Nerd Alert

I'm really not one for labels.  Labels and tags seem to me to be a very north American invention which have crept into other societies as a lazy way for people to state who they are.  In high school I was a rugby-playing musician who played dungeons and dragons..... so what did that make me.  Michael, that's what it made me.However (it's amazing just how often that word pops up on my posts, eh?), I have no problems accepting was could be derivative terms such as nerd when it comes to anything which I enjoy.  And one of the things I enjoy is wargames, which is why I'm loving the prospects for Beyond The Gates of Antares.From a nerd (there's that word again) point of view, the actual game play mechanics are very interesting.  From a creative point of view, the background and build of the universe is even more attention-grabbing.   Rick Priestly, the creative force behind the game and one of the men responsible for what modern gaming is today, explains it better on the videos from the link above than I could.I'll be keeping an eye on this game, oh my yes I will, and I suggest if you're anything like me you should do.The next post will return to the literary type nerd messages from me you're used to.Michael

Faith in The World: Restored

Let me tell you something about being a grown up:  it sucks.  Oh, not in the 'I'm drowning in a mortgage and tied to a job I hate' kind've sucks, but as you grow older, and your knowledge of the planet we live as a whole increases, the amount of wonder it holds inversely decreases.  I have these boyhood memories (as do roughly half of the population) of running and playing with no consideration for what we would have to tomorrow, tonight or even in an hour.  But I have one particular memory which crops up fairly regularly, and always brings a smile with it.  I don't know how old I was.  10, perhaps.  Nor even do I think it was single occurrence I'm remembering, possibly an amalgamation of dozens, but I could picture it in HD clarity.It's one of those endless summer days, on holiday from school when everything which needed doing had been done and the day belonged to you and your friends.  I grew up in a small town in rural(ish) Yorkshire, and near our house was a beck (stream, dontcherknow) which bordered the golf course at the end of the town until it went under a long-disused railway tunnel and disappeared into a rolling field of wheat.  Standing on that bridge, looking out over the fields, I was always struck by how the world possessed such abundant possibilities.  Anything could have been at the other side of those fields.  Anything.  And it was just there, across the waving arms of wheat, glowing honey-brown, and the only thing holding me back from discovering what it was the fun I was having with my friends, and my desire the game would not stop.Of course now I know what's at the other side of the field.  And what's on the other side of that.  I also know that field isn't there any more   Now there's a bypass which helps impatient drivers get to where the field isn't any more  and god help any young boys who want to try and cross it.  It's hard not to feel cheated by the world when memories like this bubble up.  Where's the adventure?  Where're the lost lands waiting to be discovered and explored?  Well, they've all been discovered.  All of them.  Go on, get on with your lives.*sigh*Anyway, this is a very roundabout way of saying, "but it's not all bad!  Look, they found a giant squid!!"Giant squid filmed in depths of Japanese oceanBuying a telescope and all the books on astronomy I could lay my hands on was one way I hoped I'd be able to keep my boy's wonder at the world intact in an age of immediate facts at your fingertips.  But until human feet touch Martian earth, the giant squid will do.

The Next Big Thing? Aw shucks...

