Anthony Panegyres on writing and reading

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Bloodlines ed. Amanda Pillar and Current Reads

Bloodlines ed. Amanda Pillar

It's a pleasure to have a story in the Ticonderoga anthology Bloodlines ed. Amanda Pillar. The ToC have been officially released and the book itself will be out out in hardcover, tradepaperback and ebook in October.

Looks a treat.

My own story 'Lady Killer' is framed around the Sphinx-Oedipus riddle.

Below is the Table of Contents as released by Ticonderoga:

We’re excited to announce the contents for Bloodlines, the new non-traditional dark urban fantasy anthology edited by the award-winning Amanda Pillar. These 16 incredible stories are:

Joanne Anderton “Unnamed Children”
Alan Baxter “Old Promise New Blood”
Nathan Burrage “The Ties of Blood, Hair and Bone”
Dirk Flinthart “In The Blood”
Rebecca Fung “In the Heart of the City”
Stephanie Gunn “The Flowers That Bloom Where Blood Touches Earth”
Kelly Hoolihan “The Stone and the Sheath”
Kathleen Jennings “The Tangled Streets”
Pete Kempshall “Azimuth”
Martin Livings “A Red Mist”
Seanan McGuire “Into the Green”
Anthony Panegyres “Lady Killer”
Jane Percival “The Mysterious Mr Montague”
Paul Starkey “The Tenderness of Monsters”
Lyn Thorne-Adder “Lifeblood of the City”
S. Zanne “Seeing Red”

We’ll have more details soon, such as information on pre-ordering. Bloodlines will be available in October, in hardcover, tradepaperback and ebook formats.

Official Link: http://ticonderogapublications.com/web/index.php/our-books/185-bloodlines/380-bloodlines-contents-announced

Other News:

In another anthology of a very different nature soon. Let you know more when the ToC are officially released.

Current Reads: Just read the Shirley Jackson classic We Have Always Lived in the Castle. The protagonist, Merricat, is a lovable sociopath and in terms of voice and psychological intrigue the work is second-to-none. And I'm on the second book of the The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, which is simply great fun. Can't put it down.

On the short story front I'm reading My Mistress's Sparrow Is Dead: Great Love Stories ed. Jeffrey Eugenides. The anthology is an intriguing bag of mixed lollies with some especially delectable stories. Favourites so far: 'First Love and Other Stories' by Harold Brodkey, 'Natasha' by David Bezmozgis, ‘The Hitchhiking Game’ by Milan Kundera, ‘The Moon in it’s Flight’ by Gilbert Sorrentino, ‘Jon’ by George Saunders, ‘Red Rose, White Rose’ by Eileen Chang and 'Fireworks’ by Richard Ford. More to come - but it's worth reading on the sheer strength of these stories alone.

Joanne Anderton "Unnamed Children" Alan Baxter "Old Promise New Blood" Nathan Burrage "The Ties of Blood, Hair and Bone" Dirk Flinthart "In The Blood" Rebecca Fung "In the Heart of the City" Stephanie Gunn "The Flowers That Bloom Where Blood Touches Earth" Kelly Hoolihan "The Stone and the Sheath" Kathleen Jennings "The Tangled Streets" Pete Kempshall "Azimuth" Martin Livings "A Red Mist" Seanan McGuire "Into the Green" Anthony Panegyres "Lady Killer" Jane Percival "The Mysterious Mr Montague" Paul Starkey "The Tenderness of Monsters" Lyn Thorne-Adder "Lifeblood of the City" S. Zanne "Seeing Red" - See more at: http://ticonderogapublications.com/web/index.php/our-books/185-bloodlines/380-bloodlines-contents-announced#sthash.kzM6qtKD.2wpM957a.dpuf

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Writers [on Writing]: Marge Piercy

Each good novel has a vision of its world that informs what is put in and what is left out.
Marge Piercey, Life of Prose and Poetry: An Inspiring Combination

Friday, May 1, 2015

Writers [on Writing]: Sara Peretsky

We still have crime, homelessness, parents selling their children for a nickel bag and a host of other ills. If a master storyteller like Dickens could find his most compelling stories within that landscape, who am I to turn away from it.

