Dangers Untold and Hardships Unnumbered

I'm on Facebook

2012-01-29T13:42:00.001+11:00

Yep, you can totally li ke me on Facebook now. Go on, click the link. You know you want to. I'll be posting bits of writing advice and updates on the LHARMELL books. I'll even be doing the cover reveal of BLOOD STORM there. Why would you not go hit like?

Reluctant Christian Melinda Tankard Reist's attempt to muzzle debate on the internet

2012-01-19T13:23:00.002+11:00

Australian conservative "feminist" activist Melinda Tankard Reist has instigated legal action against blogger Dr Jennifer Wilson at No Place For Sheep for bringing people's attention to Reist's religious beliefs and how they influence her political views. It seems Reist would rather people not know she's a Christian, and/or is using the action and subsequent outrage for publicity purposes.

Reist believes in protecting women from abortion, pornography and sexualised images. Funny, I thought we had minds of our own.

There is a particularly good opinion piece by Jill Singer about Reist's reluctance to address her religious beliefs in the Herald Sun:

Tankard Reist appears to be worried her public campaigns to "protect" women will be seen as motivated by religious fervour instead of evidence and reason. Instead of paying lawyers to try to silence Dr Wilson, she would be better off addressing this issue and answering her critics.

Otherwise she risks painting herself as a reluctant Christian - and willing bully.

Sign the petition if you disagree with Reist trying to muzzle debate on the internet and side-stepping questions about her religious beliefs. Relevant posts/articles at the bottom of the petition.

Couch monstering

2012-01-17T21:27:00.002+11:00

couch monstering (verb): to exhibit the behaviour of a couch monster; in particular to sit, lie or sprawl on a couch in a post-artistic daze.

This was the birthday card I was given by my brother and his girlfriend. For those just joining us, I live with them in a lovely house in Melbourne. We have a cat, Tivali, who is The Only Cat in the World. (She may be rudely disabused of the notion soon. We're thinking of adopting cat #2.)

The message inside:

We see you like this so often, dreaming up stories on the couch. So we thought it would be most apt as it also reflects the worlds you see. Happy birthday.

I am a couch monster. I wish I looked as pretty as this girl while I was monstering. With butterflies shooting out the ends of my hair. I could do without the wormy tail though. It's very Lharmellin don'tcha think?

"Post-artistic daze" is highly interpretable. Hangovers count. For us artsy types in Melbourne it's practically mandatory to sit in a little laneway bar feeling equal parts fabulous and misunderstood. Till 4am. With espresso martinis. Then stumble in and be greeted by a sleepy-eyed cat who hopes you might drop your beans on toast/pizza/half-eaten Hungry Jacks on the floor. (Has totally happened. She's a lucky cat.)

What is one to do the next day except cleave oneself to the couch with a bottle of diet tonic water, said cat, and a book/audio book/a billion eps of something funny/dramatic/suitably vapid? Or a Ryan Gosling movie. Oh lord. *fans self* (Is Ryan Gosling cuter than a puppy? I lie awake at night wondering this. What about a room full of puppies? What if Ryan Gosling was dressed AS a puppy?)

Post-artistic daze could mean post-date. Oh god, dating is the work of Satan. I am not in the Satanic phase right now thank goodness. I'm in the Lord You're Cute, Do You Want To Spend Every Weekend Together? phase. Which is about elebenty billion times more awesome than dating.

It could also mean post-oh-frack-I-hurt-all-over. (Perhaps from writers' back.) Right now I hurt all over, but it's because I beat myself up at the gym twice this week. (I nearly fell off my stationary bike watching the clip to LMFAO's "I'm Sexy and I Know It" <------- CANNOT BE UNSEEN.) Twice at the gym this week. I'm practically Jane Fonda.

It could also mean post-event, or post-publication, or even (oh happy days) post-I-just-wrote-three-thousand-words-and-my-brain-giveth-out.

But SOMETIMES. Just SOMETIMES. I am actually dreaming up stories. And the best place for that is the couch. Writers apparently like to be alone, but I don't. Maybe it's feng shui. Maybe it's the extra stimulation. But I don't like to be hidden away when I work. Or couch monster.

Writers' arse? Try writers' back.

2012-01-13T11:36:00.002+11:00

Voltaran. Ibuprofen. Muscle relaxants. Sling. Temazepan. Panadeine Forte. Ultrasounds. Ice. Naproxen. Cortisone injections. Anti-inflammatory gel. Tiger balm. Kenesio taping. Physiotherapy. Sports medicine. X-rays. Remedial massage. Chiropractor. Pilates. Massage.

These are all the treatments and medications I've used since I screwed up my shoulder in Greece last July. The technical term (though I like "screwed") is bursitis, which is a type of rotator cuff injury. It was due to bad posture exacerbated by dragging a suitcases on and off Greek islands.

It hurt a frackload. I cried in hotel rooms, alone. It was pathetic. I ignored "one to two tablets every four hours; do not exceed more than 6 in 24 hours" instructions on inadequate over-the-counter-medications. I could not lie flat on my back.

There were a few funny moments. Like when I accidentally took a muscle relaxant (from the ER on Crete; at last some real drugs), a sleeping tablet and painkiller all at once one night. Visions of Heath Ledger and Marylin Monroe flashed through my head, along with the headline, "Soon-To-Be YA Novelist Dies Alone in Hotel Room of Presecription Drug Cocktail Overdose". I made myself a coffee and watched Greek news till I thought I was out of choking on my own vomit territory.

I had to sprint for the plane in Athens, and a thong [flip-flop] broke. The crappiest underwear ever threatened to fall down, and I couldn't pull them up with only one arm (busted one in a sling) and still hold onto my carry-on. I must have looked a total DINGBAT running through Athens airport barefoot and stopping every few metres to yank my knickers up. Would that I had worn shorts.

Somewhere over the Pacific my feet and ankles swell up to nearly twice their normal size. At this stage I haven't laid down flat on my back for a week and a half. Sleep happens in armchairs, air plane or ferry seats. Lymph drainage has all but ceased.

When I return home I see my GP, who takes me off the muscle relaxants and put me on Panadeine Forte. Two things: 1. Codeine, and 2. Wheeeeeeeeee. If you've had your wisdom teeth out you'll know what I mean. He also sends me for an ultrasound. The radiographer can find nothing wrong. The GP can find nothing wrong. More tears, and insistence that I'm not faking. Two weeks without having slept lying down.

