I’ve got some great writing workshops coming up over the next few months – I do my best to make these fun and hands-on, and I promise you, you’ve never done writing workshops like mine! The Tolkien workshop promises to be a blast, and the Teen Writers Group goes from strength to strength – this term Writers SA has doubled the number of sessions just to try and meet demand. If you or someone you know is a budding young writer, come and join in the fun!

The Long Shadow of Tolkien

Learning outcomes:

Teen Writers Club Term 3 2019 – Group One

I have been very neglectful of the old Fisch-Blog – real life has hit me in the form of a six-month old baby Fischer girl, who is all things amazing. Those little humans sure take everything over though!

So a quick update of some cool writing stuff. I’ve had a few new short stories accepted for publication in the past few months, here’s some more info:

“Mission Critical” is a new anthology coming out from champion editor Jonathan Strahan, which features a story I co-wrote with the amazing Sean Williams, titled “Mutata Superesse”. This is a book about when things go wrong in space, and boy howdy, do they go wrong! Monsters and freaks and flying teeth, oh my! Was 10/10 fun to write.

More info here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Mission-Critical/Jonathan-Strahan/9781781085806

When I was asked to submit a story to “War of the Worlds: Battleground Australia”, I fell over myself to write the most madcap thing I could think of. I give the world “Riding the Snails”, a far-future post-occupation piece, set in the country that was once called Australia, in a language now illegal to speak. There’s only one thing worse than death at the hands of the invaders, and that is to be sent to ride the snails…

Finally, I have a piece coming up in the next issue of Dimension 6, more to be revealed… 🙂

On the Argonautica front, the release of the new edition of Quiver is getting closer, and work is continuing on Volume 2 “Go to Hell”. Busy Fisch is busy 🙂

Stay classy!

Fisch.

More info can be found over at the Argonautica Press website: https://argonauticapress.com/?p=296

The cat is finally out of the bag, and I can announce it to the heavens! For some months now, I’ve been working with my good friend and fellow ink-scribe Jason Franks, putting together a new small press named Argonautica Press. We went live a few days ago, and a press release with more information about our fun new venture can be found here.

So, why a small press? And why specifically a press that publishes only two authors (for now)?

Firstly, we both have existing properties that have come back into our hands. Our first projects are going to be reboots of our first novels. In Jason Frank’s case, it’s the most excellent Bloody Waters, a tale of a guitar-slinging bad-ass who just happens to have made a deal with the devil.

In my instance, I’m going to be resurrecting (pun intended) my beloved Tamsyn Webb Chronicles. First off will be the re-release of Vol. 1, Quiver. I’ve commissioned a new cover for the book, and it is EPIC. Shall be doing the cover reveal very soon…

Volume 2 of the Tamsyn Webb Chronicles is falling out of my head as we speak, and has the working title of “Go To Hell”. I am taking this bad boy into weird and wonderful directions – this is not your typical zombie story! Volume 3 is “Dead Last”, where I intend to turn it up to eleven and BLOW YOUR MINDS.

Like many writers, we also have a stack of passion projects that we’ve worked on, ones that don’t quite fit into a neat category. Jason’s first new Argonautica Press book is Shadowmancy, and I promise you this book will knock your socks off. If you got into Lev Grossman’s Magician books, Shadowmancy is definitely your jam. My fellow Jason is a writer at the top of his game, and you should treat your eyeballs to this book when it comes out.

As for the Fisch? I have got SO many things I want to put the Argos sails onto, and the trick is picking the right project once the Tamsyn books are done. Needless to say things are going to go off more than a unicorn with a gunpowder enema and a belly full of ghost chilis.

Jason Franks (word-ninja and the co-captain of the Argos) also has a blog post on why we’ve launched this mighty ship, which can be read here: https://jasonfranks.com/2019/03/voyage-of-the-argos/

Writing sure has been an interesting career with a curlicue of twists and turns. I started out a painfully shy young man with an interest in poetry and stage-writing, and now I have a shelf of books, a couple of shiny trophies, lots of funny memories, and am jumping into a new career as a screen-writer.

Funniest of all is the leap I have made into facilitating writing workshops. Never in a month of Sundays would I have imagined being good at these, and enjoying them so much. In the past few years I’ve hosted a bunch of these, for libraries, the SA Writers Centre, and even the more adventurous of bookshops. I always have a ball, and get a kick out of inspiring others to get out their and tell their own stories.