Sara Peretsky, A Storyteller Stands Where Justice Confronts Basic Human Needs

Monday, April 13, 2015

Swancon 40 Panels (Natcon) and Aurealis Award Winners

On Friday (3rd April) I attended the launch of Insert Title Here ed. Tehani Wessely. It has a stellar contents but for me the real pleasure was seeing my long time writing buddy, Daniel Simpson's story in it. It was also the launch of The Cherry Crow Children by Deborah Kalin - the twelfth and final volume in The Twelve Planets Series, which has aided placing female writers of short spec-fic in Australia on the map. All twelve in the collection are well worth reading.

On Saturday I participated in two Panels. The first 'What Makes a Good Story - Everything and anything you want to know about the genre short story – questions from the audience welcomed!' was one of the most fun panels I've been on. I was both the panel host and a participant, which I was apprehensive about but the audience's enthusiasm and all four of the other panelists' willingness (Juliet Marrilier, Stephen Dedman, Stephanie Gunn and Louisa Loder) made it a breeze.

The discussion went everywhere and the audience helped it along with strong, relevant questions. We spoke about the quality of three Australian spec-fic publication houses: Ticonderoga Publications, Twelfth Planet Press and Fablecroft; along with the craft itself and some outstanding exponents of short spec-fic in this country. The Twelve Planet Series was praised for raising the profile of female spec-fic writers not only in Australia but also on a global level, and Ticonderoga's annual The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror was also commended for not only its eclectic stories but also for the recommended reading list at the end of the anthology, which allows for readers to explore more works within the field.

A few authors we praised that I recall include: Lisa L Hannett, Angela Slatter, Margo Lanagan, Shirley Jackson, Karen Russell, Kaaron Warren, Kirstyn McDermott, Lee Battersby, Thoraiya Dyer, Robert G. Cook, Angela Carter and John Steinbeck (yes, some of his short stories are 'spec-fic' - try 'Johnny Bear' to start with).

With regards to the craft we said that it's best to learn some basic 'rules' but it's the great writers who also know how to break them. It sounds like contrary advice but it rang true for all the panelists. So the gist is: learn the rules and then learn how to break them.

To celebrate the genre we gave away some fantastic anthologies and collections - all of which I can personally recommend to any reader of short spec-fic. These included: The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2011 ed Liz Grzyb & Talie Helene, The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2013 ed Liz Grzyb & Talie Helene, Kisses by Clockwork ed Liz Grzyb, Dreaming of Djinn ed Liz Grzyb, Prickle Moon by Juliet Marrilier, The Female Factory by Lisa L. Hannett & Angela Slatter, Assymetry by Thoraiya Dyer, Kaleidoscope ed Alisa Krasnostein & Julia Rios, Insert Title Here ed Tehani Wessely, and The Best Australian Stories 2014 ed Amanda Lohrey

The second panel on Crit Groups was very intimate and the audience were predominantly (if not entirely) writers and editors from all over Australia. It was so interactive it eventuated into more of a direct conversation with those in attendance. Personally, it was a pleasure meeting Helen Stubbs and Keith Stevenson for the first time on the crit-panel (along with my mate Carol Ryles). I'd like to also thank Daniel Simpson, Laurie Steed and Vassili Hatzidakis for coming along to their first con (and for the extra support).

The Aurealis Awards 2014 provide some excellent reading. Angela Slatter did incredibly well but all of the finalists are winners as far as I'm concerned.

BEST FANTASY NOVEL
Fireborn, Keri Arthur (Hachette Australia)
This Shattered World, Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (Allen & Unwin)
The Lascar’s Dagger, Glenda Larke (Hachette Australia)
Dreamer’s Pool, Juliet Marillier (Pan Macmillan Australia) – WINNER
Afterworlds, Scott Westerfeld (Penguin Books Australia)
Daughters of the Storm, Kim Wilkins (Harlequin Enterprises Australia)