A sports medicine doctor looks at my scans, takes me off everything except Epic Dose Voltaran and shoots me full of cortisone. (Literally. Straight into the shoulder, front and back. Motherfracking OW.) Third week of sleeping sitting up.

A week later I start remedial massage. I want to punch my physio in the face. She's incredibly sweet and apologetic. I hate her. I have the dubious pleasure of having one of the worst arms she's ever seen. All the muscles have either freezed up and feel like steel cables, or have shut down and withered to nothing. There's a hole where my trapezoid should be.

Finally, after a month of sleep in armchairs, I can lie down in a bed again. Much sleeping ensues.

I have gained back a lot of strength in my left arm. I can now lift a full bottle of red wine with my left hand and pour myself a glass. THANK GOD. IT'S THE IMPORTANT THINGS YOU MISS. My chiro has been fantastic. The x-rays were eye opening. My spine bends and curves in all these strange ways, probably due to being quite tall, growing fast as a teenager and a lot of waitressing in my early 20s.

I spend all my day at work at a computer, and a lot of my time at home on one too. All my energy is directed forward (at the keyboard) and my back is very weak. I slouch. I have uneven posture. My core "isn't engaged". It's getting better, but it's bloody hard to remember to work and tell your muscles how to behave all at once. I would also rather go home and write rather than go to pilates.

TL;DR?

SIT THE FRACK UP. UNCROSS THOSE LEGS. GO TO PILATES. SHOULDERS BACK. SUCK IN THAT GUT.

OR YOU WILL BE IN A WORLD OF PAIN.

Defunding Planned Parenthood and the attack on women's health

2012-01-11T09:07:00.000+11:00

When I read things like this (via someone's tweet--I love Twitter for that, everyone posts the most amazing things) I can't help feel angry and scared all at once: Birthright: The Politics of Planned Parenthood.

This is in the States, of course, and we have our own system here in Australia. First of all, I'm pro-choice. This doesn't mean I'm a fan of abortions. No one likes abortions. But they are necessary part protecting women's biological rights.

Planned Parenthood doesn't just perform abortions. They deal with the whole spectrum of women's sexual health, and often for America's poorest women who couldn't afford treatment otherwise. So when Republican candidates are vowing to defund Planned Parenthood, I can't help but feel disgusted.

And every time women's health rights are attacked in America, I can't help but feel worried for Australia. Especially with an opposition leader like Tony Abbott waiting in the wings. Tony Abbott, whose idea of abortion law reform is offer the alternative of counselling via church groups. Could he be more out of touch with most young women?

As always, when I get annoyed, I want to write fiction about it. Last night I pulled out my feminist piece that I started in 2009, begun just before Blood Song and have been mulling over ever since. I reworked the beginning, added a few things ... Oh dear, looks like there are now four books I need to finish this year.

Addition: While writing this, Isaac Marion (author of the amazing zombie novel Warm Bodies) tweeted this article, Teddy bears passed out to Ohio senators. The bears supposedly have the heartbeat of an 18-week-old foetus, and are meant to convince senators to pass a bill that makes it illegal to perform an abortion of a foetal heartbeat is detected. Even if the mother's life is in danger.

Things I'm looking forward to in 2012: writing and otherwise

2012-01-04T11:59:00.003+11:00

The release of Blood Storm in August
I can't wait for this! The editing (about to start), the cover (not begun yet, but I have an idea of what it's going to have on it!) the actual release ... It's going to be awesome. I HOPE YOU ALL LOVE IT.

Finishing three books
THAT'S RIGHT I'M GOING TO FINISH THREE BOOKS THIS YEAR. I've started them all and I know how they all finish. So now just to get them out of my head and onto the page. They are: Blood Queen (12K in people, and it's lookin' good so far. This one takes priority of course), a standalone UF set in Melbs (30K or so done. I heart the characters so much. I am just having a leeeeetle trouble seeing the climax. I know what should happen but not WHERE. I began this book in 2009. Time to bloody finish it, eh?), and the standalone scifi I began at the beginning of 2011 (30-ish-K done ... I can't remember exactly. That's bad right?? Whatevs. I love this book. Multi character view points. Stuff that makes me angry. Stuff that's hot. Stuff that makes me cry. It's going to rock.

I don't mind too much if neither of the standalones sell (but that is, of course, the intention), I just need to finish them. And then I will be WORKING ON COMPLICATED FANTASY WORLD IN WHICH TO SET SERIES AS WELL AS STANDALONES THAT MIGHT BE CAREER DEFINING. "Oh, you know Rhiannon Hart, right?" "She's the one who wrote the blah-blah books, yeah?" "YEAH. Don't they rock?" Which is like, uber exciting. And is one of the things I'm looking forward to REALLY starting in 2013. Over the next year it will be PERCOLATING.

Dressing properly this winter
Winter always sneaks the hell up on me and I'm not ready for it and I find myself wearing the same stupid acrylic jumpers that I've been wearing since uni. And I can't be arsed shopping because it's so cold and dark and there are couches and books at home. BUT THIS YEAR I WILL SHOP IN AUTUMN. THERE. I SAID IT. MAKE IT SO.

Learning to shoot a bow and arrow, riding a horse again
One of the two. Possibly both. They're expensive activities and I do need to save money for travelling. I have never shot stuff with a bow and arrow (unless you count the homemade bows of hibiscus and rubber bands my brother and I made as kids...which were AWESOME) and I haven't been on a horse since high school. I took lessons. I wasn't too bad and it was fun.

Being a bitch-arse public speaker
Currently I am a fraidy public speaker. I am determined to do all my speaking ad-lib, though, as I really dislike hearing the stilted voice of someone who's reading from notes. So far so good. (i.e. not dead yet.)

Visiting south east Asia for the first time as a sentient adult
HOLIDAY! I have book three weeks in Thailand and Cambodia from the end of May. It's cheap and cheerful and I'm just going to relax. I'm meeting up with one friend in Thailand and we're going to the islands and generally just chilling. Then I'm visiting an ex-pat friend in Phnom Penh who's just had a wee babby. (I went to Borneo when I was 2 or so, but don't remember much except I was sick. Some lung thing I got in Australia.

Getting my British Passport
OH YES THIS IS THE YEAR. <-------Been saying since I was 18. Shuddup.

