Remembering Gitte

Ten years ago today, Gitte Christensen passed. A wonderful writer, a quiet achiever, all round lovely person, and a good friend.

You are never forgotten, Gitte.

I've Been Snapshot 2014.

Every few years, a series of short interviews with members of the Australian SpecFic community is conducted and published online. The purpose is to get a 'snapshot' of the state of Australian SpecFic. Ben Peek started it all, way back in 2005 when he interviewed 43 people in a week. By 2007 the number of participants had almost doubled. The Snapshot has since been undertaken in both 2010 and 2012.

Now it's time for Snapshot 2014, and I feel completely honoured to have been interviewed by Sean Wright.

You can find it here.

I was also invited to write a tribute to my friend and fellow writer, Gitte Christensen, who sadly passed away a few months ago.

A team of bloggers has daily been posting interviews with the participants of Snapshot 2014 across the following links:

• Tsana Dolichva
• Stephanie Gunn
• Kathryn Linge
• Elanor Matton-Johnson
• David McDonald
• Helen Merrick
• Ben Payne
• Alex Pierce
• Tansy Rayner Roberts
• Helen Stubbs
• Katharine Stubbs
• Tehani Wessely
• Sean Wright
• Nick Evans

Recent Activities.

Continuum X has been and gone. I can barely believe two weeks has since passed. I didn't write about it last week for two reasons. Firstly, I'd just written about Gitte Christensen, and I wanted to leave that on top for a few more days. Secondly, because I wasn't sure what to make of Continuum.

Jim C. Hines and Ambelin Kwaymullina were wonderful guests, and their speeches were challenging and inspiring. Certainly brilliant follow-ups to last year's guest, N.K. Jemisen. I returned home with new ideas and understandings of issues within SF. And a whole lot more questions about gender, race, culture and diversity. And that will, of course, bleed through to my writing.

I also had the opportunity to converse with Jim C. Hines. It was an important conversation for me, and he helped me out a whole lot more than he realises. Thank you Jim for your time and words.

It was an odd convention for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. I didn't feel spoiled for panel choice as I usually am, and that may have been part of it. The venue was different and the rooms were more spread out. That too may have been part of it. The bar prices were insanely high, which meant a lot of people didn't gather or linger, which I certainly felt played its part. My con-going buddy was missing this time, which may have played its part. Or maybe it was just me. Or, of course, all of the above in varying degrees of culpability.

And then there were a couple of situations/conversations at the convention which got me down. I'm not going to go into details, but I just can't believe these things are happening.

Overall? I enjoyed myself, and I look forward to next year's Continuum.

Since then I've been busy at work finishing up assessment and writing reports - every teacher's favourite task. I had a personal rejection for a story for which I'd had high hopes. (It's not you, it's us) Sigh. But I have a couple of other stories out which I think will probably sell. (Of course with my recent history in predicting these sales...... ) At least I've managed to get some words down this week, so I feel productive there. Which is (hopefully) good, as I have two deadlines at the end of the month.

But enough about me. It's back to work.

Farewell, Gitte.

It is with great sadness I write this.

My friend and fellow writer, Gitte Christensen, passed away this morning after a long illness. A couple of weeks ago, surrounded by family members, her life-support was switched off.

Even then Gitte showed great courage, as she has done all along. I’ve been told she said that despite the machines being switched off, she would continue to fight.

Gitte was very private, and asked that I not share her situation with anyone until now.

Those who read Gitte’s blog will know that from time to time she mentioned her illnesses, her surgery and her pains. But you will also know she never dwelt on them, or complained about them. And she certainly never went into any details. She just wrote about how they were preventing her from writing.

I spoke to Gitte several times about her health. Gitte never described what was wrong with her, and I never asked. I believed it was cancer, and I’ve now had this confirmed. Gitte was a Danish warrior. Two years ago she was told she would not live to see that Christmas. It was only two months ago she went horse-riding, one of her great loves. 

Gitte was honest, humble and full of integrity. And optimistic – always optimistic. She was a prolific writer, a quiet achiever. Unknown by many in Australia, she had some great publishing credits. Andromeda Spaceways, Aurealis, Eric Guignard’s  ‘Dark Tales Of Lost Civilizations’, ‘The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2010’, and a whole bunch more. Last year one of her stories was selected by Alex Dally McPherson for inclusion in ‘Aliens: Recent Encounters.’