You may be aware of The Next Big Thing blog tour which has been making its merry way around the globe this past few months.  If you're not, in a nutshell one author answers a set series of questions about their work, then nominates other authors to do the same thing, who in turn pass it on.... you get the idea.Well, the talented and Kind Kelly Inglis tagged me in her own answers last time, and I'm honoured to take the time to answer my own....What is the working title of your next book?“Europa”.  I try to give my stories a title as soon as possible.  Names have a certain power, and one facet of that power is to give the named thing a personality.With this story, though, Europa was just a working title until something more solid came along.  But it’s been called that so long now that’s how I think of it, so there’s every chance it will stick.Where did the idea come from for the book?From my interest in Napoleonic era Europe.  The whole of the 19th century is mixture of wonder and enlightenment.  Leaps in scientific understanding coexisted in a world still mostly unknown to even the most worldly of men, where the existence of lost animals and even fabled lands were still widely accepted as a given.It was also a time of almost unbelievable feats of heroism.  If Nelson’s tactics to destroy the French fleet at the Nile were written in a fiction novel it would be laughed off as too fantastical.  The possibilities of stories set in such a time are breathtakingWhat genre does your book fall under?Steampunk….or fantasy.  I’m not sure.  Which genre sells more?  That one.What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?Oooh, not easy.  The characters are still finding themselves but I suppose Michael Fassbender is a shoe in.  The guy is just ridiculously talented.  And Tom Hardy for sheer physical presence.  Cilian Muprhy is the perfect villain.  And no one does a strong female lead like Ellen Page…. Did I just list the Inception cast with Michael Fassbender?  Wow, that film would have rocked.What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?“I am more than my country.”Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?I’ll be going the traditional route and heading out to find a publisher.  Having someone else deal with the business end allows the writers to focus on the writing.How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?I’m at the six month mark at the moment, but that’s with losing current versions and backups twice through a stolen laptop and a lost USB stick (tip to writers – triple back up your work!).What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?Richard Harland’s World Shaker and Felix Gilman’s Thunderer.  Harland’s work is solid, no nonsense steampunk, and perhaps the finest example of the genre straight up.  While in Gilman’s Thunderer, the technology aspect is a sideshow to the left of field story it takes.Who or what inspired you to write this book?Believe it or not, my children.  Growing up I had been a voracious reader, and dabbled in some short stories for my college magazine, but the best novels, the Pratchetts and Rices, the Tolkeins and Atwoods, transported me so fully into their worlds… novels were a kind of magic mere mortals like me would never attain.So I forgot about the idea and just got on with life and books.When I learned I would be a father, though, I wanted to be more than just a father to my boys.  I want to show them that they can do whatever they want if they work hard enough at it.It was my boys who gave me the inspiration and the courage to write.  And I make sure I give them an extra hug at bedtime each night for that.What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?If you ever read a history on Napoleonic warfare and thought the only thing which could make it more awesome were bloody great steam tanks, I have some good news for you…. And that's me!  Hope you enjoyed!  And passing on the baton, I'm tagging three up and coming writers whose work I've very much enjoyed.  Assemble: Jonathan Peace, Beattie Alverez and Nandita Chakraborty.

A Christmas Poem, For You

 

'Twas the night before Christmas,And throughout the houseCreature was stirringEating louse, mouse and spouse.Nary a soul was safeFrom tentacle’d grasps,Pulling all from their bedsTo scream their last gasp.Naughty or nice,Creature does not care,It’s boys, girls and parentsCreature seeks to ensnare.Bones fill its belliesAllowing it to grow,Oozing through windowsInto the snow.Soon there’ll be bloodFlowing throughout the streets,Yo-ho-hos there won’t be,Instead; there’ll be meat.Remember this, child,As you slip into sleep:Step from bed once more,And your soul Creature will reap.

 

Sleep tight and merry Christmas all!

 

Other Cool Dudes

Here's a post I've been meaning to write for a while.  I haven't so far, partly out of laziness (with a hint of being run off my arse with work), partly due to the the fear of missing someone off the list.  You see, I want to do a shout out to people who directly or indirectly give me a helping hand and keep me writing, and I'm one of those people who never took acting classes because of the fear of missing some people from the inevitable Oscar acceptance speeches   For all my four portrayals of James Bond, obviously.

