2008 News:
Australian Women in Comics
The Broadsheet's November Comix Issue featured interviews with three Australian women who work in comics; Mandy Ord, Nicola Scott, and Tonia Walden. Two panels of artwork, from Tonia and Mandy, are included.
Carissa's Weblog
Isobelle Carmody Interview
Amazon's Omnivoracious Blog has an interview with Isobelle Carmody on the release of all currently available Obernewtyn series books in the US. The next two books in the series, The Sending and Red Queen will be released in 2010.
Carissa's Weblog
Book View Cafe
New publishing endeavour, Book View Cafe, will offer fiction in a range of options from free to subscription. Participating authors include Ursula Le Guin, Vonda N. McIntyre, and 2008 Aurealis Award nominee Sylvia Kelso.
Carissa's Weblog
World Fantasy Award Judges announced
Australia's Jenny Blackford has been named as one of the judges of the 2009 World Fantasy Awards.
Carissa's Weblog
2008 Aurealis Awards Shortlist
Fifty six writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror have been shortlisted for awards in 13 categories, honouring excellence in Australian speculative fiction.
This year, new categories were introduced to recognise anthologies and collections, and illustrated books and graphic novels for adults.
Award winners will be announced at the Aurealis Awards Gala Ceremony on Saturday, 24 January 2009 at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Brisbane. Anyone interested in attending the Awards ceremony should visit the Aurealis Awards website for further information or to book their place at the event.
best science fiction novel
K A Bedford, Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait, Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing
Marianne de Pierres, Chaos Space, Book Two of the Sentients of Orion, Orbit
Simon Haynes, Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch, Fremantle Press
Kim Westwood, The Daughters of Moab, HarperVoyager
Sean Williams, Earth Ascendant, Astropolis Book Two, Orbit
best science fiction short story
Simon Brown, ‘The Empire’, Dreaming Again, HarperVoyager
Nathan Burrage, ‘Black and Bitter, Thanks’, The Workers’ Paradise, Ticonderoga Publications
Trent Jamieson, ‘Delivery’, Cosmos, #21
Margo Lanagan, ‘The Fifth Star in the Southern Cross’, Dreaming Again, HarperVoyager
Tansy Rayner Roberts, ‘Fleshy’, 2012, Twelfth Planet Press
best fantasy novel
Alison Goodman, The Two Pearls of Wisdom, HarperCollins
Sylvia Kelso, Amberlight, Juno Books
Margo Lanagan, Tender Morsels, Allen & Unwin
Juliet Marillier, Heir to Sevenwaters, Macmillan Australia
Karen Miller, The Riven Kingdom, Godspeaker Book Two, HarperVoyager
best fantasy short story
Thoraiya Dyer, ‘Night Heron’s Curse’, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, #37
Karen Maric, ‘The Last Deflowerer’, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, #32
Angela Slatter, ‘Dresses, Three’, Shimmer, Vol 2 #4
Cat Sparks, ‘Sammarynda Deep’, Paper Cities, Senses 5 Press
Kim Westwood, ‘Nightship’, Dreaming Again, HarperVoyager
best horror novel
Jack Dann, The Economy of Light, PS Publishing
Nick Gadd, Ghostlines, Scribe Publications
John Harwood, The Séance, Jonathan Cape
best horror short story
Lee Battersby, ‘In From the Snow’, Dreaming Again, HarperVoyager
Deborah Biancotti, ‘Pale Dark Soldier’, Midnight Echo, #1
Trent Jamieson, ‘Day Boy’, Murky Depths, #4
Kirstyn McDermott, ‘Painlessness’, Greatest Uncommon Denominator (GUD), #2
Ian McHugh, ‘Bitter Dreams’, L Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Vol XXIV
best anthology
Bill Congreve & Michelle Marquardt (editors), The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction, Fourth Annual Volume, MirrorDanse Books
Jack Dann (editor), Dreaming Again, HarperVoyager
Jonathan Strahan (editor), The Starry Rift, Viking Children’s Books
best collection
Robert Hood, Creeping in Reptile Flesh, Altair Australia Books
Sean Williams and Russell B. Farr (editor), Magic Dirt: The Best of Sean Williams, Ticonderoga Publications
best illustrated book / graphic novel
Steve Hunt (illustrator/co-author) & David Richardson (co-author), The Cloudchasers, ABC Books
Shaun Tan, Tales from Outer Suburbia, Allen & Unwin
Colin Thompson, The Floods Family Files, Random House Australia
Julie Watts (author) & Graeme Base (illustrator), The Art of Graeme Base, Penguin/Viking
best young adult novel
Isobelle Carmody, The Stone Key, Obernewtyn Chronicles, Volume Five, Penguin/Viking
David Cornish, Lamplighter, Monster Blood Tattoo Book Two, Omnibus Books
Alison Goodman, The Two Pearls of Wisdom, HarperCollins
Melina Marchetta, Finnikin of the Rock, Penguin/Viking
Sean Williams, The Changeling, The Changeling series book one, Angus & Robertson
best young adult short story
Deborah Biancotti, ‘The Tailor of Time’, Clockwork Phoenix, Norilana Books
Dirk Flinthart, ‘This Is Not My Story’, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, #37
Trent Jamieson, ‘Cracks’, Shiny, #2
Kevin MacLean, ‘Eye of the Beholder’, Misspelled, DAW Books
best children’s novel
Simon Higgins, Moonshadow, Eye of the Beast, Random House Australia
Sophie Masson, Thomas Trew and the Island of Ghosts, Hodder Children’s
Emily Rodda, The Wizard of Rondo, Omnibus Books
Carole Wilkinson, Dragon Dawn, Black Dog Books
Sean Williams, The Changeling and The Dust Devils, The Changeling series books one and two, Angus & Robertson
best children’s illustrated work/picture book
Anna Fienberg, Barbara Fienberg & Kim Gamble, Tashi and the Phoenix, Allen & Unwin
Richard Harland & Laura Peterson (illustrator), Escape!, Under Siege, Race to the Ruins, The Heavy Crown, The Wolf Kingdom series, Omnibus Books
Ian Irvine & David Cornish (illustrator), Thorn Castle, Giant’s Lair, Black Crypt, Wizardry Crag, The Sorcerer’s Tower series, Omnibus Books
Sally Morgan with Ezekiel, Ambelin and Blaze Kwaymullina & Adam Hill (illustrator), Curly and the Fent, Random House Australia
Richard Tulloch & Terry Denton (illustrator), Twisted Tales, Random House Australia
Melina Marchetta Interview
Faster Than Light Podcast recently interviewed Melina Marchetta. The interview is spread over two podcasts. Finnikin of the Rock has been shortlisted for Best Young Adult Novel in the Aurealis Awards.
Carissa's Weblog
Shaun Tan Documentary
Tor.com points us to a short documentary that features Shaun Tan talking about the adaptation of The Lost Thing to animation.
Carissa's Weblog
Australian Speculative Fiction Podcast
Terra Incognita SF Podcast will feature "the best Australian Speculative Fiction read by the authors who created it." First up is Paul Haines reading his story "The Devil in Mr Pussy." There's also a review by Keith Stevenson of The Daughters of Moab by Kim Westwood.
[ Found via HorrorScope ]
Carissa's Weblog
Writing for Star Wars
ABC Radio National's The Book Show interviewed Sean Williams about The Force Unleashed and writing for Star Wars. The audio is available for download.
Carissa's Weblog
Margo Lanagan Interview
Faster Than Light Podcast's latest interview is with Margo Lanagan.
Carissa's Weblog
Margo Lanagan Interviews
Recent press for Tender Morsels:
An "imaginary interview" on BookSlut
Carissa's Weblog
Juliet Marillier Interview
Juliet Marillier is interviewed at Writer Unboxed for their Take Five Interview series. Heir to Sevenwaters has been released in the US. We'll have a review of it in this month's aXp.
Carissa's Weblog
Fiona McIntosh Interview
The Sydney Writers' Centre Podcast interviews Fiona McIntosh in their most recent episode. The audio is available for streaming or download (in the RSS feed), and there's even a transcript.
Carissa's Weblog
Melina Marchetta Interview
Known particularly for Looking for Alibrandi, Melina Marchetta has a new novel out, and it's fantasy. Melina talks to ABC Radio's Life Matters about Finnikin of the Rock. The audio is available for streaming or download.
Carissa's Weblog
Graeme Base Interview
Graeme Base is interviewed on The Conversation Hour. He joins Gary McDonald, who is interviewed earlier in the program, and hosts Ali Moore and Danny Katz. Audio is available for streaming or download. The Graeme Base interview starts 30 minutes in.
Carissa's Weblog
Book Reviews
It's nice to see that The Cairns Post has lots of SF novel reviews (on their website at least.) Not many newspapers do. Recent reviews include Graceling by Kristin Cashore, An Ice Cold Cave by Charlaine Harris, and Royal Exile by Fiona McIntosh.
Carissa's Weblog
For your listening pleasure. . . The Red Tree by Shaun Tan
Tonight on ABC Classic FM you can hear the musical adaptation of Shaun Tan's The Red Tree, a collaboration by Michael Yezerski, Gondwana Voices and Richard Tognetti. Listen to it at 8pm on your radio or stream it live from http://www.abc.net.au/classic/audio/.
Some related links:
Carissa's Weblog
Frankenstein and Pratchett
Recent SF-related audio from ABC Radio:
Philosophers Zone: 'It's alive!' Frankenstein, science and philosophy in the Romantic period
The Book Show: Terry Pratchett - other realities
Audio available for streaming or download. Transcripts also available.
Carissa's Weblog
Using Graphic Novels in Class
From The Age: Graphic tales make novel teaching tools
"Graphic novels tend to invite attention wherever they travel in education circles — but the reception they receive is not always glowing. Ms Cromie had waged quite a battle both with her students' parents ("My kid's 15 and you're showing him a picture book!") and the school board before she was able to take her 10-week graphic novel pilot program into the classroom."
