Review of Sprawl

… over at Guy Salvidge’s place. Sprawl is the latest anthology from TPP and has some awesome stuff from the likes of Peter M. Ball, L.L. Hannett, Sean Williams, et al.

He says nice things about Brisneyland by Night:

“Brisneyland by Night” by Angela Slatter is an intriguing and complex tale about the Weyrd, and more specifically a kinderfresser or child eater. Worse, it seems unscrupulous sorts are harvesting the tears of young children in the creation of some kind of elixir. Our protagonist, Verity Fassbinder, is half Weyrd and half Normal herself, and is thus mistrusted by both groups. She’s on the trail of some missing children, and her investigations force her to confront the heinous misdeeds of her own Weyrd father, the odious Grigor. I enjoyed reading this so much that I was genuinely disappointed to turn onto the last two pages.

The rest is here.

Read Full Post »

The Undead Drive-by: Robert Hood

Australian author Robert Hood is a legend in zombie, giant monster and general horror circles. Why? Coz he just tells a damned good tale that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and whimper. He has been tutored by Thea Astley at university, directed plays, been nominated for a variety of awards including Ditmars, Aurealis and a Readercon award for best collection; and he has also two Atheling Awards for Genre Criticism in his treasure trove. His collections include Creeping in Reptile Flesh, Immaterial and Day-dreaming on Company Time. 

Upcomings: publication of a zombie novella in Zombie Apocalypse! edited by Stephen Jones (Robinson UK and Running Press US, October 2010), and the novel Robot War Espresso from Twelfth Planet Press (probably April 2011) – which contains no zombies.

Here are his random answers to my random questions and he interviews Batman. Huzzah!

1. Batman -v- a Zombie (just one, not a whole cluster): discuss.
To best answer this question, I interviewed Batman himself, asking him how he thought he’d fare against a lone zombie.

Batman: You’re joking, surely. Those shambling meatbags don’t stand a chance against me. I defeated a bunch of mutant zombies way back in 1940! I’ve had to deal with the Rainbow Beast, the Ogre and his brother Ape, Clayface, Killer Croc, the Man-Bat, Bane, and all sorts of slathering monstrosities — including huge robots, dragons, gods, demons and the like in the company of my Justice League buddies. That’s on top of endless mobsters and gun-toting bad guys with super-science weaponry. A lone zombie? Not a chance.

Rob: Even if he’s one of the fast variety?

Batman: Some of those villains I’m mentioned make a fast zombie look like a shambler.

Rob: But if the zombie got close enough to bite you…?

 Batman: I wouldn’t let it, would I?

Rob: How would you stop it without getting close-up and personal?

Batman: One of these bat-blades! 

Rob: Bat-blades?

Batman: Here, take a look!

Rob: Owwwww!

Batman: Oops! Sorry about your hand. I’m sure Doc Strange’ll grow you a new one.

Rob: You know Doc Strange? But he’s part of the Marvel Universe, not DC.

Batman: We hang out sometimes.

Rob: Speaking of Marvel, all their superheroes got turned into cannibalistic dead in the Marvel Zombies franchise, I recall. Then they ate the entire universe. Zombie Thor would be hard to deal with.

Batman: It was an alternate universe. A Marvel alternate universe.

Rob: But what if it happened in the DC Universe and you met up with a lone zombie that happened to be Zombie Superman? You’d be stuffed then.

Batman: That’s why I carry this bat-blade I created out of lumps of Kryptonite I had lying around in the Bat Cave. Want to check it out.

Rob: That’s okay. I can see it from here…

2. I first realised I wanted to be a writer when …
My English teacher would set a one-page story as a writing assignment and I’d regularly write 8 pages or so instead. The stories were always SF, fantasy or horror, too. I was unstoppable, whatever the topic. A key ego-establishing moment came when I wrote a story about an astronaut in orbit. He listens to radio broadcasts announcing the start of World War 3. The story ended with his realisation that there was no one left alive down there and that he was doomed to circle the Earth until his orbit decayed… My teacher made me read it to the class (thus, embarrassing the hell out of me) and then commented: “I’ve always wanted to be able to write a story like that.”