Op-shopping
This ties in with not spending a lot of money and dressing properly for winter. It will cut into my Saturday morning writing time, but it needs to be done. Also: will help me in cultivating the slightly mad frizzy-headed author look that will undoubtedly catch up to me by the time I'm 37.

My first short story published in an anthology
I'll have title and release dates for this project shortly! It's a ghost novel written in 12 short interconnected stories by four Melbourne writers. Worldwide release. We're about to start editing and I'm so excited!

So this is sort of a New Year's Resolution list but not really. Resolutions are hard and painful. It's a list of things I'm going to ENJOY. YEAH! Bring on 2012!

Recent events, in pictures

2012-01-03T11:55:00.001+11:00

December-January has been filled with awesomesauce. Here's what I been up to in pictures, and very few words. Brain is nawt go work since New Years...

That's Tom Stoppard. I forgot to take a photo of Gaiman. But her was there. And fabulous.

Hot Guy Reading Book. Of course.

Housemate and future sister-in-law's 33rd birthday. I was bartender. First they loved me, then they hated me.

Being fabulous at said bash with friend

Skirt I made for Neil Gaiman/Amanda Palmer NYE Trash Masquerade bash. IT WAS FAB.

Beaching yesterday at Half Moon Bay

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Here's to a 2012 that's even more fantastic and productive than 2011.

Introducing Ana, the Blood Song cover girl

2011-11-26T14:43:00.000+11:00

A few weeks ago I got an email from Zeraphina!

Well, sort of. It was the girl who portrays Zeraphina on the cover of Blood Song. Which you've undoubtedly seen. But here it is again.

I'm still in love with it just as much as when I first saw it. I don't know how Blood Storm is going to top it. At this stage I have no clue as to what the cover of book 2 is going to look like. I am going out on a limb, though, and saying that it's going to be stormy. And dark.

First of all I was stoked that there was actually a REAL GIRL on the cover of my book. I didn't know where she came from, but wondered if it could be an illustration rather than a photograph. Here's the original:

Awesome pose huh? And isn't she beautiful.

This is what Ana had to say about the shot:

I was trying to do some Very Dramatic Sitting With Flouncy Skirt type shots and, thinking I'd got the pose I wanted, hit the remote to start the timer. At some point during the countdown, I tried to move my leg, my heel got caught in the netting under the skirt, I tried to get up so that I could unhook my shoe, lost my balance, and as I was looking over my shoulder to see what I should I aim for when I fell over, I heard the camera click.

Doesn't her neck look just perfect for a vampy book? And the fact that she's looking over her shoulder like there's something behind her? Something scary! The cover captures perfectly a scene towards the end of the book, when Zeraphina is lost in Lharmell and wearing a ball gown. It's a different colour ball gown, but I've never minded as the red is just so gorgeous.

Ana takes these photos herself, and then uploads them to a website where artists use them to create beautiful, haunting artwork. Here's what the artist did with the photo:

I am thinking of ordering a print and framing it. So beautiful.

My cover designer, Astred, then worked her magic on it. A designer friend got the files from Random House to use them to create my launch invitations with, and she told me there are at least four different fonts used in the heading. So much work goes into these things and you don't realise.

Ana's post on receiving her copy of Blood Song is here. She's since told me that she really likes the book. (Phew. Imagine being stuck on the cover of a book you hated.)

Ana posing with the book. Love it!

Interview: Lara Morgan, author of the Rosie Black Chronicles

2011-11-16T15:54:00.006+11:00

Today I'm please to have Lara Morgan, fellow writer and author of the fabulous Rosie Black Chronicles, Genesis and Equinox. It's one of the few YA series that's been heavily influenced by sci-fi around at the moment and Genesis is a fantastic read. I can't wait to get stuck into the follow up, Equinox, which has just been released.

For now, I'm pleased to talk to Lara about writing the chronicles, and in particular, how she was inspired by weaponised diseases and how they are used in the books.

The second book in the Rosie Black Chronicles, Equinox, has just been released. How did you feel writing it, compared to Genesis?

You know I hoped it would be easier, because I had the world created and knew the characters well, of course it wasn’t. There’s a certain anxiety that goes with the second book in a series. The worry that it’s going to suffer the dreaded mid trilogy slump and not be exciting enough, so I had to put a lot of effort into making sure I upped the stakes for the characters and kept the plot moving, throwing new people and ideas into the mix to create good plotlines for the book three. Equinox went through a lot more editorial changes than Genesis – and definitely for the better – and I came out of it really happy with the result, but boy there were some tearing hair out moments

What inspired you include weaponised germs in Genesis, and does they continue into book two?

You’re talking about the MalX disease of course and yes it is still a big part of book two and will continue on in three. I was inspired to look at that weaponisation of germs because of research I had been doing, and theories I’d been reading about the way diseases may mutate in the future. The raising of sea levels and changes in our weather patterns could see the rise of new strains of diseases we’d thought under control, or the resurgence of disease we had thought extinct. So I thought about how really terrible people, seeking power, might use that to their advantage.

What are some infamous instances of weaponised diseases in real life that inspired you?

There wasn’t any famous instance that inspired me, but using germs as weapons is nothing new. It’s a kind of biological warfare. Think of the napalm used in Vietnam or anthrax which has been used by terrorists today.

Do you have a science background, and did you do a lot of research when planning this series?

I don’t have a science background, I’m definitely more an amateur than academic in that field so yes, I did a lot of research. I am very interested in science, and becoming more so as I get older and have amassed a collection of books on physics and mars and global catastrophe. I am also very much into reading some of the science magazines which have fascinating articles on the most recent advances. I don’t always understand all of what I’m reading, but luckily I have a good friend who has a PHD in astrophysics so I can harass him for lots of answers on all things space related. We have a running joke about what a black hole is. He’s probably rolling his eyes right now if he’s reading this.

I read that you consider the Rosie Black books to be dystopian rather than sci-fi. Does Equinox include space travel like Genesis, and what are the dystopian themes in Equinox?

Equinox takes place on Earth, but there is reference to space related themes. Rosie’s world is very much tied up with outer planet colonisation and space travel so some part of all the books is tied into that. As for the dystopian element, I think that is really reflected in how the world is structured and the unequal distribution of wealth and resources. It’s a very closely monitored world with a lot of surveillance – the idea that ‘Big Brother’ is watching both in the Senate and Helios – and unless you’re wealthy you don’t get much water or food and life is quite a battle. It’s classic dystopian in that way.

