Category Archives: Awards

February 21, 2019 · 11:07 pm

Aurealis Short List Whoot!

It’s that time of year again, when the Aurealis Short List is announced. This is a peer judged award that is held annually.  Having been involved in running the awards in the past I know how much work is involved by dedicated people, so I’m sending out a big thank you to the AA team.

Well done, everyone on the short list. Writers tend to be solitary beings and they don’t get the immediate feedback that musicians or other creative people get, so it is a buzz to be be short listed by your peers for an award.

And also, a big congratulations to my fellow ROR writers, Margo Langan and Tansy Rayner Roberts who both have one or more of their works listed for an award. Both Tansy and Margo do a lot for the writing community.

Support Aussie Spec Fic authors and pick up one of their books today.

 

 

 

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March 25, 2016 · 11:37 pm

Major Squee

Legends 2, where 'The Giant's Lady' appears, and the actual Aurealis Award for best fantasy short story

Legends 2, where ‘The Giant’s Lady’ appears, and the actual Aurealis Award for best fantasy short story

 

When I heard in February that my work had been shortlisted for two Aurealis Awards I was both delighted and surprised. In Australia the Aurealis Awards are our Big Thing.

 

Here are the short listed stories for the fantasy section:

BEST FANTASY SHORT STORY

“The Giant’s Lady”, Rowena Cory Daniells (Legends 2, Newcon Press)

“The Jellyfish Collector”, Michelle Goldsmith (Review of Australian Fiction Vol. 13 Issue 6)

“A Shot of Salt Water”, Lisa L Hannett (The Dark, TDM Press)

“Almost Days”, DK Mok (Insert Title Here, FableCroft Publishing)

“Blueblood”, Faith Mudge (Hear Me Roar, Ticonderoga Publications)

“Husk and Sheaf”, Suzanne Willis (SQ Mag 22, IFWG Publishing Australia)

 

And here is my KRK series rubbing shoulders with some of the best in the field.

SARA DOUGLASS BOOK SERIES AWARD

The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin [The King’s Bastard (2010), The Uncrowned King (2010),The Usurper (2010), The King’s Man (2012), King Breaker (2013)], Rowena Cory Daniells (Solaris Press)

The Watergivers [The Last Stormlord (2009), Stormlord Rising (2010), Stormlord’s Exile(2011)], Glenda Larke (HarperVoyager)

The Lumatere Chronicles [Finnikin of the Rock (2008), Froi of the Exiles (2011), Quintana of Charyn (2012)], Melina Marchetta (Penguin Random House)

Sevenwaters [Daughter of the Forest (2000), Son of the Shadows (2001), Child of the Prophecy(2002), Heir to Sevenwaters (2009), Seer of Sevenwaters (2011), Flame of Sevenwaters (2013)], Juliet Marillier (Pan Macmillan Australia)

The Laws of Magic [Blaze Of Glory (2007), Heart Of Gold (2007), Word Of Honour (2008),  Time Of Trial (2009), Moment Of Truth (2010), Hour Of Need (2011)], Michael Pryor (Random House Australia)

Creature Court [Power and Majesty (2010), Shattered City (2011), Reign of Beasts (2012)], Tansy Rayner Roberts (HarperVoyager)

 

Being shortlisted ‘made my day’.

Then, when Marianne and I were asked to co-host the awards I was both touched and honoured.  I figured I hadn’t won either award and this didn’t surprise me, not with such a strong field. Co-hosting the awards was a chance to ‘glam up’ for an evening and catch up with the friends I only see once a year. (Or in this case I haven’t been out in the ‘real world’  for over two years).

Here I am doing my Marilyn imitation (as a mother of six my life is not at all glamorous)

Here I am doing my Marilyn imitation (as a mother of six my life is not at all glamorous)

 

When I track down from photos (my camera has died) I’m going to do a separate post about the awards ceremony and the fun we had. But right now I’d like to say the things I didn’t say when I was so gobsmacked by winning the award.

I’d like to thank the team who organise the award for all their hard work. There was 55 entries (over 200 books) in the Inaugural Sara Douglas Fantasy Series Award and over 100 short stories in the fantasy section. I’d also like to thank Ian Whates for inviting me to submit to Legends 2, Stories in honour of David Gemmell. 

 

 

The full list of Aurealis winners is below. Many of these people are my friends and I am delighted for them. Others are up and coming writers and I wish them all the best with their careers. It is an honour to be included in such a talented group.

 

The Winners of the 2015 Aurealis Awards

 

By ventureadlaxre on

aurealis2016

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2015 Aurealis Awards!

BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION

A Single Stone, Meg McKinlay (Walker Books Australia) 

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL / ILLUSTRATED WORK

The Singing Bones, Shaun Tan (Allen & Unwin)

BEST YOUNG ADULT SHORT STORY

“The Miseducation of Mara Lys”, Deborah Kalin (Cherry Crow Children, Twelfth Planet Press)

BEST HORROR SHORT STORY

“Bullets”, Joanne Anderton (In Sunshine Bright and Darkness Deep, AHWA)

BEST HORROR NOVELLA

“The Miseducation of Mara Lys”, Deborah Kalin (Cherry Crow Children, Twelfth Planet Press)

BEST FANTASY SHORT STORY

“The Giant’s Lady”, Rowena Cory Daniells (Legends 2, Newcon Press)

BEST FANTASY NOVELLA

“Defy the Grey Kings”, Jason Fischer (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Firkin Press)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORY

“All the Wrong Places”, Sean Williams (Meeting Infinity, Solaris)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVELLA

“By Frogsled and Lizardback to Outcast Venusian Lepers”, Garth Nix (Old Venus, Random House)

BEST COLLECTION

To Hold the Bridge, Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

Bloodlines, Amanda Pillar (ed.) (Ticonderoga Publications)

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

In The Skin of a Monster, Kathryn Barker (Allen & Unwin)

BEST HORROR NOVEL

Day Boy,Trent Jamieson (Text Publishing)

BEST FANTASY NOVEL

Day Boy,Trent Jamieson (Text Publishing)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

Illuminae, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Allen & Unwin)

SARA DOUGLASS BOOK SERIES AWARD

The Watergivers [The Last Stormlord (2009), Stormlord Rising (2010), Stormlord’s Exile(2011)], Glenda Larke (HarperVoyager)

THE CONVENORS’ AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

Letters to Tiptree, Alexandra Pierce and Alisa Krasnostein (Twelfth Planet Press)

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March 24, 2016 · 9:07 am

Squee

Only one sleep until the Aurealis Awards. And there’s an added reason to frock up. Marianne and I are going to be EMCeeing the awards.

This is a particular thrill for us as it is the 21st Aurealis Awards  night and the 20th anniversary of the Vision Writers group. 20 years ago Marianne and I escaped our families on Father’s Day (we have very patient husbands) and met at the very first Vision Writers group meeting.

After discovering that we had 9 children between us and that were both eager to pursue our dream of becoming published authors we buddy-ied up, going to workshops and events together.

 

Here we are hanging out at Melbourne Convention

Here we are hanging out at a Melbourne Convention

There were many times we were all set to go to Brisbane Writers Festival event then one of us would have to cancel because of a sick child.

Here we are at a Supanova event

Here we are at a Supanova event

Through the ups and downs of writing, getting rejected, writing some more, finding an agent and getting published we supported each other. Twenty years later, dozens of books and with our kids all in their twenties now, we have become the ‘establishment’ LOL.

Honestly, it is an honour to be asked to EMC the awards.

If you’re in Brisbane and you’d like to come to the Aurealis Awards tickets are available here.

And the national SF convention CONTACT is on in BrisVegas over the Easter weekend. You can find out more about CONTACT here. This is the place to be if you are interested in the genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror this weekend.

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February 17, 2016 · 11:53 pm

Whoot Aurealis Award Shortlist

Had some lovely news yesterday. I heard from the Aurealis Awards organisers. Drum roll…

My story, The Giant’s Lady, that appeared in Legends 2, edited by Ian Whates, is a finalist in the Fantasy Short Story section. A big thank you to Ian for inviting me to submit to this anthology in honour of David Gemmell.

GEMMELL+COVER2d (2)

And, another drum roll…

My series, The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin, is a finalist in the Inaugural Sara Douglas Fantasy Series Award. This award was named after Sara Douglas who sadly passed away from cancer. There were 55 series entered in this section so I am really honoured to find my work in the shortlist with these wonderful authors.

72DPI_RGB_RCD_KingsMan

A big thank you to the team of hard working volunteers who make the Aurealis Awards possible.

And congratulations to everyone on the shortlist. The full list can be found here.

 

 

 

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October 13, 2014 · 7:08 am

Feeling Chuffed!

I’ve been sitting on a secret for a couple of weeks now, since I was delighted to learn one of my stories had been selected for Australian Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2013.  Had to wait for the official announcement, before I could let anyone know.

The years best anthologies are produced by Ticonderoga Press, edited by Liz Gryb and Tallie Helene, with an absolutely gorgeous cover. Kudos guys.


years-best-fantasy-and-horror-v4-web

 

Congratulations to everyone selected for the anthology. Waves to my friends and colleagues.