I’ve decided to put out my shingle and actively seek these writing workshops, and thus have put up a new page with some info about this new service. If you know of an organisation who wants a fun, hands on writing workshop, I will deliver this for you in spades 🙂

http://jasonfischer.com.au/new-writing-workshops-available/

EDIT: Ragnarok Publications has temporarily closed its doors, and are no longer publishing “Papa Lucy and the Boneman.” Sad news but I don’t envy their position – they are doing the right thing by their existing authors and right holders, and I wish them all the best.

In other news, I once more have a novel for sale 🙂 onwards and upwards.

More information here: https://www.ragnarokpub.com/single-post/2017/11/15/Changes-at-Ragnarok

I’m very excited to announce that my novel “Papa Lucy and the Boneman” has been acquired by the most excellent Ragnarok Publications. This book has been a labour of love for many years now, and it’s a great feeling to find it such a good home.

Set in a world of scavengers and hard folk, “Papa Lucy and the Boneman” is the tale of a centuries-old family feud. In their quest to become gods, two immortal brothers put the savage world of Now into jeopardy. Only a fallen knight-errant dares to defy Papa Lucy. Armed only with an ancient gun and a forbidden knowledge, Lanyard Everett confronts a world-killer – and himself.

This setting started off in a series of short stories that I published in Aurealis magazine, and after many years of compiling background notes on the world and the characters, I realised that I had an epic fantasy novel on my hands. Back in 2011 I received a grant from Arts SA to produce the first draft of what would become “Papa Lucy and the Boneman”, which I wrote during a 6 month sabbatical from my day job. I beat this novel into shape over a number of years, and now it is finally ready to hit the world.

Colour me excited! Press release follows:

ACQUISITIONS ANNOUNCEMENT:

Editor Gwendolyn Nix acquires two novels for Ragnarok Publications.

***

Hey folks, I’m running the upcoming workshop for the SA Writers Centre. If you’re in Adelaide, come along – there will be buckets of dice and loads of fun!

Roll Up Role Playing for Character Creation

What can role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons teach us about character creation in fiction? In this workshop award-winning author Jason Fischer will walk you through how to use generic RPG stats and the character creation process to develop interesting characters with compelling strengths and weaknesses. Continue reading →

Today I have some exciting news to share – Princess Pictures has optioned a comedy TV series “Knockers” that I’m co-writing with Liam Thorpe.

Script-writing is a new string to my bow, and so far I’m finding it a fun format to work in. The added bonus is that I get to work with one of my oldest friends, and Liam is proving to be a great wordsmith in his own right. Prior to this he’s penned several flash fiction pieces for markets like Antipodean SF, and to keep the wolf from the door he has worked in many fields, including door-to-door sales.

So of course over an epic schnitzel dinner, the idea for Knockers was born. Comedy as seen from the perspective of a door-to-door salesperson. Each door that you knock on has endless possibilities, from the whacky to the alarming. And every now and then, of course, a sale.

Here’s a link to the press release from the SA Film Corporation, it’s a win all round. Special thanks go to my screen-writing mentor James Roberts, and our wonderful producer Alex Doering. You folks beat this project into shape and got us over the line!

http://www.safilm.com.au/news/latest-news/?newsid=73

Press Release Princess Pics Options 3 SA projects_final

My Cthulhu mythos story “The Dog Pit” is now available for your listening pleasure over at Pseudopod. I have been a fan of this magnificent horror podcast for YEARS, so believe me when I tell you that this is a genuine bucket-list moment.

Narrator Barry Haworth did a magnificent job of reading my story, and I hope you enjoy this story of colonial Sydney, an evil unearthed, and one of my favourite protagonists EVER!

The Dutchman finally found the boy out on the gold diggings.

Being close to seven feet tall and as broad as an axe-handle at the shoulders, Cornelius Tesselaar was an instant curiosity in that place of mud and slap-shacks. His frock-coat and good boots spoke of a man more used to cobbled streets than a fossicker’s warren. He wore a top-hat, the good silk kind, and peered around him through a pair of expensive bifocals that by themselves would earn him a knifing if he stayed too long.

A quiet word and a handful of coins led Cornelius to the nearest opium den. He swept open the hessian sack that served as a doorway, and stood blinking at the thick cloud of smoke that drifted out.