How much presence does Helios have in Equinox?

Well they are the ‘Big Bad’ of the series so they play a large part in Equinox. In this book readers will find out a bit more of what they’re about, what they might want, and meet some of the people inside the corporation. I can’t say too much or risk giving things away, but let’s just say they are definitely not going away anytime soon and Rosie is really going to have to watch her back.

It are my birthday

2011-11-14T10:42:00.000+11:00

Or, it was yesterday. But I was too busy eating cake, picnicking in the Edinburgh Gardens and napping on the couch and recovering from Spice Market, New Guernica and, er, The Peel. (Sometimes you just want to dance to Belinda Carlisle at 3am, you know??) Spice Market was super swish but the patrons looked like they'd escaped from Jersey Shore. New Guernica was, as always, a pleasure.

The Cake. When asked what sort I wanted: "I want a black forest cake. I want is so black and foresty that there should be wolf howls emanating from within. Little Red Riding Hood's granny should warn her away from it."

Challenge accepted, and complete.

It was made of noms.

Today I am nomming on Hummingbird cupcakes at work made by lovely workmate. I also celebrated by dropping too much on my credit card at Chadstone on Saturday. Among other things I bought this necklace with black feathers on it and the cat killed it nearly dead when we went out for brekky on Sunday morning. Bad kitty.

Birthday: celebrated. Twenty-seven isn't so bad after all.

Recent Reads: A Monster Calls and Stolen

2011-11-05T09:11:00.000+11:00

I have been giving everything five big shiny Goodreads stars lately, and it's not because I'm one of those authors who are terrified of getting up another author's nose with a crappy review. (OK maybe I am.) But it's really because everything I've been reading lately is so frakking AWESOME.

I have been known to bawl finishing books on occasion. I have never done it in public though. I timed finishing Patrick Ness's book so badly that I was on the bus on the way to work as I turned the last pages. First it was just swimmy eyes, then a trickle or two, and then there were tears pouring down my face. Am now "that girl who cries on the bus". This is a magnificent book, and was so worth the subsequent ostracisation. I couldn't say whether it's a book for children or a book about children for adults. I think it's probably the latter. Adults need reminding sometime about how children cope with stress and difficult situations, and A Monster Calls just felt so real, so terrifyingly accurate, in the way it depicts one boy's experience of his mother dying of cancer. Added bonus: the sinister illustrations throughout.

My next love after YA spec fic is crime, and I'm always thrilled to come across some YA with a crime bent. I went to the Inky awards about two weeks ago (congratulations James Moloney for winning the Gold Inky for Silvermay! Well deserved) and saw a dramatisation of the early scenes of last year's winner, Stolen by Lucy Christopher. It piqued my interest, and when I returned home I found I had purchased a copy several months ago and started it right away. AMAZING. It's the story of Gemma, who is drugged and stolen from Bangkok airport on her way to Vietnam with her family, and taken to outback Western Australia. (My old stomping grounds, and I loved the way the setting was described. Reminded me of "home".) The man who takes her is Ty, a 26-ish year old man who just on the potty side of screwy. It's remarkable how sane Christopher has portrayed him while at the same time making the story believable. He's not a rapist, he's not cruel, but he's volatile and oppressive. I love reading books that have me wondering how it will all end, and then getting to the end and thinking OF COURSE, that was the only possible ending it could have had. This was one of those books. Second favourite read this year.

(Ooh it's almost that time again, to put together lists of favourite thises and thatses for the year!)

The simple, fantastic blurb from Stolen:

It happened like this. I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him. This is my story. A letter from nowhere.

In other news, HAPPY CATURDAY! It's going to be 30 degrees in Melbourne and we're going to the beach. But now to try and write some words for a ghost anthology (more about that later) and maybe some Blood Queen. (I'm failing miserably at NaNo already *sobs*)

I don't like the rain either, Tiv

2011-10-31T13:37:00.004+11:00

(Image via mah brother)

Cup Day BBQ at ours is going to be damp. Very damp.

**Edit**
Me, on Facebook: Little muffin gets chucked out on rainy days otherwise she's mega-bored and cranky by the time we get home. Also she's so much more smoochy and grateful to see us :P
Dad: Many was the time we would have liked to have left you out in the rain until you were smoochy and grateful to see us!!!

Well I never.

Into my arms: me and NaNoWriMo

2011-10-29T10:26:00.000+11:00

One morning this week I woke up with the need to hug something. I hugged the cat, which was nice for both of us, but the feeling didn't go away. I was missing something.

Then I realised what it was: I haven't finished a manuscript in nearly a year. Going to Office Works with a flash drive containing a newly minted first draft hasn't been a ritual I've performed on many occasions, but it's a memorable one. There's nothing like taking the warm pages and giving them a hug. It's time to finish a book.

And lo! What month is it about to be but NaNoWriMo. I've always been editing a novel this time of year so it'll be the first time I'll be participating. I'm excited: 1666 words per day, that's entirely doable. I've had this whole damn book planned out in my head for about two years now and I'm dying to meet it face to face. So far its looking rather handsome, the nearly 5000 words I've written. I speak, of course, of Blood Queen, the third and last Book of Lharmell. For a while it seemed pimply and socially awkward, but I think it's straightening out and clearing up along the way.

Yes, everything's coming up Milhouse. BUT WHAT DID I GO AND DO LAST NIGHT? Well, it was raining rather heavily, and our roof leaks in a spot or two. And I left my laptop under one of the spots >.<

The screen started to fizzle alarmingly, so I forced a shut down and it's now sealed in a bag of kitty litter until tonight. There's about 3000 words of Blood Queen that haven't been backed up, but I'm not overly attached to them and bits of it are written out by hand anyway. It's more annoying than disastrous. I wanted to buy tickets to Thailand this week, not a new laptop.

Ah well. Three sleeps until NaNo starts. Are you giving it a go this year?

Note: There was a GIF going round with a guy pressing warm printed pages to his face and it would be perfect for this post. I can't FIND it. Where is it??

