A new age in publishing…

June 30, 2014 Editor2 Comments

ALLI member David Mattichak has posted a great summary of the state of play in publishing and where independent publishing fits in over at his popular blog www.dgmattichakjr.com.

“Whether we like it or not, we have entered into a brave new world of writing and publishing across a range of media and books is only one of them. The fact is that there will always be bad books and there will always be good books, and the difference between them will be decided by the people that read them, not the people that publish them.”

Well said David!

Why Australian conferences need to embrace self publishers

June 17, 2014 EditorLeave a comment

This week I have a post over at the Alliance of Independent Authors blog, discussing some observations about Australian writing festivals and the perceived reticence they have where independent publishing is concerned.

Pop on over and have a read. I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments section, either here or there.

Look inside my 40th Birthday Swag Bag!

June 16, 2014June 16, 2014 Editor2 Comments

Well here’s something a little different – and most entertaining. I’ve been tagged in a blog hop that was originally started by Susie Orman Schnall, author of On Grace (US Link, UK Link). It’s the 40th Birthday Swag Bag Blog Hop, and the premise is that the blogger is going to a friend’s 40th birthday bash at an exotic island resort.

The challenge is to list a few of your favourite things that you’d like to add to the swag bag for everyone in the group. You can read the original post HERE. I was tagged by Debbie Young, who is also an author and a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, of which I am a member. Inevitably, in this blog hop challenge started and continued by writers, one of the items is a book! Read on to see what I’ve chosen…

Book
It’s always interesting recommending books to other people – you have to consider their interests and personal tastes. I’m a great lover of mysteries (as is Debbie Young), and I can’t go past the highly entertaining Agatha Raisin series penned by the legendary M.C. Beaton (the pen name of the prolific writer Marion Chesney, who is also behind the wildly popular Hamish Macbeth). I recently read #24 in the series, which follows agatha-raisin retired PR guru Agatha Raisin, who has settled in the Cotswolds, which in fictional terms must be second only to the county of Midsomer (of Midsomer Murders fame) in terms of body count!
The book’s summary reads:
Incomer Gloria French is at first welcomed in
the Cotswold village of Piddlebury. She seems like a do-gooder par excellence, raising funds for the church and caring for the elderly. But she has a
bad habit of borrowing things and not giving them back, so when she is discovered dead, poisoned by a bottle of elderberry wine, folk in the village don’t mourn her passing too intently. Parish councillor Jerry Tarrant hires Agatha Raisin to track down the murderer. But the village is creepy and secretive and the residents don’t seem to want Agatha to find who the murderer is, and Agatha’s investigations are hampered by the emotional upset of finding her ex, James Lacey, has fallen in love with young detective Toni Gilmour. And now the murderer is targeting Agatha!
I fell in love with the series right from book #1, Agatha Raisin and The Quiche of Death (how could you not read a book with a title like that?). They’re short, highly entertaining reads that are perfect for lazing around the pool.

Beauty product
I have a couple of favourite beauty products, and perhaps unsurprisingly, being a writer, they’re all hand creams! I always travel with a tube of L’Occitane Shea Butter hand cream, a rich French moisturizing balm that keeps your hands looking their best.

Snack food
I can’t resist a good bar of chocolate, and I always keep a block of Green & Black’s Organic Milk Chocolate handy for when writer’s block strikes. Who doesn’t love a good hit of endorphins?

Music Album
Hmmmmm, it’s always touchy recommending music, but in the spirit of a 40th swag bag, I think Jamiroquai’s Travelling Without Moving album is a must. Funky, toe-tapping acid jazz to accompany an afternoon of cocktails with the girls!

My choice of any extra treat
An extra treat…well, I never leave home without a giant tin of Milo, a very Australian drink, able to be served hot or cold. I prefer mine hot with a dash of milk, and served with a side of (Scottish) McVitie’s Milk Chocolate Digestives biscuits. Yum!