Carissa's Weblog
News from HorrorScope
Of recent interest from HorrorScope:
The Australian Horror Writers' Association's special Australian publisher showcase transcripts.
Carissa's Weblog
Sean Williams on AISFP
Sean Williams is the guest for Adventures in Sci Fi Publishing #62. The podcast starts with a discussion between Sean and this year's winners of the Writers of the Future contest, then Sean is interviewed about "Star Wars, his Ph.D. studies, and why his YA fantasy novels can’t find a home in the U.S."
Carissa's Weblog
The Big Book Club
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed by Sean Williams is this month's selection for "The Big Book Club". And in October, it's The Six Sacred Stones By Matthew Reilly. The Club is designed to "promote reading, the discussion of books and the promotion of Australian authors". They're giving away 10 copies of the book to a Book Club, and 5 books to individuals.
Carissa's Weblog
Carnival for August
The Australian Speculative Fiction Carnival for August was hosted by Nyssa at A Boy Goes On A Journey.
Carissa's Weblog
Free ebook
Odalisque by Fiona McIntosh is available as a free download from Eos Books in September and October. You'll need to sign-up for their newsletter, and have a copy of Adobe Reader, Microsoft Reader or Mobipocket Reader to access the copy-protected ebook file.
Carissa's Weblog
Online Literature Festival
I'm a bit late to find this, but Education Queenslands's Learning Place is hosting an Online Literature Festival for Preps to Year 12s. The program started on the 1st of September and will finish on the 19th, but it may be possible to access archived chats and media. Authors participating include Libby Gleeson, Paul Collins, Jackie French, Anita Heiss, Michael Pryor and Maureen McCarthy and author and illustrator Leigh Hobbs.
Carissa's Weblog
Sydney Writers' Centre Podcast
I recently discovered that Sydney Writers' Centre has a podcast. SF authors interviewed include Kate Forsyth, Pamela Freeman, Anna Fienberg and Garth Nix. You can stream the audio or read the transcript by visiting the individual pages, or download mp3s by subscribing to the podcast.
Carissa's Weblog
Enchanted Landscapes
Sydney Radio Station 2SER's books, writing, and ideas program Final Draft invites you to join them:
"as we explore landscapes infused with myth and meaning. From islands out of Greek legend, to the epics out of own backyards, we find that in any place people call home, great stories can be found. Guiding our journey are story-teller extraordinaire, Arnold Zable, and the consistently delightful illustrator and writer, Shaun Tan."
Carissa's Weblog
Media Tie-in Mind Meld
Sean Williams joins other writers to answer the question, "How do you think media tie-in novels affect the genre of sf/f?" for SF Signal's Mind Meld feature.
Carissa's Weblog
Coming up at the Victorian Writers' Centre
Speculating Fiction
Sean Williams and Lucy Sussex in conversation with Paul CollinsPanel: Host and author, Paul Collins taps into the imaginary minds of award-winning writers Sean Williams and Lucy Sussex as they discuss their literary careers and what fuels their inspiration in the world of speculative fiction. Sean Williams is the author of 25 novels and numerous short stories for readers of all ages, including several set in the Doctor Who and Star Wars franchises, and a seven-book fantasy series set in Australian landscapes. Lucy Sussex's fiction includes The Penguin Friend (1989),Deersnake (1990), Black Ice, The Revognase and The Scarlet Rider (1996). She has written three short story collections, My Lady Tongue, A Tour Guide in Utopia (2005) and Absolute Uncertainty (2006). She has also compiled three anthologies for younger readers, The Patternmaker, The Lottery (both 1994) and Shadow Alley (1996). She's Fantastical, an anthology of Australian women's non-realist fiction, was shortlisted for the 2005 World Fantasy Award. Paul Collins is one of Australia's leading fantasy and science fiction authors and has published over 120 books in both the trade and education fields.
When: Friday 3 October, 6.30-8pm
Cost: $20, Members $15/$12 Rating: ADismantling Science fiction - SF Intensive
with Sean WilliamsWeekend Workshop: New York Times bestselling author Sean Williams is also the award-winning author of 25 novels and numerous short stories for readers of all ages, including several set in the Doctor Who and Star Wars franchises, and a seven-book fantasy series set in Australian landscapes. Explore the secrets of his success - and the wonders of the universe - in a two-day intensive workshop for writers of original science fiction and fantasy. Expect the unexpected. BYO imagination! Participants need to email work samples (up to 1000 words). Submissions by Monday September 15 to program@writers-centre.org
When: Saturday & Sunday, 4-5 October, 10am-4pm
Cost: $250, Members $190/$170 Rating: 1+2
TO ENSURE YOUR PLACE PLEASE BOOK BY EARLY SEPTEMBERALL EVENTS ARE HELD AT THE VICTORIAN WRITERS' CENTRE, 1ST FLOOR NICHOLAS BLG 37 SWANSTON ST, MELBOURNE. BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL. PHONE 9654 9068
Carissa's Weblog
Fiona McIntosh Interview
The Small Picture Podcast interviews Fiona McIntosh. Her new novel is Royal Exile, first in the Valisar trilogy.
