Category: Uncategorized

Author copies received: Bullet Points 2

Had the pleasure of receiving author copies of Bullet Points 2, a military sci fi anthology edited by Nathan W. Toronto. My story, ‘Fred Has a Productive Day’ is in it, a tiny piece exploring AI in a post-apocalyptic future (it was first published in Battlespace: A Military Science Fiction Anthology by The SciFi Show some years ago. This is a quality anthology, not glorifying war but using literature to bring veterans and non-veterans together. A worthy cause. It is also pretty cool to share my story in a volume with so many great authors, most notably Joe Haldeman.

News: Guardian of the Sky Realms is released

I’m very pleased indeed to announce that my middle grade fantasy novel, Guardian of the Sky Realms, is now released through Meerkat Press.

To celebrate the release, my publisher has organised an extensive blog tour – I’m enjoying it already, and there’s lots about me and the title that will be revealed – please take a look.

On a personal note, I can’t thank Trish Reeks, Managing Director of Meerkat, enough for her support and effort to get my book out, and ticking every box imaginable, in doing it right for the middle grade readership. I also look forward to having the book’s sequel, Champion of the Sky Realms, released next year. There’s so much story to tell…

Upcoming Release: Guardian of the Sky Realms

In four days my young teen fantasy novel, Guardian of the Sky Realms, will be released world-wide through Meerkat Press.

I will be participating in a blog tour this time round and I look forward to talking about the novel, what inspired me to write it, and perhaps drop an easter egg or two about the upcoming sequel, Champion of the Sky Realms (out next year).

For those of you who want to purchase early, here’s some links to Guardian of the Sky Realms, including preorders:

Amazon print (anywhere)
Amazon kindle (US)
Barnes and Noble (print or Nook Book)

The following sites have preorder facilities as well, but are catching up getting the cover graphic:
The Book Depository
Boomerang Books (Australia)
Booktopia (Australia)

Of course, this book is also available through all good bricks and mortar stores.

Book Review: The Invisible by Seb Doubinsky

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Note: I received an ARC copy of this book from Seb Doubinsky without any strings attached. I am a friend of Seb’s and he knew I was interested in reading it.

The Invisible, by Seb Doubinsky, will be released in May 2020. I had the good luck to receive an early copy and dive into Doubinsky’s New Babylon universe (The City-States Cycle).

The book was a godsend for me, as I had just had elective surgery and I needed something to distract me from a painful post-operative recovery. Doubinsky has a poet’s style to his writing, infusing poetry or poetic-prose where he can, and writing in an extremely lean, precise manner. And yes, it works. It carries vibrant descriptions, staccato-style scene changes, and a mathematical (yet natural) heartbeat pace. As is often the case, the author effortlessly marries his poetic prose with a rich noir setting and tone, an anarchist’s ear for politics (always triggered through a dystopian narrative), and an ever-present undercurrent of weird. The weird is the key for me – what makes his work particularly original, and which often maintains an uneasiness for the reader, even at a story’s conclusion – and most certainly in the case of The Invisible.

I will refrain from providing details of the plot as it is something that needs to be experienced totally fresh, but it is a delightful slice of his magnificent world building, allowing the reader to taste, smell, feel the grimy city of New Babylon, both on the streets as well as in the off-colour halls of power. There are twists and secret societies, betrayal and love and friendship. There were moments when I thought the love was too good, too well conceived, but I’m sure that this was deliberately constructed to add to the uneasiness of the reader, ever-wondering that there will be disappointment, adding empathy for the protagonist, Ratner. Masterful in my opinion. The story stands alone but is clearly only a stepping stone to the next book in the City-States Cycle – this too was well crafted, with the aid of a cat’s bum (you have to read it to understand).

Thoughts: Love on the Spectrum (ABC TV)

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I was rather lucky to spot the fact that Love on the Spectrum was airing on ABC TV (Australia) when it first actually appeared free to air. I was (sort of) reluctant to see it, as shows that dive deep into children and young adults with ASD exposes my sensitivities to the subject because of my autistic daughter, but Jenny and I decided to give it a go. I’m so glad we did.

Continue reading “Thoughts: Love on the Spectrum (ABC TV)” →

Book Review: Missing Signal by Seb Doubinsky

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Seb Doubinsky’s Missing Signal is the first of his books I have read and I look forward to reading more – and to dip into his expansive world building.