First off a few authors.  I'm not going to give links to the Neil Gaimans and China Mievilles.  They don't need it, and you know who they are.  Instead it's people like Felix Gilman,  Aaron Bembski-Bowden, Richard Harland.
Felix was very nearly responsible for making sure I never wrote a word.  Go read his marvellous début Thunderer and you'll realise why.  It's hard to find such beautifully constructed writing in the same pages of concepts which are wide ranging enough to fill a novel themselves, let alone each page they seem to pop up on.
Aaron's work doesn't stretch further than the Games Workshop Warhammer 40,000 IP, but don't let that fool you.  His writing is as evocative and attention holding as any I've read.  I'm sure in time, once he breaks further away from Space Marines and into his own worlds, he'll be as well regarded as his Black Library stable mate Dan Abnett.  (nerd warning; his blog contains more the usual number of war games models, best to steer clear if terms like 'd20' and 'shooting phase' bring you out in hives).
And Richard just writes fantastic steampunk.  Seriously, I can't put it more bluntly.
I don't read nearly the amount of books I used to, so I'm fairly discerning when it comes to sinking time into one of the few novels I'm going to be able to read in a year, so I'm more and more going for the recommended and tried and true writers, but if you're reading this it's likely you're here because of my writing, and if you liked that (and thank and bless you if you did) you should check these three writers out.
Next up, a few support sites for fledgling authors.  First up would be the ever-so-useful I Should Be Writing from the ever-so-feisty Mur Lafferty.  I don't listen to ISBW (as it's known to its friends) as much as I used to, although that is mainly because I finally took the constant urging to stop thinking about writing and actually write dammit to heart.  But still, it was always there as I was initially finding my feet.
And then  there's the mighty Writing Excuses.  Hosted by the talented in the extreme Mary Robinette Kowell, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Taylor and Dan Wells.  This podcast tackles a subject about writing, the craft and art and even the business each week, with each host, each a more than established author in their own right, taking control.  I have no doubt I will continue to listen to WE no matter how long they continue to cast, it's that inspiring.
And this list wouldn't be complete without some of the (free!) fiction I routinely listen to.
First up, The Drabblecast.  If you've listened to any speculative fiction podcasts it's almost certain you're at least aware of The Drabblecast and it's enigmatic host Norma Sherman.  If not, here's a brief summery. Ahem.  It's awesomely weird and funny.  OK, that's it, nothing more.  Norm and his readers pick out some truly stand out stories, and the production values are second to absolutely no one.  Each week you can look forward to a short story, 1 100 word and a 100 character story, and also plenty of banter from the Shermanator himself which is always worth perking up and listening to.
Next, but certainly not least, is the Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine.  Big Anklevich and Rish Outfield, the Dunesteef's hosts, ten to pick up longer stories than the Drabblecast, but their subjects are just as left field.  What really sets the Dunesteef aside from other casts is the dicussion between Big and Rish after the story (itself always a joy to listen to) about themes, characters, and basically anything else which strikes them.  The talks can go on much longer than the story itself  but I never mind.  It's like having two friends over for a chat.
And pulling up the rear just because it's the youngest is the Journey Into... podcast.  Eagle eyed readers may realise I sold a story to Marshal Latham who produces Journey Into... last week, but even had I not, it would still be in this list.  It's the Outer Limits, the Twilight Zone of podcasts.  I'm left feeling fulfilled and often nostalgic after each cast.
OK, that's it.  Go out, read, listen, enjoy!  Enough of me, get to it!
Michael

And Another Story Sold

Much rejoicing was had this past weekend.  Partly due to the missus and I buying a block of land (more of this will follow in other posts, I'm sure), but mainly due to the rather good Journey Into.... podcast buying one of my stories.Yay!Journey Into...The story is called Alek and Elizabeth and the End of the World, and will be the first time my writing will be podcasted.  I'm excited to see what the fine at at Journey Into... do with it, and duobly so that it is Journey Into....  Marshal Latham who puts the cast together is very talented.  He came to my notice from his work on the Dunesteef podcast, so above all else it's an honour he thinks my work is worth his time and energy.Thanks, Marshal!

Magic, edited by Jonathan Oliver

Step one: Pick up a copy of Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane, edited by Jonathan Oliver.Step two: Go to page 79.Step three: Read 'Party Tricks' by Dan Abnett.Step four: Realise you're in the hands of a master. Sit back and enjoy the story.Without realising it, I've managed to collect and read three anthologies by Jonathan Oliver in the past two years.  The first two, House of Fear and End of the Line, were because the rather talented Adam Nevill was involved, this time it was Dan Abnett, but honestly, it was not until I put it on the shelf I realised Jonathan edited all three.  I'm of the mind tha there's no greater praise of an artist that someone can enjoy their work without realising who did it.Anyway, yes, get this anthology.  Get it, go on.  You really won't regret it. 