A big thank you to Debbie Young for extending me the invitation to take part in this blog hop – you can read her swag bag suggestions here!

Want to get involved? Like to be tagged in this blog post? Comment below and you can carry the swag bag forward!

The Little Country in music

June 3, 2014June 30, 2014 EditorLeave a comment

Charles de Lint is one of my all-time favourite authors. A master of urban fantasy, he is responsible for such masterpieces as Greenmantle, Moonheart and the much beloved The Little Country.

The Little Country is a magical novel set in the fishing village of Mousehole, Cornwall, about folk musician Janey Little’s discovery of a strange book in her grandfather’s trunk.

It’s one of my favourite novels, not least because it features its own original music scores in the back of the book which, until now, had gone largely unheard. I loved it so much I set off for Mousehole many years ago and tracked down the row of cottages that inspired the setting.

photo-main

Enter Zahatar, an acoustic string band from the US that is busy fundraising on Kickstarter so it can put out an album of distinctive arrangements of Celtic tunes from Charles de Lint’s The Little Country.

We want to have the opportunity to record an album version of The Little Country song cycle, which began as single melody lines in the appendix of one of Charles de Lint’s urban fantasy novels from the early 90’s. These tunes had never before been arranged for string band in their entirety, until now.

Zahatar recently held a sold-out performance of the song cycle, and recording an album is our next endeavor. Every step of the way, our project has been endorsed by Charles de Lint, and we are forever thankful to him for allowing us the rights to bring these tunes to life from the pages of his wondrous book.

We love playing Celtic music, and The Little Country is a project that’s very near and dear to us. We want to share this experience with the world!

If you have some pocket money, I can’t think of a better present for your Christmas stocking than this album, and maybe the t-shirt as well!

I hope the many fans of Charles de Lint’s The Little Country are drawn to support this wonderful undertaking. I know I will be.

The progess so far…

June 3, 2014June 3, 2014 EditorLeave a comment

It’s hard work to keep a blog going when you’re working fulltime and writing in every other spare minute.

And yet, this blog is my rudder, keeping me on course for the year and, more importantly, keeping me honest where my personal Short Story Challenge is concerned.

So what do I have to show for 2014?

One standalone short story, Army Dreamers, published to Amazon’s Kindle store, partly as an experiment. It will also feature in Tales of the Damned, an anthology from CFZ Press due out later this year.

Three connected short stories, one of which – For Fear of Little Men – has been entered into a writing competition. The stories explore the dark side of having faeries for neighbours, but will stay under wraps for the time being until I know the outcome of the competition. Judging takes place in June, so stay tuned!

Another standalone short story, All Hail the Queen, is about the proverbial new girl at school and her newfound and somewhat unhealthy obsession with beekeeping. I’m presently finalising this one for publication – prepare to feel its sting!

A third short story, Last Request, is in the final stages. It’s the tale of a struggling musician who takes on what seems like an easy-paying gig, but may just end up being the one paying – with her soul! Cue maniacal laughter…

On the side I have been working hard to bring a non-fiction anthology of essays to publication – The Tasmanian Tiger: Extinct or Extant? – which explores the case for and against the continuing existence of the Thylacine. It should be published by July.

So while I feel I could have been more productive in the first half of the year after hours, I’m not doing too badly.

Writing at Talliston

May 25, 2014June 4, 2014 Editor1 Comment

Mucking about on Facebook one day, I chanced upon the exquisite loveliness that is Talliston House & Gardens.

Talliston is owner John Trevillian’s personal passion project – a former council house transformed into myriad chambers of loveliness, each of the 13 rooms inspired by various grand houses, castles, and exotic destinations.

Recently, the Talliston dream has been threatened by the most mundane of circumstances – money, or the lack thereof, which has fueled this project from day one (cripes, am I starting to sound like Kevin McLeod or what?).

John’s goal was to create something extraordinary from the means of an average living wage, and he has done just that. With the loss of his job recently, the future of Talliston is now uncertain. In fact, it has just been listed on the market.

