And the final instalment of the Aussie Stoker recommendations are done!
You might find myself and on![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
jennifer_brozek there...you will definitely see paulhaines for his Slice of Life.
Check it out here!
I may have also been described as evil, but you know how folks like to use euphemisms...
You might find myself and on
jennifer_brozek there...you will definitely see paulhaines for his Slice of Life.Check it out here!
I may have also been described as evil, but you know how folks like to use euphemisms...
Sinister Reads is promoting the Australian fiction that has been recommended for the Bram Stoker Awards. In order to reach the final stages, each work needs members of the HWA to vote for the stories.
I'm a little behind in promoting this, as it's already up to Issue #3. Go check it out, there are some very talented authors already mentioned.
Don't forget, Grants Pass has also been recommended. *grins*
I'm a little behind in promoting this, as it's already up to Issue #3. Go check it out, there are some very talented authors already mentioned.
Don't forget, Grants Pass has also been recommended. *grins*
As I'm sure you've all heard, Aussie authors and publishers were the winner in this argument. Let's hope it stays that way.
I’ve been thinking about this for a while; the concept of ‘elitism’ in what people choose to read, watch or listen to.
Now, I think every single one of us is guilty of this. We constantly make the choice to be entertained by something and we reject other songs/books/shows/movies as a result. Why do we do this? Mostly, it’s just personal taste: we’ve tried watching something similar and we don’t like it or the topic just doesn’t catch us. Easy enough.
But then there is the other situation: we don’t want to ‘consume’ something because it (as a genre) is not worth it. Now, sometimes we’ve made this decision through experience, but a lot of the time, I think people just decide that it won’t be 'good'.
This article linked at Ellen Datlow’s LJ, discusses why SciFi writers just can’t win. It got me thinking. The topic already had me pondering, but I guess this just got those rusty cogs working a bit harder.
You see, when I was at university, I did creative writing. Out of the classes I took, only one tutor actually tried to help me refine my craft. I was otherwise told to try something other than ‘genre’ work: basically, write literary fiction or don’t bother. Most of my tutors admitted they wouldn’t touch a genre book; so how could they dismiss something as unworthy without ever opening a cover?
Why are some works considered brilliant ‘classics’ - like Wells’ Time Machine & War of the Worlds, Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Shelley’s Frankenstein, Wilde’s Dorian Gray and even Bronte’s Wuthering Heights – rather than brilliant works of science fiction and horror? Easy to answer: because literary types are ‘elitist’! (Ignore the massive generalisation).
As you can guess, I don’t think it is fair to dismiss a genre of work because of its tropes. It’s true, I don’t like post-modernism; I want stories with plots, and to me, post-modernist tales like White Noise don’t have one. Sure, it’s beautifully written, but I need more than that. It doesn’t mean that I think post-modernism is a waste of creative space.
However, I find it strange when people complain that the genres they like (such as SciFi, fantasy, horror etc.), are maligned and marginalised because of their tropes, but find it equally valid to knock, for instance, romances.
Why did I pick romance as an example? Well, it’s because I’ve heard/seen so many folks knock ‘heaving bosom’ books: it’s a waste of paper; utter crap; it’s clichéd; the characters are 1D etc.
I love a good historical romance! I call them ‘brain fluff’, because they aren’t hard work to read; unlike Baxter’s work (Origin, Time, Space etc.) or even Dick’s (I know, I shouldn’t admit it, but I struggle with his style). And well, authors like Quinn are witty, their stories flow, their characters are 3D and even though there are mentions of throbbing manhoods and a little bit of swooning (on occasion), it works – there’s a plot that often isn’t solely concerned with the characters’ desire for one another.
Same goes for pop music. I know so many people who rail about the uselessness of pop. Well, to me, pop music is ‘popular music’. The genre is so broad that anything can be dragged in; what would have been classified as alternative (Kings of Leon) is now pop. And pop can have meaning; look at Pink’s song, Dear Mr President – it’s hard to get more meaningful than that, really.
Sure, romance novels and pop songs are often designed to be ‘disposable’; they’re there to be enjoyed rather than pored over to discern the themes, authorial motivations etc. But that doesn’t make them worthless.
So I guess my point is this (and aimed at myself for a reminder): don’t knock genres because you think they aren’t ‘worthy’ – not if you get annoyed when others knock yours.
Now, I think every single one of us is guilty of this. We constantly make the choice to be entertained by something and we reject other songs/books/shows/movies as a result. Why do we do this? Mostly, it’s just personal taste: we’ve tried watching something similar and we don’t like it or the topic just doesn’t catch us. Easy enough.