Recent Reads: We Need to Talk About Kevin, Fairy Bad Day and The City of Ember

2011-10-25T07:05:00.000+11:00

I have come out of my reading slump, and fingers crossed that means I come out of my writing slump. I'm a little bit excited because for the first time in three years I'm not editing during NaNoWriMo, I need to WRITE. That's right, book three of Lharmell, Blood Queen, needs some serious attention. I don't know how successful I'll be as work is about to get loco, I have 10K to write for an anthology and it's my birthday month. I'll be happy with anything between 20,000 to 30,000 words rather than 50,000. We'll see, shall we?

Here's what I've been reading and loving the last two weeks.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. Wow. This was written by a MAN? Just astounding. I was warned by my friends not to read this late at night, but I did anyway. I only regretted it once. It's not a horrifying book. The subject matter could have been violent and gratuitous. But it wasn't. For those who haven't come across this book, it's written, in a series of letters to her estranged husband, by the mother of "one of those Columbine kids". The movie has just been released and I wanted to read it before people started talking about it and spoiling the story. My advice is DO THAT NOW, as from what I've heard about the movie it's miscast (except for Tilda Swinton, she seems perfect), the father is portrayed all wrong and Kevin is a B-movie demon-possessed kid. This book is basically 80% internal dialogue and I can't imagine how all the nuance and motivations could be brought across on screen. Highly recommended read. I couldn't put it down.

Let's do a u-turn and talk about Amanda Ashby's Fairy Bad Day. Amanda's one of the most enthusiastic people I know and she did some major encouraging while Blood Song was approaching maturity. Fairy Bad Day is her second YA novel. You might remember the hilarious Zombie Queen of Newbury High from 2009. Fairy Bad Day is just as funny, but goes deeper and darker than her former novel. Emma is a demon slayer at Burtonwood Academy, about to receive her assignment to kill dragons, just like her dead mother. But then it all goes wrong--she's assigned to fairies, and Curtis Green--handsome, irritating Curtis Green--gets dragons. Emma has to convince the principal of his mistake without getting expelled, which is all the harder when a GIANT EVIL UBER-FAIRY that only she can see shows up and starts terrorising the school. Get yourself a few packets of Skittles to chew on while you read this book.

Finally, The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. One of the many books I picked up in New York in May that are sitting in a pile by my bed. (Oh TBR, you get no smaller when I celebrate finishing a book by buying three more, do you?) This one reminded me of a cross between The Giver by Lois Lowry and Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder. The writing style is almost childlike, like the narration of a Pixar movie or the like, but that only seems to enhance the dire straits the city is in. They're running out of light bulbs. They're running out of everything, really. And no one knows what to do. Then Lina finds a mysterious set of instructions, and piecing them together might prove to be their way out. A very cute and exciting read, and I recommend it just like the other two. Unlike We Need to Talk About Kevin, I can totally see this as a movie. Has anyone seen it?

Occupy Melbourne, or what became the Story of the Riot Police and the Peaceful Protesters

2011-10-22T09:01:00.000+11:00

There's been something in the air the last year. The Libyan and Egyptian agitation for regime change. Slut Walk. The Occupy Wall Street movement that has spread to hundreds of countries around the world. People are standing up for what they believe in. Or in this case, sitting in.

I watched the events unfold in City Square in Melbourne yesterday on Twitter, Facebook and the online media from my office at work. Several of my friends were down there, and had been down there on and off for the six days that the Occupy Melbourne camp had existed. Sharing poetry. Looking after security and the camp kitchen. When things began to escalate, I was worried for them.

I feel the only way to label these photos is "Before riot police arrived ...

An eviction notice was served on the camp at 7am. A heavy police presence arrived. The campers began to be fenced in.

Then the riot police descended. Riot police. A group of hitherto peaceful, well behaved protesters who were chanting and had linked arms to defend their tents warrant riot police? We've seen riots in Melbourne, and this wasn't one.

...and after." (Images from The Age)

I don't consider myself a political person. I want to write. I want the people whose job it is to oversee the country to do their damn jobs. I haven't been down to the Occupy Melbourne camp this week because it's a situation I only tenuously understand. But I believe the government should be reminded at every opportunity that they're here for the people, all the people, not only to grease the wheels in order for businesses to make profits, and they had my support: I am sickened by corporate greed. Bailouts. CEO bonuses that go beyond vulgar and border on vile.

Sometime around the middle of the day, when protesters had been pushed into the street. (Image from Facebook.) From the Age: "Greens MP Colleen Hartland, who was there as an observer, said: 'Police in riot gear just started to push me and once that happened I decided that I would be joining in.' "

I can also see the other side. The protesters said they would leave when they were asked, and they didn't. Some businesses in the square were hurting. But this remained, until the police were involved, a peaceful protest.

Waking up this morning, I was appalled by the images and news stories that greeted me. The crowing by a certain newspaper that a job had been well down. The repeated statement by Doyle and the police that the police were "giving back the square to the citizens of Melbourne".

These are the citizens of Melbourne.

A protest doesn't only belong to those who directly participate in it. It affects everyone who walks by and sees it, who reads about it on the news or sees a picture on Twitter. The protest isn't the point after all. Its job is to be the catalyst for enduring social change. And there is a change in the air.

F%*& yeah, adulthood

2011-10-12T19:38:00.001+11:00

We have a few children staying with us right now and I am reminded not how wonderful it was to be young, but rather how awesome it is to be a grown-up. Vis,

No one hides chocolate from you, or tells you when you've had enough. We're squirreling the stuff away like it's contraband in a POW camp. We're also likely to get dive-tackled if one of the little monsters catches us eating some.
The cat doesn't look at you like you've just shaved your head and painted a swastika on your t-shirt.
You eat what you damn well want to eat in a restaurant. If you don't like it when it arrives, it's the food's fault, not your "mood" or the fact that you didn't get the barbie doll you wanted at K-Mart earlier.
People don't talk about you like you're not there when you're actually sitting next to them. Or if they do, everyone else thinks they're dicks.
No one tells you what to do unless they're giving you a crapload of money.
Your default setting isn't "annoying".

Also, did you know chocolate is all the more sweeter when it's this illicit substance that only you're allowed to have? I mean, I wouldn't eat it in *front* of the little rugrats, but you know. Sweeter. Definitely sweeter.

(Are you there maternal instinct? It's me, Rhiannon. No? We're good for a few more years? Yessssssssss.)