Carissa's Weblog
Greg Egan on Incandescence
On Nightshade Books website, Greg Egan talks about his new book Incandescence. And he shares "The Big Idea" on Scalzi's Whatever Blog.
Carissa's Weblog
"Dive into Pool"
Articulate directs us to Pool, "a new social media site developed by Radio National".
Some content that caught my attention include:
Communing with Science Fiction writers
The Tool Kit of a Schlock Romance Writer
Also note the Letter Vox invitation to "Contribute to ABC Radio National’s Book Show online audio documentary project ‘Letter Vox’. We want you to tell us how you relate to and engage with books and writing sub/culture - as readers, writers and commentators."
Carissa's Weblog
SF in the News
Recent SF related articles on the websites of The Age, Australian and Sydney Morning Herald:
Shirley Barber: Our Fairy Godmother
Dreaming Again Review: Imagination that deftly defies northern gravity
Children's Book Council Awards: Children's author is on a roll
Nick Harkaway: The future of normal, and On a secret mission
Stephenie Meyer: Blood lust, Vampire's dawn sets readers' pulses racing, and The night of the vampire writer
Lisa Gorton: Mallee-rooted poetry and grounded clouds
Carissa's Weblog
Brisbane Writers Festival Program
The Brisbane Writers Festival has released their program of events. Attendees (and events) of interest for SF readers include: Gary Kemble, Jack Heath, James Frenkel, John Birmingham, Margo Lanagan, Michael Pryor, Paul Collins, and Susan Parisi.
Carissa's Weblog
A Conversation with Wil Elliot
The Conversation Hour with Richard Fidler repeats an interview with The Pilo Family Circus author Wil Elliot. To get the audio, select the link next to the green headphones icon on the left.
Carissa's Weblog
World Con 2010 in Australia
SF Scope reports that Australia has won the bid to host World Con in 2010!
Carissa's Weblog
Jeanette Winterson at Sydney Writer's Festival
Nightlife with Tony Delroy hosted a literary event with Jeanette Winterson at the Sydney Writer's Festival. The audio is available for a short time.
Regarding her latest book The Stone Gods, Winterson says on her website, "People say to me, ‘so is the Stone Gods science fiction?’ Well, it is fiction, and it has science in it, and it is set (mostly) in the future, but the labels are meaningless."
Carissa's Weblog
Shaun Tan Interview and Platypuses
At Tor.com, Art Director Irene Gallo interviews Shaun Tan.
Also, "Science that made me smile"
Carissa's Weblog
Interview with Alison Goodman
The Courier Mail interviews Alison Goodman on the release of her book The Two Pearls of Wisdom.
Carissa's Weblog
Fan Fiction; Edgar Allen Poe
Recently on Radio National's The Book Show: Fan fiction - the creative and legal pitfalls, and Peter Ackroyd and the mystery of Edgar Allan Poe. Available for streaming or download for a limited time.
Carissa's Weblog
Carnival for July
Conflux Blog is this month's host of the Australian Speculative Fiction Carnival. Also, don't forget about the Mini-Con which starts this Saturday.
Carissa's Weblog
Fundraiser in support of author Paul Haines
Paul Haines, both an extraordinarily talented writer and a much-loved member of the Aussie specfic community, is going through a tough time. After being diagnosed with bowel cancer, having sections of his bowel removed and enduring six months worth of chemotherapy, he has recently discovered he has spots on his liver. Paul has met this news by "reloading his guns" and is going to fight it with two other forms of chemotherapy for this kind of cancer, combined with a monoclonal antibody called Avastin. Unfortunately Avastin is not currently covered by Medicare or the Australian government's private health system's funding. The course of Avastin medication alone costs $20,000, which is beyond the Haines family's already overextended finances. The Australian speculative writing and fan community are pulling together to try and help Paul raise funds for his medication. Over the coming days, a fundraising plan of action will be formed - in the meantime, you can make a donation via paypal using this button:
Large or small - every donation counts!
Parallel Importing
There's been a lot of comment out there about Parallel Importing. Follow the links and trackbacks from this post by Justine Larbelestier and you'll get a good overview of the situation, as well as an education in the publishing industry.
Carissa's Weblog
Tor.com Freebies
Here's the link for ALL the free ebooks and wallpapers from Tor in their "Freebies Bonanza". Available through to Sunday.
Carissa's Weblog
Another Shaun Tan Interview
Gary Kemble interviews Shaun Tan for Articulate. Includes some examples of the artwork in Tales from Outer Suburbia, including one large, lovely image from "The Water Buffalo".