Enter the Saving Talliston Indiegogo campaign that could be the gamechanger for this artistic enclave, which in addition to being a private home, is also host to writing and poetry groups, and serves as a performance space for various artists and musicians.

Allow me to quote briefly from the Indiegogo appeal:

Talliston House & Gardens is a project that has taken the most ordinary of English dwellings – a three-bedroomed, semi-detached, ex-council house in Essex – and over two and a half decades has painstakingly transformed it into a magical labyrinth of locations, each set in a different time and place.

After years of design, research, sourcing and construction, each room or garden is infused with a rich story, incorporating over 1,650 antiques and authentic objects sourced from 27 countries across the globe. With a name that means ‘the hidden place’, Talliston is not just an interior design project. Instead, it is a growing community venue that serves as an inspirational wonderland for writers, artists, craftspeople, and anyone seeking the extraordinary within the ordinary.
And all this has been accomplished by an ordinary team of people – all inspired by the project’s unique vision.

Impressed by the writerly credentials of the owner, and his commitment to such a wonderfully unusual and creative project, I recently joined the Talliston Writers’ Circle and attended my first meeting in May.

Everyone was incredibly friendly, even though I was the Max Headroom character in the corner on a laptop screen, a bleary-eyed Australian doing a 5am live Skype cross with my British counterparts on the other side of the planet (isn’t technology wonderful?).

It was a great meeting, and we were treated to a talk by crime novelist Linda Stratmann who walked us through her Frances Doughty Victorian crime series, and also talked about the various true crime books she had written. Book #1 The Poisonous Seed is now at the top of my reading pile 🙂

I sincerely hope John and his friends can save Talliston. It’s a special place, one imbued with magic and mystery. Talliston means ‘the hidden place‘, and I can’t think of a more fitting name for the labyrinth of painstakingly created rooms that lie behind the unassuming door of this ex-council house.

Like a series of movie sets, it’s the perfect house for creative types, and one worth saving. If you can spare it, fund the dream in whatever small way you can.

We need more magic and beauty in this world.

Terror of Tendonitis

April 5, 2014June 3, 2014 EditorLeave a comment

I suffered from Tendonitis recently.

If you’ve never had a brush with this writer’s curse, let me tell you it’s no fun – in fact, I found it rather excruciating.

It was my own fault, of course – the way I use the mouse was, I think, was largely to blame. However the affliction hit me while I was in the middle of two feature articles, a short story and a few corporate writing assignments; in other words, I was busy!

The prescribed treatment for the afflicted appendage is a fortnight’s rest, so this ‘righty’ was forced to become a ‘lefty’, at least where using a mouse was concerned. I also had to strap my right wrist in such a way as to prevent my hand bending back and forth – no easy thing.

And then of course there was the drama of finding the right kind of wrist wrap. I initially trialled a slip-on compression sleeve – agony! I then moved on to a ‘Thermoskin’ with a built-in brace/splint. An initial mix-up by the chemist’s assistant saw a left-handed model strapped onto my right hand, making the bent brace/splint that is supposed to sit under your palm to prop it up do the reverse – meaning double the agony! Once the right model was fitted I was all smiles – well, as smiley as you can be with an aching wrist.

The pain was fairly constant for a week before tailing off to something more bearable. Stoic, I shunned muscle relaxants, painkillers and topical creams. The only relief I gained was while in bed at night, and the back of my hand and wrist gently rested on a pillow.

To look at, my wrist appeared no different, but beneath the skin the tendons throbbed and burned. It was a constant pain that would flare up when I temporarily forgot about the problem and twisted or wrenched my hand while drying myself with a towel, picking up a bag or opening a door.

Some long-term ergonomic changes were required. I now permanently use my left hand for the mouse. For the time being I will continue to strap my right wrist while writing to ‘train’ it to make use of the ergonomic gel mouse pad. After all, I don’t want this to develop into something worse like RSI.

Look after your paws, people!

