Aurealis Awards Finalist, 2015.

Last year I decided to take a break from writing and from the blog for a number of reasons. I figured I needed a month or two. I had no idea it would last this long.

Last week I decided I needed to get a move on. I needed to return. I figured I'd post something soon. And then yesterday, I realised the time was ripe, just after I received a wonderful email informing me that I had been shortlisted for an Aurealis Award.

Lodloc and The Bear was originally published last October by Keith Stevenson in Dimension6, a free magazine that is well worth reading. (Go, download and read it. And please, if you can spare a few bucks, pay to download the yearly collections instead and support small press in Australia.)

This is a favourite story of mine, and so I was delighted and thrilled by its shortlisting. I was also a little shocked, as I really didn't expect this. I feel so honoured.

Thanks to everyone who has sent comments and messages of congratulations. I appreciate them all.

And congratulations to my fellow finalists, especially my friends on the list - Sean Monaghan, Michelle Goldsmith, Clare McKenna, Amie Kaufman, Kaaron Warren, Joel Shepherd and Michael Pryor.

The winners will be awarded at a ceremony in Brisbane on Friday, 25th March, 2016.

2015 Aurealis Awards – Finalists

BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION
A Week Without Tuesday, Angelica Banks
The Cut-Out, Jack Heath
A Single Stone, Meg McKinlay
Bella and the Wandering House, Meg McKinlay
The Mapmaker Chronicles: Prisoner of the Black Hawk, A.L. Tait

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL / ILLUSTRATED WORK
The Undertaker Morton Stone Vol.1, Gary Chaloner, Ben Templesmith, and Ashley Wood
The Diemenois, Jamie Clennett
Unmasked Vol.1: Going Straight is No Way to Die, Christian Read
The Singing Bones, Shaun Tan
Fly the Colour Fantastica, various authors

BEST YOUNG ADULT SHORT STORY
“In Sheep’s Clothing”, Kimberly Gaal (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #61)
“The Nexus Tree”, Kimberly Gaal (The Never Never Land)
“The Miseducation of Mara Lys”, Deborah Kalin (Cherry Crow Children,)
“The Heart of the Labyrinth”, DK Mok (In Memory: A Tribute to Sir Terry Pratchett)
“Blueblood”, Faith Mudge (Hear Me Roar)
Welcome to Orphancorp, Marlee Jane Ward (Seizure)

BEST HORROR SHORT STORY
“Bullets”, Joanne Anderton (In Sunshine Bright and Darkness Deep)
“Consorting with Filth”, Lisa L Hannett (Blurring the Line)
“Heirloom Pieces”, Lisa L Hannett (Apex Magazine)
“The Briskwater Mare”, Deborah Kalin (Cherry Crow Children)
“Breaking Windows”, Tracie McBride (Aurealis #84)
“Self, Contained”, Kirstyn McDermott (The Dark)

BEST HORROR NOVELLA
“Night Shift”, Dirk Flinthart (Striking Fire)
“The Cherry Crow Children of Haverny Wood”, Deborah Kalin (Cherry Crow Children)
“The Miseducation of Mara Lys”, Deborah Kalin (Cherry Crow Children)
“Wages of Honey”, Deborah Kalin (Cherry Crow Children)
“Sleepless”, Jay Kristoff (Slasher Girls and Monster Boys)
“Ripper”, Angela Slatter (Horrorology)

BEST FANTASY SHORT STORY
“The Giant’s Lady”, Rowena Cory Daniells (Legends 2)
“The Jellyfish Collector”, Michelle Goldsmith (Review of Australian Fiction Vol. 13 Issue 6)
“A Shot of Salt Water”, Lisa L Hannett (The Dark)
“Almost Days”, DK Mok (Insert Title Here)
“Blueblood”, Faith Mudge (Hear Me Roar)
“Husk and Sheaf”, Suzanne Willis (SQ Mag 22)