Carissa's Weblog
RSS feed available
We have a temporary RSS feed available for "Carissa's Weblog" items, should anyone be interested. This is really just a trial, and the feed address could change at any time. Go to http://feeds.feedburner.com/AurealisXpress to subscribe.
Carissa's Weblog
Conflux Mini-Con
Conflux will hold a "Virtual Mini-Con" in their forums on the 2nd and 3rd of August. Check out the official announcement on the Conflux blog for the (very) full list of guests.
Carissa's Weblog
Carnival for June
Wendy Waring is host for June's Australian Speculative Fiction Carnival. There's three posts, which you can find here, here, and here.
Carissa's Weblog
DM Cornish Interview
Found this a bit late, but SF Revu has a long interview with DM Cornish from March.
Carissa's Weblog
From The Small Picture Podcast
After a hiatus since March, The Small Picture Podcast returns with two interviews of SF authors, Traci Harding and Jack Dann. Both are available for streaming or download.
Carissa's Weblog
Year Million Review
Locus Online has posted Greg Bear's review of Damian Broderick's Year Million from the June 2008 edition.
Carissa's Weblog
Free eBooks
Tor.com are offering Tobsha Lerner's Soul for free download next week, if you sign up for their newsletter. They will also offer all previous free eBooks for download again the week after that.
Carissa's Weblog
Office news
The Aurealis office is currently unable to process any pending submissions or new subscription orders due to major computer failure. New submissions and orders should be sent as usual, but it will take some time before computer systems and previous information is back online. Please accept our apologies for these difficulties.
The Editor
Book Trailers
Sophie Masson blogs about book trailers and shares a few things she learned while making the trailer for her book The Case of the Diamond Shadow. She includes links to book trailers from Michael J Pryor, Isabelle Merlin, and Ian Irvine, as well as her own.
Carissa's Weblog
Shaun Tan Interview on ABC Classic FM
On June 12 Margaret Throsby, from ABC Classic FM's "Mornings" program interviews and steps into the musical world of Shaun Tan, with music that he selected for the program. The podcast doesn't include the music, but the Real and Windows Media streams do.
Carissa's Weblog
Catherine Jinks interview
BookExpoCast, the official podcast of Book Expo America, has a short interview with Catherine Jinks about her book Genius Squad.
Carissa's Weblog
Free Wallpaper
Tor.com offers two new computer desktop wallpapers each week for free. This week includes the cover art for Isobelle Carmody's Ashling by Tristan Elwell.
Carissa's Weblog
Writing for Games
Sarah L'Estrange interviews novelist, scriptwriter and games writer Matt Costello for the Book Show during the recent Sydney Writer's Festival.
Carissa's Weblog
Greg Egan Reviews
Strange Horizons had a Greg Egan feature week for their June 2nd edition. Incandescence, Quarantine and Teranesia, and Axiomatic and Dark Integers are all reviewed.
Carissa's Weblog
Simon Haynes Interview
The release of Hal Spacejock Book 1 as a drm-free ebook has generated some attention around the blogosphere. Here's an interview with Simon Haynes from Jeri Smith-Ready's blog.
Carissa's Weblog
Neil Gaiman Interview
During his recent visit to Australia The Book Show interviewed Neil Gaiman. Audio is available for streaming or download for a limited time, but there's a transcript of the entire interview as well.
Carissa's Weblog
Free ebook download
Simon Haynes is offering his book Hal Spacejock as a free download in rtf, prc, html and text formats.
Carissa's Weblog
Shaun Tan on ABC Radio
The Book Show interviews Shaun Tan. He also reads from his new book Tales from Outer Suburbia.
Carissa's Weblog
Carnival for May
Tanaudel is host for this month's Australian Speculative Fiction Carnival.
She also has extensive and visual notes on the keynote addresses given by Shaun Tan and Neil Gaiman at the recent CBCA Conference.
Carissa's Weblog
Suburban Fantasy
The Australian profiles Shaun Tan on the imminent publication of his new book Tales From Outer Suburbia.
Carissa's Weblog
Michael Pryor's latest Laws of Magic trailer online
If you haven't been seduced by Michael Pryor's Laws of Magic series yet, what are you waiting for? Check out the new book trailer for Word of Honour (Book 3, Laws of Magic) on YouTube.
John Flanagan
John Flanagan has got quite a bit of press recently on the release of The Battle for Skandia in the US and news that the series has been optioned by director Paul Haggis.
Carissa's Weblog
Food or Fairies?
From ABC RN's Breakfast Show:The Magic Pudding turns 90
"It is 90 years since renowned artist Norman Lindsay wrote the classic Australian children's book The Magic Pudding. The artist himself called the book a 'little bundle of piffle' and wrote it only to win a bet: whether children preferred stories about fairies or about food."
Available for streaming or download.
Carissa's Weblog
Aurealis editor at the Sydney Writers Festival
Speculative and fantasy fiction continues to grow in popularity with readers of all ages. How do writers create engaging and believable worlds? How do characters contribute to world-building and what cultural influences are at play?
