugees had the good sense to go to ground.
No soldiers lounging against the front wall of his clinic. The mosquito netting across the doorway was torn down, hanging by one nail now.
Then he saw it, lying just before the door-step. A brass bullet-casing, alone in the dirt.”
—–
Dadaab, Kenya. The UN aid programs have been hijacked from within. People are dying from a preventable disease. A doctor stumbles across a statistical anomaly, one that puts his life in peril.
“Viral: Anomaly” is available via the following links:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/anomaly-steven-savile/1109156699?ean=2940013991217
A journalist stumbles across a deadly secret. Aid doctors find themselves on the new warfront, where the truth is fluid, and life is cheap. A company man has to make a brutal decision that could affect millions.
Welcome to Viral, a series of political thrillers set all over the globe. The CIA is up to no good, subverting humanitarian aid programs to further its own ends. Five writers explore this theme from different angles, and it’s foot-to-the-floor action.
This series has just ended its period of exclusivity at Barnes and Noble, and these titles are now available on the Kindle. Last month, the lead title got to #2 in the Military category, and reached #23 in the massive Thrillers section. If this sounds like your thing, the stories can be found at the below links:
Over at Ticonderoga Publications, the cover-art for my upcoming short story collection “Everything is a Graveyard” has just been revealed. This artwork comes courtesy of the talented Jason Paulos, the chap who is also responsible for my “After the World” covers. The astute might notice a pranged Torana, a gun-toting feral, and yes, what appears to be an enormous drop-bear…
“Everything is a Graveyard” comes out in October 2013, and I’m currently doing my best to make sure the fiction within matches this bad-ass cover-art 🙂 Huge thanks to Russell B Farr for making this all happen (and for the epic title font).
More info here: