It’s the Super-Mega Pimp-My-Peeps Post!
It has definitely been a while since I did one of these. Many of my talented writer buddies have been going great guns just lately, and I would be remiss in not pointing you towards these fine new works!
Contents for Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror Announced
Some great news that I can finally reveal to the world. My short story “The School Bus” (from Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #46) is going to be reprinted in the Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror, from Ticonderoga Publications. This is going to be an absolute door-stop of a book, cram-packed with quality short stories from Australia’s best and brightest. I think I’m gonna shell out for the hard-cover version of this, and pop it onto the brag shelf with pride 🙂 even better, once more I get to share a print collection with many of my buddies and peeps, which is always a nice feeling.
Here’s the press release, with the full (and rather impressive) table of contents. That’s some nice work, folks!
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Ticonderoga Publications is walking on sunshine to announce the contents for its inaugural Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror anthology.
Editors Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene have produced a list of 33 excellent tales by some of Australia’s biggest names as well as some emerging writers.
The anthology collects 150,000 words of the best stories published last year from the Antipodes.
“We’re pleased with the number of fabulous stories that were published in 2010 that we had to choose from,” Liz Grzyb said.
“You could hold this anthology up against any international collection – Australians rock for diverse voices, imagination, and compelling writing,” Talie Helene added.
The stories are (alphabetically by writer):
- RJ Astruc: “Johnny and Babushka”
- Peter M Ball: “L’esprit de L’escalier”
- Alan Baxter: “The King’s Accord”
- Jenny Blackford: “Mirror”
- Gitte Christensen: “A Sweet Story”
- Matthew Chrulew: “Schubert By Candlelight”
- Bill Congreve: “Ghia Likes Food”
- Rjurik Davidson: “Lovers In Caeli-Amur”
- Felicity Dowker: “After the Jump”
- Dale Elvy: “Night Shift”
- Jason Fischer: “The School Bus”
- Dirk Flinthart: “Walker”
- Bob Franklin: “Children’s Story”
- Christopher Green: “Where We Go To Be Made Lighter”
- Paul Haines: “High Tide At Hot Water Beach”
- L.L. Hannett: “Soil From My Fingers”
- Stephen Irwin: “Hive”
- Gary Kemble: “Feast Or Famine”
- Pete Kempshall: “Brave Face”
- Tessa Kum: “Acception”
- Martin Livings: “Home”
- Maxine McArthur: “A Pearling Tale”
- Kirstyn McDermott: “She Said”
- Andrew McKiernan: “The Memory Of Water”
- Ben Peek: “White Crocodile Jazz”
- Simon Petrie: “Dark Rendezvous”
- Lezli Robyn: “Anne-droid of Green Gables”
- Angela Rega: “Slow Cookin’ “
- Angela Slatter: “The Bone Mother”
- Angela Slatter & LL Hannett: “The February Dragon”
- Grant Stone: “Wood”
- Kaaron Warren: “That Girl”
- Janeen Webb: “Manifest Destiny”
In addition to the above incredible tales, the volume will include a review of 2010 and a list of recommended stories.
The editors will shortly begin reading for the second volume of The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror.
The anthology is scheduled for publication in June 2011. The anthology will be available in hardcover, ebook and trade editions and may be pre-ordered at http://indiebooksonline.com.
Should have been up for the Archibald “The Death of Spongebob”
Death of Sponge Bob – Erik Alos
“Alluding to the BP oil spill, the painting foresees an environmental apocalypse from man’s rape and destruction of the natural world. There is only one possible savior. The ancient hymn notes, “Absorbent, yellow and porous is He.” Although immaculately conceived by asexual budding, the poriferan is paradoxically both completely divine and the most primitive animal in the ocean’s depths. As a sea creature, he succumbs to the toxic effects of the oozing petroleum. Still, the death of the only savior does not leave mankind without hope. With his dying breaths, he infuses his rainbow soul into the remaining, healthy biosphere. His one tired eye conveys both sadness, and forgiveness of mankind’s betrayal. An innocent flaxen-haired virgin cradles the dying deity in her arms, but as the mother of future generations of mankind, she represents hope. As she looks to heavens for guidance, the Holy Spirit, represented as a crowned oily pelican, looks on reassuringly.”