BEST FANTASY NOVELLA
“Lodloc and The Bear”, Steve Cameron (Dimension6)
“Defy the Grey Kings”, Jason Fischer (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)
“Broken Glass”, Stephanie Gunn (Hear Me Roar)
“The Flowers that Bloom Where Blood Touches the Earth”, Stephanie Gunn (Bloodlines)
“Haunting Matilda”, Dmetri Kakmi (Cthulhu: Deep Down Under)
“Of Sorrow and Such”, Angela Slatter (Tor.com)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORY
“2B”, Joanne Anderton (Insert Title Here)
“The Marriage of the Corn King”, Claire McKenna (Cosmos)
“Alchemy and Ice”, Charlotte Nash (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #61)
“Witnessing”, Kaaron Warren (The Canary Press Story Magazine #6)
“All the Wrong Places”, Sean Williams (Meeting Infinity)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVELLA
“Blood and Ink”, Jack Bridges
“The Molenstraat Music Festival”, Sean Monaghan (Asimov’s Science Fiction)
“By Frogsled and Lizardback to Outcast Venusian Lepers”, Garth Nix (Old Venus)

BEST COLLECTION
The Abandonment of Grace and Everything After, Shane Jiraiya Cummings
Striking Fire, Dirk Flinthart
Cherry Crow Children, Deborah Kalin
To Hold the Bridge, Garth Nix
The Fading, Carole Nomarhas
The Finest Ass in the Universe, Anna Tambour

BEST ANTHOLOGY
Hear Me Roar, Liz Grzyb (ed.)
The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror 2014, Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene (eds.)
Bloodlines, Amanda Pillar (ed.)
Meeting Infinity, Jonathan Strahan (ed.)
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 9, Jonathan Strahan (ed.)
Focus 2014: highlights of Australian short fiction, Tehani Wessely (ed.)

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
In The Skin of a Monster, Kathryn Barker
Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club, Alison Goodman
The Fire Sermon, Francesca Haig
Day Boy,Trent Jamieson
Illuminae, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
The Hush, Skye Melki-Wagner

BEST HORROR NOVEL
No Shortlist Released

BEST FANTASY NOVEL
In The Skin of a Monster, Kathryn Barker
Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club, Alison Goodman
Day Boy,Trent Jamieson
The Dagger’s Path, Glenda Larke
Tower Of Thorns, Juliet Marillier
Skin, Ilka Tampke

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL
Crossed, Evelyn Blackwell
Clade, James Bradley
Illuminae, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Their Fractured Light, Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Renegade, Joel Shepherd
Twinmaker: Fall, Sean Williams

SARA DOUGLASS BOOK SERIES AWARD
The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin, Rowena Cory Daniells
The Watergivers, Glenda Larke
The Lumatere Chronicles,  Melina Marchetta
Sevenwaters, Juliet Marillier
The Laws of Magic,  Michael Pryor
Creature Court, Tansy Rayner Roberts

I Love A Good Review.

And this is a very good one.

My story, Outside World, which was published in Aurealis #80 last week, has been reviewed on Tangent. And the reviewer had some nice things to say about my story.

This is a story that came about from thinking about a couple of other stories while I was climbing Little Adam's Peak in Sri Lanka. The original idea certainly wasn't fully formed and needed a lot of cajoling to become the story it is now. And some rewrites. But I'm pleased with how it ended up, and it pretty much holds true to my original vision.

The review?

"Outside World," by Steve Cameron, is an allegory for people who are forcibly dispossessed in the real world. Veronica, the narrator, is the last of a small community which has been ordered to vacate to make room for a colony of stranded aliens. The aliens don't want to have to do this any more than she does, but her town sat on a mine that, while mostly stripped-out, still contains enough ore for the aliens to build what they need to repair their crippled ship. Refreshingly, they are not portrayed as evil: the one that we see, Aldreth, is just a person who wants to go home. As with "Loyalty,” (the other story in Aurealis #80) it's a variation on a concept that has been done often already, but Veronica's grief is deeply convincing, her character complex despite the shortness of the story.

Yep. I'll take a review like that any day. Thanks, Tangent.

Outside World.

I'm pleased to announce I've finally made the pages of Aurealis. Issue 80 includes my story, Outside World.

I first picked up a copy of Aurealis way back in 1990 as I passed by a news-stand at the station. (Yes, I paid for it.) Issue #2, with artwork by Shaun Tan and stories by Damien Broderick, Rosaleen Love, Paul Collins and Stephen Dedman, among others. Little did I know that one day I would be writing and they would actually publish one of my stories.

But now they have.

Outside World is a story of immigration, a story that has its roots in two other tales I read. The Arrival by Jean Arasanayagam, and Sky Burial by Xinran.  

I was in Sri Lanka, climbing Little Adam's Peak and thinking about these stories when the idea for this piece popped into my head. Not fully formed, unfortunately. In fact it took a lot of consideration, several rewrites and a major change in the ending after critiques from my friends at SuperNOVA writing group. It would have made a great story to tell at drinks if I'd been climbing Adam's Peak rather than Little Adam's Peak, for that is where Arthur C. Clarke was when he looked up and imagined space elevators for the first time.

Aurealis 80  is available here.

Another Story Finds A Home.

I had another acceptance last week, a few days after Aurealis bought one of my stories.

That was kind of nice, receiving two in the one week. I'm very happy about it, and I will certainly let you know more details when I feel I'm more able. Like when the contracts arrive. There are still a couple of other stories out in the wildwoods I'm waiting on. One in particular would be a really encouraging sale at this point of my development. And although I'm not sweating or checking my email every thirty seconds, I am becoming a little more anxious as time passes.

Is it taking longer than others because they're holding it and on the verge of accepting it? Or have they simply not reached that far down in the slushpile yet.

Rejectomancy is an evil area in which to venture. For now, No News is No News.

A Good Week.

I've sold a story to Aurealis, and I'm very excited by that.

Now this is something I've wanted for a very long time. I have previously submitted there, but not for a long time. I was never quite sure my writing was right for Aurealis. This time, however, I had a story I thought might suit them and I'm thrilled they agreed. I have no idea when it's slated for publication but I will post that information here as soon as I know.

And, of course, this week I had a story published in The Best of Galaxy's Edge, edited by Mike Resnick. Yeah, I'm still grinning from that one too.

And I received word that an anthology, which has one of my stories in it, is moving closer to fruition.

And I had my 500th blogpost.

What a great week. Yup, everything's moving ahead here at Chateau Cameron.

Feel The Moonlight On Your Skin.

A couple of pro-level mags have slipped quietly into the market place this year.

Fiction River, a series edited by Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch, already has three issues out, with each issue being themed. At this stage I've only read the first one. While I enjoyed it and will continue to read the series, the stories varied wildly in quality. I truly hope the standard settles down.

Galaxy's Edge, from the desk of Mike Resnick, is more even, with stories at a higher standard. So far I've read the first two and really enjoyed them both. Mike's so-called 'writing children' (his mentorees) get a bit of space, but on the whole their stories deserve to be there.  The editorial and Barry Malzberg's column have both been entertaining. Add non-fiction by Gregory Bensford and an ongoing serialisation of the almost winner of the 1962 Hugo novel and it's heading in the right direction

Both of these magazines are are available in print and e-book, and are well worth a look.

I'm looking forward to Dimension6 from Keith Stevenson. Keith is a past editor of Aurealis, and has run Coeur de Lion publishing for a few years now. And I've heard whispers of a few more new magazines on the horizon.

All in all the future for SF looks bright. Welcome to the New Golden Age of speculative fiction.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.

I've attended some fabulous panels at conventions where the discussion has centred around the factors that make a piece of writing 'Australian.' Invariably these panels have focussed on the image of our landscape in writing; how dry, barren and hostile the country is. In general I agree with this sentiment. Henry Lawson, for example, recognised and utilised this. You only have to read his collection of short stories to see how dangerous the Australian outback can be.

But I realised something a few days ago. In the past 40 years I haven't had too many problems with snakes, bushfires or floods. And apart from driving, or the possibility of being mugged as I walk to my car after school, the most dangerous thing I regularly face, and the worst injury I've recently sustained, has been the result of stubbing my toes on furniture at home. (And, in complete honesty, it's happened a lot more than once)

Coincidentally, (or perhaps in synchronicity), I read an excellent interview this morning in issue #1 of Aurealis Magazine (1990) with 'Australia's Grand Master', George Turner. Written by Dirk Strasser, it looks at Turner's views on Science Fiction, literature, and the 'Australianness' of writing.