“Toby Jangles,” the Dutchman boomed, striding inside. A dozen faces stared blankly at the man, even as he stepped over their sprawled bodies. One or two furtive shapes slinked away from the doorway, creeping into the furthest shadows of the clapboard shack.

http://pseudopod.org/2017/04/28/pseudopod-540-the-dog-pit/

The 2017 Australian SF (“Ditmar”) Awards preliminary ballot has just been released, and I’m chuffed to see my novella “By the Laws of Crab and Woman” on the shortlist for Best Novella/Novelette. It is fantastic to see this story get such recognition, and I’m grateful to everyone who nominated it. Huge congrats to the other finalists, what a brilliant ballot!

http://wiki.sf.org.au/2017_Ditmar_preliminary_ballot

Best Novel

• The Grief Hole, Kaaron Warren, IFWG Publishing Australia.
• The Lyre Thief, Jennifer Fallon, HarperCollins.
• Squid’s Grief, D.K. Mok, D.K. Mok.
• Vigil, Angela Slatter, Jo Fletcher Books.
• The Wizardry of Jewish Women, Gillian Polack, Satalyte Publishing.

Best Novella or Novelette

• “All the Colours of the Tomato”, Simon Petrie, in Dimension6 9.
• “By the Laws of Crab and Woman”, Jason Fischer, in Review of Australian Fiction, Vol 17, Issue 6.
• “Did We Break the End of the World?”, Tansy Rayner Roberts, in Defying Doomsday, Twelfth Planet Press.
• “Finnegan’s Field”, Angela Slatter, in Tor.com.
• “Glass Slipper Scandal”, Tansy Rayner Roberts, in Sheep Might Fly.
• “Going Viral”, Thoraiya Dyer, in Dimension6 8.

Best Short Story

• “Flame Trees”, T.R. Napper, in Asimov’s Science Fiction, April/May 2016.
• “No Fat Chicks”, Cat Sparks, in In Your Face, FableCroft Publishing.
• “There’s No Place Like Home”, Edwina Harvey, in AntipodeanSF 221.

Best Collected Work

• Crow Shine by Alan Baxter, Ticonderoga Publications.
• Defying Doomsday, Tsana Dolichva and Holly Kench, Twelfth Planet Press.
• Dreaming in the Dark, Jack Dann, PS Publishing.
• In Your Face, Tehani Wessely, FableCroft Publishing.

Best Artwork

• cover and internal artwork, Adam Browne, for The Tame Animals of Saturn, Peggy Bright Books.
• illustration, Shauna O’Meara, for Lackington’s 12.

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• 2016 Australian SF Snapshot, Greg Chapman, Tehani Croft, Tsana Dolichva, Marisol Dunham, Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Stephanie Gunn, Ju Landéesse, David McDonald, Belle McQuattie, Matthew Morrison, Alex Pierce, Rivqa Rafael, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Helen Stubbs, Katharine Stubbs and Matthew Summers.
• The Coode Street Podcast, Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
• Earl Grey Editing Services (blog), Elizabeth Fitzgerald.
• Galactic Chat, Alexandra Pierce, David McDonald, Sarah Parker, Helen Stubbs, Mark Webb, and Sean Wright.
• Galactic Suburbia, Alisa Krasnostein, Alex Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts.
• The Writer and the Critic, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond.

Best Fan Writer

• James ‘Jocko’ Allen, for body of work.
• Aidan Doyle, for body of work.
• Bruce Gillespie, for body of work.
• Foz Meadows, for body of work.
• Tansy Rayner Roberts, for body of work.

Best Fan Artist

• Kathleen Jennings, for body of work, including Illustration Friday series.

Best New Talent

• T R Napper
• Marlee Jane Ward

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

• Kat Clay for essays and reviews in Weird Fiction Review
• Tehani Croft & Marisol Dunham, for Revisiting Pern: the great McCaffrey reread review series.
• Tsana Dolichva, for reviews, in Tsana’s Reads and Reviews.
• Kate Forsyth, for The Rebirth of Rapunzel: a mythic biography of the maiden in the tower, FableCroft Publishing.
• Alexandra Pierce, for reviews, in Randomly Yours, Alex.
• Gillian Polack, for History and Fiction: Writers, their Research, Worlds and Stories, Peter Lang.