The GASP PR disaster and public hissy fits

2011-09-29T21:10:00.000+10:00

Does everyone remember The Greek Seaman meltdown earlier in the year, in which author Jaqueline Howett had a very public hissy fit ending in a shrill "get f*&^ed!" that went viral? Good god, if that doesn't teach an author to stay far, FAR away from the comments box at the bottom of review, I don't know what what will.

This cropped up in my Facebook feed today. My mind boggles. A customer with a legitimate complaint about a retail assistant at the Gasp Chapel Street store in Melbourne has received one of the most ridiculously catty, arrogant emails I have ever read. It's partly funny, partly mortifying.

My question is WHY DO PEOPLE PUT SUCH RIDICULOUS THINGS IN WRITING especially when THEY CAN BE SHARED SO EASILY ON THE NET?

If you live in Australia you've probably heard all about it by now. For my international readers, I've pasted the emails below.

Email by Keara O’Neil to GASP:

I had the privilege of shopping at your brand new Chapel St store on Saturday 24th September with my three bridesmaids in tow. On the hunt for bridesmaids dresses and a hens dress for myself we walked into the store and were automatically pounced on by a male staff member, I understand that this is protocol for many retail outlets and ours is no different.

The staff member was initially funny and extremely helpful with sizes etc. I chose a bright pink dress to try on but was unable to do the zip up so asked for the size up, when I eventually got the correct size and came out of the change room I was unable to discuss the likes or dislikes of the dress with my bridesmaids as the sales assistant kept saying “you should just get it”, when I told him I would think about it, he pulled me aside and whispered “Is it the price your worried about”. By now I was extremely frustrated, and again told him I’d think about it, I walked back into the change room and closed the door behind me, only to have it pushed open with the sales assistant half standing in my change room, again whispering “I think you should just get it”, when I gave him attitude and said rudely, “I already told you I would think about it”, he then replied, “With your figure I really think you should buy it”.

I’m not sure exactly what he meant by that, but considering the attitude used to deliver such a statement I can only imagine that it was an immature dig in relation to my healthy size 12 frame. I got changed in a hurry and walked right out of the change rooms and out of the store, I could hear the sales assistant yelling out to me, but I just ignored him and continued to leave, assuming my bridesmaids would follow. After waiting down the road for my bridesmaids to come out of the store I was told by one of them that the sales assistant yelled out “Have fun finding something at Supre”, when one of them approached him in regards to his comments, he replied “I knew you girls were a joke the minute you walked in”. When my bridesmaids walked out of the store another two customers walked out with them, they too could not believe the immaturity of the sales assistant.

I have worked in retail for 12 years and have come across an array of customer complaints over the years, none of which come even close to what I encountered on Saturday at your store, I wish I was exaggerating but unfortunately for your company this person actually exists and is working in one of your stores. I am pretty laid back and was quite happy just leaving your store, it was my bridesmaids who felt the need to say something to him………I dread to think how many customers he has not only offended but how many customers have left your store due to the pressure placed on getting the sale, and then to be harassed when that sale hasn’t taken place.

Ring me, don’t ring, not fussed………I’m just one retailer notifying another of an extremely inappropriate sales assistant.
Keara O'Neil

Response by GASP area manager Matthew Chidgey:

Dear Keara O’Neil,
Having now had the privilege of having both version of events, I am now in a position to respond to your complaint.

From the very outset, one thing that you should be mindful of is; Our product offerings are very, very carefully selected, so to ensure that we do not appeal to a broad customer base. This is something which is always at the forefront of our minds when undertaking buying duties.

The reason for this is to ensure that we only carry products which appeal to a very fashion forward consumer. This by default means that the customer whom is acclimatised to buying from “clothing for the masses” type retailers, is almost frightened by our range, sometimes we have found that this type of customer, almost finds our dresses funny, and on occasion noted comments such as 'it looks like a dead flamingo'. When we receive comments like this, we like to give ourselves and our buyers, a big pat on the back, because we know we are doing our job right, and modus operandi is being upheld.

Our range is worn by A list celebrities to the likes of Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez and Katy Perry to name only a few. Now, as one might appreciate, the style counsel for these types of celebrities are not ones to pick “run of the mill” type clothing, and they do so on the basis to ensure that the styles are cutting edge, and only worn by a select few. Similarly these items are priced such that they remain inaccessible to the undesirable.

Insofar as our employee goes; Similar to our product offerings, our employees are selected with a similar approach. Chris whom served you is a qualified stylist whom has a sixth sense for fashion, and Chris’s only problem is that he is too good at what he does, and as I am sure you are aware, people whom are talented, generally do not tolerate having their time wasted, which is the reason you were provoked to leave the store.
Whilst I concede that you work for chain retailer, unfortunately that does not make us like for like. It is probably fair to assume, a lot of what I have said in this email, either doesn’t make sense to you, or you totally disagree with it all, which is what I would expect (unless of course I have you totally wrong – which I doubt).

Let me guess, you would never, ever hire Chris in the course of your duty, would you? This is the very reason, why your comment “from one retailer to another” is so disproportionate, it’s almost as though we are in a totally different industries. Chris is a retail superstar, who possess unparalleled ability, and I am sorry you feel upset by him, but he knew you were not going to buy anything before you even left your house.
So if you would like to do us any favours, please do not waste our retail staff’s time, because as you have already seen, they will not tolerate it. I am sure there are plenty of shops that appease your taste, so I respectfully ask that you side step our store during future window shopping expeditions.

Thank you for your enquiry.

Wow. Just wow. There have been several instances in the last few months when I've felt the urge to respond to someone's attitude on Twitter or their Goodreads review, but this reminds me all over again to hold my tongue and be professional.

Writing Advice #4: Recombining Ideas

2011-09-28T09:39:00.000+10:00

I've been over at the Inside a Dog blog all month posting about books and writing. Today I've put up some wordy goodness about recombining ideas to create plots and to read all about it you'll have to go here.

Beware the dog. He slobbers. Wuff!

Blood Storm Book #2 Teaser

2011-09-26T15:41:00.000+10:00

Hey y'all, happy Monday! It's an oxymoron, right? But it's a brand new week, and after a very strange and stressful week last week in which I undid all the good my chiro snapped and crackled into my spine, I think we need some looking forward!*

And YE GODS I am looking forward to this! Did you get a second edition copy of Blood Song with the teaser for Blood Storm? There were only 1000 printed so PRAPS NOT. Some lovely person has typed it into Goodreads and I'm going to reproduce it here. It's got one of my favourite quotes from the book.