Actually I probably decided I wanted to be a writer when I read H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds for a library assignment in First Form, and loved it. That’s when I wrote my own invasion novel. The difference between them was that mine was crap. But within a few months, I was getting rejected by Galaxy Magazine in the States….

3. The book I most wish I’d written is …
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Or something that tells an equally iconic story. Frankenstein. Dracula. Hey, War of the Worlds for that matter.

4. What is the optimal number of zombies for a novel? And for a short story?
There’s two answers to that. Firstly, there’s no optimal number as long as there’s an endless stream of them. The flesh-eating type functions best in a crowd. Zombies are oddly social monsters, considering bits of them tend to drop off at parties.

Secondly, there’s definitely a place for single zombies, particularly when defined as re-animated dead of a more traditional kind — deceased individuals seeking vengeance for wrongs done them… that sort of thing. These ones are like corporeal ghosts — symbols of the angry or guilty past that can’t be laid to rest easily.

I don’t think novel or short story makes much difference, though the single zombie might work best in short stories. Still, I’ve written several zombie short stories of the apocalyptic kind. And an as-yet-unpublished novel with only one or two.

5. Donuts or danishes?
Well, in reality, my answer would have to be “neither”. I have an annoying gluten intolerance, unfortunately. If I could though, I’d go for a Danish. After all, policemen eat donuts, but zombies eat Danes.

His website is here and includes the soon-to-be-legendary-if-it-ain’t-already Undead Backbrain.

Read Full Post »

I really *am* working

No, no, no, I really am working!

I finished off the latest collab with Lisa Hannett, Prohibition Blues, on Friday night (faeries, shoes, werewolves, bayous, tie-pins!). Then last night I finished off Sun Falls (talking head in a box). Today I am going to take a tilt at the novella Ragged Run (oh, too complicated), which follows on from the story in Sprawl, Brisneyland by Night.

I’m not just sitting on my backside eating choclit frogs provided by Sean Williams. Really, I’m not.

Read Full Post »

The Twelfth Planety Drive-by: Alisa Krasnostein

Alisa Krasnostein is the unsleeping powerhouse that is the engine of Twelfth Planet Press. Really, she doesn’t sleep – email her at any hour of the day or night and she’ll reply. Go ahead. Try it. See? Told ya.

TPP has produced some of the finestworks in Australian spec-fic recently: Deb Biancotti’s A Book of Endings, Peter M Ball’s Horn, Marianne De Pierres’ Glitter Rose are but a few. Upcoming efforts include the anthology Sprawl, Ball’s Aster follow-up Bleed, and next year’s one-per-month mini-collection of single author short stories. “Alisa is busy” wins the award for understatement of the year.

Here, she takes some time out to answer random questions and refuse both donuts and danishes *gasp*. 

1. Are there days when you think “Argh! What was I thinking going into small publishing?”
No, not really. Though right at this moment in time, I’m working pretty hard to get my books to the printer to have them in time for Aussiecon 4 and I have wondered what it would be like not to have to work weekends as well! But I love indie publishing. I might get frustrated with the progress of a project but I never regret getting into indie press.

2. What kills a story deader than dead for you?
I could list the cliches or tropes or subgenres that don’t do it for me but the truth is, any story done well just works, no matter the cliche or trope.

Bad writing kills a story deader than dead for me. The most unhelpful thing is this … a story either has IT or it doesn’t and you can pretty much tell if it’s one or the other by the first paragraph, first sentence even. Writing that turns a phrase just so, sentences that run away so that you forget you’re reading and smooth comfortable, confident writing, that’s not too showy. Anything else, and I’ve already moved onto the next story. Also a story that has nothing to say or no story to tell or nothing new to add or contribute.

