January 2nd 2006
Welcome to 2006, gentle reader.
I know that last year's resolutions weren't exactly adhered to, but I was unfortunately overcome by work. And really, when it comes down to it, keeping my family in food and shelter is a tiny bit more important than my artistic happiness.
On the plus side, I made sixteen posts here last year, an improvement on the previous year by six, so perhaps I did make some headway. Furthermore, the old bibliography shows 5 publications for 2005 plus two reprints. For this year so far I have two forthcoming stories (maybe three if I count the anthology-member that lost its publisher but not its editor...)
Let's hope that by the end of this year I'll have made enough posts to consider changing over to Blogger or LiveJournal. But I very much doubt it: perversely, I like GeoCities. These new communities are too clubby and self-indulgent for me. Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man, though.
Anyway, the writing news could be a bit sparse here for a while: I have managed to secure employment from the beginning of this year until the middle, so writing will have to take a place on the backburner while I teach. After midyear, though...
January 13th 2006
Lots to report for the week, people.
First up, my long awaited contributors copy of Judgement Day showed up in the mail, in all its hardcovered splendour. It is a beautiful looking object and a darn fine read to boot. Buy this book, folks, buy this book.
Secondly, the wonderful Esther Schrader at FlashShot accepted my story "Unbearable Grief" for future publication.
Thirdly, the inestimable K. R. Mullin and Sandra Seamans over at A Flasher's Dozen accepted my short story "A Victim Of The Crash for their next issue.
Fourthly, my FlashShot "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" showed up in my inbox.
Now all of this happened over the course of something like 36 hours.
I think I'll put in an order for a few more weeks like this.
March 9th 2006
Sorry about the delay in reporting, friends and neighbours but there seemed to be a problem with me interfacing with the Interwebby via GeoCities for a couple of weeks. I'm glad the problem seems to have fixed itself -- I mean, I gave some thought to crossing over to an LJ or even a Blog! And then I'd just be an ordinary mortal, doing all sorts of MeMes and quizzes, and before you know it, I'd be putting "(g)"s and "(hugs)" all over the place and...
... excuse me while I vomit.
Anyway, the first piece of news is that my short story "A Victim Of The Crash" has appeared in the latest issue of A Flasher's Dozen and has also found its way to our merry shores here in down-under land. It's my second appearance in this wonderful little mag and I hope profusely that it isn't my last.
The second piece of news is that the terrific guys over at Creative Island have reprinted my short story "Turning Circle". This appeared back in 2002 in Aphelion and is making a comeback tour. The editors assure me it should be up soon. So go and take a look.
Thirdly, you may have noticed that there is a new image up near the masthead: it's the cover of the most excellent FlashShot:Year One which is still available and will be joined shortly by a volume for year two, in which I have two stories included. Do yourself a favour and buy both of these books.
That's it for now. Bye.
March 12th 2006
And no sooner had I put the page together then I discover that FlashShot: Year Two is already available both as a printed book and as a download. click here for more details. I have the printed version winging its way to me as we speak and the downloadable version nestling snugly in My Documents right now. And my two stories ("Memorial" and "The Triumph Of Logic") looking damn fine in amongst them all.
April 9th 2006
Here's some news: there's a new link up above us advertising FlashShot: Year 2 which is up for sale now. The dead-tree version arrived in the post a couple of weeks back and it is a beautiful thing to behold. Not much else to say writing-wise apart from that, unless you count end-of-term reports as creative writing.
April 22nd 2006
Neil Cladingboel is putting together an anthology called FlashSpec which is due out in a few months and has graciously selected my short-short "Trick Or Treat" for inclusion in the table of contents. This is a new publication for him and if it proves successful may well become a regular annual event. Click on the links and pre-order.
Please.
April 28th 2006
This is a little late but I've had some monitor issues the last couple of days, so it can't be helped. Anyway, the skinny is that my latest flashshot, "Unbearable Grief", rocked up in my inbox the other night.
That is pretty much it for the moment.
May 28th 2006
There's a new banner 'round these parts: it's advertising the below-mentioned FlashSpec anthology which is now closed to submissions and will be available to the public in just a few months. So press on the pretty picture and pre-order, please?
In other news, flashshot's fantastic Gary Thomas and Esther Schrader have selected my two short-shorts, "In The Dark" and "Pre-emptive Strike" for publication and they will be out sometime in the next few months and they will take my number of FlashShots to double figures!!!
