In Sunshine Bright And Darkness Deep.

And so I can announce my story, Bloodlust, has been selected for inclusion in the inaugural Australian Horror Writers Association showcase, In Sunshine Bright and Darkness Deep. Slated for publication at Halloween, the TOC and cover were published online last week.

I'm pleased to be included alongside name writers like Marty Young, Cameron Trost, Jason Nahrung, Joanne Anderton and Dan Rabarts.

I love the cover artwork by Greg Chapman.

And the blurb? Those South-East Asian vampiric gangsters would be mine. I first encountered them when I was walking through the KLCC underground passages in Kuala Lumpur. They didn't want to stay there, hidden away.

"In Sunshine Bright and Darkness Deep is an anthology like no other. The tales herein will take you on a weird and terrifying journey. You will set out on a road trip and find yourself trapped in the arid Australian outback where a little girl and her grandfather struggle to survive. There are isolated farmhouses threatened by bushfires and bullets, and rainforests teeming with bloodthirsty bugs. The cities are full of trouble too. The murky waters of the Brisbane River hide spiteful spirits and the suburbs are infested with insane inhabitants masquerading as ordinary human beings. Then, you will leave Australia, departing from Melbourne, to hunt down vampiric gangsters in Southeast Asia, before sailing future seas and visiting realms beyond this world altogether. This inaugural showcase anthology features the work of just a handful of the many talented and darkly imaginative authors who make up the Australian Horror Writers’ Association. If you are unfamiliar with Australian horror, let this book be just the first step on a long voyage of discovery."

The River Slurry • by Rue Karney
Triage • by Jason Nahrung
Upon the Dead Oceans • by Marty Young
Beast • by Natalie Satakovski
The Grinning Tide • by Stuart Olver
Our Last Meal • by J. Ashley Smith
Veronica's Dogs • by Cameron Trost
Bullets • by Joanne Anderton
Saviour • by Mark McAuliffe
The Hunt • by Mark Smith-Briggs
The Monster in the Woods • by Kathryn Hore
Road Trip • by Anthony Ferguson
Bloodlust • by Steve Cameron
Elffingern • by Dan Rabarts

That Which We Believe.

I'm thrilled that my story, That Which We Believe, is now available in issue 59 of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine.

I wrote this one a few years ago, and started workshopping it with Paul Haines under the AHWA mentor program. We really only managed one critique, in which he pretty much savaged the story. The critique hurt at the time. I had hoped to impress him. But, damn his eyes, he was right. The story was missing something and so I put it aside for a long time to congeal. The plan was that later, when I'd rewritten it, Paul would have another look at it.

Unfortunately that never happened.

But Paul's feedback directed the rewriting process, and David Kernot liked it enough to buy it, and now you'll be able to read it.

This now means that all three stories workshopped with Paul have been published.

Gitte Christensen and I will share the TOC. We have often spoken of having work in the same publication, and so another goal is reached. I look forward to reading her story. I know Preston Dennett has a story in this issue. David Steffen, with whom I shared a  TOC in After Death, has one as well. The fabulous cover is by Paul Drummond. Who else is in there? I have no idea, but I have no doubt this will be another quality issue of ASIM.

Memberships And Associations.

In the great SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America) uproar, it appears battlelines are being drawn with personal attacks, accusations, and petitions flying in all directions. I haven't followed it so closely that I know all the ins and outs, but I do know it has escalated wildly out of control.

I read a post on Facebook this morning by William Ledbetter detailing his views on SFWA membership. Like William, I have held membership as a personal writing goal since the days I first started writing, Unlike William, I am not yet eligible - although I am a third of the way to full membership, and about to qualify for Associate membership.

But there are a number of members who are currently questioning the value of being part of the Association, which gives those of us on the cusp reason to question our impending membership. Like William, I think I will join when eligible, simply because it's been a goal. And after a year of membership I'll consider whether to renew or not.

Currently, I am an associate member of the HWA (Horror Writers Association), and I have found them to be fantastic, relevant, and full of great resources.

In Australia we have the AHWA (Australian Horror Writers Association). I've been a member for several years now, although I'm not primarily a horror writer. Having said that, I have made a number of horror sales, and twice been in The Year's Best Australian Fantasy and Horror recommended reading list. I think I joined in the final days of the AHWA's glory years. I loved being a member back then, but the AHWA seems to have become increasingly less relevant over the past few years. Now their decision to axe the print version of Midnight Echo seems like a death warrant. It's short sighted and pointless, particularly when other options were seemingly ignored by the committee. And communication? There is none. There was a general public announcement regarding these decisions, but the membership is yet to be told officially. I regret renewing my membership a few months ago, and don't plan to renew it later this year.

Midnight Echo has been a fantastic publication. I've only ever subbed to it once. The horror I write tends to be gentle, and every editor seemed to call for horror that pushed boundaries

A few of years ago, someone started the ASFFWA. (The Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association) I joined, but nothing really happened with it. I believe it was created with the best intentions, but I found it to be little more than a facebook for writers. It seems to have disappeared, and that is a shame.

Is it time for the AHWA to expand genre-wise? Is it necessary to remain solely horror, or can that be a sub-branch within a greater organisation? Does Australia have the horror writer population to maintain an organisation such as this? Could we create the Australian Speculative Fiction Writers Association, catering to horror, science fiction and fantasy? That would increase the membership.