BEST FANTASY SHORT STORY
“The Oud”, Thoraiya Dyer (Long Hidden, Crossed Genres Publications)
“Teratogen”, Deb Kalin (Cemetery Dance, #71, May 2014)
“The Ghost of Hephaestus”, Charlotte Nash (Phantazein, FableCroft Publications)
“St Dymphna’s School for Poison Girls”, Angela Slatter (The Review of Australian Fiction, Volume 9, Issue 3) – WINNER
“The Badger Bride”, Angela Slatter (Strange Tales IV, Tartarus Press)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL
Aurora: Meridian, Amanda Bridgeman (Momentum)
Nil By Mouth, LynC (Satalyte)
The White List, Nina D’Aleo (Momentum)
Peacemaker, Marianne de Pierres (Angry Robot) – WINNER
This Shattered World, Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (Allen & Unwin)
Foresight, Graham Storrs (Momentum)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORY
“The Executioner Goes Home”, Deborah Biancotti (Review of Australian Fiction, Vol 11 Issue 6)
“Wine, Women and Stars”, Thoraiya Dyer (Analog Vol CXXXIV nos 1&2 Jan/Feb) – WINNER
“The Glorious Aerybeth”, Jason Fisher (OnSpec, 11 Sep 2014)
“Dellinger”, Charlotte Nash (Use Only As Directed, Peggy Bright Books)
“Happy Go Lucky”, Garth Nix (Kaleidoscope, Twelfth Planet Press)

BEST HORROR NOVEL
Book of the Dead, Greig Beck (Momentum)
Razorhurst, Justine Larbalestier (Allen & Unwin) – WINNER
Obsidian, Alan Baxter (HarperVoyager)

BEST HORROR SHORT STORY
“The Executioner Goes Home”, Deborah Biancotti (Review of Australian Fiction, Vol 11 Issue 6)
“Skinsuit”, James Bradley (Island Magazine 137)
“By the Moon’s Good Grace”, Kirstyn McDermott (Review of Australian Fiction, Vol 12, Issue 3)
“Shay Corsham Worsted”, Garth Nix (Fearful Symmetries, Chizine)
“Home and Hearth”, Angela Slatter (Spectral Press) – WINNER

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
The Astrologer’s Daughter, Rebecca Lim (Text Publishing)
Afterworld, Lynnette Lounsbury (Allen & Unwin)
The Cracks in the Kingdom, Jaclyn Moriarty (Pan Macmillan Australia) – WINNER
Clariel, Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin)
The Haunting of Lily Frost, Nova Weetman (UQP)
Afterworlds, Scott Westerfeld (Penguin Books Australia)

BEST YOUNG ADULT SHORT STORY
“In Hades”, Goldie Alexander (Celapene Press)
“Falling Leaves”, Liz Argyll (Apex Magazine)
“The Fuller and the Bogle”, David Cornish (Tales from the Half-Continent, Omnibus Books)
“Vanilla”, Dirk Flinthart (Kaleidoscope, Twelfth Planet Press) – WINNER
“Signature”, Faith Mudge (Kaleidoscope, Twelfth Planet Press)

BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION
Slaves of Socorro: Brotherband #4, John Flanagan (Random House Australia)
Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy, Karen Foxlee (Hot Key Books)
The Last Viking Returns, Norman Jorgensen and James Foley (ILL.) (Fremantle Press)
Withering-by-Sea, Judith Rossell (ABC Books)
Sunker’s Deep: The Hidden #2, Lian Tanner (Allen & Unwin)
Shadow Sister: Dragon Keeper #5, Carole Wilkinson (Black Dog Books) – WINNER

BEST COLLECTION
The Female Factory, Lisa L Hannett and Angela Slatter (Twelfth Planet Press) – WINNER
Secret Lives, Rosaleen Love (Twelfth Planet Press)
Angel Dust, Ian McHugh (Ticonderoga Publications)
Difficult Second Album: more stories of Xenobiology, Space Elevators, and Bats Out Of Hell, Simon Petrie (Peggy Bright Books)
The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings, Angela Slatter (Tartarus Press)
Black-Winged Angels, Angela Slatter (Ticonderoga Publications)

BEST ANTHOLOGY
Kisses by Clockwork, Liz Grzyb (Ed) (Ticonderoga Publications)
Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories, Alisa Krasnostein and Julia Rios (Eds), (Twelfth Planet Press) – WINNER
Amok: An Anthology of Asia-Pacific Speculative Fiction, Dominica Malcolm (Ed) (Solarwyrm Press)
Reach for Infinity, Jonathan Strahan (Ed) (Solaris Books)
Fearsome Magics, Jonathan Strahan (Ed) (Solaris Books)
Phantazein, Tehani Wessely (Ed) ( FableCroft Publishing)

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL/ILLUSTRATED WORK
Left Hand Path #1, Jason Franks & Paul Abstruse (Winter City Productions)
Awkwood, Jase Harper (Milk Shadow Books)
“A Small Wild Magic”, Kathleen Jennings (Monstrous Affections, Candlewick Press)
Mr Unpronounceable and the Sect of the Bleeding Eye, Tim Molloy (Milk Shadow Books) – WINNER
The Game, Shane W Smith (Deeper Meanings Publishing)

The Night Terrace team received the Convenors’ Award for Excellence.

