Category Archives: Covers

Bonza Day (as we say here in Australia)

I came home from the shops (which is a bit of a trek now that I live in the wilds of Tasmania) to find a note in my letter box saying there were parcels to pick up from the post office. I thought it would be the possum trap we’ve ordered.

Here I digress…

Over winter the possums have eaten the bark of several of the fruit trees and then they ate two little azaleas that I planted. I thought azaleas would be safe since they haven’t eaten others. I was wrong. So it wasn’t the possum trap (in case you are worried, we intend to drive down to the river which is part of a national park and let the possum go so it will be a pig in mud, rather than making a pig of itself in our garden).

The parcels were… drum roll … my copies of Solaris Classic KRK, All FOUR books.  I was expecting book one but I should have realised Solaris would send all four books since they were being printed together, so they could be released a month apart.

The updated covers look terrific. Here they are on the kitchen table. Kudos to Clint Langley for the wonderful artwork.

krkr_4_frontcovers

You’ll notice on book two there’s a sticker letting people know that Garzik’s novella, The King’s Man, is included at the end of book two. Great news, for all those readers who contacted me wanting to buy a print version.

And then I turned the books over and discovered the layout artist had done something really clever. Ta Da!

krk_all4_backcovers

They’ve used silhouettes from the front covers. Very graphic, very nice. So kudos to the graphic designer at Solaris for this!

And now I’m all set up to do the GoodReads giveaway for book one which starts on the 24th of September and runs until the 30th of November. (Will see if I can add a link to the giveaway when it goes live). Must get to work on all the blog posts I promised as well.

See here where the Fantastical Librarian interviewed me. Thanks to the lovely Mieneke.

 

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Filed under Australian Writers, Book Giveaway, Cover Goodness, Covers, Fantasy books, Female Fantasy Authors, Fun Stuff, Inspiring Art

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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Filed under Australian Writers, Awards, Covers, Fantasy books, Horror, Publishing Industry

Fall of Fair Isle cover squee

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Solaris have sent me the Fall of Fair Isle cover, artwork by Clint Langley. (Release date: March 2015) This is an omnibus reprint of my original trilogy, which was published 1999 – 2003.

FINAL_THE FALL OF FAIR ISLE

 

This trilogy is set 600 years after The Outcast Chronicles:

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And tells the story of Imoshen, named after Imoshen the First of Fair Isle. When her island is conquered she must find a common ground with the invading Ghebite general, Tulkhan, to save her people from oppression. To add to her troubles, her betrothed who she believed dead, has survived. Like Imoshen, Reothe is a throwback to the original T’En and he is determined to win back his island home and the woman he loves.

The story is both intimate and epic. Unlike many books The Fall of Fair Isle starts after the great battle and follows Imoshen’s struggles as she maneuvers to preserve the peace without compromising her ideals.

For a long time it was hard to get copies of book three of the trilogy, now thanks to Solaris it will be released with a brand new cover that captures the intrinsic conflict, one woman’s battle to preserve her people’s way of life.

 

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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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King Breaker Arrives!

It’s been a crazy busy year with ups and downs but here it is at last, book four of King Rolen’s kin, King Breaker, looking very cool, thanks to Clint Langley!

KB_ArrivesAs Bernard from Black Books says, ‘You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. It’ll change your life.’ (You’ll have to imagine the Irish accent).

But seriously, big sigh of relief.

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Kudos to Clint!

Very excited for Clint Langley. His beautiful cover for Besieged is on the Ravenheart, Gemmel short list!

BESEIGED MOCKUP

 

Congratulations to everyone on the shortlist!

 

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Cover Squeee!

Last weekend I was at the National SF Conference, Conflux, on a panel about covers. Today I discover Solaris have revealed the new KRK4 cover. Tada…

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With Piro in centre (she must be standing on a box) and Byren and Fyn in the background, Clint Langley has once again done a brilliant job. Thank you Clint and thank you Solaris!

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Filed under Conferences and Conventions, Conventions, Covers, Fantasy books, Female Fantasy Authors, Fun Stuff, Publishing Industry

Off to the National SF Con

This weekend the national Spec Fic convention, Conflux, is being held in Canberra. It’s a fun-filled long weekend for fans of the genre, where you get to talk about the genre you love with other people who share your passion. There will be a packed program with workshops, panels and events,  (see Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday here). Here is but a brief glimpse of the things on offer.

