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asim-metry
Apr. 3rd, 2011 08:57 amReceived copies of ASIM 50--and it is a beauty! Contains my 8-word short story "The Rise, and Fall, of Neologopolis" and much, much more.
novel novellas
Jun. 28th, 2010 09:15 amThe two novellas I have out this year are not only substantial (>20k) and therefore great bang for your buck, but two of the best things I’ve ever written. As if that weren’t enough, they also connect to existing stories--so if you want to know what finally happens to Ros and Adi, the two most famous lovers in the world of the Change, or if you want to learn more about the world of “A Map of the Mines of Barnath” and “Inevitable”*, then these stories are for you. (And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, never fear: they also completely stand alone.)
They are “The Spark (A Romance in Four Acts)” now out in Legends of Australian Fantasy and “A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (& the Threat it Entails)” from Godlike Machines, long-delayed but scheduled to be out in time for Worldcon.
The novella is such a wonderful length to write to in sf&f, and wonderful to read, too. I hope you enjoy these two, if you get the opportuity.
* From the Locus Award-winning anthology The New Space Opera 2. Yay, Jonathan Strahan! (Without whom neither of these novellas would have existed.)
They are “The Spark (A Romance in Four Acts)” now out in Legends of Australian Fantasy and “A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (& the Threat it Entails)” from Godlike Machines, long-delayed but scheduled to be out in time for Worldcon.
The novella is such a wonderful length to write to in sf&f, and wonderful to read, too. I hope you enjoy these two, if you get the opportuity.
* From the Locus Award-winning anthology The New Space Opera 2. Yay, Jonathan Strahan! (Without whom neither of these novellas would have existed.)
lookin' sharp, pop
Apr. 25th, 2010 12:24 pmHey, this is cool. I haven’t mentioned here before that Pop Pictures has optioned my short “Passing the Bone”* with the intention of turning it into a feature film. But that’s not all. Turns out the treatment by Chris Houghton has won the Australian Writers’ Guild’s inaugural Sharp Prize!
To quote last week’s press release:
“The AWG Sharp Prize is the crescendo of the Story Sharpener Initiative, presented in partnership with the South Australian Film Corporation and Eurista Development, to reward and promote the discovery and development of new screenwriting talent...
"Chris has been awarded a $2,000 cash prize for his project Passing the Bone, the most compelling demonstration of a project with exceptional clarity of narrative vision, confident use of craft skills, which was indicative of Chris's great potential for a future career in professional screenwriting. Passing the Bone is a feature length adaption of a short story written by Sean Williams [some old hack] ... a brave piece of work that delves into difficult territory and creates a mystery that aroused the assessment panel's curiosity."
So, I’m pleased and excited, and I can’t wait to see what Chris and Pop Pictures come up with next. Kudos to them!
* winner of the 1996 Aurealis Award for Best Horror Short Story, and availaible in Magic Dirt: The Best of Sean Williams
To quote last week’s press release:
“The AWG Sharp Prize is the crescendo of the Story Sharpener Initiative, presented in partnership with the South Australian Film Corporation and Eurista Development, to reward and promote the discovery and development of new screenwriting talent...
"Chris has been awarded a $2,000 cash prize for his project Passing the Bone, the most compelling demonstration of a project with exceptional clarity of narrative vision, confident use of craft skills, which was indicative of Chris's great potential for a future career in professional screenwriting. Passing the Bone is a feature length adaption of a short story written by Sean Williams [some old hack] ... a brave piece of work that delves into difficult territory and creates a mystery that aroused the assessment panel's curiosity."
* winner of the 1996 Aurealis Award for Best Horror Short Story, and availaible in Magic Dirt: The Best of Sean Williams
the podcast of the mines of barnath
Oct. 16th, 2009 09:20 amFans of "A Map of the Mines of Barnath" and the awesome StarShipSofa will be pleased to know that the two have come together at last. Download "Aural Delights No 104 Sean Williams", with a bonus intro by me, and enjoy!
Thanks, Tony!