Currently Reading: Just finished The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I'll soon start The Roving Party by Rohan Wilson.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Swancon 40 Panels, Latest Reads and Recommendations, and Publishing News

Upcoming Panels

Swancon 40 is here on the 2^nd- 6^th April at The Pan Pacific Hotel. So if you’re interested in spec-fic of any genre (and not just writing and reading – there’s plenty of variety on offer) come along!

I'm on two panels. The first I'm very excited about:

What Makes a Good Short Story

Saturday 15:00 - 16:00

Juliet Marillier, Anthony Panegyres, Stephanie Gunn and Louisa Loder

Everything and anything you want to know about the genre short story – questions from the audience welcomed!

I'll categorically state right now that I don't believe there is a formula or secret method to a great short story. Some are rich, some poetic, some spare and economical, some unveil, others tell all.

What I do hope for is that the audience feel free to drive the discussion: ask about the market, the lengths, the possibilities, the pay, the great Australian exponents of the genre, and, above all, the craft itself.

My general motto is to learn the general 'rules' of writing and then learn to break them.

The second panel is:

Crits and Grits - When Are Crit Groups A Good Idea?

Saturday 16:00 - 17:00

Anthony Panegyres, Carol Ryles, Keith Stevenson, Helen Stubbs

Crit groups and writing groups are an important part of the business of writing. When do you need to find one? When you do, how do you handle hearing things you don’t want to hear? Will you ever be friends again? Do you ever NOT need a critgroup?

I can’t confess to being an expert here but I do have a couple of good friends that I share with. I always believe in ‘constructive honesty’ when critiquing.

Latest Publishing News

‘Submerging’ from Overland 214 and The Best Australian Stories 2014 has found its third home in an anthology edited by two renowned poets. More specific news to come when the TOC is released.

And for the latest review of The Best Australian Stories 2014 please feel free to read the one I've linked to from The UK Spectator:

http://www.spectator.co.uk/australia/australia-books/9468612/tales-to-tell/

And ‘Lady Killer’ a dark fantasy/horror will be released in another anthology I’m excited about in August. Once again, I’ll update you when the time comes.

Current Reads and Recommendations

While on the topic of short stories, it's worth observing that many readers don’t relate the American giant John Steinbeck with spec-fic, which isn't at all surprising as his novels are predominantly of a highly realist vein. But in short fic, John Steinbeck certainly employed strong fantastic elements. I'd even go as far as to say that he was a ‘master of the genre'. Try The Long Valley. ‘Johnny Bear’ is a great starting point in this brilliant anthology.

I’ve also read the novel The Prestige by Christopher Priest, which in terms of structure and semi-unreliable narrators is superb. I highly recommend it.

And my book club just finished reading The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford. In parts the work reminded me of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold due to the memoir-style narrative, as well as The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, also in terms of narrative (although Ford’s prose is richer and targets adults) but also with regards to one's memories blurring reality and fantasy.

I never thought I was a fan of memoir-style narratives but I must have been fooling myself. Ford’s reflective narrative allows for each chapter to become a vignette of its own evoking a vivid sense of place. The Shadow Year explores memories of childhood, as well as connection-disconnection within family and the neighborhood community, all threaded together via surreal mystery - with mystery's accompanying shades of terror and suspense peppered throughout. Ford employs sharp, authentic dialogue and his prose is replete with wonderful sensory imagery.

The Shadow Year will take you back to your own childhood, but the genre elements and the gentle blurring of 'what is real' and 'what is not' along with Ford's writing make this a marvellous work

Fortunately, the book club I'm in has been providing hit after hit of late with the two latest reads: Stoner by John Williams and now The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford, delivering two of my favourite reads. And even though it wasn’t via the bookclub, The Prestige is now a fave of mine too.