Gitte and I always wanted to share a TOC. This dream was realised only last week, as we both have stories in issue 59 of Andromeda Spaceways. I’m thrilled that in the past month Gitte has sold even more stories, including one only a few days ago. Her family will be maintaining her website, and details will be published there as those stories go to press.

I first met Gitte at a Sean Williams workshop. We said nice things about each other’s writing, and stayed in touch. From there we developed a mutual respect which became a friendship. Gitte and I encouraged, supported and congratulated each other. Every year we would meet up at a convention or writing event. I last saw her at a Jack Dann workshop. She was unable to finish that course due to her health.

Take a moment to wish her well on her travels into the great unknown, and if you are so inclined, donate money to a cancer research organization.

Farewell, Gitte.

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.

If You Love It, Let It Go.

My friend and fellow traveller in writing, Gitte Christensen, wrote a blogpost this week about what it can be like to be a writer of speculative fiction.

Maybe it's because I came to writing quite a bit later than most, but my experience has been a little different. I don't think I've ever made excuses for writing SF, or tried to fudge the genre too much.

There are a couple of reasons for this - the first being that I write across a couple of genres. My first published story, in a horror anthology, is not considered horror by many people. Most see it as a paranormal romance. I guess it doesn't matter how much the walls of pigeonholes are blurred (or completely bent) these days, speculative fiction is still considered speculative fiction. And I guess that's what I mostly write.

Yes, I've been caught in those conversations with people who declare they loved The Road, or Avatar, or The Matrix, and then tell you in the next breath they don't like watching SF. And yes, I spend time pointing out that SF is more than just robots and spaceships.

I'm almost certain I don't consider writing SF as an elite pastime. Within the SF community I've found both writers and fans to mostly be extremely inclusive and encouraging. Outside the community I've found most readers to find my work accessible. Whether they read it or not is another matter.

As a teacher at High School, teaching mainstream English and a writing course, I've generally found it to be evidence of credibility among my students. Of course teenagers don't have the same issues with genre that adults have.

It's about time we stepped off the back foot, stop being apologetic for what we love, and allow our genre to spread beyond the confines we often place around it.

Head Down, Back To Work.

I've enjoyed a post-sale euphoria this week after Mike Resnick bought a story for Galaxy's Edge. Selling is always a great feeling, but I've enjoyed this one a whole lot more because of the market. And although I'm thrilled by every sale, this is probably the most excited I've been since my first one three years ago, when Tasmaniac bought Ghost of the Heart.

It was great to get congratulatory emails and messages from a few writer friends/peers. While I also received congrats from other family and friends, the writers understood the importance of this sale, the difficulty in selling to the pro-markets, the career development this actually represents. But every single one of them said the same thing - keep writing, get more work out there, get your next one sold. (Gitte Christensen said some very nice things here. Thank you.)

I've heard of writers who sell one story to a pro-market and never sell to them again. I'm aware of others who presume this first sale means they've broken through, only to take a year or more to sell the second. And, of course, there are those who continue to sell regularly at this level.

Dave Farland wrote a piece this week about giving up.  I don't think I've ever seriously considered giving up, but I've certainly questioned whether I was wasting my time. A lot of writers will tell you that perseverance is the key to success. It's a major part, that's true, but talent and skill also come into play, just like any other skill based creative career. There are some who will never sell a story no matter how hard they try.

Fortunately this insecurity I have about my own work means I cannot presume another sale will follow. I hope it does, but I also recognise it's a tough world out there and I must work harder to ensure I improve my writing.

This first sale was only the foundation, but I am determined to build  on it.

Soon After Death.

It's only a matter of weeks until After Death is released.  This is an exciting anthology and I'm extremely thrilled and proud of the inclusion of my story, I Was The Walrus.

Eric J. Guignard, the editor, has recently been shortlisted for a Bram Stoker award for his work on a previous anthology, which featured a story from my good friend Gitte Christensen. Dark Tales Of Lost Civilizations has deservedly garnered great reviews and I suspect After Death will only add to Eric's reputation.