The issue also contains Turner's excellent "I Still Call Australia Home."

Here is part of the article:

Unlike many other Australian science fiction writers, he makes no attempts to ape American models (we shouldn't "give in to them," he says), nor are they set in a vague never-land. "I Still Call Australia Home" takes place in a future Australia, and is, like so much of his work, specifically set in Melbourne. "I use Melbourne because I'm a Melburnian," he says, "always have been."

George Turner is at his most passionate when talking about the uniquely Australian element of science fiction. You can see it in his eyes - not an overstated, hot-headed passion, but a passion nonetheless. There is the same pride when he writes in his autobiography of the possibility he has an Aboriginal ancestor. His fiction is deeply rooted in his environment; his Australianness is not a superficial gloss spread over a standard plot, it is essential and all-pervasive. "Australianness," he says, "is not a matter of familiar names and places - and mentioning wallabies and kangaroos and Ayers Rock doesn't get you anywhere either.  It's the sound of the prose. The English speak like Englishmen, the Americans speak like Americans - and Australians speak like Australians. Australianess is an attitude of mind. We think differently about things; we react differently to things."

The largelly ignored CJ Dennis nailed this. Songs Of The Sentimental Bloke brilliantly captures the Australian language, character and setting. It's a complete tragedy that his work is mostly out of print and forgotten while Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson are so highly revered.

Of course there will be times when a story is written to suit a foreign audience. I've done this myself when subbing to American editors. But at the heart of the story, at its core, I'd like to think it is clearly Australian.

My writing is, after all, a reflection of my experience, values and culture. And despite my Scottish birth, I am Australian.

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?" 

2011 Aurealis Awards.

Congratulations to all the winners at last night's Aurealis Awards. I've read most of the winning titles, and enjoyed them all. I'd like to specifically mention a few of the winners.

I'm currently attending Jack Dann's workshop on Spec-Fic, and so I've gotten to know him a little as a mentor. Ghosts by Gaslight, edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers is a fantastic collection. Congratulations, Jack.

The late Paul Haines was, of course, my mentor for several months, and then became a friend with whom I was in regular contact. The Past is a Bridge Best Left Burnt from The Last Days of Kali Yuga is wonderful, and fully deserves the award.

I first met Thoraiya Dyer at the launch of Anywhere But Earth in November of last year. I'm proud to be sharing a TOC with her in FableCroft's upcoming anthology Epilogue. Her story, Fruit of the Pipal Tree in After The Rain is a most worthy winner also.

Robert N Stephenson's story, Rains of la Strange, shared a TOC with my own So Sad, The Lighthouse Keeper in Anywhere But Earth. Congratulations to Rob, and publisher/editor Keith Stevenson.

I've met Kim Westwood on a few occasions, and also shared a TOC with her in the above anthology. The Courier's New Bicycle is an excellent novel. Congrats, Kim.

Twelfth Planet author, Sue Isle picked up an award for Nation of the Night, while Lisa Hannett scored a couple for Ticonderoga's excellent collection Bluegrass Symphony and the short story The Short Go: a Future in Eight Seconds. I thoroughly enjoyed these works when I read them.

I wasn't able to justify flying up to Sydney for the ceremony, but it sounds like everyone had a great time. One of these years I'll get there. In the meantime, I've had a great week. I sold two stories, had a rewrite request on another, and have two stories on hold.

If I keep at it, maybe one day I'll be fortunate enough to be nominated for an Aurealis.

Wabbit Season? No, It's Awards Season!

Chronos Award nominations close today, Ditmar Award nominations have just opened and Aurealis Awards short-lists should be announced soon.

Yep, we're right in the middle of awards seasons.

The Aurealis Awards are judged by panels, and are (hopefully) awarded on the merit of the work. Ditmar Awards (national) and Chronos Awards (state) are voted by conventioneers.

So just how much is a writer supposed to tout his or her own work?