The adage that ‘less is more’ is key to my impression of Seb’s style, as it is lean, fast-paced and thoughtful in choice of words. The style is not suited to some types of work – but this is hardly an issue as it perfectly matches Doubinsky’s purpose. He paints a dystopian world and setting, and yet there is a strong humanity intermingled in it, albeit mysterious and oscillating in and out of the plot. Using a subversive agent as the protagonist allows for the story and insights to be concentrated, staccato-fashion, enabling the reader to take a roller-coaster ride.

Above all, I enjoyed the X-Files/sci-fi plot – effectively managed – but used supremely well as a foil for insights into our own society with its warts and pimples. Doubinsky is certainly a perfect example of a writer that can easily straddle speculative fiction with what may be called the experimental literary genre.

I certainly will be seeking out all of Doubinsky’s work.

NB: I purchased this book at World Fantasy Con (Baltimore 2018) at roughly the same time meeting Seb Doubinsky, having had my interest piqued.

US Visit

I have just come back with my family (Jenny and daughter Erin) from the States, as part of a quality-time holiday. As a background, early this year I asked Jenny if it was alright with her that I took a week out going to World Fantasy Con 44 in Baltimore – a big deal as Erin is autistic and at times she is high maintenance (not to suggest this is endemic). Jenny’s response was well played and I liked it – why not go to LA for two weeks, and I can do a quick fly-in/fly-out to Baltimore for the Con. Plan set and paid for.

Baltimore was amazing and my first world con. Highlights include:

  • Having a wonderful dinner at a seafood restaurant with Kaaron Warren, Joe Haldeman (and his lovely wife and sister-in-law), Janeen Webb, Dena Taylor, and many others.
  • Seafood was a highlight in itself.
  • Meeting so many great writers, and developing almost instant-friendships.
  • Attending insightful and entertaining panels and presentations (particularly liked Kaaron’s Australian landscape presso)
  • Visiting Edgar Allen Poe’s grave (and the atmospheric gothic church next to it)
  • Being able to impart (and take on) quality publishing/distribution knowledge among peers
  • And on an important professional level, successfully pitching two writing projects that still need to go through an assessment process, but have progressed beyond my expectations. More on this if they bear fruit.

Yes, Baltimore was fantastic (the domestic jet hopping was another story) and professionally, very important for me and my publishing imprints.

I viewed the LA wing of the holiday initially as an emphasis on having Erin experience the time of her life – and it worked. But having said this, boy I had a great time. Disneyland and Universal were mind-blowing, particularly the virtual rides etc (I rode the Pirates of the Caribbean 4 times, as I did the Harry Potter virtual), and I can honestly say Disneyland does make you feel happy. We bought tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party, and it was worth every cent – at 6pm non-ticket holders left Disneyland, leaving thousands of partygoers (as opposed to tens of thousands of visitors) and rides ended up having queues lasting but a few minutes in many cases. I left the party early to connect to a flight to Baltimore, but Erin and Jenny partied beyond Midnight.

Erin loves basketball and is a fan of the LA Lakers. Managed to get tickets to a home game and the three of us had an amazing extravaganza presented to us. Again, well worth the investment.

We visited the Tar Pits and other notable attractions in LA. We even experienced Target US and Walmart shopping in Burbank. That was an experience.

LA is a huge, bustling city but we found everyone we met were friendly and upbeat. We felt welcomed and it did make a difference.

We most certainly will come back.

Market News: Short Story, The Girl Who Floated To Heaven, published in Disturbed Digest #16

Delighted to have my short story, The Girl Who Floated to Heaven, published in Disturbed Digest #16. This one was hard to sell as it was recent historical in setting, having strong science fiction undertones, and was highly disturbing, covering topics such as domestic violence and suicide. And yet, it was also about unrequited love, and the editor who accepted my piece, stated that he thought it was primarily just that – a romance piece with all the other trappings. First time anyone called any of my pieces ‘romance’.

Regardless, I am over the moon to see this in print – hope you read it.

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Market News: Flash Fiction Story, Journey to the Depths, Included in Oscillate Wildly Press antho.

Pleased that my maritime flash piece, Journey to the Depths, was accepted for the Anemone Enemy anthology, to be published by Oscillate WIldly Press. I love writing ghost stories and so this was a pleasure to write – and as always, a little tougher to work through for sub 500 word fiction. Looking forward to seeing it in print.