Keep an eye out for its release in late March/early April.

Green Eyes on Gitte.

I was thrilled when I heard that my friend, Gitte Christensen, had sold a story to Aliens: Recent Encounters (Edited by Alex Dally MacFarlane.)  This anthology has an amazing TOC; writers whose names I can only dream of  being alongside. Ursula K. LeGuin, Alastair Reynolds, Robert Reed, Nancy Kress, etc, etc.

Of course I was jealous - I'd subbed there too - but jealous in an inspiring, motivating kind of way. Gitte is one of the loveliest people you could ever meet and, as I've posted previously, a quiet achiever who goes around her business of writing quality stories without any fanfare.

Gitte truly deserves this.  Well done, and congratulations. Here's the TOC.

Aliens: Recent Encounters.

An Owomoyela - Frozen Voice
Ken Liu - The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species
Catherynne M. Valente - Golubash, or Wine-Blood-War-Elegy
Zen Cho - The Four Generations of Chang E
Vandana Singh - The Tetrahedon
Paul McAuley - The Man
Ursula K. Le Guin - Seasons of the Ansarac
Molly Gloss - Lambing Season
Desirina Boskovich - Celadon
Genevieve Valentine - Carthago Delenda Est
Caitlín R. Kiernan - I Am the Abyss and I Am the Light
Jamie Barras - The Beekeeper
Robert Reed - Noumenon
Elizabeth Bear - The Death of Terrestial Radio
Sofia Samatar - Honey Bear
Karin Lowachee - The Forgotten Ones
Jeremiah Tolbert - The Godfall's Chemsong
Alastair Reynolds - For the Ages
Brooke Bolander - Sun Dogs
Nisi Shawl - Honorary Earthling
Samantha Henderson - Shallot
Sonya Taaffe - The Boy Who Learned How to Shudder
Eleanor Arnason - Knacksack Poems
Gitte Christensen - Nullipara
Indrapramit Das - muo-ka's Child
Jeffrey Ford - The Dismantled Invention of Fate
Karin Tidbeck - Jagannath
Pervin Saket - Test of Fire
Nancy Kress - My Mother, Dancing
Greg van Eekhout - Native Aliens
Lavie Tidhar - Covenant
Yoon Ha Lee - A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel

Smart Goals.

And so 2013 begins. I hope you all had a relaxing Christmas and New Year.

I was planning to write about an article by Germaine Greer that I read last week, but my friend Gitte Christensen beat me to it. So I'll simply link to her comments, and write about my plans instead.

I have made a number of plans for this year - I hesitate to call them resolutions. Resolutions have always felt a little flaky to me. My goals are definite and clearly defined.

Goals need to be SMART. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Anything less is simply a vague notion or a good intention.

• I aim to write a minimum of 35 stories this year. 
• I aim to submit them all.
• I aim to sell a minimum of 15 stories. 
• I aim to sell at least three to professional markets.
• I aim to SFWA qualify.

I also have  goals connected with writing, such as attending conventions and so on, and these too will be undertaken. And very specific goals that I won't elaborate upon in this blog. Be sure that I will achieve them all. And, hopefully, achieve well above and beyond them.

Have you defined your goals for this year?

Writer. Reader. Rider.

A few years ago, when I first started writing, I signed up for a Sean Williams' workshop. At the time I had no idea who he was. In fact, for some reason I thought he'd be an American.

I loved that weekend. I learned a great deal about the Spec Fic community, about writing and publishing opportunities, and came home enthused and energised. I also met a number of people - including a few with whom I've remained in regular contact.

The group read the submitted piece from a lady who sat on the opposite side of the room from me, and I really enjoyed it. It had a beautiful lyrical quality to the writing, a wonderful sense of measured pace and decadence in the created world that reminded me of one of Moorcock's Eternal Champion stories. I don't know if she ever finished that story - I'm still hoping to see the final product.

We chatted later - her name was Gitte Christensen - and over the years we've bumped into each other at conventions and the like, and stayed in touch.

