Category Archives: Fun Stuff

October 16, 2010 · 9:52 am

Doing the fun stuff…

Much of a writer’s life is spent slogging away over a keyboard, fighting for inspiration and the time to get the story down.  But the last couple of days I’ve been doing the fun stuff. My publisher, Solaris, has asked me to come up with ideas for the covers of the new series called:

The Outcast Chronicles

This means I get to pull out my Resonance File and go through it, putting together a page of visuals for the setting, another one for the way people dress and a couple of pages on the main characters. Then I do a brief background on the series and the characters, and finally I do a page on my vision for the series’ covers.

Eventually, I’ll put together an inspiration page on The Outcast Chronicles, as I did for King Rolen’s Kin. For now, this is my collage of images:

I’m very lucky really.  Most writers don’t get this much input into their covers. Of course, once I hand the Resonance File over, it is in the lap of the publishers and the cover artist. Clint Langley did a wonderful job on the KRK book covers, so I’m hoping for him again.

Meanwhile, there’s a  give away of KRK book one The King’s Bastard on Dave Brendon’s blog.

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October 13, 2010 · 8:26 pm

Retro Serenity

I saw this and being an SF nerd, had to share it. Don’t know who came up with it, but Kudos to them. ‘Glorious Technicolour!’

Love  Firefly, I use it as an example for all sorts of things when I teach – dialogue, world building, interesting shots, etc.

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Filed under Covers, creativity, Fun Stuff, Genre, Movies & TV Shows, The World in all its Absurdity

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October 11, 2010 · 10:48 am

I’ve done it!

I’ve bought something just for me, something completely self indulgent, something beautiful. I’ve never done this before.

I’ve bought Lord Leighton’s Flaming June (1896)

I saw it years ago and loved it. Forgot what it was called, searched catalogues for it and finally rediscovered it. Now I have it hanging on my wall. It is a strange feeling. I get a little thrill every time I look at it.

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October 10, 2010 · 9:17 pm

Why I love people …

I love people because they get so enthusiastic about the things they love. For instance, you’ll be watching a program on gardening and the presenter will happily sink their hands into a pile of manure while saying what wonderful it stuff it is for the garden!

Take a look at this. It is the annual Battle of Hastings re-enactment.

Just think of all the hours of work that go into those costumes, of the weapons practice and the massive organisation that this took. And they do it all for FUN.

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October 7, 2010 · 11:17 am

News from the UK

My  friend Donna (waving madly) is in the UK at the moment on holiday.

Apparently she was wandering through Waterstones in Bath, when she spotted my book with the number 3 best seller tag on it. Being a good friend she took a picture and tweeted the news!

Here I am way over in Australia, wondering if anybody likes my books, hoping they’ll find a good home. I feel very honoured, there’s Joe Abercrombie on one side. Not sure what the other book is. Anyone recognise it from that sliver of cover?

Thanks, Donna!

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October 3, 2010 · 9:51 am

Covers!

Here’s the cover for Marianne’s new YA book Burn Bright. Verrrry cool!

Burn Bright is the first books of marianne’s new YA series.

In Ixion music and party are our only beliefs. Darkness is our comfort. We have few rules but they are absolute . . .

Retra doesn’t want to go to Ixion, the island of ever-night, ever-youth and never-sleep. Retra is a Seal – sealed minds, sealed community. She doesn’t crave parties and pleasure, experience and freedom.

But her brother Joel left for Ixion two years ago, and Retra is determined to find him. Braving the intense pain of her obedience strip to escape the only home she’s ever known, Retra stows away on the barge that will take her to her brother.

When she can’t find Joel, Retra finds herself drawn deeper into the intoxicating world of Ixion. Come to me, whispers a voice in her head. Who are the Ripers, the mysterious guardians of Ixion? What are the Night Creatures Retra can see in the shadows? And what happens to those who grow too old for Ixion?

Retra will find that Ixion has its pleasures, but its secrets are deadly. Will friendship, and the creation of an eternal bond with a Riper, be enough to save her from the darkness?

Listen well, baby bats. Burn bright, but do not stray from the paths. Remember, when you live in a place of darkness you also live with creatures of the dark.

Burn Bright is due to be published early 2011.

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Filed under Australian Writers, Children's Books, Covers, Dark Urban Fantasy, Fun Stuff, Genre, Promoting Friend's Books

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September 30, 2010 · 11:43 pm

Dancers are Different

According to Scientific Blogging (yes, I am a nerd) dancers DNA is different from the general population, even from athletes, who also need high levels of stamina. Here’s the article.

Apparently, dancers have a tendency towards spirituality expressed through movement and the desire to communicate this. My uncle was a ballet a dancer,  which was something of a anomaly in Brisbane in the 1960s so he had to be really driven to dance.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they discover that writers have different slant in their DNA. All creative people are driven to create, otherwise why would they put up with the pain and lack of recognition? We certainly don’t do it for the money. LOL

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September 28, 2010 · 7:21 am

Who wants a little boredom????

Okay, who wants a little boredom?

I’d like there to be days when nothing unexpected happens. No more excitement, no cars breaking down, no hot water systems blowing up and definitely no children being mugged and bashed (he’s OK).

I’d like to be able to get up, do all the stuff that needs to be done to run a large family and meet my obligations, and then have the mental space to let story ideas brew.

I think you need a bit of boredom for creativity to happen. Sure, you input stimulus, you read true-life accounts, read history, listen to people talk etc, but there has to be this quiet time, when it all just simmers away in your brain making connections and suddenly, out of the blue (or gold) there’s this idea that just demands to be written.

So, yeah, I want a little boredom. I think it’s good for creativity. Remember when you were a kid and your summer holiday stretched for ever?

I want that feeling back again.

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September 24, 2010 · 8:58 pm

Fancy becoming a hobbit?

According to BBC New Entertainment & Arts, Peter Jackson is looking for short people to play hobbits in the movie of the same name. (Following on from yesterday’s post ‘hobbit’ is another word created by an author that has made it into the Oxford dictionary).

So if you are a keen on the hobbit or film making, here’s an opportunity to do both. When watching the special features on Lord of the Rings (extended version) the one thing that came through clearly was how dedicated everyone behind the scenes was to getting the film just right. Clearly it was a life changing experience for many and they were sorry when the making of the films was over.

There just aren’t enough opportunities for creative people to work on something great.

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September 23, 2010 · 10:02 pm

You know you’ve made it when …

As a writer, you know you’ve made it  when one of your invented words ends up in the Oxford Dictionary. eg.

(Photo from Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition)

Here’s the Oxford Dictionary definitnon of Steampunk (See here for the origin of the word)

My definition of Steampunk – A reason to wear really cool costumes and celebrate intricate and elegant machinery from a time when things were not designed to wear out in 2 years to force you to buy the next model.

See my article on the Allure of Steampunk here.

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