3. What do you hate most about editing?
Working with writers who are unable to pull back and view their own work with perspective and dispassionately. I hate working with writers who won’t let you touch a word of their work, or reply to feedback with long explanations of backstory that support why that sentence says what it does (I don’t care, if it’s not clear to the reader, it’s not clear to the reader) or writers who argue with house style by quoting a reference (that’s cool ‘n all but your story will be styled differently to the other 17 stories in the book that I already signed off and sent to layout … and I’ll be the one who looks sloppy).

4. What do you love most about editing?
Working with all the other writers who aren’t the above 🙂  I love seeing an idea or theme turned into a story written just for me. I love being the person to see it first. And I love the back and forth of working with talented writers. I love the energy and creativity that comes from that experience. I love working with writers to take a good or great story to something even better.

And I love holding the finished product in my hand afterwards.

5. Donuts or danishes?
Sadly neither right now as I have sworn off the sugar for three months 😦

TPP lives here. Go, look, buy – there’s a more than excellent chance you’ll find something you’ll love.

Read Full Post »

Why have I not done this before now?

I haz bin remiss.

The talented and prolific Marianne de Pierres has a short story collection out with Twelfth Planet Press, Glitter Rose. It is a limited edition, hard cover with an Intro by Trent Jamieson (he of Death Most Definite). All books should be beautiful.

It has a lovely cover and glorious contents:

Glimmer-by-dark
Moon Flowers at the Ritz
The Flag Game
Mama Ailon
In the Bookshadow

Ordery goodness lives here.

Read Full Post »

We are writers for many reasons …

… one of those reasons may be that, without the dubious protection of our writer tag,  the rest of society would lock us up for posts like this, in which we replace psychotic cats with sociopathic bears:

Peter wakes up to find the Spokesbear sitting on his chest, staring him in the face.

Spokesbear: Time to work.
Peter: Fuck off.
Spokesbear: You’re not sick anymore.
Peter: I feel like someone’s taken a razor blade to the inside of my eusophegus.
Spokesbear: Yes, but you can *stare at a screen without bleeding from the eyes*. That means it’s time to work.
Peter: You’re mean.
Spokesbear: It’s what you pay me for.

The rest resides here.

Read Full Post »

Can you keep a secret?

Well, honestly, if the answer is “Yes”, then go away – don’t want your kind here :-).

Because this needs to get out!

Twelfth Planet Press is doing an awesome thing for 2011. 

“Even more awesome than Horn, Siren Beat/Roadkill, Glitter Rose, New Ceres Nights, Sprawl, Robot War Espresso, 2012, Book of Endings, Angel Rising, etc?” I hear you ask, breathless with excitement.

“That’s a lot of awesome to beat,” I reply. “Let’s say ‘on-par awesome with potential for incrementally incredi-awesome’, shall we?”

You say, “Okay, sure! What is it?”

2011 is the year of the mini-collection with TPP: 12 single author short story collections, four stories in each one, one collection released each month. Buy a single, buy the whole series.

You know TPP: great stories, pretty books. What’s not to like?

Details to be released into the wild as they come to hand.

Pass it on.

Read Full Post »

Ditmars – Shortlist for 2010

Here’s the Ditmars shortlist – some great names there.

Got a suprise listing for “The Piece of Ice in Miss Windermere’s Heart” (New Ceres Nights, TPP) – thanks to whoever nominated it! 🙂

Read Full Post »

Drive-by: L L Hannett

Lisa Hannett survived Clarion South in 2009 (inspite of my cooking), and in the eighteen months or so since she’s published stories in (but not restricted to) Clarkesworld, Fantasy Magazine, Chizine, Weird Tales, ONSPEC, Midnight Echo, Scary Kisses, and Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s Steampunk Compendium. She is also working on finishing a PhD in Old Icelandic Literature (for which she went and learned Old Icelandic). She is, quite clearly, an underachiever :-P.