This is what the focus will be at the Sydney Writers Festival event in Blacktown City on Tuesday, May 20 from 6.30pm.
The Sydney Writers Festival is in its 11th year and will see many of the world's greatest writers and thinkers converge in Sydney at the many events and activities taking place - including Blacktown City.
Practical Philosopy and Speculative Fiction
From ABC Radio's The Philosopher's Zone, a conversation with author Bernard Beckett about his novel Genesis in which Plato's philosophy is put into practice. It's available for download, streaming, or as a transcript.
Carissa's Weblog
Jack Dann's anthology shortlisted
Jack Dann's Wizards (called Dark Alchemy here and in the UK) that he co-edited with Gardner Dozois has just been shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Award.
"Stars of Speculative Fiction"
Mark S Deniz has a number of interviews with Australians in SF, including most recently Kaaron Warren, Martin Livings and Nathan Burrage. Check out the "Stars of Speculative Fiction" category on his blog for other interviews.
Carissa's Weblog
Recently on Voyager Online
Voyager Online has an interview with K E Mills that appeared earlier in Bookseller + Publisher Magazine.
They are also featuring guest blog posts from authors such as Kylie Chan (also), Fiona McIntosh, and Sara Douglass.
Carissa's Weblog
Speculative Fiction on The Book Show
From The Book Show on ABC Radio National, two recent episodes featuring interviews with Jeff Vandermeer on Steampunk and Ursula K. Le Guin on her new book Lavinia. Both episodes are available for streaming or download, but only for a limited time.
Carissa's Weblog
Hugo nominated story to download
Eos Books Blog has Greg Egan's Hugo-nominated story Glory available for download.
Carissa's Weblog
Carnival for April
April's Australian Speculative Fiction Carnival can be found at Eneit's Livejournal.
Carissa's Weblog
Dark Fiction Survey
ASif! reports that Brimstone Press is conducting a survey on Australian Dark Fiction until April 30, with participants going into a draw to win prizes.
Carissa's Weblog
SF&F on Articulate
Recently on Articulate:
Jesus novel good news for Adelaide author
Terry Dowling wins Australian Shadows award
James Doig: shining a light on Australia's gothic literature
Carissa's Weblog
Young writer interviewed
Life Matters on Radio National interviews young author Alexandra Adornetto whose new book has just been published. The audio is available for streaming or download for a limited time.
Carissa's Weblog
Aurealis editor at the Sydney Writers Festival
Right Down to the Plumbing: Speculative Fiction and World-building – Blacktown Library
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
6:30pm-7:30pm
Blacktown City Max Webber Library
Presenters:
Mr D M Cornish
Mr David Kowalski
Mr Stuart Mayne
Facilitator:
Ms Judith Ridge
Speculative and fantasy fiction continues to grow in popularity with readers of all ages. How do writers create engaging and believable worlds? How does character contribute to world-building and what cultural influences are at play? D.M. Cornish, David Kowalski and Stuart Mayne discuss with Judith Ridge.
I'm really looking forward to being at the SWF and hopefully meeting some subscribers and writers who can make it to the event.
SF on The Book Show
ABC Radio National's The Book Show reviews Aurealis Award winner David Kowalski's The Company of the Dead (30 mins in). Also included in the download and stream is the main feature, an interview with David Mitchell.
Carissa's Weblog
Short Fiction Competition
Shiny Mag is running a competition for ya speculative short fiction from 12 - 18 year olds: http://shinymag.blogspot.com/2008/02/shiny-writing-competition_07.html
Carissa's Weblog
Download a story from Garth Nix
Garth Nix’s Ditmar-nominated story “Bad Luck, Trouble, Death, and Vampire Sex” is available for download on Night Shade Book's Website: http://www.nightshadebooks.com/downloads
Carissa's Weblog
Graphic Novels on the ABC
ABC TV program Sunday Arts has a segment on Graphic Novels in episode 4. The program is available for Windows Media or mp4 download on their Video page.
Carissa's Weblog
Australian Fantasy Artists
Endicott Redux spotlights Australian artist Nadia Turner, and Justine Larbelestier shares two artworks from Nick Stathopoulos, one of which is a portrait of Shaun Tan.
Carissa's Weblog
Plot Synopsis Project
Sean Willams is one of many authors participating in this Project to post the synopses of their works in an effort to give aspiring writers an idea of the process and product. The list of authors can be found here: link. Sean posted a number of his own synopses here: link.
Carissa's Weblog
Sean McMullen Video Interview
Station 31's Nat Chat recently interviewed Sean McMullen. The video is available for streaming online or as a windows media download.
Carissa's Weblog
Ian Irvine contribution wins award
The Complete Guide to Writing SF (for which Ian wrote the chapter on book promotion) published in print and e-editions last year by Dragon Moon Press has won the EPPIE award for best electronically published non-fiction book.
Editorial news
Aurealis magazine owes Stephen Higgins a debt of thanks for his work since September 2006. But with his own professional workload growing Stephen has decided to step down from day-to-day activities on Aurealis. Thanks for all your work, Stephen it was greatly appreciated. Stuart Mayne continues as sole editor of Aurealis magazine.
