Rockin’ round Queensland

I’m having a great time, doing school visits in and around Brisbane. On Monday, I did talks for students at Aquinas (Gold Coast), then at Marymount on Tuesday (also Gold Coast). Further north to Coolum State High on Wednesday, then back down to Mary MacKillop in Nundah, Brisbane today. All accessories play a part in the ‘show’ – new pull-up banner, aviator helmet, goggles, Steampunk hat, book trailer video, PowerPoint – and of course THE GUITAR! I left my camera behind, so I only have photos from today – doing a reading while showing off my guitar!

Steampunk guitar! Oh wow!

I have to share this! I took a secondhand guitar up to Lewis Morley in the Blue Mountains three days ago, and collected it from him on the start of my school visiting tours yesterday. What he’s done is just amazing – it’s a steampunk vision! A work of art in gold and gadgetry! I knew he was good – now I know he’s an absolute magician!

That globe on it even lights up with zigzag lines of lightning! I’m rapt beyond rapture! It’s not only perfect for SONG OF THE SLUMS – which tells of the invention of rock ‘n roll in the middle of the 19th century, a hundred years before Elvis – it actually plays too. Oh, I am going to have so much fun!

Harper Voyager Books Open for Digital Submissions

Between October 1st and October 14th Harper Voyager Books will be open to manuscripts.  (See full details here). They say:

‘We’re seeking all kinds of adult and young adult speculative fiction for digital publication, but particularly epic fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, dystopia and supernatural. ‘ The manuscripts should be between 80,000 to 120,000 words and they should be completed.

This is for their new digital line of books.

This link:

‘How To Submit A Manuscript
To submit, go to www.harpervoyagersubmissions.com and follow the instructions to fill out the form and upload your manuscript.’

Doesn’t work. I suspect it will be working only in that two week period. And they say if you don’t hear from them in three months, consider your ms rejected.

So you have until October first to polish your manuscript!

Scarlet Stiletto Short Story Competition

Asimov did it, Laura K Hamilton did it (in her first Antia Blake books). What’s that?

They wrote mysteries, cross-genre mysteries.

Clan Destine Press are offering a Cross-Genre Award ($300) in the:-

19th Scarlet Stiletto Awards Crime short story competition now open

 

Sisters in Crime Australia’s 19^th Scarlet Stiletto Awards, Australia’s only crime writing competition for women, are now open with a record $5350 up for grabs.

Note: the increases in the Harper Collins 1^st prize and the Allen & Unwin’s and 2 new awards:

• Athenaeum Library ‘Body in the Library’ competition $1000/$500 runner-up for the best crime story containing the words ‘body in the library’.
• Catherine Leppert Award for ‘best environmental theme’ ($250).

Other prizes include:

Harper Collins 1^st prize (now $1000) plus the coveted scarlet stiletto trophy

Kill City Bookshop 2nd prize ($400)

The Cate Kennedy 3rd prize ($350)

Allen & Unwin Young Writers’ Award (now $500) for writers 18 or under.

The Kerry Greenwood Malice Domestic Award ($500)

Clan Destine Press Cross-Genre Award ($300)

Benn’s Books: Best Investigative story ($200 voucher)

ScriptWorks Great Film Idea Award: ($200)

Pulp Fiction Bookshop: Funniest Crime Award ($150 voucher)

Thanks also to Spinifex Books

To explore what makes a winning story, you might want to readScarlet Stiletto: The Second Cut, a collection of 22 winning stories from the last four year of the competition, and the  reprint of Scarlet Stiletto: The First Cut, a volume of 26 stories from the first 13 years,  published by ClanDestine Press for SheKilda 2011: Australian Women Crime Writers’ Convention, Sisters in Crime’s 20^th anniversary celebrations. Scarlet Stiletto: The Second Cut was The Age’s ‘Book of the Week’ on 17 December last year. (Copies can be ordered here)

The 19th Scarlet Stiletto Awards close on August 31, 2012. Entry fee: $10. Maximum story length: 5000 word. Entry forms are available here or by writing to Sisters in Crime Australia, GPO Box 5319, Melbourne 3001

Further info: Contact Carmel Shute, National Co-convenor, Sisters in Crime Australia 0412 569 356 cshute@internode.on.net

(Via Carmel Shute, National Co-convenor)

Felicity makes the Final Three of the Text YA Fiction Competition

We’re doing a Squee! for Felicity, regular ROR blog reader and guest poster.

(See Fel’s post on using research to give authenticity to your writing. She talks about her time on the tall ship and a balloon ride).

Felicity (writing as Louise Curtis) entered her book Heart of Brass in the Text Young Adult Fiction Prize. She was delighted to hear she’d made the final three. While her book didn’t win, this is an excellent result and we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for her!

A short story competition for writers of mysteries

Since I began interviewing spec fic writers I’ve noticed that many of them also write mysteries*. I think the world building needed to write SF or fantasy is similiar in some ways to the world building needed to craft a mystery.