Lisa’s writing is wildly imaginative, beautifully rendered, and seemingly effortlessly crafted. She has stories coming out in Twelfth Planet Press’ Sprawl anthology, Tesseracts 14, and her collection of Blue Grass Opera stories must be read by those wanting their minds blown (someone should really snap it up, some smart, sexy publisher).

Here she takes time out from doing everything in the world to answer my random questions.

1)      I first knew I was a writer when…
… I got my first rejection. I mean, I’d been scribbling for years. Jotting down notes, working out plots, building worlds, creating characters. I had a totally lame epic fantasy in the desk drawer, and a stack of tragic poems (we all go through that tragic poetry phase, right?) but I was doing it all privately. Secretly, even. It wasn’t until I went through the process of sending out a story, waiting to hear from the editor, trying not to think about hearing from the editor, getting rejected – and then immediately setting myself up to do it all again – that I felt I was really a writer.

2)      A story can always be improved by the addition of…
… Pinkertons. And underground cities. And insane asylums. And bayous. And libraries with secret passages, trapdoors and revolving bookcases. And cemeteries. And peacocks. And haruspicy. Insane Pinkertons in an underground bayou searching for peacocks; finding them; gutting them; reading their entrails for clues; recording their findings on tombstones in a swamp library? Hmmmm. But, most importantly, stories are always improved by the addition of the ‘delete’ button. If I’d listened to my own suggestion, this answer would’ve been much more concise…

3)      Which sale caused you to Snoopy Dance around the room?
Every sale gets its own little dance. Sometimes I’m composed enough to do a little jig, but most of the time I jump up and down on the spot, often with arms flailing, kind of like a toddler not quite used to standing up. Any magazine or anthology willing to publish my stuff instantly becomes dance-worthy. But I suppose the biggest official Snoopy Dance™ I have done so far was when I sold a story to Clarkesworld last year. Honestly, reading that acceptance email launched me out of my desk chair so fast and so high, I think you can probably still see a dent in the ceiling.

4)      Who is your favourite fictional character, and why?
This is the most devilish question ever! So hard to choose! In fact, I’m incapable of choosing only one, so I’ll narrow it down to a few:

I usually fall for elusive, peripheral characters; the magical, trickster characters who tantalise us and then leave us wondering if we’ll ever see them again. When I was younger, it was Tad Williams’ ‘Sithi’ (pseudo-elves in his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy) that captured my imagination, largely because they were different enough from Tolkien’s elves to unsettle me. I must still carry a fondness for characters like that because one of my favourites recently has been the Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair from Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (which, by the way, is a brilliant brilliant brilliant book.) He is amoral, self-serving, and oozes magic – and he only makes brief appearances in Clarke’s massive novel (and have I mentioned it’s brilliant?). I also frequently think about the Fool from Robin Hobbs’ first three trilogies. I love that the Fool’s gender is hard to determine, that he/she is almost colourless, and he/she has a quick wit and an even quicker tongue. I love that the Fool doesn’t seem to be bound by one reality; much like the tricksters in Charles de Lint’s early fantasy novels, who are also favourites of mine.

But I also adore characters that are emotionally repressed — like Stevens, the ageing butler and narrator of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Remains of the Day. His inability to express his feeling is absolutely heartbreaking, and utterly effective. It’s been a year since I read that book last, and I still think about it. And characters who are repressed for other reasons — like Robert Neville in Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend (the book! not the film!), or the father in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, who are both forced to deal with isolation, the end of humanity, and, well, not getting eaten — are the ones I find most intriguing.

I could go on forever, but I’ll leave it with one last, potentially favourite, favourite: Al Swearengen, proprietor of the Gem Saloon, from Deadwood. If I ever write a character as complex as Swearengen I’ll have reached nirvana. He is a greasy-haired, craggy-faced, foul-mouthed, ambitious, murdering son-of-a-bitch. His compassionate side involves performing mercy killings and working out his psychological issues while getting ‘serviced’ by his favourite saloon girl. And he frequently seeks advice from a rotting head kept in a box in his office. What’s not to love?

