Thoraiya, Tabbouleh And Tor.

My friend, Thoraiya Dyer, has promised Taboulleh for everyone. And that's a promise I intend to make her keep. For everyone? Well, for me at least.

You see, I love middle eastern food. Lebanese, Turkish, Arabian - offer it, and I'm there.

I've only met Thoraiya once in person, which is a shame and a situation that must be rectified. She's lovely, and has a good heart. And yet the Tabbouleh offer is not simply her being generous, but a celebration. Giddy with excitement she made an offer she may yet regret.

Thoraiya is a superb writer, and after a stack of rejections she's landed a three book deal with TOR.

And that is a big deal.

For those not up on the Spec-Fic world, TOR is a name publisher, with a proud history and a respected name. And I'm excited my friend Thoraiya will have novels under their imprint.

She's sold well before, in short story markets. She has a collection and a novella out with Twelfth Planet Press. And I feel honoured to have shared a TOC with her in Epilogue, published by Fablecroft.

Congratulations, Thoraiya. I'm proud of you.

Oh, and Thoraiya kinda rhymes with Himalaya, not with her surname.

More Award Nominations And Another Sale.

I'm having a great run at the moment.

I've recently posted about this. I had two personal rejections from quality pro-level magazines, a positive review in Publishers Weekly, the release of After Death, a sale to Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and a nomination for a Ditmar Award.

Then, to top things off, yesterday I received a copy of After Death, and it truly looks fantastic. Congratulations to the editor, Eric J. Guignard. During the afternoon I received word that I'd finally sold my Melbourne vampire-noir story. I'm truly excited about that one. And then late last night I was informed I'd been nominated for two Chronos Awards - Best Short Story for Fireflies (in Epilogue, published by FableCroft) and Best Fan Writer. (For my reviews in Dark Matter and this blog)

Voting for these awards is important. And, of course, I would appreciate any support from anyone who deems my work worthy.

Eligibility and voting information for the Ditmar Awards can be found here.

Eligibility and voting information for the Chronos Awards can be found here.

Congratulations to all the nominees.

Shiny Things.

Ditmar and Chronos Award nominations have opened.

I've heard a few people recently complain about these awards. About how they have little value because our pool of writers in Victoria and Australia is too small, about how not enough people vote, and about how blocs of friends voting for friends can unduly influence winning.

While there is some truth in these arguments, and the awards system is not perfect, I truly believe having these awards is vital. And actively encouraging people to vote for them is one way to improve their reputation and legitimacy.

I was fortunate enough to be nominated for both a Ditmar (Best New Talent) and a Chronos (short story) last year. I didn't win either, but it meant a great deal simply to be shortlisted.

A couple of years ago I made the decision not to tout myself for any awards. Not to push, cajole, beg or repeatedly mention my eligibility. I decided I would simply state this once, and then let my work speak for itself.

So this is me, mentioning my work. And, if you believe I'm worthy, I would appreciate your support. I'm eligible for Best New Talent in the Ditmars, and for Short Story in the Chronos. (Particularly for my story, Fireflies)

Ditmar information is available here.

Chronos information is available here.

Thanks.

Things I Learned This Week.

I've just returned from Adelaide. Unfortunately I wasn't there for the launch of Midnight and Moonshine by Lisa L. Hannett & Angela Slatter (Ticonderoga) - I left Adelaide mere hours before it commenced. I was on a more dangerous mission - a school trip with almost 60 teenagers. And I learned a number of things during the week.

1. Modern top 40 radio sucks. I spent the week listening to drivel without melody, or lyrics of any substance.

2. Autotune and computerised backing tracks do nothing to improve these so-called songs.

3. Teenage girls, singing (bellowing?) along have the uncanny ability to find those exact frequencies that will grate on your nerves the most.

4. Some people need to learn manners. I do not like rude people. The same applies to those people who lack respect for others, are dishonest, think they know everything, or are incompetent.

5. The kids on the trip from my school were fantastic.

6. I could get used to the feeling of buying a magazine simply to read, and to discover a review of an anthology I'm in. Even if my story wasn't mentioned. (Epilogue, reviewed by Cat Sparks in Cosmos #48)

7. Adelaide is a fun place with lots to do.

And yes, I had a wonderful week - despite one day of illness - and look forward to the opportunity of going again.

A Professional Geek From Melbourne.

In 2011 I contacted the Continuum people and offered to run a panel on my favourite SF writer, Philip K. Dick. I automatically invited Bruce Gillespie (editor of the fabulous The Electric Shepherd) to join me, then sat back to see what happened.

Someone with a strange name was then allocated the panel, then had to withdraw, and then another (with a more 'normal' name) was assigned. I think we may have emailed a little beforehand, but I do recall the night before the panel when David McDonald introduced himself to me. He asked me how the panel was to run, and I briefly explained very little (as it was all PowerPoint based and quite logical in order).

The next day Bruce, David and I ran a very successful and interesting PKD session. Bruce, of course, was wonderful as always. But I owe much of that success to the insights and thoughts of David.  Afterwards we chatted, and it turned out we not only had some same acquaintances in the 'real world, but had similar backgrounds with matching reference points. So I sat in on a Dr. Who panel he'd organised, a wonderfully emotive Sarah Jane tribute, and found that he had a similar approach and attention to quality and detail that I had.

Afterwards, David bought me a coffee, and I impressed him with my...  well, everything.

Over the past year or so, David and I have become firm friends. We've become crit buddies, shared good news and bad, and built a mutual respect for each other's work and approach to writing. We have similar philosophies, morals and ethics.