Book and magazine editor Stuart Mayne has worked in publishing as an editor for 16 years or so. Stuart has worked at Chimaera Publications since October 2004. He has been editing Aurealis in conjunction with Stephen Higgins since September 2006.
Australia's scariest authors announced
Which Australian author wrote the best horror story or novel in 2007? The Australian Horror Writers Association is on the brink of answering that question with the release of the finalists for the 2008 Australian Shadows Award. The Australian Shadows Award is an annual jury-judged literary award issued by the Australian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) that honours the best works of Australian dark fiction published in the preceding year.
This year's panel of judges named finalists from Sydney (Terry Dowling), Melbourne (Matthew Chrulew), Brisbane (Jason Nahrung), Adelaide (David Conyers), and Perth (Martin Livings), making the 2008 shortlist a truly interstate affair.
Some fun items from io9. . .
Seven Reasons Why Australia is the Most Apocalyptic Country and Robo-Kangaroos from the Terraformed Australian Outback.
Carissa's Weblog
From Faster Than Light Podcast. . .
An audio interview with Fiona McIntosh about her book "Goddess".
Carissa's Weblog
Carissa's weblog - Karen Miller Interview
The Word Nerd has a short interview with Karen Miller.
On Writer Unboxed. . .
Juliet Marillier writes about inspiration, and Sophie Masson writes about young readers.
2008 Ditmar Awards Shortlist
The 2008 Ditmar Shortlist has been published. Congratulations to Rjurik Davidson on his nomination for Domine, published in issue #37 of Aurealis.
New MirrorDanse title available
In the tradition of the Datlow/Windling and Gardner Dozois edited Year's Best anthologies comes the third in the award winning series, The Year's Best Australian SF & Fantasy, edited by Bill Congreve and Michelle Marquardt.
'... a staple guide to what's newest and best Down Under.' and '... the best introduction you'd get to the very best in the field.' Van Ikin, Sydney Morning Herald.
'Editors Bill Congreve and Michelle Marquardt once again serve up an excellent selection of the previous year's top imaginative short stories.' Terry Dowling, Weekend Australian.
'Anyone who eschews this collection because "sci-fi isn't literary" is an idiot.' Lucy Sussex, The Age.
'There’s been an explosion in science fiction writing in Australia. More writers, more stories, a higher standard and greater international recognition than ever before. With the Year’s Best series we’re bringing the best of the small press – and the best of the stories published overseas – to a wider audience.' says Congreve.
The Year’s Best Australian SF & Fantasy, Third Annual Volume, edited by Bill Congreve and Michelle Marquardt, is the latest release from MirrorDanse Books, Australia’s oldest and most successful independent publisher of SF.
During the Summer Break
Justine Larbelestier was interviewed by Fantasy Magazine, along with Ekaterina Sedia, Scott Westerfeld was interviewed by Public Radio International, and Justine and Scott were interviewed together by The Village Voice.
"What purpose does Short Fiction serve?"
Jonathan Strahan and Jack Dann are amongst a group of authors asked "What purpose does Short Fiction serve?" by SF Signal.
Ian Irvine's latest book trailer
Ian Irvine's latest and probably last (and definitely the best) book trailer,
for his three ecothrillers has been posted on youtube.
If anyone's wondering what it takes to put together a decent trailer, here's
the inventory:
- Picture research, approx 24 hours. They're all public domain images, ie free for any use. To buy from photo libraries would be at least $1500.
- Music research, about 6 hours in royalty-free music sites. Limited licence cost about $50.
- Font research, 2 hrs. Fonts, $20.
- Writing the script: about 15 hours getting the words right, and considering there's only a few hundred of them, that's a lot of work per word, but worth every penny.
- Misc time viewing prelims, troubleshooting etc, at least 6 hours.
- Ian's son putting it together in Premiere: 10.5 hours.
Allen & Unwin's Friday pitch
Allen & Unwin publisher Louise Thurtell has recently taken on an absolutely terrific fantasy manuscript, received via Friday Pitch. The as yet unnamed manuscript will be published next January.
Subscribers should be reminded that the Friday Pitch is still on-going. Email submissions must be sent on a Friday, with the first chapter and synopsis attached in Word for PC files or files compatible with Word for PC. If the prologue or first chapter is very short (less than 5 A4 pages) you're welcome to send a second chapter.
Initially A&U respond with a brief pro-forma email by the following Friday saying whether Ms Thurtell is interested in pursuing further material or not. Send submissions, only on a Friday to: louiset@allenandunwin.com
Sean McMullin interview
Jill Rowbotham has interviewed Sean McMullen for the Higher Education Australian. It'll be in this Saturday's (9 February) Australian.