(from http://www.mars-z.org/post/4480991327/death-of-sponge-bob-erik-alos-alluding-to-the)
Oh, what’s this trumpet for? Why, to toot my own horn :-)
Haven’t done an updatey type post for a while, but here’s some writing-related stuff worth whacking on the ole blog:
Anywhere But Earth
First up, the complete Table of Contents for the Anywhere but Earth anthology has been released here: http://keithstevenson.com/CDLblog/2011/04/06/anywhere-but-earth-official-line-up/
It looks AWESOME. Several of my local writing idols have rated a spot in the book, and I’m totally chuffed that one of my Clarion stories “Eating Gnashdal” is also in the mix. Can’t wait to get my grotty hands on a copy (I especially love that retro-looking cover).
Shared Universe Shenanigans
A project I’ve been involved in with some of my Writers of the Future colleagues looks like it’s about to go live. It involves a single character in a shared universe, and it’s been both interesting and challenging to work for. Will say more when I can, but the editor has a great track record, the other authors seem to be top-notch writers or prolific young turks, and rather than a e-zine it seems more like an interactive community with some great possibilities. Again, more when I can say, will pop the link here when it all goes live. I maintain that writing is the single coolest job I’ve ever had 🙂
Review – An Eclectic Slice of Life
A review of Eclecticism’s first anthology An Eclectic Slice of Life has just gone live over at Horrorscope. Reviewer Matthew Tait has this to say about my contributions to the volume:
“Both Houndkin and The Ward of Hours take on mythological creatures set against eccentric backdrops – one in a hospital ward that lies at the nexus of time. The prose is mature and effortless … and it’s easy to see the argument for his success”
Full review can be read here: http://www.horrorscope.com.au/2011/04/review-eclectic-slice-of-life.html
That’s lovely, made my day that 🙂 I really get a kick when someone enjoys my Raoul stories, the same protagonist as from my WOTF-winning story House of Nameless – oh look, here’s a link where you can read it for free! http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/43525 Oh hey, here’s the Ditmar ballot where it’s up for Best Short Story, if you’re so inclined http://wiki.sf.org.au/images/d/d4/2011_Ditmar_ballot.pdf 🙂
Midnight Echo #6
Just on the tail-end of it all now, doing the usual jiggery-pokery with contracts, bios, edits, and putting together an editorial for our themed issue. Was great fun, but will definitely be a relief to hand everything over once we’re finished.
RIP Livejournal
I’ve decided I’m more or less done with the infamous Russian Spam Factory, and will migrate most of my f-list and feeds into Google Reader. I just can’t do it anymore, everytime I fire it up it’s just depressing. I’ll still export this website via an LJ x-post, but apart from that I probably won’t be on there much from now on.
And the teaser…
There’s another cool bit of news that landed in my inbox this week, but it is unfortunately embargoed information. It’s killing me but the rules are the rules, I’ll post a mini update when it’s announced and all official-like. I LOVE BEING A WRITER! 🙂
A moment of attempted embeddery.
Just trying out the embedding of You-Tube clips via WordPress…was having some troubles, but an update looks like it stops the code from just dropping off the page when I hit update. It’s been flipping ages since I got a video clip to work on this site. To my sadness though, I seem to have lost the awesome banner that Nyssa Pascoe designed for me. Sigh.
It seems fitting that the attempt at embeddery is used to share the most ridiculous Gunners song. I think that “So Fine” was recorded as a joke, but it is hard to dislodge this early 90s ear-worm. I apologise for the excessive shots of Axl Rose’s junk, which the white shorts do little to disguise (or indeed, flatter).