August 28, 2010
A change is as good as a holiday and I really need to recharge my batteries!
I’m flying off to Melbourne on Sunday and won’t be back until after World Con. While I’m down there I’m going cold turkey on the Internet, no Twitter, no Facebook, and no Blogging (have scheduled posts for the Mad Genius Club because the others can answer) but there will be no posts here.
When I do get back I promise lots of interesting insights. Over on the ROR blog I’ve done a post about what will be happening while I’m in Melbourne.
August 26, 2010
On Saturday the 28th of August, I’m going to be at Logan North Library so drop by and say Hi.
I’ll be with the romantic by cynical Trent Jamieson, author of Death Most Definite, the pocket rocket Kylie Chan, author of the Dark Heaven series, the lovely Louise Cusack author and mentor, and Anthony Puttee author of the Johnny Marsh books.
We’ll be talking about promoting your books and this is all part of Logan North Library’s month of Speculative Fiction. So you are sure to see Darth Vader and a Storm Trouper or two!
Filed under Australian Writers, Dark Urban Fantasy, Fantasy books, Fun Stuff, Genre, Mentoring, Promoting Friend's Books, Publishing Industry, Specialist Bookshops, The Writing Fraternity
Tags: Fantasy books, Writing craft, Publishing Industry, Trent Jamieson, Dark Urban Fantasy, Death Most Definite, Kylie Chan
August 25, 2010
If you are coming to World Con and you’d like to share a coffee with me, or any of the fabulous authors who are there, here is the link to the World Con KoffeeKlatsche page. It’s a chance to talk about books, the publishing industry, writing and anything that interests you.
Coffee makes the World go Around … the World go Around … sung to the tune of Money Makes the World go Around from Cabaret!
August 25, 2010
Okay, I should be preparing for my panels at World SF Con, but I am writing a blog post about Weird and Fascinating things.
I came across this – a Dutch photographer who finds glitches in computer games and turns them into art – in the sense that when you stop and look at them they are fascinating and they seem to say something about the human condition. His name is Robert Overweg.
Here is one of his photos from Grand Theft Auto, where he found a way to slide under the world and look up at it.
Here is an article on him and some of his work. There is a dreamlike quaility to his work. Since I find the world a fascinating place anyway, I love this kind of thing, a segue into surrealism!
August 22, 2010
Or how I clean the house when I get stuck in my current WIP (Work-in-Progress).
No, seriously, I did a post about the writing process and, among other things, how rewriting over a word document means we lose the record of the stages a book goes through as it evolves.
See The Writing Process here.
August 20, 2010
Filed under Book Giveaway, Fantasy books, Fun Stuff, Genre, Promoting Friend's Books
Tags: Solaris, Fantasy books, Fantasy Trilogy, Book Giveaway, The Uncrowned King, Paul Kearney, The Monarchies of God, m Hawkwood and the Kings, Century of the Soldier, Solaris Press, The King's Bastard, The Usurper
August 17, 2010
Or I could describe myself as a a small boat upon a stormy sea.
It is the end of trimester and I am entering the Long Dark Tunnel of Marking … cue dramatic music. I won’t be surfacing until it is all done as well as the Moderation. As we run an accelerated course there is a very short turn around time. So I will be ‘head down’ until I can see light at the end of the tunnel.
Not sure how often I’ll get to blog, as I also have to read the ROR books and write reports before dashing off to our workshop and World Con. All this is good, but a challenge. Just as well I am a mother of six, superwoman!
August 16, 2010
Over at the ROR blog I did a post asking what male readers really wanted in a book? Feel free to chip in with your comments. I am really interested.
Which brings me to, what do readers really want to see when they come to a web site like this? I’ve been around looking at other web sites and some authors have an amazing amount of material on their sites.
Maps? I have maps. I’m as obsessive as the next writer.
Character bios? Well, no. But I do have family trees so I can keep track of who everyone is and how they are related.
Interviews with characters as if they are real people? Well, um. No, you see they aren’t real, except within the framework of the book. And then they are completely real. Confusing? Makes perfect sense to me.
Pod casts? I find this interesting and would really like to try it. I’m certain I can fit one more thing in, if I can just learn how to go without sleep.
So, what do readers want to see when they come to this site?
August 14, 2010
If you go to Overclockers.com.au once a week you’ll find a selection of funny pics from around the web. My pick for this week is a Starwars spoof.
Couldn’t resist. If you want to see all of the Overclockers pics go to this wiki file. Meanwhile, here are a couple more.
This one is from Overclockers, too. And this last one came through at work.
Don’t you love the internet?
August 13, 2010
Here we are at Trent’s book launch. That’s Marianne de Pierres on the left, Trent with his books, then I’m behind him in the pink beret (was having a bad hair day, the curls would not behave) and Kylie Chan.
It was a great evening over at Avid Reader in West End. The previous two days we’d have pouring rain then gale force winds. Everything settled down so the garden terrace was still and the night was clear. There was standing room only as Trent’s friends and family came to support him. Marianne and I have known Trent for fifteen years since the Vision Writers group started and he’s been part of ROR for the last 9.
Books and writers aren’t made over night. You put in a long apprenticeship and then once you are published the work gets harder!
Feeling very proud and happy for Trent.
A change is as good as a holiday and I really need to recharge my batteries!