Paul Collins interview
Paul Collins was interviewed on Station 31's NatChat show on January 18: http://www.nat.org.au/chat.html
2007 Aurealis Awards winners
Chimaera Publications and Aurealis magazine would like to congratulate all the shortlisted writers and winners of the 2007 Aurealis Awards. The field was of a particularly high standard this year, indicative of the increasing quality of Australian speculative fiction.
Fantastic Queensland should be congratulated for the quality of the Awards weekend and the friendliness with which everyone is welcomed. Thank you Ron, Kate and Damon for your hard work and calmness amidst the action.
best science fiction novel
David Kowalski, The Company of the Dead, Pan Macmillan
best science fiction short story
Cat Sparks, ‘Hollywood Roadkill’, On Spec, #69
best fantasy novel
Lian Hearn, Heaven’s Net is Wide, Tales of the Otori The First Book, Hachette Livre
best fantasy short story
Garth Nix, ‘Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz go to War Again’, Jim Baen’s Universe, April 2007
best horror novel
Susan Parisi, Blood of Dreams, Penguin Group (Australia)
best horror short story
Anna Tambour, ‘The Jeweller of Second-Hand Roe’, Subterranean, #7
best young adult novel
Anthony Eaton, Skyfall, UQP
best young adult short story
Deborah Biancotti, ‘A Scar for Leida’, Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications
best children’s (8-12 years) long fiction
Kate Forsyth, The Silver Horse, The Chain of Charms 2, Pan Macmillan
Kate Forsyth, The Herb of Grace, The Chain of Charms 3, Pan Macmillan
Kate Forsyth, The Cat’s Eye Shell, The Chain of Charms 4, Pan Macmillan
Kate Forsyth, The Lightning Bolt, The Chain of Charms 5, Pan Macmillan
Kate Forsyth, The Butterfly in Amber, The Chain of Charms 6, Pan Macmillan
best children’s (8-12 years) short fiction (tied)
Marc McBride, World of Monsters, Scholastic Australia
and
Briony Stewart, Kumiko and the Dragon, UQP
Peter McNamara Convenors' Award for Excellence
Terry Dowling, Rynemonn, Coeur de Lion Publications
Terry Dowling has long been a respected writer of science fiction and supporter of the speculative fiction community. In 2007 his book Rynemonn was released. This work is theculmination of the exceptional Tom Rynosseros stories that Dowling haspublished over more than a decade.
His work fits comfortably next to genre fiction writers such as Ray Bradbury or Ursula K. LeGuin. His literary skill and richness of storytelling equally bring to mind comparisons with writers such as Isak Dinesen and Thornton Wilder.
Therefore, the convening judges of the Aurealis Awards 2007 have awarded the Peter McNamara Convenors' Award for Excellence to Terry Dowling for Rynemonn, his magnum opus of the Tom Rynosseros/Tom Tyson saga.
GOLDEN AUREALIS
Novel: David Kowalski, The Company of the Dead, Pan Macmillan
Short Story: Cat Sparks, ‘Hollywood Roadkill’, On Spec, #69
New small press science fiction journal
Sci Phi, edited by Jason Reddie of The Sci Phi Show, is a new journal aimed at readers who like science fiction but want to think about its implications a little more. Each issue contains short stories and articles which look at various philosophical ideas through the lens of science fiction.
Issue #1 contains stories and articles by Matt Wallace, Paul S. Jenkins, Lee Battersby, Jason Pomerantz, Geoffrey Maloney, Michael Spence, Stephen Dedman, Ben Goertzel and Stephan Vladimir Bugaj, Ryan Nichols, and Jason Rennie.
The Sci Phi Journal comes in various formats, including an audio book (mp3 format) for your listening pleasure. All stories and articles are professionally read.
One of the highlights of the first issue is an article which explores the concept of "Lookism" prejudice based on the ideas in the Ted Chiang story, "Liking What You See: A Documentary."
Cost is $7 per issue, available from http://sciphijournal.com/
Write in your face
An initiative of the literature board supporting emerging forms of writing practice by young writers. Write in Your Face is a program of support to young writers, funded under the Australian Government's Young and Emerging Artists' Initiative. We invite proposals from young writers who are using language in innovative ways. This may involve writing for zines, e-zines, comics, multimedia, multi-artforms or cross-media works, websites, live performance and spoken word.
Selection criteria are:
- Innovative excellence
- Potential to advance the artistic expression and development of young writers
- Evidence the project is well planned and achievable within timeframe and budget.
You may apply for up to $8,000. You must be aged 30 years or under at the time of application to apply. You cannot apply for costs of equipment or other creative components such as music or graphics alone. Proposals must have a literary focus. Collaborative and multimedia projects are encouraged. Proposals involving self-publication of single author titles are not eligible.
Individuals, groups or legally constituted organisations may apply. Groups must nominate a legally constituted organisation or one of their members to act as the administrator for their grant. If you have received money through a previous Write in Your Face grant, you cannot reapply any sooner than one year after the end of your previous grant period.
Closing date: 1 February 2008. Projects for which funding is requested should not commence before 1 June 2008 and must be completed by 30 June 2009. Decisions advised: May 2008.