Monthly Archives: December 2009

Sunday afternoon

Today I have been less than productive … indeed if there was a minus scale of lack of productivity, I would appear on it. I would get a gold star and a koala stamp for laziness.

It’s been disgustingly hot here in Brisneyland, so a lot of the day has been spent on the back deck watching the greenies (those are
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Dear Advertisers of the World

Trying to tell me that the latest range of chicken-derived products at Red Rooster was inspired by the latest Twilight movie is not going to inspire me to go out and buy them. It is going to inspire me to toss my cookies.

That you think anyone is stupid enough to go and buy
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Peter M Ball talks Write-Club

Always interesting to get another perspective on Write-Club – http://www.petermball.com/2009/12/11/awesome-things-about-2009-615-write-club/

Revenge in Action

This is what happens when you (a) let David the IT guy read your writing and (b) give him sass over a sustained period of time :

It’s too good not to share. Thanks, David 🙂

Note: no children were harmed in the making of this scurrilous image.

In which Fantasy Magazine asks me some questions and promises me a jam donut if I answer …

Actually, Molly Tanzer didn’t promise any foodstuffs, she just asked nicely.

What was your inspiration for “The Chrysanthemum Bride?

I read about two men in a remote part of China who had been murdering prostitutes and selling them as brides for afterlife marriage to families who’d lost unmarried sons. The idea was so weird and so grotesque and so strangely juxtaposed in
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And thanks to David for this …

http://clientsfromhell.tumblr.com/post/274945079/and-by-the-way-i-cant-afford-to-pay-you-for

Why, yes, I am having a random sort of a day, thanks for asking!

Thank you , LOLCats

I was thinking just the same thing …

Happiness is …

… cracking the spine of a debut novel and being awed.

I’ve had Kristin Cashore’s Graceling sitting on the shelf for months now … and the voice in my head (okay, one of the voices in my head) kept saying ‘Read the book … read the damned book’. This morning I gave in,
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All I'm Saying Is …

Regarding Aurealis Awards … counting is not my thing … for all intents and purposes, I am inumerate … but I’d like to point out the following:

Number of nominations for works published by indie Twelfth Planet Press: 7
Number of nominations for works published by rather large press Allen & Unwin: 7
Number of nominations for
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Meanwhile, back at the ranch …

Or rather, at the Super-Sekrit Clubhouse, Marshall Payne has a rather good, considered essay on What is a Story?

Sample:
In my recent interview with John Kessel I asked him:

You’ve taught at Clarion many times. Do you see one reoccurring problem that new writers face that seems the most difficult to overcome?

Learning what makes a story different from a collection of paragraphs,
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