Thanks, Tony!
this stop: the structure
Sep. 11th, 2009 12:12 pmIf you liked my story "A Map of the Mines of Barnath", then you might also like "Inevitable", which has just come out in the Strahan/Dozois collection New Space Opera 2. It's the first glimpse into the world of the Structure since "Barnath" was published, way back in 1994. It's the last until a much larger novella in Godlike Machines, hopefully this year. The collection as a whole is awesome, with people like Garth Nix, Cory Doctorow, Elizabeth Moon and many, many others crowding out little old me. Here's the cover:
I had a lot of fun writing the story, which features two whole new space opera empires (the Guild of the Great Ships and the nasty Decretians) and has none of that real-physics nonsense of the Astropolis books. Here, when the characters want to go from one side of the galaxy to the other, they just go. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Maybe one day I'll get around to writing the novel.
I had a lot of fun writing the story, which features two whole new space opera empires (the Guild of the Great Ships and the nasty Decretians) and has none of that real-physics nonsense of the Astropolis books. Here, when the characters want to go from one side of the galaxy to the other, they just go. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Maybe one day I'll get around to writing the novel.
nameless...and blameless?
Jun. 1st, 2009 10:28 amThe awesome Nameless competition is now open for business!
If you don't know what that is, check the link above. In brief, a clutch of the grisliest writers on this foul isle put together a blood-soaked round-robin story--and you could be the person to finish it!
I was fortunate enough to get the penultimate section. My instalment is now online. I tried to tie the previous sections into (yet another) shock-horror revelation, while at the same time making it a standalone short-short. See what you think:
(With thanks to Poe, of course. And apologies to all the previous writers, whose ideas I stomped on.)
If you don't know what that is, check the link above. In brief, a clutch of the grisliest writers on this foul isle put together a blood-soaked round-robin story--and you could be the person to finish it!
I was fortunate enough to get the penultimate section. My instalment is now online. I tried to tie the previous sections into (yet another) shock-horror revelation, while at the same time making it a standalone short-short. See what you think:
(With thanks to Poe, of course. And apologies to all the previous writers, whose ideas I stomped on.)
a brief word from the plugmeister
Apr. 19th, 2009 09:44 amIf you're looking for a read, here are some things I have out at the moment:
- The Scarecrow - the final book in my first kids' series, set in the same world as the Books of the Change/Cataclysm.
- The Hanging Mountains - the third book in the Cataclysm series, now out in a delicious tpb from Pyr in the US.
- "Signs of Death" - seed story for The Crooked Letter (the First Book of the Cataclysm) as reprinted in Australian Dark Fantasy + Horror Volume Three, edited by Angela Challis.
- "The Haunted Earth" - in the bushfire benefit e-zine Hope.
- "A Longing for the Dark" - set in the Geodesica universe and podcast-only from Terra Incognita, as read by yours truly.
haunted hope
Apr. 7th, 2009 09:45 amThanks to the awesome efforts of ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
angriest, Hope #2, the fundraiser fanzine helping the victims of the Victorian bushfires, is now out. It contains (among many other excellent things) my story "The Haunted Earth", which was inspired by a dream Shane Dix's son, Sam, had when he was a wee lad. The story was written in June, 1993, and has never been published before. I was reminded of it while teaching Clarion in January, when a story submitted for critique by Mac North turned out to have a very similar premise, as happens sometimes. I dug it out, found it surprisingly readable, and submitted it to Hope in the, well, hope that it would find a home. I'm very pleased it has.
This is my second story this year, and neither of them has appeared in print, per se. Hope is being distributed electronically at the moment (iirc) and "A Longing for the Dark" is only available as a reading by yours truly at Terra Incognita. Future releases, however, will be more traditionally distributed.
They are, for the record:
The Scarecrow (Broken Land, book 3, out now!)
The Grand Conjunction (Astropolis, book 3)
"A Glimpse of the Magnificent Structure (and the Threat it Entails)" (Godlike Machines)
"The Inevitable" (The New Space Opera 2)
"Ungentle Fire" (The Dragon Book: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy)
"The Spark (A Romance in Four Acts)" (Australian Legends of Fantasy)
angriest, Hope #2, the fundraiser fanzine helping the victims of the Victorian bushfires, is now out. It contains (among many other excellent things) my story "The Haunted Earth", which was inspired by a dream Shane Dix's son, Sam, had when he was a wee lad. The story was written in June, 1993, and has never been published before. I was reminded of it while teaching Clarion in January, when a story submitted for critique by Mac North turned out to have a very similar premise, as happens sometimes. I dug it out, found it surprisingly readable, and submitted it to Hope in the, well, hope that it would find a home. I'm very pleased it has.This is my second story this year, and neither of them has appeared in print, per se. Hope is being distributed electronically at the moment (iirc) and "A Longing for the Dark" is only available as a reading by yours truly at Terra Incognita. Future releases, however, will be more traditionally distributed.
