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

 

Jill Rowbotham has interviewed Sean McMullen for the Higher Education Australian. It'll be in this Saturday's (9 February) Australian.

 

Paul Collins was interviewed on Station 31's NatChat show on January 18: http://www.nat.org.au/chat.html

 

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

 

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/

 

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.

Aurealis magazine has been successful in its grant application from the Australia Council Literature Board for 2008. This will mean increased pay rates for Australian authors appearing in issues #41 and #42 to be published in 2008. Now is the time to send us your best story for consideration. See our guidelines. Now is also the time to take out a subscription to Aurealis as our policy has always been to fast-track the reading and evaluation of submissions from subscribers.

 

Congratulations to the finalists for the 2007 Aurealis Awards!

Winners will be announced at the Aurealis Awards ceremony at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Brisbane on Saturday 26 January 2008.

best science fiction novel
Marianne De Pierres, Dark Space, Orbit
Jack Heath, Remote Control, Pan Macmillan
David Kowalski, The Company of the Dead, Pan Macmillan
Sean Williams, Saturn Returns, Orbit
best science fiction short story
Simon Brown, ‘Lonely as Life’, Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications
Penelope Love, ‘Whitey’, Shadow Plays, Elise Bunter
Chris McMahon, ‘The Eyes of Erebus’, Daikaiju! 2 – Revenge of the Giant Monsters, Agog! Press
Cat Sparks, ‘Arctica’, Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications
Cat Sparks, ‘Hollywood Roadkill’, On Spec, #69
best fantasy novel
Jennifer Fallon, The Gods of Amyrantha, The Tide Lords Book Two, Harper Collins/Voyager
Lian Hearn, Heaven’s Net is Wide, Tales of the Otori The First Book, Hachette Livre
Sylvia Kelso, The Moving Water, Book 2 of the Rihannar Chronicles, Thomson Gale
Glenda Larke, Song of the Shiver Barrens, The Mirage Makers Book Three, Harper Collins/Voyager
Michael Pryor, Heart of Gold, Second Volume of The Laws of Magic, Random House
best fantasy short story
R J Astruc, ‘The Perfume Eater’, Strange Horizons, #16
Adam Browne, ‘An Account of an Experiment by Adam Browne’, Orb Speculative Fiction, #7
Garth Nix, ‘Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz go to War Again’, Jim Baen’s Universe, April 2007
Angela Slatter, ‘The Angel Wood’, Shimmer, November 2006
Cat Sparks, ‘A Lady of Adestan’, Orb Speculative Fiction, #7
best horror novel
The panel of judges for this division declined to select a short list from the nominated works.
However, the winning novel will be announced at the ceremony.
best horror short story
Terry Dowling, ‘Toother’, Eclipse, #1
Richard Harland, ‘Special Perceptions’, At Ease with the Dead, Ash-Tree Press
Rick Kennett, ‘The Dark and What It Said’, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, #28
Ben Peek, ‘Black Betty’, Lone Star Stories, #23
Anna Tambour, ‘The Jeweller of Second-Hand Roe’, Subterranean, #7
best young adult novel
Kate Constable, Taste of Lightning, Allen & Unwin
Anthony Eaton, Skyfall, UQP
Juliet Marillier, Cybele’s Secret, Pan Macmillan
Michael Pryor, Heart of Gold, Second Volume of The Laws of Magic, Random House
Scott Westerfeld, Extras, Simon Pulse
best young adult short story
Deborah Biancotti, ‘A Scar for Leida’, Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications
Shane Jiraiya Cummings, ‘Yamabushi Kaidan and the Smoke Dragon’, Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications
Garth Nix, ‘Bad Luck, Trouble, Death and Vampire Sex’, Eclipse, #1
Garth Nix, ‘Holly and Iron’, Dark Alchemy, Allen & Unwin
Tracey Rolfe, ‘Cast Off’, Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications
best children’s (8-12 years) long fiction
Isobelle Carmody, A Mystery of Wolves, Penguin Books
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
Emily Rodda, The Key to Rondo, Omnibus Books
Carole Wilkinson, Dragon Moon, Black Dog Books
best children’s (8-12 years) short fiction
Luke Edwards, Ock Von Fiend, Omnibus Books
Anna Fienberg & Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and The Mixed Up Monster, Allen & Unwin
Marc McBride, World of Monsters, Scholastic Australia
Briony Stewart, Kumiko and the Dragon, UQP

The Aurealis Awards Gala Ceremony will be held on 26 January 2008.
For ticket info or more detail on the Aurealis Awards, visit the website:
www.aurealisawards.com

 

Antipodean writers are well represented in Ruins Terra, an anthology with a great Bob Eggleton cover, out from US spec fic publisher Hadley Rille Books. The local authors are Jenny Blackford and Ivan Sun from Melbourne, and Lyn McConchie and Doug Van Belle from New Zealand. Ruins Terra has a US RRP of $13.95. It is available now from online booksellers including Ziesing Books and amazon.co.uk, and it should be available at a discounted price from amazon.com by Christmas.

 

Terry Dowling’s Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear (Cemetery Dance Publications) was announced the joint winner of the International Horror Guild award for best collection at the World Fantasy Convention in Saratago Springs, New York.