The rain wanted to be ocean; the ice in the mountain caps wanted freedom. I never knew that water held such longing. The clouds above my head rumbled like a growling wolf, impatient to release their burden. I held the rain there a moment longer. I turned to Renata, heard her gasp and knew my eyes glowed blue.

I spoke a single word. ‘Rain.’

In the Second Book of Lharmell, Zeraphina and Rodden must travel across the sea to find the elusive ingredients that will help them to win the coming battle against the Lharmellin – but shadows from Rodden’s dark past may come back to haunt him. And while she learns to harness her new abilities, Zeraphina still fights the hunger that makes her crave the north – not to mention avoiding her mother, who wants to see her wayward daughter married to a prince at all costs.

Zeraphina's got some new mad skillz, eh? And Rodden, what's up with him and his dark, shadowy crankiness? And this prince Renata's got her eye on ... well, I'll give you a hint. He's no Prince Charming, let me tell YOU.

You can add Blood Storm on Goodreads here. Available August 2012.

*Going on dates the month your book comes out, turns out...an *interesting* idea. And yet I've just agreed to another this week. (What can I say. I have a weakness for handsome French men. Who the hell doesn't.) A different young man, whom I was introduced to at a BBQ last night while another friend was PEGGING ME INTO A BLANKET. True story. (I was cold.)

Boo-yah! RHA Children's Top Ten

2011-09-23T09:20:00.001+10:00

At the risk of this blog turning into some sort of brag book (oh god it is, it is, but after the agony of waiting for publication and wondering how the book is going to be received I just can't help celebrate these little victories) here's where Blood Song appeared at the end of four weeks of sales:

Too small? Try this one:

In the world of emoticons, to paraphrase Sheldon Cooper, I am colon capital O. This doesn't mean Blood Song is an Australian bestseller, but it's one of the top ten sellers at Random House Australia this week, and is one of only two Aussie titles on the list. Boo-yah!

Blood Song in the Wild

2011-09-22T12:41:00.000+10:00

I have been quiet, haven't I? It's been four weeks exactly since Blood Song was released. What a month! It's attracted over 100 ratings on Goodreads and nearly half of them are 5 star reviews. THANK YOU ALL!

There have been some roastings, too, and I've been bracing myself for those. You can't please everyone, right? The upside is that every criticism the book has received has been something I did deliberately that turned out wasn't to a particular reader's taste. It was my intention to make Zeraphina a little bratty--real teenagers are often bratty. I deliberately eshewed complex world building because I find it tedious. It was my worst fear that I would bore my readers, as I loathe being bored. And no one's complained of anything of the sort!

One criticism that I spotted this morning is that Blood Song is somehow "un-Australian". I find that rather amusing! I'm not entirely sure, but I think they mean it's not literary enough, compared to other Australian fantasy novels. If it was my style I'd write like Melina Marchetta or Margo Lanagan, but clearly it's not. Who wants to read a copycat author anyway?

Haters gonna hate and all that. I'm backing off Goodreads a bit, though the following technique has helped a little: reading negative reviews of my favourite books by authors I adore. There's something reassuring about knowing that even the books I and so many others love attract negative reviews.

Two awesome things:

I got my first honest-to-gods fanmail the other day. I think she was using her dad's email account. SO LOVELY. And I hope it's not patronising to say so, ut pretty cute too.

Blood Song is being made available in Large Print and Braille editions, which I think is pretty damn cool!

More soon! Let me know what you think of Blood Song if you've read it this month, or where you've seen it in the wild.

And did I announce it officially? Blood Storm, book two, will be out August next year. Huzzzaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!

Supernatural Smackdown: VOTE! and Win!

2011-09-12T09:22:00.000+10:00

You reckon Zeraphina is pretty badass, right? She's got the mad skills with her bow and arrow and the flair to match. Right now she's up against Kaliel of Evensess in round two of the Supernatural Smackdown and it's NECK AND NECK people! Literally. As I type it's 50-50.

You can vote for Zeraphina to go through to the next round right here.

Plus, you can read a post from Zeraphina about how badass she is, and you can also win a copy of Blood Song while you're there too.

Ready ... FIGHT!

Blood Storm announcement and release date

2011-09-10T08:46:00.002+10:00

It's here it's here huzzah! The Publisher's Marketplace announcement for Blood Storm, the Second Book of Lharmell, which is my cue to splash the news all over the interwebs.

If you own a second edition copy of Blood Song you already know its official thanks to the teaser for Blood Storm within...but STILL. Delicious officialness!

ANZ rights to Rhiannon Hart's BLOOD STORM, the sequel to BLOOD SONG, again to Zoe Walton at Random House Australia, by Ginger Clark at Curtis Brown.

I've been keeping my fingers crossed for a release date before next September and it's just scraped through. Blood Storm will be released next August! Exact date TBC. I can't wait to start copyedits.

Pictures from the launch of Blood Song up shortly.

***EDIT: You can already add it on Goodreads.

Awesome Pre-Order News and Recent Reads

2011-08-20T09:09:00.000+10:00

Less than two weeks until Blood Song is released in Australia and New Zealand! I got the most exciting news from Zoe Walton, my publisher, this week: pre-orders by bookshops (and I'm assuming online retailers?) have gone so well that they've sold out and are already reprinting! With the bookshop climate the way it is, I find this pretty amazing. Big thanks to all my early reviewers who undoubtedly contributed to this!

I have a stack of guest posts to do for, among others, Inside a Dog and The Nile, so I must keep this short.

But I will say that I read Silvermay by James Moloney last week and it's amazing. Aussie (yay!) fantasy (yay yay!!) and a beautiful world and characters. It reminded me a lot of Fire by Kristen Cashore. Best of all it's the first of a trilogy. There were audible gasps as I was reading--very twisty-turny! Gorgeous cover too. I love all the silvery-purple layers.

And I finished All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield on Tuesday. Which is Aussie (yay!) but contemporary. But it's got a big crime aspect, and AMAZING writing, and I loved every minute of it. I have to say I identified a lot with Mim and her rules. I had similar rules myself growing up, though I didn't live in as down-trodden, drug-filled suburb as she did. Nor did I grow up in a crime family! The best non-spec-fic book I have read this year.