They are, for the record:
The Scarecrow (Broken Land, book 3, out now!)
The Grand Conjunction (Astropolis, book 3)
"A Glimpse of the Magnificent Structure (and the Threat it Entails)" (Godlike Machines)
"The Inevitable" (The New Space Opera 2)
"Ungentle Fire" (The Dragon Book: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy)
"The Spark (A Romance in Four Acts)" (Australian Legends of Fantasy)
monday podcast #2
Mar. 16th, 2009 08:47 amMy 70th published short story is now in the world--but not in the usual sense of "published". It's unavailable on paper or in any readable form. Instead, you have to put your feet up and listen to me read it to you. I hope that won't pose an unbearable inconvenience. :-)
Keith Stevenson has just posted an exclusive podcast containing "A Longing for the Dark" to Terra Incognita. You can download or stream audio direct from TISF, or source it from iTunes. Fresh, free, and available on a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License.
Note: the story is set in my Geodesica universe. If that's not a series you're familiar with, you can find out more at the Voyager blog, where the wonderful Natalie asked me to explain what it's all about. If you have read the books, this interview might still interest you. I talk about where the story originated and what challenges I set myself along the way.
"A Longing for the Dark" stands alone, so don't feel you have to sit through some tedious primer before starting. Just make a hot chocolate, close your eyes, and...
...enjoy!
Keith Stevenson has just posted an exclusive podcast containing "A Longing for the Dark" to Terra Incognita. You can download or stream audio direct from TISF, or source it from iTunes. Fresh, free, and available on a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License.
Note: the story is set in my Geodesica universe. If that's not a series you're familiar with, you can find out more at the Voyager blog, where the wonderful Natalie asked me to explain what it's all about. If you have read the books, this interview might still interest you. I talk about where the story originated and what challenges I set myself along the way.
"A Longing for the Dark" stands alone, so don't feel you have to sit through some tedious primer before starting. Just make a hot chocolate, close your eyes, and...
...enjoy!
i can haz litcred with my hackdom?
Feb. 24th, 2009 11:16 amThe ever excellent io9 gets to grips with a pressing question--"Why are some writers so prolific, and others slower than you'd like?"--touching on the scandalous proposal that writing realist fiction is a doddle because you don't have to make everything up.
In the process, they quote Lara Anne Gilman on the ghastly task people set themselves by writing series: "[You] have to make sure that nothing happens that's too jarring, or contradicts something previously established. It's a lot like doing a jigsaw puzzle, but about 10% of the pieces will come from a puzzle you already completed. Worse, it's like doing a 3-D jigsaw puzzle, because the timeline goes not only forward and backward, but sideways as well."
Which reminds me of something I've been meaning to post here for a while, mainly for my own benefit but also for those interested in the various fantasy series I've been working on these ten years or so. When I woke up from the dream that inspired the first book, I had no conception that the story would eventually consume a million words.
( So here's a chronology of the Change, as it stands today. )
Will it get any bigger? Only if my brain does too.
PS. It turns out that Sal's journey is a kind of bildungsroman. You and I know that this was completely intentional.
In the process, they quote Lara Anne Gilman on the ghastly task people set themselves by writing series: "[You] have to make sure that nothing happens that's too jarring, or contradicts something previously established. It's a lot like doing a jigsaw puzzle, but about 10% of the pieces will come from a puzzle you already completed. Worse, it's like doing a 3-D jigsaw puzzle, because the timeline goes not only forward and backward, but sideways as well."
Which reminds me of something I've been meaning to post here for a while, mainly for my own benefit but also for those interested in the various fantasy series I've been working on these ten years or so. When I woke up from the dream that inspired the first book, I had no conception that the story would eventually consume a million words.
( So here's a chronology of the Change, as it stands today. )
Will it get any bigger? Only if my brain does too.
PS. It turns out that Sal's journey is a kind of bildungsroman. You and I know that this was completely intentional.
valentine dragons
Feb. 14th, 2009 12:57 pmFor lovers of our winged buddies, here's another beaut cover featuring a dragon:
The book is out in November, and I'm honoured to be in it.
ETA: the UK edition has a website. Content coming soon!
Also, happy 1234567890 day!
The book is out in November, and I'm honoured to be in it.
ETA: the UK edition has a website. Content coming soon!