But then there is the other situation: we don’t want to ‘consume’ something because it (as a genre) is not worth it. Now, sometimes we’ve made this decision through experience, but a lot of the time, I think people just decide that it won’t be 'good'.
This article linked at Ellen Datlow’s LJ, discusses why SciFi writers just can’t win. It got me thinking. The topic already had me pondering, but I guess this just got those rusty cogs working a bit harder.
You see, when I was at university, I did creative writing. Out of the classes I took, only one tutor actually tried to help me refine my craft. I was otherwise told to try something other than ‘genre’ work: basically, write literary fiction or don’t bother. Most of my tutors admitted they wouldn’t touch a genre book; so how could they dismiss something as unworthy without ever opening a cover?
Why are some works considered brilliant ‘classics’ - like Wells’ Time Machine & War of the Worlds, Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Shelley’s Frankenstein, Wilde’s Dorian Gray and even Bronte’s Wuthering Heights – rather than brilliant works of science fiction and horror? Easy to answer: because literary types are ‘elitist’! (Ignore the massive generalisation).
As you can guess, I don’t think it is fair to dismiss a genre of work because of its tropes. It’s true, I don’t like post-modernism; I want stories with plots, and to me, post-modernist tales like White Noise don’t have one. Sure, it’s beautifully written, but I need more than that. It doesn’t mean that I think post-modernism is a waste of creative space.
However, I find it strange when people complain that the genres they like (such as SciFi, fantasy, horror etc.), are maligned and marginalised because of their tropes, but find it equally valid to knock, for instance, romances.
Why did I pick romance as an example? Well, it’s because I’ve heard/seen so many folks knock ‘heaving bosom’ books: it’s a waste of paper; utter crap; it’s clichéd; the characters are 1D etc.
I love a good historical romance! I call them ‘brain fluff’, because they aren’t hard work to read; unlike Baxter’s work (Origin, Time, Space etc.) or even Dick’s (I know, I shouldn’t admit it, but I struggle with his style). And well, authors like Quinn are witty, their stories flow, their characters are 3D and even though there are mentions of throbbing manhoods and a little bit of swooning (on occasion), it works – there’s a plot that often isn’t solely concerned with the characters’ desire for one another.
Same goes for pop music. I know so many people who rail about the uselessness of pop. Well, to me, pop music is ‘popular music’. The genre is so broad that anything can be dragged in; what would have been classified as alternative (Kings of Leon) is now pop. And pop can have meaning; look at Pink’s song, Dear Mr President – it’s hard to get more meaningful than that, really.
Sure, romance novels and pop songs are often designed to be ‘disposable’; they’re there to be enjoyed rather than pored over to discern the themes, authorial motivations etc. But that doesn’t make them worthless.
So I guess my point is this (and aimed at myself for a reminder): don’t knock genres because you think they aren’t ‘worthy’ – not if you get annoyed when others knock yours.
Still really suffering from the fatigue this week. One more work day to go, so that makes 6 days in a row.
Been bringing my laptop into work lately, so I can use photoshop for marketing material. We don't have it. Asked my boss, and he said he'd think about it.
Otherwise, I should be going over the proofs for Phantom Queen, but I am suffering from a lack of motivation right now. I will get to it soon. Have another editing project to do as well, so it's a matter of trying to decide what to spend time on.
As for the Seekrit Project...
71465 / 75000 words. 95% done!
Been bringing my laptop into work lately, so I can use photoshop for marketing material. We don't have it. Asked my boss, and he said he'd think about it.
Otherwise, I should be going over the proofs for Phantom Queen, but I am suffering from a lack of motivation right now. I will get to it soon. Have another editing project to do as well, so it's a matter of trying to decide what to spend time on.
As for the Seekrit Project...
I submitted a story the other day. Now, it's been re-written/drafted so many times I've actually lost count of the number. I've had other people proof read it. More than once. I've proofed it, again, who knows how many times...
I even ran a spelling/grammar check on it one last time to make sure I hadn't missed anything obvious (I know, they suck, but sometimes really obvious things are missed)...
And so I sent it off, thinking that it was as typo free and as polished as polished can be. Then, for some reason, I decided to quickly scan the first couple of pages the next day.
What do you know? Typo on page 2. No other typos visible for a mile. Just right there, *smack* in your face on página dos.
As someone with slush pile experience (and who is an editor), I know that typos happen. But it's really annoying when they happen to you and you spot them too damn late.
I even ran a spelling/grammar check on it one last time to make sure I hadn't missed anything obvious (I know, they suck, but sometimes really obvious things are missed)...
And so I sent it off, thinking that it was as typo free and as polished as polished can be. Then, for some reason, I decided to quickly scan the first couple of pages the next day.