Gitte is a quiet achiever. She's dedicated and focused, and a terrific writer to boot, and yet there are other writers with lesser bibliographies that I hear mentioned more frequently. Gitte has the credentials and continues to publish quality fiction. She's seen publication in Aurealis, Andromeda Spaceways, The Tangled Bank and Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations amongst a host of anthologies and other magazines. She's been a semi-finalist in Writers of The Future, and had a story included in the inaugural  The Year's Best Australian Fantasy and Horror collection from Ticonderoga. She was interviewed for Snapshot 2012, and maintains a fantastic blog. She has received terrific reviews for her work - for example, here, and here.

She's a writer I respect and admire. And beyond that, Gitte's just a friendly, humble writer. Keep an eye out for her and get to know her work.

Don't be one of those who asks "Gitte who?" 

Eat Me Cake.

Do you remember that scene in Alice in Wonderland where Alice eats the cake and puts her hand on top of her head to measure her growth? Naturally, she ends up exclaiming she hasn't grown at all.

Sometimes I feel like that. I feel like I haven't improved in my writing, or that I'm no closer to pro-sale level than I was before. That's when my wife points out exactly how much I've achieved in the past couple of years.

OK, so I've made a few sales. But how close am I to the big ones? Does that personal rejection I received from a pro-market mean I will soon be selling there? And if I do, will it be regularly? (or at least more than once?) Am I like Topanga Canyon, or simply living in hope?

I think I'm improving. People I trust tell me I am. I can look back at my earlier pieces and see the flaws more obviously. And I try not to make those same mistakes again.

Sometimes I read stories in magazines and anthologies, and have trouble seeing why they were accepted in the first place. Then I wonder why my pieces were rejected from those same markets. Surely my piece was better than the ones they published.

Oh well, my day will come. We write, we submit, we write more.

(Gitte Christensen wrote a response to my Topanga Canyon post. This post started out as a comment to her.)

I Gotta Wear Shades.

Like any other skilled activity, the writing experience is a series of improvements punctuated with plateaus where not much seems to happen - either in sales or personal writing growth. Or at least that's how it has been with me.

Recently I've felt that I've been stuck, wheels spinning and not advancing, not getting anywhere at all - although no doubt I was improving and honing my skill. I was just too close to see it myself. But I've recently started to feel that I was getting closer to another burst of improvement.

I've got two stories on hold, two stories just sold and another re-subbed after a rewrite request. And I have high hopes for a couple of others.

Yesterday, I came away from Jack Dann's workshop with some excellent criticism on my subbed story from my fellow participants and Jack, along with positive and encouraging words. And while I don't agree with everything that was said about my story, I will look at everything, consider carefully, and rewrite parts as appropriate.

Continuum is creeping up on us, and I'm looking forward to catching up with a bunch of people. I've signed up to be on a panel with my friend, David McDonald - and that should be a lot of fun. It's a shame Gitte Christensen won't be able to make it, but it was lovely catching up with her yesterday and I look forward to reading her current work-in-progress. Once it's completed, of course.

I must admit I'm also very excited about hearing my name listed among the nominations for both the Chronos and Ditmar awards. And, of course, attending the launch of Epilogue.

Timbuk 3, anyone?

In Which Doris Gets Her Oats.

Phase one of the Jack Dann workshop at Writers Victoria kicked off yesterday morning.

There was a wide range of experience amongst the attendees, from those who may have scribbled down the occasional paragraph and have a few ideas, to those who have a publication history. It was great to see Gitte Christensen again and to trade tips, ideas and war stories with her.

It took me back to when I was starting out, three or so years ago. I'd written two quick, short stories - just to see if I could write, and then had no idea what to do with them. I signed up for a Sean Williams workshop with no real idea of what to expect. We had to sub 1,000 word sample to Sean, which in my naivety I presumed was only so Sean could see what our writing was like. I had absolutely no idea about manuscript formatting. And, I had absolutely no idea our work would be critiqued.

I was embarrassed by my writing, and very, very reticent to show it to anyone.

Yesterday, it was interesting to see those who are just starting to write. Some of the attendees were unsure of even how to start that first paragraph, and a couple seemed to find 5,000 words over the next month or so a little daunting. Me, I'll knock out something and sub it without too much worry, and look forward to the critiquing.