I know of some writers who push their work quite a bit, while others sit back and just hope they are noticed. I'm eligible for So Sad, The Lighthouse Keeper in the short story category, and for my reviewing in Dark Matter in the Fan Writing and Review categories. I've tried to mention the awards only once or so, and pretty much simply to remind voters I'm eligible (anyone in fandom can nominate). And then I sat back and hoped for the best.

The Chronos Awards, being state awards, are drawn from a fairly small pool of writers. I've also seen some criticism of these awards - suggesting they are given for popularity, or voted on by certain blocs. Already this year I've heard someone say they have nominated someone they like, without having actually read the work under consideration. That's just something we have to accept, and realise that this will occur from time to time. While this is obviously not in the spirit of things, it's the way things are. All we can do is is promote the awards, get more people to nominate and vote, and encourage voters to vote on the merits of the work.

I'm not going to be heartbroken if I'm not nominated. Awards, in the end, don't always reward quality work or success. But they can be a sign of recognition and give some validation. And I love the look of the Chronos.

It would look mighty handsome sitting on my desk.

Chronos Awards.

The awards season is upon us and I've just heard that both Kaaron Warren (for writing short fiction) and Jack Dann (for an anthology he edited) have been shortlisted for the Stoker. Congratulations. They would both surely deserve to win.

I'm eligible for a coupve been conle of upcoming awards. I'sidered for the Aurealis Awards, but it will take a little while before the shortlist is announced. And I'm also eligible for the Chronos and Ditmar Awards, both of which will be presented in June.

I truly believe last year was the breakout year for me. I stepped up my writing practices and skills and sold a number of stories to quality markets. So Sad, The Lighthouse Keeper is the first of those stories to be published, and I am very proud and honoured to have had it included in Keith Stevenson's fantastic anthology, Anywhere But Earth.

Since publication it has received excellent comments and reviews. If you have read the story and enjoyed it, (and are so inclined to do so) please consider nominating it for the Chronos Awards here.

If you haven't read it, then you should consider purchasing a copy.

I promise I'll name my first-born after you.

It's Aurealis, Jim, But Not As We Know It.

I see that Aurealis magazine is about to become a monthly e-pub, adding two stories to the current AurealisXpress.

I must say I'm extremely disappointed at this move. And to these eyes, it looks as though the statement on the Aurealis website is more an attempt at rationalisation than a preferred business decision. I believe that print magazines are still vital and necessary. I am fully aware that there are quality e-mags out there (Intergalactic Medicine Show, for example) but I'm convinced that traditional publications offer quality control, checks and balances and a respect that are often missing from e-mags. After all, anyone can stick a story on the net and claim it's published. (And I'm not for a minute suggesting that Aurealis will lessen it's approach to selecting stories.) Maybe I'm lodged firmly in the 20th century, but even discounting the e-pub aspect (and I realise that there may be financial considerations at play) I don't think a monthly magazine of two stories is the way to go.

One of my goals has been to get published in Aurealis - a magazine I first picked off the newsstand with issue 2 back in 1990. I've subbed a few times since I commenced writing a couple of years ago, and made shortlists for issues before being rejected. I'll always regret not making the print issues of this mag.

(And I'm still missing Issue 37 to complete the set, if anyone can help me.)

Will I be re-subscribing now that it's changed?  I doubt it. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I suspect a lot of others will feel the same way I do.

Panels At Continuum.

Continuum is only a few weeks away, and I'm on a few panels. What's incredibly cool is that I'm on some of these panels with people I admire - like Aurealis Award winners Richard Harland and Karen Healey. Yep, both these writers picked up awards on the weekend. Congratulations!

I've put together a panel on Philip K. Dick, and how his work has been translated onto the screen. I'm really looking forward to that one.

Elsewhere I'm included on panels about Young Adult fiction and another on Young Adult media, and an Improv session. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

But the whole thing should be a lot of fun. And I really hope lots of people make it. There are a few faces I'm really looking forward to catching up with.

Why?

I've been thinking a lot about motivation recently, both extrinsic and intrinsic. I've been talking to my senior students about it over the past few weeks. But the reason I first started on this path of thought was because I was questioning my own.

About two weeks ago, it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't done any real writing for about 5 weeks. Sure, I had lots of excuses - guests from overseas, the school year starting up with all the reading and lesson preparation that comes with it, and so on.  As I said, lots of excuses, but no real reasons.

