by Jason Fischer | Aug 4, 2010 | Reviews
This time from the redoubtable Dirk Flinthart over at review site “(Cool) Shite On The Tube”.
http://www.coolshite.net/review/2010/08/03/world-volume-1-2-novella-review/
He does a great comparitive analysis of the first two After The World books, and of Gravesend he says:
“…Fischer offers an effective, character-driven coming-of-age story in which Tamsyn must overcome the expectations of all those around her, and defeat her own inner demons before she can move on.”
“The action and horror are still there, and the story moves at a fine pace. However, this is clearly a book, not simply a printed-page rendering of a zombie movie. Characters have distinct and powerful personalities and motivations, and go through very real arcs of development as the story unfolds to a conclusion both eminently satisfying, and still gratifyingly open.”
and
“Bringing a true novellist’s sensibility to the zombie story, Fischer’s writing appeals to the dedicated reader while still reaching out to the horror film fan.”
Sweet! My next challenge is to match this praise in the follow-up to Gravesend, “After the World: Corpus Christi”. I shall do my best!
Note: This book can still be purchased via the online store: http://www.blackboox.net/products/After-the-World%3A-Gravesend.html for the bargain price of $5.
by Jason Fischer | Aug 4, 2010 | Announcement, Pimping
The brilliant Kirstyn McDermott is launching her new book Madigan Mine at Adelaide Dymocks, on Tuesday the 25th of August, at high noon. Go on, you don’t need to eat during that pesky lunch hour. Kirstyn is truly a talented writer and by all accounts this is an excellent breakout novel.
by Jason Fischer | Aug 3, 2010 | Announcement
Well, this is all kinds of cool! In the midst of an impressive ballot list, it turns out I’ve been shortlisted for two Ditmar Awards: Best Novella/Novelette for “After the World:Gravesend”, and Best New Talent.
As always, it’s great to make such a shortlist, and actually humbling when I look at how many folks I truly admire on this ballot. Regardless of the outcome, I’m hanging out with good company, and that alone has made my day 🙂
(more…)
by Jason Fischer | Aug 2, 2010 | Announcement, Pimping
As some of you may know, I’m co-editing issue #6 of Midnight Echo, the magazine of the Australian Horror Writers Association. Issue #5 has now closed for submissions as below:
http://www.horrorscope.com.au/2010/08/news-midnight-echo-5-closed-to.html
Submissions for our issue officially open September 1, 2010, and close on January 31, 2011 (and it should be pointed out that it’s an open call, you don’t have to be a member of the AHWA to sub). We co-editors (David Conyers, David Kernot and myself) have thrown together some thematic guidelines which can be found here:
http://davidconyers.blogspot.com/2010/02/midnight-echo-6-science-fiction-horror.html
and general guidelines here: http://www.australianhorror.com/index.php?view=144
So, plenty of notice for those of you who like to write a hearty blend of science fiction and horror. Bring us your chest-bursters, your dark dystopias, your rogue nanotech. All manner of mongrel scribings will be mulled over and considered. Midnight Echo is an absolutely gorgeous production and your story could do worse than to appear in it!
If you have any queries, comment here or email me on mail@jasonfischer.com.au
Cheers!
by Jason Fischer | Aug 1, 2010 | Writing
So with the website humming along, all tickety-boo and how’s your father, I continue to plough through the sequel to Gravesend, the tentatively titled “After the World: Corpus Christi”. Won’t be long and I’ll be signing off on this, my latest love-letter to George Romero and zombiedom as a whole. My favourite part? Revisiting some characters that I genuinely cared for, and telling the world What Happens Next. Did I say I care for these characters? You wouldn’t think so, going by the levels of woe I’m pouring upon them.
I’ve been enjoying David Farland’s “Daily Kick In The Pants” series of emails, invaluable writing advice from a writer who was actually Stephanie Meyer’s mentor, a WOTF judge, and an author with an impressive back catalogue in his own right. His invaluable writing advice can be accessed via this page: http://www.runelords.com/about/
Some of the things Mr Farland has spoken about are try/fail cycles, and actually giving your readers low levels of stress! Yes, you heard me right. When you are actually anxious about the fate of a character, that story just became a page-turner, and the author has successfully engaged you as a reader. And then, with the correct resolution, everything is brought back to normal, and you’ll go away feeling relaxed and good about that story – and will be keen to buy anything else that author writes.
A simple formula for conflict that I’ve always remembered goes along these lines:
1) get your characters stuck up in a tree
2) throw rocks at them.
3) get them back down.
I tell you what, I’ve got my eye in today…pow! Oh, sorry Tamsyn, didn’t mean to pop you in the face. Hey, there’s no need to point that bow at me, I was just….TWANG! Okay, thanks for the warning shot. Promise I’ll cut you a break real soon 🙂
PS I’ve finally got my LiveJournal cross-post thing working! Many thanks to fellow Clarionite Aidan Doyle for his IT intervention.