Lee Battersby, “Disciple of the Torrent”, Tales of Australia: Great Southern Land
Deborah Biancotti, “All the Lost Ones”, Exotic Gothic 5 Vol I
Trudi Canavan, “Camp Follower”, Fearsome Journeys
Robert Cook, “Glasskin”, Review of Australian Fiction Vol 5 #6
Rowena Cory Daniells, “The Ways of the Wyrding Women”, One Small Step
Terry Dowling, “The Sleepover”, Exotic Gothic 5 Vol II
Thoraiya Dyer, “After Hours”, Asymmetry
Marion Halligan, “A Castle in Toorak”, Griffith Review #42
Dmetri Kakmi, “The Boy by the Gate”, The New Gothic
David Kernot, “Harry’s Dead Poodle”, Cover of Darkness Magazine
Margo Lanagan, “Black Swan Event”, Griffith Review #42
S. G. Larner, “Poppies”, Aurealis #65
Martin Livings, “La Mort d’un Roturer”, This is How You Die
Kirstyn McDermott, “Caution: Contains Small Parts”, Caution: Contains Small Parts
Claire McKenna, “The Ninety Two”, Next
C.S. McMullen, “The Nest”, Nightmare Magazine
Juliet Marillier, “By Bone-Light “, Prickle Moon
David Thomas Moore, “Old Souls”, The Book of the Dead
Faith Mudge, “The Oblivion Box”, Dreaming of Djinn
Ryan O’Neill, “Sticks and Stones”, The Great Unknown
Angela Rega, “Almost Beautiful”, Next
Tansy Rayner Roberts, “The Raven and Her Victory”, Where Thy Dark Eye Glances: Queering Edgar Allan Poe
Nicky Rowlands, “On the Wall”, Next
Carol Ryles, “The Silence of Clockwork”, Conflux 9 Convention Programme
Angela Slatter, “Flight”, Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales
Anna Tambour, “Bowfin Island”, Caledonian Dreamin’
Kaaron Warren, “Born and Bread”, Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales
Janeen Webb, “Hell is Where the Heart is”, Next

The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror 2013 is scheduled for publication in late-November 2014 and can be pre-ordered at indiebooksonline.com. The anthology will be available in hardcover, ebook and trade editions.

At over 10,000 words, I didn’t think The Ways Wyrding Women would ever be published. It was too long for a short story and would take up too much room in an anthology. But Tehani Wessley of Fablecroft Press published it in One Small Step, the anthology which won an Aurealis Award and now it has been selected for  The Year’s Best Australian Australian Fantasy and Horror. So thank you, Tehani!

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April 6, 2014 · 8:20 am

2013 Aurealis Award Winners Announced

Congratulations to the Aurealis Award winners for 2013:

2013 Aurealis Award winners

The Aurealis Awards were held at University House, ANU on Saturday April 5, 2014. Congratulations to the winners:

BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK

The Four Seasons of Lucy McKenzie
Kirsty Murray

BEST YOUNG ADULT SHORT FICTION

By Bone-light
Juliet Marillier

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL (Tie)

These Broken Stars
Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

&

Fairytales for Wilde Girls
Allyse Near

BEST ANTHOLOGY (Tie)

The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror 2012
Liz Grzyb & Talie Helene

&

One Small Step, An Anthology Of Discoveries
Tehani Wessely

BEST COLLECTION
The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories
Joanne Anderton

BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK OR GRAPHIC NOVEL (Tie)

Burger Force
Jackie Ryan

&

The Deep Vol. 2: The Vanishing Island
Tom Taylor & James Brouwer

BEST HORROR SHORT FICTION

The Year of Ancient Ghosts
Kim Wilkins

BEST HORROR NOVEL

Fairytales for Wilde Girls
Allyse Near

BEST FANTASY SHORT FICTION

The Last Stormdancer
Jay Kristoff

BEST FANTASY NOVEL

A Crucible of Souls
Mitchell Hogan

BEST SCIENCE FICTION SHORT FICTION

Air, Water and the Grove
Kaaron Warren

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

Lexicon
Max Barry

THE PETER MCNAMARA CONVENORS’ AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

Jonathan Strahan

KRIS HEMBURY ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD

Tristan Savage

The full list of finalists are here: Finalists announced.

Questions can be directed to the 2013 Awards convenor: Nicole Murphy

Conflux: Hosts of the Aurealis Awards 2013

 

And a special congratulations to Tehani Wessley, editor and publisher at Fablecroft Publishing.  Her One Small Step Anthology was co-winner of the anthology section. This gives me a buzz because I have a story in it. Well done to Tehani for selecting such a strong collection of stories.

OneSmallStepCoverdraft

All the best to the winners and the finalists of the 2013 Aurealis Awards.