Here’s a short story competition run by the Sisters in Crime (Australia) – The Scarlet Stiletto Awards.  The only caveat is that it is open to women writers, because this is the Sisters in Crime, not Siblings in Crime. This is the announcement:

19th Scarlet Stiletto Awards Crime short story competition now open

Sisters in Crime Australia’s 19^th Scarlet Stiletto Awards, Australia’s only crime writing competition for women, are now open with a record $5350 up for grabs.

Note: the increases in the Harper Collins 1^st prize and the Allen & Unwin’s and 2 new awards:

• Athenaeum Library ‘Body in the Library’ competition $1000/$500 runner-up for the best crime story containing the words ‘body in the library’.
• Catherine Leppert Award for ‘best environmental theme’ ($250).

Other prizes include:

Harper Collins 1^st prize (now $1000) plus the coveted scarlet stiletto trophy

Kill City Bookshop 2nd prize ($400)

The Cate Kennedy 3rd prize ($350)

Allen & Unwin Young Writers’ Award (now $500) for writers 18 or under.

The Kerry Greenwood Malice Domestic Award ($500)

Benn’s Books: Best Investigative story ($200 voucher)

ScriptWorks Great Film Idea Award: ($200)

 

Pulp Fiction Bookshop: Funniest Crime Award ($150 voucher)

Thanks also to Spinifex Books

 

To explore what makes a winning story, you might want to read Scarlet Stiletto: The Second Cut, a collection of 22 winning stories from the last four year of the competition, and the  reprint of Scarlet Stiletto: The First Cut, a volume of 26 stories from the first 13 years,  published by ClanDestine Press for SheKilda 2011: Australian Women Crime Writers’ Convention, Sisters in Crime’s 20^th anniversary celebrations. Scarlet Stiletto: The Second Cut was The Age’s ‘Book of the Week’ on 17 December last year. (Copies can be ordered via Sisters in Crime web site. )

The 19th Scarlet Stiletto Awards close on August 31, 2012. Entry fee: $10. Maximum story length: 5000 word. Entry forms are available or writing to Sisters in Crime Australia, GPO Box 5319, Melbourne 3001

Further info: Contact Carmel Shute, National Co-convenor, Sisters in Crime Australia 0412 569 356 cshute@internode.on.net

*Watch out for my noir-paranormal-crime The Price of Fame.

Short Story Competiton

The New Zealand Writers College short story competition is open to both NZ and OZ writers (who have had less than 4 short stories published). Winning or placing in competitions is a good way to establish your writing credentials.

The theme is: Full Circle.

See here for details.

It is a very reasonable first prize ($1000).  You can see archived winning entries here.

(With thanks to Sonny Whitelaw, (writer of Stargate books among other things), for bringing this to my attention).

 

 

Possible Market for SF, F and Horror

When I was at World Con in 2005 I met Jo Fletcher (we were on a panel together). At the time she was editing for Gollanz. Now she has her own line with Quercus Publihsing. And she’s looking for books.

From the web site:

Jo Fletcher Books is a specialist science fiction, fantasy and horror imprint, but as Jo’s own personal tastes in fiction have always been so wonderfully eclectic, and as the field of imaginative literature is so incredibly wide, Jo Fletcher Books is going to be as broad a church as possibly, hopefully publishing something for everyone.

Submissions

Jo Fletcher Books is currently accepting submissions of finished manuscripts in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres.

Please contact Nicola Budd with the first three chapters (or first 10,000 words), plus a synopsis and covering email sent to the following email address:

submissions@jofletcherbooks.co.uk

 

 

Here’s a link to the books s Jo Fletcher is releasing.

 

(With thanks to Angela Slatter for bringing this to my attention).

Wow! The A. Bertram Chandler Award!

I couldn’t believe it on Sunday night, when I got a text from Jack Dann saying he’d just presented me with the A. Bertram Chandler Award for 2012 at the Melbourne Natcon – only I wasn’t there. I felt bad not to have accepted in person, though I’m sure Jonathan Strahan did a great job accepting on my behalf – but what an occasion to miss. It’s the first Melbourne Con or Natcon I’ve missed in ages.

Of course, I had no idea I might win anything, let alone the A. Bertram Chandler Award, which is an overall award for making a major contribution to Australian SF and spec fiction. I look over the list of previous recipients and think, wow, do I really belong in that company? It’s a huge honour, and I feel kind of humbled.

The actual prizes arrived today – a massive decorative plate, a lovely little engraved glass plinth, and a framed citation certificate. I took a photo –

Hmm, not sure if that shows up very well. I did my best!
I wasn’t the only RORee winner on the night – but since I wasn’t there, I’ll leave Tansy to report …

Winner Paula Weston Book!

Paula says:

Thanks for all the great comments – there was some really interesting early reading material mentioned. I wish I had copies for all of you, but the winner is Braiden. Hope you enjoy Shadows. 🙂

Braiden if you email me I’ll pass your address along to the people at Text Publishing, who will send you a copy of Shadows.  rowena(at)corydaniells(dot)com