Number9Dream, by David Mitchell

It's been a while since I posted my thoughts on a book.  Partly because I didn't want to risk offending anyone, but mostly because I'm lazy.  But I just finished Number9Dream by David Mitchell (my first of Mitchell's books, and sorry for the spoiler, but after this it's not going to be my last), and thought this would be a good point to start again.Overall;  very good, really enjoyed it.  Nah, screw that; it was awesome  The story's delivery was a little uneven. At first it seems the story itself would be delivered amid the fantasies of the main character as he dreams or wonders at how situations could go through several iterations, until we get to the way it actually turned out. But that style of delivery died out in spurts by about midway.Also, the protagonist was fairly immobile until well after the halfway mark. Apart from his reason for being in Tokyo, everything that happens happens to him, not because of. A passive character usually falls into one of two categories; boring or annoying. But Mitchell has you rooting for a character who would be impossible not to like, and the novel's denouement is surprisingly satisfying, especially given how impossible a conclusion would seem towards the novel's end.What really sets Number9Dream apart though is the writing. It's just beautiful throughout. I'd post an example passage but I honestly don't think I could choose just one.It's not for everyone, but for those it is I don't think you'd ever forget it.Next up; Dodger, by Terry Prachett.

It's All About the Apocalypse

I recently listened to an author interview about dystopian settings.  Or more precisely  post apocalyptical ones.  It could have been Paulo Bacigalupi on the ABC Radio National's Books and Arts Daily show, it may not have been (my memory for stuff like this is notoriously sieve-like), but it stuck in my mind because I, like many of you, harbour a morbid fascination of post apocalyptical scenarios.The gist was that those who were drawn to the genre yearned for a planet with less people.  or be alone.  I'm not sure if the caveat 'but with a slavering horde of zombies too' is included in all these cases.Anyway, it stuck because I reckon he was onto something.  At least with me.  I already have the next novel semi-mapped out for when I'm done with this one, and a driving factor in me finishing this MS is being able to get to my own novel set in a world largely empty of people  and the challenges that entails.The thing is though, mine is very much a post apocalypse world.  One reason perhaps is I'm very much of the Daniel Boone cloth.  But also, the breakdown of society scares the bejeesus out of me as much as I would like see it go.  Or at least all the cooking shows.  I think we could agree we don't need those.It's the father in me, I believe.  I'm sure films such as the incoming World War Z didn't effect me nearly as much as before I became a parent.  Now, it would not just be a matter of survival, but making sure other survive and the danger that they may not, and I may.Ad break!http://youtu.be/Md6Dvxdr0AQ?hd=1This comes along just as I'm listening to and very much enjoying The Twelve, the follow up to The Passage, from Justin Cronin.  In The Passage Cronin manages to destroy the world without losing track that its not the world people care about; it's their families and loved ones.  So far both the Passage and The Twelve have had moments which had me welling up with what's happened without actually showing me the specifics.  The man's a genius at this.  Sometimes it's so hard to listen to, for all the right reasons.And while I'm on the subject, I have to throw in a word for Deadlight.  An absolutely fantastic little game which has not received the attention it should.  Yes, it's zombies, but just look at it!http://youtu.be/QUlKEH8Kc3c Michael 

You Know You're a Writer When...

...you come home after a weekend away to find out you've been robbed, and the first thing you check is your MS backup USB stick.Yup, happened to us this weekend, and yes, that is what I did (it was there *wipes forehead*).  While we're obviously angry as hell and we're missing quite a lot of stuff which is loaded with more sentimental than cash value, everyone's safe.  In the meantime, however, I'm down to writing on a pad and pen like an animal, but still writing.Cheris what's important, people, and make sure your landlord gets some decent locks.Michael

Aw, Shucks

A very kind of reader, and author, Jenn McLeod of The Life and Times of Chester Lewis, gave some very kind words for the book on her blog.

Chapter One hooked me straight up. Michael White, experienced novelist, biographer (primarily of scientists and fiction authors) and non-fiction author, captivated me with his account of Chester’s parents. From that moment on there was no stopping.At $3.99 Chester is a great read, plus a good little investment for writers wanting toexamine craft issues like: changing POV, past tense, present tense, first person, etc. It works.Buy it. Read it. Enjoy it. Learn from it. 