So for those after a few reading recommendations, try: The Long Valley by Steinbeck, Stoner by John Williams, The Prestige by Christopher Priest and The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford.

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Aurealis Awards 2014 Finalists

Aurealis Awards 2014 Finalists

Congratulations to all the writers, editors and artists recently shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards. I hope the link below provides readers the opportunity to further explore books, writers and artists from the world of speculative fiction.

http://aurealisawards.org/2015/02/27/announcement-2014-aurealis-awards-shortlist/

And on a minor note, I've a story in one of the finalist anthologies: Kisses by Clockwork. A special thanks to editor Liz Grzyb and all of the talented writers who contributed to the work.

And on a final aside, I really connected with elements of this lovely post by Angela Slatter (link below). Although, on a personal level, I don't write for myself entirely (and I also know of a lot of writers who do have a reading audience in mind) there are still many truths to this post, and Angela Slatter's humility, especially in the light of all those nominations, is delightful to see. Well worth a read to reflect on why writers write; it also it touches on the psychology of 'below the line' and 'above the line' thinking in the subjective fields of reading, writing and awards.

http://www.angelaslatter.com/some-perspective-for-awards-season/

Monday, February 2, 2015

Writers [on Writing]: Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates is one of my all time favourite short story writers. I don't know why I haven't taken the plunge into her novels - it might just be that I'm still reveling in her shorter work. After some advice from Australian horror writer/editor Marty Young at Russell B. Farr's birthday just the other night, I think I'll start on her novellas soon.

Although there is a feminist sensibility to much of Oates' work, I would love to see a stronger female role model on occasion. Women undergo a lot of suffering in Oates' short fiction, both physically and emotionally, and frequently at the hands of men. The question is: how much of it can a reader handle?

Despite this quibble, Oates, without a doubt, merits reading. I've mentioned 'Fossil Figures' and 'So Help me God' on this blog before but almost all of Oates' tales, which often lean towards the macabre, simply inspire. Oates is a writer's writer; there is so much writers can glean from Oates: structurally, stylistically, and especially atmospherically.

Joyce Carol Oates advice to writers:

Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be...Ideally, the runner who's a writer is running through the land- and cityscapes of her fiction, like a ghost in a real setting.

Joyce Carol Oates, To Invigorate Literary Mind, Start Moving Literary Feet

Unfortunately, I can't run due to my knee, but I can imagine the exhilaration Oates derives from it as conveyed in her essay on writing from The New York Times. Haruki Murakami is another writer who swears by running. Maybe it's a panacea for writer's block or clearing up that narrative clutter whirling about in writers' minds?

Maybe I can't run but I am riding now - and I always feel upbeat throughout the day on those mornings I pedal away. We're so fortunate here in Perth to have the Swan River bike pathways. I hope that never changes.

Monday, December 29, 2014

Reading and Writing Review 2014

Reading and Writing Review 2014 (includes fiction standouts: novels, novellas and collections/anthologies)

Books and Novellas (left the cutoff at 50 pages) Read in 2014

Vampires in the Lemon Grove Karen Russell (collection)

The Best Australian Stories 2014 ed Amanda Lohrey (anthology)

The Art of Fiction John Gardner (expository)

Arthur and George Julian Barnes

The New Veterans Karen Russell (novella from Vampires in the

Lemon Grove originally in Granta (Winter 2013)

Kafka on the Shore Haruki Murakami

Stoner John Williams

Halfhead Bay Nam Le (novella from The Boat)

The Neanderthals Rediscovered Dimitra Papagianni & Michael Moore (expository text)

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Diaz

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brian Sanderson (novella from Dangerous Women ed. George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois)

Dangerous Women ed. George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois (anthology)

The Elephant Vanishes Haruki Murakami (collection)

The Boat Nam Le (collection)

Dinosaurs, a Very Short Introduction David Norman (expository text)

Tehran Calling Nam Le (novella from The Boat)

The Windup Girl Paolo Bacigalupi

The Children Act Ian McEwan

Lies My Mother Told Me Caroline Spector (novella from Dangerous Women ed. George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois)

Kisses by Clockwork ed Liz Grzyb (anthology)

Jasper Jones Craig Silvey

Eclipse Four Ed. Jonathan Strahan (anthology)

Falconer John Cheever

Virgins Diana Gabaldon (novella from Dangerous Women ed. George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois)

Bombshells Jim Butcher (novella from Dangerous Women ed. George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois)

Flesh and Blood Michael Cunningham

The Book Thief Markus Zusak

The Princess and the Queen, or, the Blacks and the Greens George R.R Martin (novella from Dangerous Women ed. George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois)

The Pure Gold Baby Margaret Drabble

Fiction Standouts

Keeping standouts to a maximum of four and they are in order of preference.