Whatever happens, an association needs to have value for money. It needs to assist and represent its membership, and that appears to be where each of these organisations has ultimately failed.

I'm hoping the AHWA sorts itself out. I'm really hoping that once the dust has settled, the SFWA emerges re-focused, re-energised, re-unified and with clearly defined goals and aims.

Oh, and being an international organisation, isn't it about time they changed their name to reflect that, and the new start?

How about the Science Fiction Writers Association?

Things That Went Bump In The Night.

I spent the weekend at Aradale as part of the AHWA Creative Retreat. It was fantastic to finally meet up with people I'd met online as well as new people. And, to top it all off, we got to spend quality time together exploring these amazing old buildings.

Aradale, a deserted asylum from the 1860s, has a reputation as one of the most haunted locations in Australia. As with most 19th Century institutions, there are many stories of pain, a history of suffering and abuse. But we need to always remember that there is also a history of love and caring as well. We were fortunate enough to bump into a woman in town who'd spent twelve years working there as a psychiatric nurse, and I thank her for the stories she shared with us.

Along for the weekend we had members of the Australian Paranormal Society who undertook investigations. They were a couple of great guys who took pains to ensure their investigation was as scientific and thorough as possible. All natural causes are considered first. Always.

Despite that, it seems they managed to get some great readings, as well as some anecdotal encounters from the weekend. I also suspect they have a lot of audio and video to work through.

I didn't see a ghost, but I did have three minor experiences that I cannot logically explain - one physical, two audible. And I have to admit that the atmosphere, the history, the reputation and my own anticipation and expectations made me look for things to happen. And yet, if I remove every single possibility, there is still one incident that cannot be explained in any way.

And I know of great stories that happened to those around me.

Even if none of it ever really is supernatural, it was a fantastic experience and opportunity to meet up with other writers in the realm in which we write.

Thanks to my fellow attendees for sharing the experience, Nathanial and Adam at Aradale Ghost Tours for leading us through the weekend, Bill and Lionel from Australian Paranormal Society for their efforts, and mostly to GNBraun (and family) for the organisation and leadership.

See you next year, I hope.

Drive, She Said.

My story, Drive, She Said, has just been published in Cover of Darkness, #12.

It was my first effort at writing when I decided to give it a go. (So Sad, The Lighthouse Keeper was my second attempt).

Drive, She Said went through several rewrites, of course, with the last couple being under the guidance of Paul Haines as part of the AHWA mentor program. We both had hopes for this beast, so I'm thrilled it has finally been released.

And, you have to love the advertising blurb - especially when it includes the words "features", "supernatural horror", "Australia" and "Steve Cameron."

At Cover of Darkness, as many of you have already discovered, we do the Dark Side right.  If you’re quiet while you read, you can actually hear your hair rustling as it tries to stand on end.  This issue features “Shut-In” by William C. Rasmussen; “Posey,” by Mark Walsh, and the supernatural horror “Drive, She Said,” by Australia’s Steve Cameron [don't worry, we turned the words right-side up].

Out of interest, the sequel to this story, If You Give This Girl A Ride, was published a few months ago in Cover of Darkness, #11.  Does that mean Drive, She Said is now a prequel?

Vale: Paul Haines.

It is with great sadness I write of the passing of Paul Haines after a long battle with cancer.

I was fortunate enough to have had Paul as my writing mentor through the AHWA. It was during this mentorship we became friends, sharing an interest in not only writing, but music. In particular, XTC - a band Paul loved and occasionally included in his stories.

Late last year, when it became obvious Paul would not be with us much longer, I decided to write to Paul - a long letter telling him exactly what he meant to me and the influence he's had on my writing.

Paul was gracious enough to take the letter in the spirit it was meant and wrote me a long response that I will always cherish.

Paul Haines will be missed.  The Spec Fic community is just that little bit less now.

My thoughts tonight are with Jules and Isla.  And Paul, I wish you safe travels.

Chili, Chili, Chili.

I went out into the garden yesterday morning and picked lots of chili from my vegetable patch. Ended up with over a kilo. So I made my world famous Sweet Chili Sauce that I end up pouring on just about everything I eat. It's a pretty good sauce, even if I do say so myself. My wife's boss has a standing order for it. While I pottered around in the kitchen, pretending I was on MasterChef,  I listened to some XTC - Apple Venus. Some might think this an obscure album - it's certainly under-appreciated. (yeah Paul, my copy is autographed!)

And I've been writing lots. Subbed two stories last week, rewrote another, started writing a new one, and generally feeling good about it all. The mentorship I undertook with Paul Haines last year (through the AHWA) really seems to be paying off. I'm drafting less, and getting to the final product a lot quicker. The stories flow a lot better, and have a lot fewer irrelevant parts within.

And then it's back to school tomorrow. Busy time ahead, with lots of marking coming up as we approach the mid year.  We have our athletics day this week too. A day I don't ever look forward to, but usually end up enjoying. And film club tomorrow night - Coen Brothers' A Serious Man. I always love going along, if only for the social aspect. I managed to convince a few friends to join and we go out for dinner first.

I believe it's mixed grill this week.