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Thursday, Richard Harland will be there with bells on running a Writing Steam punk workshop from midday until three. Richard’s had a wonderful time in France recently, promoting his Worldshaker series. As you can see, he gets right into the steam punk era.

Richard_tophat

 

At 4pm there will be a Steam Punk High Tea. What could be more delicious? And then there’s the Opening Cocktail party at 7:45pm.

Friday, 11 am Fablecroft Press will be launching One Small Step (Go Tehani). (One of my stories is in this anthology). Unfortunately, I have to work on Friday so I won’t be able to make the launch.  I’ll fly down late Friday night and stagger into my hotel room.

OneSmallStepCoverdraft

At 2:30pm there’s a Guest of Honour interview with Marc Casgione, Publishing Director of Angry Robots. (more on the GoHs down below.

And you can’t miss the Regency Gothic Banquet  starting 7pm.

Celosia Lace Fingerless Gloves - Black Deep Red Metallic Embroidered Floral - Gothic Vampire Regency Tribal Bellydance Goth Fetish Mourning

 

Gorgeous gloves from this site.

 

 

On Saturday morning I’ll be running a workshop preparing lucky authors who will pitch their books to Marc Gasciogne later the same day.

At 2:30pm there will be a Guest of Honour interview with Naolo Hopkins, writer of challenging SF.

And at 5pm the Ditmar Award Winners will be announced, along with the winner of the Hemming Award.

8pm, the attendees will let their hair down at the Junkyard Cathedral Masquerade.

 

 

Sunday there will be a panel on Book Covers, which I’ve been prepping for. And I’m sure there will be a fierce debate of the possibility of a female Dr Who at 12:30pm. (I saw plenty of female Dr Whos at Supanova).

 

Is the World ready for a Female Dr Who? by Vinne Bartilucci

 

See here for a full list of workshops, events and pitching opportunities.

 

The Guests of Honour are:

Naolo Hopkins from the other side of the Pacific. She is the author of four novels and a short story collection (Brown Girl in the Ring, Midnight Robber, The Salt Roads, The New Moon’s Arms, Skin Folk).

Marc Gasciogne, Publishing Director of Angry Robot, UK. See an interview with Marc here at Bibliophile Stalker. Marc will he hearing the pitching session . (I’ll be running a workshop on pitching to help the writers prepare).

From Australia, we have Karen Miller, author of more fantasy books than you can shake a stick at.

Fan guest of honour is Rose Mitchell, long time fan and power-house behind many conventions including  World Cons.

And special guest, Kaaron Warren, writer of challenging macabre stories and novels.

 

A great time will be had by all, four days of programming is a big task to organise. See my interview with Donna and Nicole.

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The Eagle Has Landed!

My copies of Beseiged have arrived!

Why is it that books only seem real when you hold them in your hand? Besieged is bigger than I expected. The cover looks lovely. Solaris have done something with the figure on the front so that it is shiny on a matt background.

Here are the books on the kitchen bench, leaning up against the retro toaster and kettle, the kids bought me for my birthday.  The ‘ghost who walks’ is Monie. He’s part Russian blue and and likes to inspect things. Just as I took the picture he heard a noise by the door.

And here are the books on my office shelf with King Rolen’s Kin. But I think I’ll move them down a row,when I get the other two Outcast Chronicle books, so I can put all three books in a line.

That’s my news for today. Now I have to package up the books to send off to reviewers and people who have won give-away competitions. In no time at all they’ll be gone – hopefully to people who will enjoy them!

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Filed under Australian Writers, Covers, Fantasy books, Female Fantasy Authors, Nourish the Writer, Promoting your Book

Besieged has been released into the wild…

Solaris sent me my author copies weeks ago, but I think the books must have been left on the docks in London, or maybe they’re taking the scenic route to Australia. Everyone but me seems to have copies.

First Pulp Fiction the Brisbane specialist bookstore sent me this photo to prove they had my book in stock.

Then Tehani Wesley sent me this photo to prove she had a copy and she’s in Western Australia!

Still waiting for my copies…

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