What do you know? Typo on page 2. No other typos visible for a mile. Just right there, *smack* in your face on página dos.
As someone with slush pile experience (and who is an editor), I know that typos happen. But it's really annoying when they happen to you and you spot them too damn late.
In this hotel, the stories run to the wicked and macabre.
Well crafted psychological and supernatural horror offerings await you, each written by a master storyteller. Whether you are looking to be shocked, disturbed or out-right frightened, Voices will have something to titillate your nerves and make your hair stand up on end. Leave the lights on and brew a strong cup of tea, the voices in the room plan on keeping you up all night.
Featuring stories by Carole Johnstone, KV Taylor, Brad C. Hodson, Pete Kempshall, Todd Edwards, Shane Jiraiya Cummings, Gary McMahon, Martin Livings, Siobhan Byford, Sonia Marcon, Paul Kane, Rodney J. Smith and Robert Hood.
$2 from every copy sold of the Australian edition of Voices will be donated to the Paul Haines Cancer Fund!
AUS $19 + shipping
US $13 + shipping (surface mail)
I just read an interesting article where Neil Gaiman talked about the vampire myth and how vampires became anti-heroes in today's fiction.
This is an interesting topic for me. I've studied the original Victorian era fiction, and I've seen how the genre grew; I've read Dracula, Interview with the Vampire, Twilight and many more. I've read a lot of bad vampire fiction, but I've read some good stuff too.
For me, I think my love with the vampire comes down to immortality - not the sex and blood. How would it be for someone who had lived for centuries? What thoughts would they have? Imagine what they would have seen. Did they meet Ramses? Etc. Then there's the nature... what would a vampire really be like? The drive for blood...is it the same as our hunger for food? Are they civilised or violent?
I once said toazhure that I think vampire fiction writers sometimes have trouble reading other vampire fiction because we've created the ideal vampire for us. We're our first audience, so we've written to appease our wants and needs when it comes to supernatural fiction. But even then, our tastes change and grow and we find ourselves looking for more.
What do you think? What do you want out of vampires, werewolves etc?
This is an interesting topic for me. I've studied the original Victorian era fiction, and I've seen how the genre grew; I've read Dracula, Interview with the Vampire, Twilight and many more. I've read a lot of bad vampire fiction, but I've read some good stuff too.
For me, I think my love with the vampire comes down to immortality - not the sex and blood. How would it be for someone who had lived for centuries? What thoughts would they have? Imagine what they would have seen. Did they meet Ramses? Etc. Then there's the nature... what would a vampire really be like? The drive for blood...is it the same as our hunger for food? Are they civilised or violent?
I once said to
azhure that I think vampire fiction writers sometimes have trouble reading other vampire fiction because we've created the ideal vampire for us. We're our first audience, so we've written to appease our wants and needs when it comes to supernatural fiction. But even then, our tastes change and grow and we find ourselves looking for more. What do you think? What do you want out of vampires, werewolves etc?
Well, I've been a busy bee at work lately. After hours, I even managed to work on my thesis. I downloaded a program called Stellarium and have been playing with that as 'work'. Heaps of fun. It allows me to map out the constellations at any given time at any location. Think I will need to use it for my writing one day...
As for the seekrit project, I have been progressing, although slowly. Had a few projects that I've needed to do, and was finalising The Phantom Queen Awakes so it can make an appearance at the proof readers.
Seekrit project progress:
65635 / 75000 words. 88% done!
As for the seekrit project, I have been progressing, although slowly. Had a few projects that I've needed to do, and was finalising The Phantom Queen Awakes so it can make an appearance at the proof readers.
Seekrit project progress:
Profile
- amandapillar
- amandapillar
Amanda's News
Are you looking for a dark chocolate anthology full of tales about the Morrigan goddess?
The Phantom Queen Awakes will be available for sale in December 2009. It features stories from Elaine Cunningham, CE Murphy, Anya Bast and Katharine Kerr.
Grants Pass, a post apocalyptic anthology, edited by Amanda Pillar and Jennifer Brozek, will feature stories by Cherie Priest, Ed Greenwood and Jay Lake among many other authors.
Purchase your copy here (USA).
"Grants Pass is a remarkable, disturbing, and worthwhile read, and one that is likely to stay with the reader for some time to come."
Voices is available for sale now. You can purchase a copy online or at Fantastic Planet, Perth, and Pulp Fiction Books, Brisbane.
"Every story in Voices is of high quality, and the editors should be commended for their high standards. This is one of the best anthologies of dark fiction to have been released recently, and is highly recommended."
Syndicate