Also, happy 1234567890 day!
120 = "Ungentle Fire"
Aug. 25th, 2008 12:25 pmThat's the name I settled on for the story I wrote about yesterday.
"Ungentle Fire" is a stand-alone sequel to The Scarecrow, the last book of the Broken Land series, and is therefore set in the same world of the Books of the Change/Cataclysm.
It's also just been accepted into the Dozois/Dann Dragons anthology, the follow-up to their successful Wizards. Whew!
I'm having a pretty good run with shorts at the moment. As well as this sale, there's "The Inevitable" in The New Space Opera 2 and "A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (and the Threat It Entails)" in Godlike Machines, all of which were written in the last few months. Who'd've thought?
Up next is a novella for Dreamtime: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann and Jonathan Strahan), and then I have to get back to novels and the PhD. Alas. It's been a wonderful diversion, but at some point I have to go back to paying the bills.
There'll always be haiku, I guess.
----------------
Listening to: Goldfrapp - Road to Somewhere
"Ungentle Fire" is a stand-alone sequel to The Scarecrow, the last book of the Broken Land series, and is therefore set in the same world of the Books of the Change/Cataclysm.
It's also just been accepted into the Dozois/Dann Dragons anthology, the follow-up to their successful Wizards. Whew!
I'm having a pretty good run with shorts at the moment. As well as this sale, there's "The Inevitable" in The New Space Opera 2 and "A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (and the Threat It Entails)" in Godlike Machines, all of which were written in the last few months. Who'd've thought?
Up next is a novella for Dreamtime: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann and Jonathan Strahan), and then I have to get back to novels and the PhD. Alas. It's been a wonderful diversion, but at some point I have to go back to paying the bills.
There'll always be haiku, I guess.
----------------
Listening to: Goldfrapp - Road to Somewhere
(no subject)
Aug. 24th, 2008 08:02 amWhile struggling with a title for my 120th short story (started and finished on the opposite sides of the planet), I found this:
Frank Zappa isn't known for his grim apocalyptic visions, but this quote plus certain song titles ("Food Gathering in Post-Industrial America") suggest that he could be.
(More on the story later, once I've got a damned title...)
In other music-related news, I'm very pleased to see that Goldfrapp are coming to Oz. They are one of my favourite bands ever. Alison's voice makes me melt. Sadly, though, I'll be in Brisbane when they're in Melbourne and in Melbourne when they're in Brisbane, and they have no Adelaide date. Something like this happened last tour too. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever see them live!
(Terra Nova went well yesterday, btw. Aron Eisenberg--Nog from DS9--was a hoot. Thanks to everyone who came and bought books. I hope you enjoy them!)
When the jetlag finally fades, normal service will resume.
----------------
Listening to: Thom Brennan - Silver Part 3
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice. There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."Frank Zappa isn't known for his grim apocalyptic visions, but this quote plus certain song titles ("Food Gathering in Post-Industrial America") suggest that he could be.
(More on the story later, once I've got a damned title...)
In other music-related news, I'm very pleased to see that Goldfrapp are coming to Oz. They are one of my favourite bands ever. Alison's voice makes me melt. Sadly, though, I'll be in Brisbane when they're in Melbourne and in Melbourne when they're in Brisbane, and they have no Adelaide date. Something like this happened last tour too. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever see them live!
(Terra Nova went well yesterday, btw. Aron Eisenberg--Nog from DS9--was a hoot. Thanks to everyone who came and bought books. I hope you enjoy them!)
When the jetlag finally fades, normal service will resume.
----------------
Listening to: Thom Brennan - Silver Part 3
"the inveitable" promotional post
Jul. 16th, 2008 05:00 pmA few months back I was feeling empty of ideas for space opera novels. Maybe not surprising, since I've written quite a few of them in the last decade--and maybe not such a bad thing either, given my recent experimentation with thrillers and crime. How many genres can a guy juggle, anyway?
Then came Jonathan Strahan with a chance to write for his Godlike Machines anthology, which got me thinking about old ideas. And got me writing, too. Old ideas plus a new story led to new ideas and, like magic, here I am with a whole new space opera idea, and some more good news:
My story "The Inevitable" has just been accepted into Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan's uber-anthology New Space Opera 2. This new story is set in the same world as "A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (and the Threat it Entails)", which is in turn set in the same world as "A Map of the Mines of Barnath", first published in Eidolon way back in 1995 and now my most-reprinted story.