And so two weeks ago I drew up a chart, a schedule that sets out a certain number of hours a week I plan to write. If I fail to complete an hour on the evening I choose, I can make it up later, but it has to be the same week. And so far (well, I'm into my third week) I've met my goals, and even exceeded them.

I plan to keep this up. And I tell my students how I've gone, and ask how they're going with their study.

On the up side, I've got all my stuff out on submission at the moment, and even had a couple of positive nibbles.  More on that later if I hook anything.

While I'm here, I'm looking for a couple of mags and books.


New Adventures in Sci-Fi by Sean Williams,
Aurealis, #37
Andromeda Spaceway Inflight Magazine #1, #2, #20

Please let me know if you can help out.

Tell Us About Yourself...

How do you write about yourself without sounding like an idiot?

This week I had to write my bio for my upcoming publication, and I suddenly realised I didn't know what to write. Obviously 3rd person works best in these cases, but apart from that? I had no idea. So the first thing I did was grabbed some anthologies and read what others had written. My next step was to do a quick internet search to see if there were any recommendations.  I did find one site that had some good information.

Some writers try to use humour, making self deprecating jokes or trying to show themselves as zany. I can see this works for some people, but I quickly realised it wouldn't work for me.  Which was a bit of a shame, as I had thought about paraphrasing Polly from Fawlty Towers. "With the sale of this story, Steve is now earning enough as a writer to keep him in teaching."

Hmmm, no.

Some writers also include their pets - especially if they are cats. Since cats and I are mortal enemies, that was never going to happen.  I thought about mentioning my dogs, but figured they'd never read it anyway.  No, mentioning pets just wasn't going to work for me either.

It's easier too if you have some publications behind you. Unfortunately I don't.  I considered making up a few. "Steve's work can be found in such titles as Queasy Stomach Vol.4, Uneasy, Dry Retch and I'm Making This One Up." That was just going to make me look sad if anyone ever decided to actually hunt for these things.

Same with awards.  I haven't been nominated or won anything yet. No Ditmars, Aurealises (Aurealii?), Chronoses (Chronii), or anything else.  I could have added, "Steve has a Bronze Swimming Medallion and holds Level 2 in First Aid. He has recently been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize."

Naaaah.

Same with the ubiquitous, "Steve is working on his novel."   I'm not.

In the end I decided to be honest, straight to the point and serious.  It's what works for me. Of course once I discussed this with my friends, they all volunteered to write one for me.

Now that would have been embarrassing.

As I Muse On Where's Fit To Print.

It's no secret I love my books.  I have a couple of rooms where floor to ceiling shelves house them, and I just love looking at them. I love the feel of them, to hold them in my hands and look at their design. Some, obviously more than others. And being into Spec Fic, the cover artwork is of prime importance. Maybe you can't always judge a book by its cover but I've certainly bought books based on their cover art. Design, layout and typography are just as important for me. I've paid more for a British edition over a budget US edition based on the printing inside - even though the text was identical, word for word.

I subscribe to a couple of mags, just for the pleasure of regularly receiving new writings and artwork. Aurealis, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, even the e-zine Intergalactic Medicine Show - and I look forward to their arrival in my mailbox- real or virtual. For me, however, reading physical texts is a joy - something to savour, an experience that utilises more than one sense. Even the smell of certain old books adds to the experience. I certainly don't enjoy reading text on a screen anywhere near as much.

Which is one of the reasons why I submit my work to print mags rather than e-mags.

I'm an old-school reading kind of guy. And while I logically understand some of the e-mags are as reputable and have standards just as high as print mags, there seems to be something more real about having been published on paper. I know that I won't truly consider myself on the way until I can hold a magazine or book in my hands and see my name on the Table of Contents. Maybe that's old fashioned thinking - but I still have the notion that any fool can stick a story online whereas there are generally checks and balances before you hit the presses. And it seems to impress the relations, friends and rubes more when they can hold it.

Sure, Intergalactic Medicine Show may receive my subs in the future, but in the meantime I'll keep sending my stuff off to the print zines.