June 1st 2006
Just quickly folks, if you wouldn't mind stopping by at Creative Island to take a quick squiz at my short story "Turning Circle". It'd make a middle-aged author really happy.
Bye-ee!
July 8th 2006
A couple of things to report this week chaps and chapettes. Firstly, an interview has been placed at the end of my story at Creative Island. Many thanks to the guys there for taking the time to ask me such a fun bunch of questions.
Also, my contributor's copy of FlashSpec Volume One arrived, complete with my story "Trick Or Treat" nestled within. Neil Cladingboel, the editor, has done a terrific job of collecting a diverse and interesting bunch of stories. Feel free to click on the link and purchase.
July 16th 2006
Some more news. Over at Australian Specfic in Focus (also known as ASiF), which is a truly excellent directory of all things Australian in the wonderful world of SF, you can find a little page dedicated to the real me. Many thanks to Nigel Stones for orchestating this. Check out the rest of the site while you are there. The wondrous folks putting it all together are doing an incredible job cataloguing an index of speculative work by Australians.
In other news, a story was released to me this week. I sold it almost three-and-a-half years ago to a themed anthology, but there were various problems and the editor wanted to hang on to it as he had hopes of selling it elsewhere. This week, he admitted defeat and returned our stories to us. This is something that happens with depressing regularity in publishing as you are probably aware. However, I took a chance on rereading the story this morning and it is still a pretty good read. I've done a tiny bit of tweaking and it's going to go out and do the rounds of some other publishers this week. Wish it luck.
August 1st 2006
Howdy all.
There's a review of FlashSpec Volume One over at the interesting HorrorScope blog. Now I don't necessarily agree with everything that the reviewer says but he says that "Trick Or Treat" is a story of note, so I have to give him some props for that.
In other news, David Gemmell, one of my all-time favourite writers, died last Friday. Gemmell was one of the few fantasy writers around who knew that heroes aren't always particularly good human beings. He wrote about honour, courage and redemption with honesty and dignity. But I will always remember the simple humanity of his characters. His first novel, Legend impressed me by having no real villains in it, just people trying to do their best for their cause.
His books have been friends to me for twenty-two years and I always looked forward to a new story from him.
"... lead this man home."
September 16th 2006
Hey'all, long time, etc.
Just quickly, those fiendish geniuses (or is it genii?) over at Equilibrium Books have instituted a new institution, namely a "Book Of The Month Club". I mention this because Neil Cladingboel (that's Mr Equilibrium to you) has designated A Stranger In The Realm as the first designee of that illustrious BotM fraternity.
Not only that, but if you purchase it during the month of September (The Month that it is the Book Of) you can receive a hefty discount off the cover price.
So why are you still here?
November 12th 2006
Man, that is a long time between drinks, isn't it? Anyway, good news first: Esther Schrader, genius editor over at Flashshot, has accepted my twelfth short-short story with them, a little opus entitled "Family Monster". Keep an eye out for it some time in '07.
Some sad news now. Due to dwindling sales (yes, heavily ironic given the post immediately below here) I have decided not to renew my contract with Equilibrium Books in regards to A Stranger In The Realm. Therefore the banner advertising it above the masthead on this page will be removed as of December 15th 2006 and it will no longer be a going concern from Equilibrium as of that date also.
It has been a real pleasure working with Neil and dealing with the people who have read the book and passed on their kind words.
My thanks to them.
November 20th 2006
Just letting you know that my latest Flashshot, "Preemptive Strike" rocked up in my in-box today, causing a tiny spike in the number of visitors to these here pages.
Welcome to those kind people. If you feel like popping back any time soon, please feel free.
December 10th 2006
"In The Dark", Flashshot No. 1474 showed up the other day. I like it as it's a rare non-genre piece for me. It's also the eleventh Flashshot of mine to be published. I'm all the way up to 11!
Sorry about that: just overcome by the moment there for a second.
December 15th 2006
As you can tell the masthead looks a tad naked now: A Stranger In The Realm is now officially off the market and the link for Judgement Day no longer works. The other pages within this site have been similarly stripped of their adornments.
This year hasn't been the most productive I've had: work has gotten in the way of my creative endeavours and The Real World has caught up with some of them. It's sad but that's the way life is. Frankly if the worst thing that ever happens to me is that no one buys my stories I will count myself waaa-aay ahead of the pack.
So please, if you're having a drink, hoist one to the memory of A Stranger In The Realm, the little book that could've.