Collected in Damien Broderick and David Hartwell's Australian best-of Centaurus and Hayakawa's The Best Science Fiction of the Nineties, plus the inestimable Magic Dirt, "Barnath" is a glimpse into a world I've always wanted to revisit. Well, I've revisited it twice now, and I'm pretty sure there'll be more on the way. I picture a big fat novel simply called Structure with a cast of thousands set in a multiverse more challenging than anything I've ever tackled before...
This may be my space opera swansong, or else it's the beginning of something entirely and wonderfully new. I don't know yet. Either way, it's good to have space opera ideas again. When the stars stop shining in your protagonist's eyes, you can't help but fear that you've come back to Earth one time too many, and may never reach escape velocity again.
Then came Jonathan Strahan with a chance to write for his Godlike Machines anthology, which got me thinking about old ideas. And got me writing, too. Old ideas plus a new story led to new ideas and, like magic, here I am with a whole new space opera idea, and some more good news:
My story "The Inevitable" has just been accepted into Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan's uber-anthology New Space Opera 2. This new story is set in the same world as "A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (and the Threat it Entails)", which is in turn set in the same world as "A Map of the Mines of Barnath", first published in Eidolon way back in 1995 and now my most-reprinted story.
Collected in Damien Broderick and David Hartwell's Australian best-of Centaurus and Hayakawa's The Best Science Fiction of the Nineties, plus the inestimable Magic Dirt, "Barnath" is a glimpse into a world I've always wanted to revisit. Well, I've revisited it twice now, and I'm pretty sure there'll be more on the way. I picture a big fat novel simply called Structure with a cast of thousands set in a multiverse more challenging than anything I've ever tackled before...
This may be my space opera swansong, or else it's the beginning of something entirely and wonderfully new. I don't know yet. Either way, it's good to have space opera ideas again. When the stars stop shining in your protagonist's eyes, you can't help but fear that you've come back to Earth one time too many, and may never reach escape velocity again.
Godlike Machines
Jun. 12th, 2008 01:41 pmI'm absolutely delighted to have had a piece accepted for publication in Godlike Machines, an anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan, featuring Stephen Baxter, Cory Doctorow, Greg Egan, Robert Reed, and Alastair Reynolds.
Part of the Science Fiction Book Club's original anthology series (which includes such wonderful titles as Forbidden Planets, Galactic Empires and Alien Crimes), Godlike Machines is composed entirely of six or so novellas inspired by this particular theme.
Unlike Cenotaxis, "A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (and the Threat It Entails)"* isn't set in the Astropolis universe. It taps into a world I first wrote about in 1992, and may yet evolve into something much larger, one day. Weighing in at 24,000 words, this will by my only new "short" work published this year.
I am doing a happy dance, but will spare you a detailed description of that.
* The title, btw, was inspired by the following Einstein quote: "I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the kind that we experience in ourselves. Neither can I nor would I want to conceive of an individual that survives his physical death; let feeble souls, from fear or absurd egoism, cherish such thoughts. I am satisfied with the mystery of the eternity of life and with the awareness and a glimpse of the marvelous structure of the existing world, together with the devoted striving to comprehend a portion, be it ever so tiny, of the Reason that manifests itself in nature." Smart fellow, that one.
Part of the Science Fiction Book Club's original anthology series (which includes such wonderful titles as Forbidden Planets, Galactic Empires and Alien Crimes), Godlike Machines is composed entirely of six or so novellas inspired by this particular theme.
Unlike Cenotaxis, "A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (and the Threat It Entails)"* isn't set in the Astropolis universe. It taps into a world I first wrote about in 1992, and may yet evolve into something much larger, one day. Weighing in at 24,000 words, this will by my only new "short" work published this year.
I am doing a happy dance, but will spare you a detailed description of that.
* The title, btw, was inspired by the following Einstein quote: "I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the kind that we experience in ourselves. Neither can I nor would I want to conceive of an individual that survives his physical death; let feeble souls, from fear or absurd egoism, cherish such thoughts. I am satisfied with the mystery of the eternity of life and with the awareness and a glimpse of the marvelous structure of the existing world, together with the devoted striving to comprehend a portion, be it ever so tiny, of the Reason that manifests itself in nature." Smart fellow, that one.
magic dirt cover
Feb. 26th, 2008 10:19 amBelow, in all its glory, is the cover of Magic Dirt: the best of Sean Williams. Classy, huh? The photos are taken by Mike Mission, whose extraordinary "asphalt archaeology" snapshots from Manhattan Island were recently featured on Boing Boing. There's a much larger version of the cover here, if you want to see the pictures we've chosen in more detail.