I must admit after the Sean Williams workshop, it took me a long time to find critters I could trust. I was confused by the range of comments, some from clearly inexperienced writers. I rewrote that story, trying to incorporate all the ideas - only to discover that I'd sucked all the life and soul from it. I threw that out and returned to the previous draft.

It's about discernment. By all means, listen to all critters - realising they are all potential readers, but also understanding that inexperience and enthusiasm may limit their critique value. Select carefully the comments you pay heed to, and then decide whether, and how, to incorporate any changes.

And it's always valuable to have critters who are either at a similar level to yourself, or somewhere you want to be. After all, I have a much better understanding of what makes a good story than I had three years ago.

Interplanetary Remix, Take 444.

But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need

(You Can't Always Get What You Want - Jagger/Richards)

We all need God above
We all need a little time
We all need money and love
But when we got all we need, it's never enough

(Rodeo Drive - Terry Scott Taylor)

Santa Claus is comin' and the kids are gettin' greedy
It's Christmas time
They know what's in the stores because they've seen it on the TV
It's Christmas time

(Christmastime - Larry Norman)

I need a new car. I need a new phone. I need a bigger house.

I'm an English teacher. And as such, I sometimes recognise we confuse the words need and want. How about those in the world who really need things. Like clean water, food, education, peace, freedom and so on.

A couple of years ago Arran and I came up with an idea. Rather than give each other Christmas cards and small presents (usually chocolate - which I really don't need more of) we have a communal card which we all sign for each other. And then we donate the money we've saved on cards and gifts to Oxfam. This year we raised closed to a thousand dollars, and 'purchased' 6 donkeys and 2 goats.

Personally, I know what I want, but what do I need? (And I won't list those things that I think I need - otherwise I'd sound trite and cliched.)

Since this is a writer's blog, I certainly want to publish more. And I do need my friends.

So, in no real order, writerly thanks to Arran and Peter (friends, colleagues and first-readers).

Thanks to David McDonald (new friend, comrade-in-arms, peer and crit-buddy).

Thanks to Gitte Christensen (comrade-in-arms, encourager and peer).

Thanks to Paul Haines (friend, mentor and music buddy).

Thanks to editors and publishers who have taken a chance with my work over the past 12 months (Keith Stevenson, Tehani Wessely & Jodi Cleghorn).

Thanks to writers, editors, fellow travellers and readers I was published alongside, people I met on forums, at cons, workshops, festivals, meetings, discussion groups and book launches. (Too many to mention)

Thanks to my family and my in-laws (encouragers, and ever-proud).

Thanks to my best friend, Fenna (encourager, motivator, dreamer, teacher and critic).

Mostly, thanks to my wife, Lindsey. (for absolutely everything).

Have a Merry Christmas. And I hope you get what you need.

An Excellent Week.

It's been raining pretty much all weekend so far.  And it's been great not to feel the need to write an assignment, or do some marking, or get out into the garden. Instead I've been relaxing with my wife and watching DVDs.

And just enjoying myself.

After the waiting, waiting, waiting of last week, this week has been completely different. (or, as I heard an idiot say recently, a complete 360 degree turn)

Not only have I thoroughly enjoyed the buzz of receiving a glowing review from Thoraiya Dyer (Yes, Gitte, still floating),  but I appear to have passed the first two units of my university course. I've also had some minor success at work which I might be able to talk about soon, and I received the latest issue of Dark Matter (#6 - containing four reviews I wrote).

Oh yeah, and I sold another story.

Yes, one of those stories I had hopes for has found a home - and an excellent home it is too. It's amazing what a sale and a good review will do for your spirits, not to mention self confidence.  Doubts, get thee behind me!

On top of all that, I was able to finally sort out the comments on my blog - so they're working again.

Feel free to use them to tell me how things are going for you.

Lit Cred And Validation.

There seems to be a number of writers currently questioning the value of certain publications and e-zines. Over the past couple of weeks I've seen this subject rear its head a few times. And I think it's an important question for new writers. (And this is the category in which I firmly place myself.)

My views are no secret. I believe I could have a longer published bibliography, but I've been fussy about where I submit my work. And I believe that a few publications in quality markets are ultimately more valuable than many publications in any old market.