Library Saturdays

March 12, 2014June 3, 2014 Editor1 Comment

In November 2012 I organised a series of meet-ups at my local library after being inspired to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NANOWRIMO).

Despite living in the area for more than 10 years, I’d never actually been to my local library before. In checking its suitability for a group of writers I was pleasantly surprised to discover it had a nice quiet space for our group, free WIFI, and happily turned a blind eye to the presence of drinks and food (within reason).

The meet-ups were a great success, although I have to be frank – we chatted, snacked, tweeted and Facebooked more than we actually wrote. And no, I didn’t make my NANOWRIMO deadline for 2012 either!

Fast-forward to 2014 (I missed last year’s NANOWRIMO as I was travelling) and I have rediscovered my love for the library thanks to a heatwave of 40C+ days.

Living in a house without air-conditioning is no fun over summer and, try as I might, I just can’t settle down and write when I’m physically uncomfortable.

As I thought long and hard about where I might hole up for several hours – somewhere cool and quiet where I wouldn’t be interrupted – I remembered the library, which among its many positive points also boasted air conditioning.

I can tell you there really isn’t anywhere better to write in the world than in a room surrounded by books. Especially a temperature-controlled one. I’ve found my visits to the library focus me in the same way my weekday job does.

In sitting down at a desk I find my brain clicking over into ‘work’ mode. I ignore the WIFI – the devil’s instrument! – and get straight down to writing.

Forget hiring space or saving up to build a writing shed. While there are still libraries, writers will always have an affordable quiet haven at hand.

Make the most of yours, because if you don’t use it you may one day lose it.

Constant readers

February 15, 2014June 3, 2014 EditorLeave a comment

Everyone has fans.

For instance, my Mum and Dad love everything I write but really wish I’d settle down and write a children’s book – none of this folklore business, or menacing horror stories (although Mum has indicated she wouldn’t mind a good crime novel!).

But finding other people to read and objectively critique your work – for free – is difficult. Friends will be supportive – they can’t help themselves, bless them, and that’s why they are friends – but if you’re lucky enough to have professional or published writers in your circle you will receive much more considered (and hopefully tactful) feedback.

These people are more familiar with story-writing conventions and the editing process, and recognise how valuable their critical feedback is to the writer.

Many established writers will attract diehard fans who are only too happy to avail their reading services, which can be handy if you’re looking for experts when it comes to fact-checking your fictional worlds, double-checking timelines and assessing continuity of story arcs across several books.

The pool of people you use to review and give feedback about your work are known in the independent publishing world as ‘Beta readers’. It’s nice to give Beta readers some recognition, whether it’s on your blog or in your book (perhaps with a free final physical signed copy of your work).

If you’re dealing with a fellow reader, you might agree to return the favour. In my own experience, it’s far easier to find people to critique short stories, particularly over the holiday period when people are looking for quick ‘fixes’ in the reading department.

Put the call out, you might be surprised how many people are waiting to read your work!

Entering competitions

January 25, 2014June 3, 2014 EditorLeave a comment

As if I won’t be busy enough this year with my personal short story writing challenge, I have also set myself a personal challenge to enter four short story writing competitions in 2014.

Crazy! But there’s a method to the madness.

For many years I have jotted down the details of various writing competitions and, in well-meaning fashion, committed them to my diary so that I won’t forget to enter.

The only problem with this approach is forgetting to write the actual story!

So while this year I have, once again, committed various dates to my diary, the difference is I am now actively working towards these deadlines.

And it’s a mixed bag of literary, fantasy and crime – there’s nothing like genre hopping to keep you on your toes.

I have already finished my first entry, a fantasy tale – For Fear of Little Men – but I’m unable to share it for now due to the entry guidelines, at least until I find out how I fare. But I can tell you it’s full of very bad faeries. The good news is my volunteer readers love it, so I am submitting it this week.

Bon voyage little story! I hope you make a great first impression. And if you don’t, well, you might just end up as part of my short story anthology.

I’ll let you know how I go.