I'm also very pleased to reveal that intro to the book is written by John Harwood, author of the brilliant The Ghost Writer (winner of the International Horror Guild Award for Best First Novel and the Dracula Society's Children of the Night Award, also listed in the very credible Miles Franklin Award and Commonwealth Writers Prize) and the forthcoming The Séance. Because I love the intro so much (and am immensely flattered by the things he says) I've pasted a paragraph below the cover.
The book itself is available in limited and numbered editions through Ticonderoga Publications and will be launched at Swancon. Comes with free haiku!
"Reading these stories is like lucid dreaming, in which you dream that you’re lying awake in your own bed; the room is exactly as it would be in waking life, until the impossible intrudes. Sean Williams doesn’t simply stay one step ahead of his reader; he knows how to make you believe you know exactly where he’s going, while steering you down a far more sinister path. The immediacy of the action is never compromised, but there’s an unnerving resonance, a shadow cast (shadows often carry a particular charge in his work) which doesn’t quite match up with the object supposedly casting it."
I'm also very pleased to reveal that intro to the book is written by John Harwood, author of the brilliant The Ghost Writer (winner of the International Horror Guild Award for Best First Novel and the Dracula Society's Children of the Night Award, also listed in the very credible Miles Franklin Award and Commonwealth Writers Prize) and the forthcoming The Séance. Because I love the intro so much (and am immensely flattered by the things he says) I've pasted a paragraph below the cover.
The book itself is available in limited and numbered editions through Ticonderoga Publications and will be launched at Swancon. Comes with free haiku!
"Reading these stories is like lucid dreaming, in which you dream that you’re lying awake in your own bed; the room is exactly as it would be in waking life, until the impossible intrudes. Sean Williams doesn’t simply stay one step ahead of his reader; he knows how to make you believe you know exactly where he’s going, while steering you down a far more sinister path. The immediacy of the action is never compromised, but there’s an unnerving resonance, a shadow cast (shadows often carry a particular charge in his work) which doesn’t quite match up with the object supposedly casting it."
magic dirt: the best of sean williams
Feb. 14th, 2008 01:28 pmI am very pleased to announce that Ticonderoga Publications will be releasing a hefty tome in March that contains the very best short stories I've ever written. This is it. The definitive collection, covering everything of note from 1992's WOTF prize-winning "Ghosts of the Fall" all the way to 2007's "The Seventh Letter." If it's won or been nominated for the Ditmar, Aurealis or Seiun Awards, it's in here.* If it's been recommended by Locus or any of the various Year's Bests, ditto.** Some of the stories have been reprinted before, but many of them haven't. One has never been on paper at all. Covering science fiction, space opera, fantasy, horror and mainstream (and maybe even a little haiku, if I can twist Russell's arm), with story notes and an introduction, this is huge. I am very excited.
There's more detail here and Ticonderoga's online store is here. There will be two versions, including an uber-special signed and numbered edition. The cover is still on its way, but I assure you it'll be beautiful.
Not only is this the definitive collection of my short stories, but it will most likely be my last. At the rate I'm writing them, it'll take me another fifteen years to fill another.
* Well, most of them. The good ones, anyway.
** Well, ditto again.
There's more detail here and Ticonderoga's online store is here. There will be two versions, including an uber-special signed and numbered edition. The cover is still on its way, but I assure you it'll be beautiful.
Not only is this the definitive collection of my short stories, but it will most likely be my last. At the rate I'm writing them, it'll take me another fifteen years to fill another.
* Well, most of them. The good ones, anyway.
** Well, ditto again.
Short Trips: Destination Prague, the Doctor Who anthology with my story in it, is coming out in May. And I am appropriately excited (that is to say: as giddy as a loon).
I've been a fan of Doctor Who ever since I was, well, a lot smaller than I am now. I have wanted to write for the franchise almost as long as I could hold a pen but never tried it before for several reasons. Fear was the main one: that I'd fail to do it justice. There's only one thing worse than going through life without writing for Doctor Who, and that's writing badly for Doctor Who. That I was able to write for my favourite Doctor (Pertwee) in the period of my choice (between Jo Grant and Sarah Jane Smith) made this opportunity particularly hard to pass up.