And also said something else which particularly made me blush.  I won't be so self-involved as to post it here, but feel free to head on over to her blog and take a look for yourself.Thank you,  Jenn. Michael  

An Interview with Steve Rossiter

So you've heard me banging on about this book The Life and Times of Chester Lewis recently, yes?  If not, perhaps I haven’t been shouting loud enough.  Anyway, Steve Rossiter, the man who got the ball rolling on Chester, gave up some of his time recently to answer a few questions regarding Chester Lewis, the Australian Literature Review and his own writing. To begin with, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Grow up?I was born in Hobart and grew up in Tasmania, until I moved to the Gold Coast as a teenager, later moved to Canberra to study at uni, lived in Melbourne for a number of years and have spent extended periods travelling around Australia. Can you remember when you knew you wanted to be a writer? Was there a particular author or book which propelled you in this direction?I first considered being an author at 9 years old when I started reading novels instead of shorter children's books. At that age, some of the fiction books which appealed to me were Tintin books and Choose Your Own Adventure books. The following year, my Year 4 primary school teacher would read books out loud to the class one chapter each day. Ones that stood out were Charlotte's Web by EB White, Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. I found more Cynthia Voigt novels (my favourite was The Wings of a Falcon), as well as The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier and others, but started running out of fiction books I liked in the primary school library and branched out to novels by Stephen King, Wilbur Smith, Ken Follett and Eric Lustbader. You established The Australian Literature Review to help emerging Australian writers to find their feet. Do you think there’s a particular need in Australia for new writers to be helped find themselves?The aim of The Australian Literature Review is not necessarily to help emerging writers find their feet. That is one aspect, but it is also about giving readers and writers access to interviews and articles so they can get first-hand insights into how authors go about their fiction writing and their thoughts on various aspects of fiction writing. This is useful for aspiring fiction authors, but also to published authors and readers who don't necessarily want to write their own fiction. Australia is a relatively small publishing market which makes building a sustainable career as a novelist generally more complicated for Australian writers than writers in countries such as the US and the UK. Australia also has less world class universities where novelists can build sophisticated knowledge and writing skills to compete on the same level as US and UK novelists. The Life and Times of Chester Lewis is the latest in a series of books published under the Auslit banner. The way it was written, with one author taking on the next stage of Chester's life with nothing but the previous stories to base it on, could have lead in quite a few different directions. Did the book unfold in the way you envisioned?I put the initial book concept in place, which was to chart the approximately 100 year lifespan of the main character via a story per decade in that character's life. Beyond that, and a general idea of some authors I might invite to each write a story, I did not have a pre-conceived idea of how the book would unfold. The first story, by Michael White, established Chester's parents and the circumstances leading up to Chester's birth,that Chester would be born in Perth in 1932, etc. If Michael had established the main character's birth for 1900 or 1987 instead of 1932 it would have been a very different book. The Life and Times of Chester Lewis has an associated fan fiction competition with a top prize of $2,000. What advice would you give to someone whom this has prompted to write their first short story?In a recent interview, Kelly Inglis asked me what makes a compelling character and I said a combination of purpose and personality. In another recent interview, I told Jo Hart that a simple but important tip is to have a story concept in mind before writing the story. (You can click on the relevant interview link to find a fuller explanation.) You’re working on your own novel right now, set in WW2 Poland. Tell us about it? Was there a particular reason you chose that period and country?The 1939 invasion of Poland is a pivotal turning point in world history, marking the start of WW2. It is a time and place which has gravity for people around the world, yet it is not a setting which has been overdone in novels or films. Poland is a place rich in sophisticated history. For example, Nicolaus Copernicus (who famously advanced the idea that the Earth revolved around the Sun and not the other way round) lived not far from where my story is set, around 400 years earlier. It is a time and place where high stakes conflict is all around in various forms while a conflict of ideas also plays out on a grand scale. What authors do you particularly admire, or had an influence on your writing?In a recent interview, Kerry Brown asked me which ten authors, living and dead, I might ideally select for a hypothetical book of similar concept to The Life and Times of Chester Lewis and I suggested the following might be in the running: Stephen King Robert Louis Stevenson William Shakespeare Jodi Picoult Mark Twain Michael Crichton Cynthia Voigt Isaac Asimov Carl Sagan EB White Finally, the question all writers dread…. Keyboard or pen?I prefer to do the first draft in pen and do the first edit as I type it onto the computer, or to do planning and write research notes in pen and/or on a whiteboard then to type the story.  Thanks Steve for taking to the time.  And if you'd like to try your hand at the fan fiction competition (and why wouldn't you?  What's there to lose?) head right on over to the Chester Lewis site or its Facebook page.  Happy writing. Michael