5)      Donuts or danishes.
Donuts all the way. Preferably Tim Horton’s (anyone who has been to Canada will know what I’m talking about). The best are Tim’s chocolate glazed – and by chocolate glazed I mean chocolate cake glazed with translucent sugar. Not white cake with chocolate icing, no siree. These are like fluffy mud cake rings dipped in deliciousness. And the best part about Tim Horton’s is the Timbits! Ever wonder what happens to the donut-holes? Well, they wind up in variety boxes of Timbits, sold in lots of 6, 12 or, for the serious sweet-tooth, 18. Yum yum yum and yum.

She blogs here

Read Full Post »

Drive-by: Peter M. Ball

Peter M. Ball is a Clarion South survivor (i.e. member of the Borg Collective) from 2007. He is the writer responsible for Horn, the novella that ruined fluffy white unicorns for everybody (thankfully!). Its follow-up, Bleed, follows the further misadventures of Miriam Aster as she tries, generally very unsuccessfully, to avoid entanglement with the urban fey that populate her world.

His stories have appeared, well, everywhere. He is represented by a spokesbear, which means he should probably get a real agent very soon, and he is plagued by cats who fail to understand that they are lower on the food chain than he is. Here he uses the opportunity to procrastinate by answering questions.

1. Complete this sentence: Stalin may have been a bastard, but he …
… always seems to be damn jolly in photographs. I think it’s the combination of his moustache and cheeks – all you need to do is slap a white beard on him and he’d be the world’s scariest Santa Claus. And given this is the guy who ordered the Great Purge, I really wouldn’t want to be on Santa Stalin’s naughty list.

2. How do you generally react to crits?
I actually feel quite guilty after critiques of my work, largely because I’ve been blessed with a circle of friends who are enormously good at finding weaknesses in my work and saying thank-you never seems like an adequate response to the time and care they’ve taken.

3. What are your writing fetishes, i.e. what can’t you write without?
I’ve got a bunch of slightly off-kilter habits when it comes to writing: I talk to the stuffed bear that serves as my manager and spokescritter, I drink coffee in quantities that have been known to frighten visiting writers, and I’ll frequently dance around the study for plot (poorly) when I get stuck on a story. I don’t know that any of them would classify as fetishes though, since I can and have written without them in the past.

The stuff that really stops me producing words tends to be psychological hang-ups related to the fact that I need to write as part of my income these days: I’ll spend hours staring at an overdue phone bill while I fret about the fact that I haven’t sold a story lately, or I’ll get stuck on a story without realising it and drop into an internal monologue that’s all Oh god, I suck and will never be able to write again. There are many, many days I wish I were smarter about such things, but I’ve come to accept that they’re part of how I write and started figuring out ways to work around them.

4. I hate being a writer when …
 … people ask me what I do for a living. There’s rarely any good direction for the conversation to go once you tell people you’re a writer, especially if the person who asked doesn’t read. I admit that history may have given me a slight bias on this point – I’ve had a series of unfortunate experiences that eventuated from admitting to being a writer. Some of them involve six-hour bus rides and a clash with a particularly irritable police officer who took my career choice as a personal insult and started searching for reasons to arrest me on the spot.

Beyond that, there’s not much I dislike about being a writer. It’s pretty much the only thing I’ve ever really wanted to do, and occasionally people give me money to make up bad things about unicorns.

5. Donuts (or doughnuts) or Danishes?
Danishes for breakfast, donuts with an afternoon coffee (and they usually are donuts when I have them, being lazy and prone to purchasing at American chains that migrated to Australia with their spelling intact).

Of course, both choices are inferior to a good cupcake. 

And he blogs here.

Read Full Post »