Absolute Standout:

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell. I can’t praise this collection highly enough - I loved all but two stories. Russell is ostentatious but also fresh and witty and these stories and novelettes are of the best that I’ve read. At a micro-level, Russell’s syntactical work is also remarkable. Do yourself a favour and have a read. Russell blends stories of the urban fantasy genre with structural elements more common in ‘literary’ works. I think she is a writer to be celebrated. If you don’t have time then at least read the story ‘Reeling for the Empire’

Novels

The following novels are all highly recommended reads.

Arthur and George Julian Barnes

Historical literary fiction at its best. This is near a masterpiece, only marred, I thought, by an incredulous bit of light philosophy late in the novel by George (you’ll see it when you read it). Won’t give too much away but it’s marvelous.

Kafka on the Shore Haruki Murakami

Original, full of semi-Socratic dialogue and surreal scenes, all pulled together in a well-crafted novel. It was my first read of a Murakami novel and I’ll certainly return. Kafka on the Shore won a number of prizes including The World Fantasy Award. The philosophical elements work well with an intriguing, inventive plot.

Stoner John Williams

I can’t quite put my finger on it, both uplifting and depressing, but a work that I simply enjoyed. Williams has a rare talent of not reverting to melodrama in order to create tension. Stoner felt pure in terms of prose, with a nice blend of ‘telling’ and ‘showing’, which many writers these days forget (some are caught up in lengthy ’showing’ that might be a product of creative writing texts and courses). I can see why Julian Barnes so highly recommends it (the prose in both Arthur and George and Stoner share similarities).

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Diaz

This has its problems – you'll want a Spanish lexicon at times if you're not Latin American (or to a lesser degree, from the US) and I don’t think that the various threads all work successfully. But every novel has its flaws – and it’s a brilliant work: intelligent, gutsy, exuberant, fun and tragic.

Standout Collections and Anthologies

I won’t include the two I had stories in: The Best Australian Stories 2014 and Kisses by Clockwork, as it just seems in poor taste - needless to say, I loved them both.

Vampires in the Lemon Grove Karen Russell (collection)

Think I’ve raved on about Russell enough. Superb

Dangerous Women (anthology) ed. George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois

Megan Abbott, Megan Lindholm, Nancy Kress, Joe Abercrombie, Brian Sanderson and John R Landsdale’s stories alone are enough to make this a must-read anthology.

The Elephant Vanishes Haruki Murakami (collection)

Refreshing collection in a conversational narrative voice. Enjoyed my dose of Murakami. Hope you do too.

The Boat Nam Le (collection)

Some truly remarkable prose and stories within. Felt let down by the title story but on the whole Nam’s debut collection is a work to admire. A remarkable talent.

Novella Highlights

The New Veterans Karen Russell (novella from Vampires in the Lemon Grove originally in Granta,Winter 2013)

Halfhead Bay Nam Le (novella from The Boat)

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brian Sanderson (novella from Dangerous Women ed. George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois)

Tehran Calling Nam Le (novella from The Boat)

Short Stories

'29 superb stories' in a previous post.

Stories Published in 2014

Publications in the journal Overland Literary Journal 214 (my second story there) and the anthologies Kisses by Clockwork ed. Liz Grzyb and The Best Australian Stories 2014 ed. Amanda Lohrey.

Very satisfying year. Every story that finds a good home is a celebration but being in The Best Australian Stories 2014 was both exciting and humbling.

Publication News

A long short story of mine, written within a framework (of sorts) of the Sphinx’ riddle to Oedipus, will be published in 2015 in an anthology I'm excited about (contents not released yet and I'll update this later). It’s a dark fantasy/horror story with a reflective narrative voice, which includes a bit on nature, philandering, life’s stages, reading and myth.

Festive Season

Enjoy the festive season. Once again, hope you all read a few books, watch a few films (and other shows) and spend time with loved ones.