"Midnight in the Café of the Black Madonna" is only the second new short story I've written in six years. Will it do as well as "The Seventh Letter", which won the Aurealis Award for Best Short Story earlier this year? Kate Orman and Jon Blum's excellent Doctor Who novella Fallen Gods won the AA for Best SF Novel a few years back, so anything is possible.
Anyway, the collection is going to rock, edited as it is by Steve Savile and containing a veritable esky of Australians (Lee Battersby, Stephen Dedman and Rob Hood) plus a bunch of Big Names from OS too. The cover is beautiful so that's another reason to buy it, if you need more convincing.
Wait. What am I saying? Here's the Amazon link.
It's great to live in a world where Doctor Who is cool again.
I've been a fan of Doctor Who ever since I was, well, a lot smaller than I am now. I have wanted to write for the franchise almost as long as I could hold a pen but never tried it before for several reasons. Fear was the main one: that I'd fail to do it justice. There's only one thing worse than going through life without writing for Doctor Who, and that's writing badly for Doctor Who. That I was able to write for my favourite Doctor (Pertwee) in the period of my choice (between Jo Grant and Sarah Jane Smith) made this opportunity particularly hard to pass up.
"Midnight in the Café of the Black Madonna" is only the second new short story I've written in six years. Will it do as well as "The Seventh Letter", which won the Aurealis Award for Best Short Story earlier this year? Kate Orman and Jon Blum's excellent Doctor Who novella Fallen Gods won the AA for Best SF Novel a few years back, so anything is possible.
Anyway, the collection is going to rock, edited as it is by Steve Savile and containing a veritable esky of Australians (Lee Battersby, Stephen Dedman and Rob Hood) plus a bunch of Big Names from OS too. The cover is beautiful so that's another reason to buy it, if you need more convincing.
Wait. What am I saying? Here's the Amazon link.
It's great to live in a world where Doctor Who is cool again.
the AAs (the good kind)
Jan. 28th, 2007 05:06 pmThe 2006 Aurealis Awards have been announced and the news is good for some, not so good for others, but excellent for everyone involved. Hurrah!
As always, there were some raised eyebrows. Judging the Horror category kept life interesting the last few months (as the tied result might testify). No friendships were harmed in obtaining that result, I swear, and I won't tell which side of the divide I fell.
In the science fiction section, I was very pleased to walk away with the Best Short Story gong--a surprise to me, given such a strong line-up--which was collected on my behalf by the most excellent Stephanie Smith of HarperCollins.
Sadly, despite having agreed to co-host with Kim Wilkins, I was forced to pull out at the last minute (attending solely as an animated head on the big screen), so I missed out on all the excitement and merriment afterwards. If the party was anything like last year's, there'll be some sore heads today. I look forward to the photos...
( P.S. )
As always, there were some raised eyebrows. Judging the Horror category kept life interesting the last few months (as the tied result might testify). No friendships were harmed in obtaining that result, I swear, and I won't tell which side of the divide I fell.
In the science fiction section, I was very pleased to walk away with the Best Short Story gong--a surprise to me, given such a strong line-up--which was collected on my behalf by the most excellent Stephanie Smith of HarperCollins.
Sadly, despite having agreed to co-host with Kim Wilkins, I was forced to pull out at the last minute (attending solely as an animated head on the big screen), so I missed out on all the excitement and merriment afterwards. If the party was anything like last year's, there'll be some sore heads today. I look forward to the photos...
( P.S. )
an early pressie (or two)
Dec. 19th, 2006 12:36 pmSpeaking, once again, of covers, a parcel arrived today containing some Russian editions. No dinosaurs this time, I'm sad to report, but the Orphans books (Echoes on the left and an omnibus of Orphans and Heirs on the right) have their own special qualities--for instance, algebraic graffiti on the bald chick's head. I love it!
Also, a reminder to those interested in reading my first new short story in six years: the Summer Reading Edition of the exceedingly respectable Bulletin, also featuring Lian Hearn, Tim Flannery, and many others, is out now.
If you look at the screen with a magnifying glass, you might just see my name on the cover.
Also, a reminder to those interested in reading my first new short story in six years: the Summer Reading Edition of the exceedingly respectable Bulletin, also featuring Lian Hearn, Tim Flannery, and many others, is out now.
If you look at the screen with a magnifying glass, you might just see my name on the cover.