With the prevalence of the internet and the proliferation of POD, there has been an explosion in the number of publishers throwing together zines and anthologies. And as such, there has obviously been a dilution of the quality of published work. I'm 'old school', as you young folk with your zany rock 'n' roll music like to call it, and there's nothing like having a published 'paper' book in your hand. Not that there's anything wrong with online mags. But I do feel there's a certain quality control, checks and balances, when you've been paid a certain amount of money, and you have a professionally finished product that can be held.

I wrote something (as a comment) along these lines in response to a post by Alan Baxter a few weeks ago.  Then I discover that my crit buddy and friend, David McDonald, wrote something similar in response to the fabulous Jason Nahrung.

I suppose it all depends on what your goals are. I have a list of personal goals, a list of markets I'd like to crack, and I'm actively taking steps to achieve those.  Brad R. Torgersen, has listed an interesting set of goals on his website, and I must say I love those.

If you just want to say you've been published, then sub away, anywhere. It'll happen. If you want to achieve some kind of cred in this business, then make plans, take active steps to achieve them, and be prepared for a lot of rejections.

But when you do receive an acceptance, or receive some kind of recognition, it's amazing the confidence and drive that accompanies it.  Gitte Christensen, who has just been published in Ticonderoga's Year's Best Australian Horror and Fantasy, mentioned on her blog that I've been mentioned on page 22 of said book. Looks like a ploy by Ticonderoga to make me buy the book.

It worked. I'll be picking one up next week.

But when your friends and peers have some success, we rejoice together. I'm pleased for Gitte's deserved tastes of success, I'm pleased David McDonald has some new work coming out. And I'm absolutely thrilled that my long-time Tokyo-brother, Allan Tong, (he's the man who taught me to chase my dreams and grab opportunities, or to create your own) has just scored a huge success at the Toronto International Film Festival.  And I know these people are happy when it happens to me.

Speaking of which, keep an eye out for Anywhere But Earth in the coming months. It looks fantastic!

See you at Conflux.

Year’s Best Australian Fantasy And Horror: Recommended Reading List.

Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene have compiled a list of the year's recommended reading - and I'm included!

I'm over the moon, and honoured to be listed among these writers.
 

Gitte Christensen's story made it into the anthology - always great to see friends do well.

I must mention Steve Clark at Tasmaniac Publications who bought my story. Two of the stories from Festive Fear (Michael Radburn being the other) are included on the list. Congratulations to all these writers.

Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror: Recommended Reading List: 2010