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September 22, 2013 · 10:35 pm

Besieged on the Short List for the Ravenheart Award

I only discovered this because I saw the Helen Lowe (who I interviewed here when she won the Morning Star Award with her first book) was on the short list for the Gemmell Award with her new book The Gathering of the Lost. Congratulations, Helen!

Then I thought I’d drop by the Ravenheart Award page to see which covers had made it to the short list and to my delight Clint Langley’s wonderful cover of Besieged is on the short list!

Congratulations Clint and kudos to Solaris for appointing Clint to do the covers.

BESEIGED MOCKUP

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September 2, 2013 · 2:54 am

Hugo Nominations for Friends!

UPDATE:

Turns out, Tansy has WON A HUGO!!!!

Best Fan Writer

  • Tansy Rayner Roberts
  • Steven H Silver
  • Christopher J. Garcia
  • Mark Oshiro
  • James Bacon

See here for all the Hugo winners!

 

It’s always nice to Australians doing well out in the big wide world. And here we have several Hugo nominations for fellow Aussies. There’s two in the podcast section, Coode Street and Galactic Suburbia. I interviewed Tansy, Alisa and Alexandra about Galactic Suburbia here when their podcasts were nominated for a Hugo last year.

 

Best Fancast (346 nominating ballots cast)

  • The Coode Street Podcast, Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
  • Galactic Suburbia Podcast, Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts (Presenters) and Andrew Finch (Producer)
  • SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester, John DeNardo, and JP Frantz
  • SF Squeecast, Elizabeth Bear, Paul Cornell, Seanan McGuire, Lynne M. Thomas, Catherynne M. Valente (Presenters) and David McHone-Chase (Technical Producer)
  • StarShipSofa, Tony C. Smith

And both Tansy and Jonathan have individual nominations as well! Congratulations and best of luck to everyone.

Best Fan Writer (485 nominating ballots cast)

  • James Bacon
  • Christopher J. Garcia
  • Mark Oshiro
  • Tansy Rayner Roberts
  • Steven H Silver

Best Editor, Short Form (526 nominating ballots cast)

  • John Joseph Adams
  • Neil Clarke
  • Stanley Schmidt
  • Jonathan Strahan
  • Sheila Williams

Apologies to any Aussies I might have missed on the Hugo short lists.

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August 29, 2013 · 8:04 pm

Fingers crossed for Rick Kennett!

About ten years ago I ran a series of national mentoring workshops (EnVision) for aspiring speculative fiction writers. (Four published authors read a pod of 5 -6  writers’ books before the workshop, wrote up a report, then mentored them at the workshop while they rewrote. We found the aspiring writers came on in leaps and bounds under this one-on-one intensive development. EnVision was a Fantastic Queensland initiative, meaning I was on the management committee and put my hand up to run it).

One of the attendees was Rick Kennett. Not that Rick wasn’t already a brilliant writer of many years experience with a long list of publications behind him. Rick had a love of writing and the thought of hiding away somewhere for a week with a fellow writer who would read his book and give him feedback while he did rewrites was too good to refuse. (Frankly, I’d love to run away to write with feedback from a simpatico fellow writer). I’d heard of Rick of course but is a bit of a quiet achiever, living on the edge of the spec fic social scene here in Australia. So it was a joy to read his book and we’ve kept in touch ever since.

Now Rick is on the short list for not one but two Parsec Awards! The winners will be announced at Dragon Con.  What are the Parsec Awards, I hear you say?

The Parsec Awards were established in 2006 to celebrate Speculative Fiction Podcasting. ‘Podcast shows are nominated by fans, and finalists are chosen by a yearly steering committee. Those finalists are then voted on by an independent panel of judges from outside of podcasting. Awards are given in several categories ranging from content to audio quality.’

Here are the two podcasts.

cydonia_feat

Now Cydonia by Rick Kennett (from Cast of Wonders)

Utopia Plain

“The Road To Utopia Plain” by Rick Kennett (The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine)

Congratulations to Rick and I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed!

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August 27, 2013 · 5:43 am

Whoohoo for Narrelle!

It always give me a buzz to see a friend’s book doing well so I was particularly pleased to see Walking Shadows on the shortlist for the Davitt Award!

WS for SN

 

Nice cover, did I hear you say? Why thank you, Daryl did it.

 

And I was doubly pleased because Narrelle’s book was released by ClanDestine Press, my Indie Australian crime publisher. Narrelle is tickled pink but she’s currently in Canada with her travel writer partner so she can’t race back for the Gala Awards Dinner.  I imagine Lindy Cameron, her editor, will be sitting at a table, fingers crossed, hoping she will have to accept on Narrelle’s behalf.

I interviewed Narrelle here about her writing life and creativity. She has a very dry sense of humour and a wonderful turn of phrase, which comes through in her books about ‘Gary, the daggy vampire‘.

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