Oh, and he'll always remind me of the crit session I conducted on Cold Comfort (from Epilogue) at Conflux mere hours before the submission deadline. You see, he was plying me with drinks and one thing led to another... But that's a story for future panels when we are both deservedly recognised for our abilities and writing credentials.

David is an up-and-coming writer whose work deserves attention. He's a great guy, a good friend and a fabulous writer. He was deservedly nominated for the "William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review" (along with Tansy Rayner Roberts and Tehani Wessely) for the “Reviewing New Who” series. And I'm proud to share the Epilogue TOC with him. Check him out here.

And don't believe a word he says about Canberra. What happened at Conflux, stayed at Conflux.

I've Been Snapshotted.

Yes, as an English teacher I know that's not the correct word,  but it seems to be the term a number of other participants have used when their interview has gone live as part of Snapshot 2012.

I was privileged to have been invited to participate, and to be interviewed by Tehani Wessely of FableCroft. (The editor of the terrific anthology, Epilogue)

You can find my interview here.

But don't forget to check out all the interviews, hosted on the following sites. They truly are fantastic.

http://thebooknut.wordpress.com/tag/2012snapshot/
http://kathrynlinge.livejournal.com/tag/2012snapshot/
http://helenm.posterous.com/tag/2012snapshot
http://bookonaut.blogspot.com.au/search/label/2012Snapshot
http://www.davidmcdonaldspage.com/tag/2012snapshot/
tansyrr.com/tansywp/tag/2012snapshot/
www.champagneandsocks.com/tag/2012snapshot/
http://randomalex.net/tag/2012snapshot/
http://jasonnahrung.com/tag/2012snapshot/
http://mondyboy.com/?tag=2012snapshot

Happy To Be Rejected.

Can you get excited about a rejection? I did. It was a personal rejection from one of the 'big-three' pro markets, direct from the editor-in-chief.

I've had rejections from this market before - the standard form rejections, but this time it had a few comments about the writing and the request to see more of my writing.  Of course this doesn't mean my work will sell there anytime soon, but it does mean that for the first time my story made it past the readers. And there was enough there for the Grand Poobah to comment on before rejecting it. I see that as a victory.

On top of that I sold another story. It's a story I love, a story that had a few 'almost but not quites' from markets I want to break into. A quick rejig and it was off again to another market. And I still have two stories on hold elsewhere - and yes, (fingers crossed) I have hopes for at least one of those to be picked up.

My contributor copy of Epilogue arrived this week, and it's beautiful. It's shiny and new and I love it. My preciousssss. I've just turned the final page, and I must say it's a fantastic read. Congrats to my co-contributors. You can't really go too far wrong with a TOC that has the following names alongside my own: Thoraiya Dyer, Lyn Battersby, Joanne Anderton, Dirk Flinthart, Stephanie Gunn, Kaia Landelius, Dave Luckett, David McDonald, Jason Nahrung, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Elizabeth Tan. As Molly used to say, do yourself a favour and all that.

I'm also thrilled to have received a 5 star review for my Epilogue story, Fireflies.

Fireflies - Steve Cameron - Five stars.

Beautiful and emotive. A lovely journey that was set up well, and followed through wonderfully. I would love to see more in this world.

Yay!

Snapshot 2012 is well underway, and I was interviewed for that a week or so ago. I'll post a link here when my interview appears. In the meantime checkout the previous post and get reading. Fascinating viewpoints from Australia's SpecFic community.

And I bought my own domain name. Did you notice stevecameron.com.au? And then there's Continuum 8 next weekend. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Does it get a whole lot better than this?

Craftonomicon.

Have you bought a membership and made your reservations yet?

June 8th is almost upon us and the community from around Australia will then gather for Continuum 8.  It was only a few years ago I discovered this whole writing/fandom event even existed. I signed up for my first convention without knowing anything about it. I was nervous about attending, I didn't know what to expect, didn't really know anyone there and felt as though I was intruding.

Of course that all quickly changed and I'm now a regular attendee and participant. I'm on three panels this time around and I must say I'm really looking forward to them. It'll be great to catch up with friends, meet new people and spend hours and hours talking complete crap with them.

The schedules have just been posted, and the panels look fantastic. I've also discovered I'll be doing a reading with David McDonald, Jo Anderton and Dirk Flinthart as 'FableCroft authors'. Exciting, and terrifying at the same time. I'm also very excited about the awards ceremony, as I'm on the ballots for my first Ditmar and Chronos awards. Simply being shortlisted is thrilling.

But whatever happens, the convention will be as valuable as ever.

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?

Epilogue.

Epilogue, including my story 'Fireflies', is now available for pre-order. Congratulations to Tehani Wessely of FableCroft for herding the strays and bringing this beast home, and to Amanda Rainey for the wonderful cover. The launch will be at Continuum 8 in June. Pre-order for $19.95. (including postage within Australia) Bargain!

Just look at the names on the TOC. Personally, I can't wait to read it.

Table of Contents – Epilogue

“A memory trapped in light” by Joanne Anderton
“Time and tide” by Lyn Battersby

“Fireflies” by Steve Cameron

“Sleeping Beauty” by Thoraiya Dyer
“The Fletcher Test” by Dirk Flinthart
“Ghosts” by Stephanie Gunn
“Sleepers” by Kaia Landelius
“Solitary” by Dave Luckett
“Cold comfort” by David McDonald
“The Mornington Ride” by Jason Nahrung
“What books survive” by Tansy Rayner Roberts
“The last good town” by Elizabeth Tan