What A Great Weekend!

Coeur De Lion has selected one of my stories to appear in the forthcoming anthology Anywhere But Earth. I am thrilled and honoured by this, as I will be sharing pages with a number of well-known and respected writers. This will be a great anthology to keep an eye out for.

Last night I went to see Hawkwind with my friend, George. He's the one who introduced Hawkwind and Hard Rock/Metal to me all those years ago. And, to a great extent, the one who introduced me to Spec Fic. We had a great time, the show was fantastic, and Hawkwind was everything I hoped for.  Lights, videos and dancers wearing Dr. Who-type costumes. The support band, The Night Terrors, were a lot of fun too.

Imagine that - two bands with Theremins. I've always thought modern music needed more of that. Along with banjos, ukeleles and trombones.

And then I was pleased to bump into Paul and Trudi Canavan as I waited to get in.  I had met them before, but we were able to spend a bit of time chatting throughout the night. Trudi sketched the support band, while Paul and I didn't.

And then I came home to a rejection for another story - but the note from the editor was personal, encouraging and right on the money. Wish I'd had those comments before I sent it off. But it's been re-written already and currently sits with another market.

That's what it's all about - perseverance, and being prepared to learn. And having fun doing it all.

Summer's Almost Gone.

When I was much younger, my favourite show on TV was The D-Generation. And then a few year's later it was The Late Show. And then over the years I've pretty much loved everything The D-Generation and Working Dog has produced, whether on TV or on the radio. In fact, for a while in the 80s, I dreamt of being part of their shows.

So when I bumped into Santo Cilauro in a supermarket down along the Great Ocean Road, and simply said "Santo" as if I was meeting up with an old friend, Santo smiled with a look of puzzlement as though he had no recollection of who I was and yet should have. (Sorry about that, Santo!) We chatted for a few minutes, I apologised for interrupting his shopping, and then he wished me a good holiday. It was only later that I realised I forgot to ask him what Working Dog were planning next.

I also booked tickets to go and see Hawkwind.  Yes, not only am I an SF tragic, but I'm also a an old metalhead. And so much the better if you can combine the two. Should be a good evening though.

In between all this I've started reviewing books for Dark Matter. That's been kind of cool too. Check out Issue One online. Issue two is well into production and should be with us soon.

And then I've been watching lots of film and reading lots of books too.  I even liked Bran Nue Dae, which I didn't think I would enjoy at all. But Mary Poppins was indeed a highlight of the summer.

Practically perfect in every way.