Deborah Biancotti, “Home Turf” Baggage
Jenny Blackford, “Adam” Kaleidotrope #9
Simon Brown, “Sweep” Sprawl
Mary Elizabeth Burroughs, “The Flinchfield Dance” Black Static #17
Steve Cameron, “Ghost Of The Heart” Festive Fear
Stephanie Campisi, “Seven” Scenes From The Second Storey
Matthew Chrulew, “The Nullabor Wave” World’s Next Door
Bill Congreve, “The Traps of Tumut” Souls Along The Meridian
Rjurik Davidson, “The Cinema Of Coming Attractions” The Library of Forgotten Books
Stephen Dedman, “For Those In Peril On The Sea” Haunted Legends
Felicity Dowker, “From Little Things” Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #43
Felicity Dowker, “The House On Juniper Road” Worlds Next Door
Felicity Dowker, “Bread And Circuses” Scary Kisses
Will Elliott, “Dhayban” Macabre: A Journey Through Australia’s Darkest Fears
Mark Farrugia, “A Bag Full Of Arrows” Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #48
Jason Fischer, “The House Of Nameless” Writers of the Future Vol. xxvi
Bob Franklin, “Take The Free Tour” Under Stones
Christopher Green, “Jumbuck” Aurealis #44
Paul Haines, “Her Gallant Needs” Sprawl
Lisa L Hannett, “Singing Breath Into The Dead” Music For Another World
Lisa L Hannett, “Commonplace Sacrifices” On Spec
Lisa L Hannett, “Tiny Drops” Midnight Echo #4
Richard Harland, “Shakti” Tales of the Talisman
Richard Harland, “The Fear” Macabre: A Journey Through Australia’s Darkest Fears
Narrelle M Harris, “The Truth About Brains” Best New Zombie Tales: Volume 2
Robert Hood, “Wasting Matilda” The Mammoth Book Of The Zombie Apocalypse
George Ivanoff, “Trees” Short & Scary
Trent Jamieson, “The Driver’s Assistant” Ticon4
Pete Kempshall, “Dead Letter Drop” Close Encounters of the Urban Kind
Pete Kempshall, “Signature Walk” Sprawl
Martin Livings, “Lollo” Close Encounters of the Urban Kind
Penelope Love, “Border Crossing” Belong
Geoffrey Maloney & Andrew Bakery, “Sleeping Dogs” Midnight Echo #4
Tracie McBride, “Lest We Forget” (audio) Spectrum Collection
Kirstyn McDermott, “Monsters Among Us” Macabre: A Journey Through Australia’s Darkest Fears
Andrew J McKiernan, “All The Clowns In Clown Town” Macabre: A Journey Through Australia’s Darkest Fears
Simon Petrie, “Running Lizard” Rare Unsigned Copy: tales of Rocketry, Ineptitude, and Giant Mutant Vegetables
Michael Radburn, “They Own The Night” Festive Fear
Janeen Samuel, “My Brother Quentin” Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #44
Angela Slatter, “A Porcelain Soul” Sourdough and other stories
Angela Slatter, “Gallowberries” Sourdough and other stories
Angela Slatter, “The Dead Ones Don’t Hurt You” The Girl With No Hands and other tales
Cat Sparks, “All the Love in the World” Sprawl
Grant Stone, “Dead Air” (poem) Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #46
Lucy Sussex, “Albert & Victoria/Slow Dreams” Baggage
Anna Tambour, “Gnawer Of The Moon Seeks Summit Of Paradise” Sprawl
Kaaron Warren, “Sins Of The Ancestors” Dead Sea Fruit
Kaaron Warren, “The Coral Gatherer” Dead Sea Fruit
Kaaron Warren, “Hive Of Glass” Baggage
David Witteveen, “Perfect Skin” Cthulhu’s Dark Cults




And those in the Anthology:


RJ Astruc: “Johnny and Babushka”
Peter M Ball: “L’esprit de L’escalier”
Alan Baxter: “The King’s Accord”
Jenny Blackford: “Mirror”
Gitte Christensen: “A Sweet Story”
Matthew Chrulew: “Schubert By Candlelight”
Bill Congreve: “Ghia Likes Food”
Rjurik Davidson: “Lovers In Caeli-Amur”
Felicity Dowker: “After the Jump”
Dale Elvy: “Night Shift”
Jason Fischer: “The School Bus”
Dirk Flinthart: “Walker”
Bob Franklin: “Children’s Story”
Christopher Green: “Where We Go To Be Made Lighter”
Paul Haines: “High Tide At Hot Water Beach”
L.L. Hannett: “Soil From My Fingers”
Stephen Irwin: “Hive”
Gary Kemble: “Feast Or Famine”
Pete Kempshall: “Brave Face”
Tessa Kum: “Acception”
Martin Livings: “Home”
Maxine McArthur: “A Pearling Tale”
Kirstyn McDermott: “She Said”
Andrew McKiernan: “The Memory Of Water”
Ben Peek: “White Crocodile Jazz”
Simon Petrie: “Dark Rendezvous”
Lezli Robyn: “Anne-droid of Green Gables”
Angela Rega: “Slow Cookin’ ”
Angela Slatter: “The Bone Mother”
Angela Slatter & LL Hannett: “The February Dragon”
Grant Stone: “Wood”
Kaaron Warren: “That Girl”
Janeen Webb: “Manifest Destiny”

My Writing Break.

Back to school on Monday.

I've spent the past two weeks writing, walking the dogs and painting the living room with my wife.

The living room looks great, the dogs are happy and I'm pleased with my writing. Three stories subbed, two stories completed and two new ones well underway. It rained for most of the break and so I had complete peace and quiet - unlike Gitte who suffered through doof, doof, doof. The worst I had was the occasional woof, woof, woof as someone walked past the house.

I plan to spend the rest of today completing one of those stories, watching a film with my wife and just chilling.

And dinner, probably a roast dinner.