DOLLY Magazine: My first print review

2011-08-13T15:25:00.000+10:00

Not only have I been blown away by the amazing reviews I've been receiving around the blogosphere for Blood Song this month, but I was also rendered speechless by my first print review this week, in DOLLY magazine. For those overseas, DOLLY is a magazine for teenage girls, much like Seventeen in the US.

I picked up my copy on Thursday and I was instantly transported back to 1998: DOLLY, waterberry Australis and clinkers. Early high-school staples. I used to love the brightly coloured magazine and I swear to this day that the pages were scented. Did anyone else notice that?

Lucky me, the September issue is the school formal edition. Twelve or so years ago we had the formal editions too! And DOLLY Doctor. And is there still the DOLLY Model Comp these days?

September edition of DOLLY, which is out now

The review on the fourth-last page; top right of left side page. Notice what's on the next page? Video games. Nerd girls FTW!

Close up of the review. More blurb than review, but so good to see it in print!

Other bookish things in the mag:

Subscribe to DOLLY and win books! (Left) That's pretty awesome, hey? In my day it was apricot scrub or the like.

The 80s and the 90s. LOL. It's funny to think of the nineties as retro, but 1990 was 20 years ago now. I finished primary school in 1996. Favourite things from the 90s featured here: the Spice Girls, JTT and TLC. Go kids of the 90s!

Oh yes. JTT is Jonathon Taylor Thomas. Of COURSE.

Other favourite things from the 90s not featured here: Buffy, Friends and The Backstreet Boys.

I remember buying that issue of DOLLY with Pia on the cover. She won the Model Comp at 14 or 15 and caused a bit of a stir.

A fashion shoot in a book store! How cute is that yellow dress? (Bottom right)

All in all, a pretty awesome feature for Blood Song to appear in. This is definitely a *proud author* moment. That, and making my mother cry last week. (Sorry, mum. Just when you thought you weren't going to!)

International Giveaway News! And How to Order Overseas

2011-08-11T09:24:00.001+10:00

I'll be giving away TWO signed copies of Blood Song internationally! Yay! Just as soon as 1000 people have added it to-read on Goodreads. We're not far away now: as I write we're at 914.

You can add Blood Song here.

In other news, only THREE WEEKS until Blood Song is released in Australia! Hot damn. I'm excited!! So many lovely reviews have gone up in the last few weeks.

If you're overseas, you can pre-order Blood Song (with free shipping! yay!) from Fish Pond World.

Review: Alaska, Sue Saliba

2011-08-10T20:04:00.000+10:00

With an alcoholic mother, an absent father and a sister thousands of miles away, there's little wonder that Mia enjoys escaping--into daydreams, imaginings. She's about to make her biggest escape of all, leaving school before year 12 is over and moving halfway round the world to be with her sister, Em, in Alaska. Here she meets Ethan, and it's easy to wind her dreams and imaginings around him, and lose herself in the beautiful landscape that is the Alaskan forest.

Alaska is an unusual pick for me. Mia isn't secretly a witch. Ethan is not a ghost. Alaska isn't in the grip of a zombiepocalypse. It's a calm book. A quiet book, like a forest under snow. This doesn't mean Mia is reserved or unemotional, but there's a faraway quality to her. There are no capital letters in Alaska, reinforcing that we must be very quiet it's all under snow shhhh...

Alaska is gorgeously packaged, and has little illustrations throughout. The wintry themes were a perfect accompaniment to the glum Melbourne weather, a reminder that winter isn't always a frigid, gloomy place--not everywhere at least.

I finished this book with a lump in my throat. It might not thunder and crash about like the books I normally read, but it's incredibly sweet and soft. A story about following your heart, wherever it leads.

WIN an ARC of Blood Song through Goodreads!

2011-07-30T11:12:00.000+10:00

The giveaway is now open! Australia only. Click below to enter.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Blood Song

by Rhiannon Hart

Giveaway ends August 18, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

In YOUR Mailbox

2011-07-24T11:52:00.002+10:00

They've started happening. The things that every author anticipates with excitement as well as dread: reviews! Will they like my book? Will they get the humour, the intention? If they don't like it, will I crawl into bed and eat ice-cream with my hands, renouncing Blogger, Twitter and Goodreads forever?

Well, not yet, as so far people have only said wonderful things about Blood Song!

*MEGA HAPPY BANANA DANCE*

First Holly Harper put her review up on Goodreads after Random House Australia sent Reading's Bookstores a super-early copy during the sell-in period (when publishers send books to store owners/managers to gauge interest in order to estimate the best print run). Holly is children's specialist there, and we met briefly when I bought my copy of Burn Bright from her one rainy Sunday. (We only realised who each other was after I tweeted about it and she said "That was me!!" I really love Twitter for things like that.) You can imagine how ecstatic I was when she posted a rave review:

A while ago I was whinging about the lack of Aussie YA fantasy coming out, and how I really just wanted to sink my teeth into something amazing. Well! The book gods obviously heard my cries and answered with Blood Song, though I think this wonderful gem had less to do with book gods and more to do with superb début author Rhiannon Hart.

I sent my three ARCs out to Aussie bloggers when I got back from travels. This week Nomes from Inkcrush and Brodie from Eleusinian Mysteries posted their reviews, and I was similarly blown away by their enthusiasm and praise. And also how quickly they started on their copies, because I know how many books a reviewer has in their TBR at any given time.

From Nomes's review:

Blood Song grabbed me from the start. The thing about this fantasy is Hart writes in such a way that the reading experience was so effortless. Her writing is tight, within pages you have a sense of the world and our heroine. Her world-building is all show (not tell) and Hart masterfully places the reader in the story alongside Zeraphina, letting the world-building evolve as we go along.

From Brodie's review:

Mystery, danger and Rodden, a man who rivals Zeraphina in all kinds of delicious ways. But can she trust him? What is he hiding? Why does he keep putting a stop to her finding any answers? And why is he such a jerk 90% of the time? (Hush, Zeraphina, don't speak such nonesense of my Rodden!) What awaits the reader is amazing tale that will suck you into it's heart, clutching tighter and tighter as you venture further into Pergamia and the terrors that lurk nearby. I could not read this fast enough, but so very disapointed when I had no more pages to turn! I think Zeraphina may be one of my new favourite heroines.

WOW. I mean, can anything make an author happier than that?

If you're an Aussie blogger and you're interested in a review copy of Blood Song, my publicist still has a few to send out. DM me on Twitter or email me at rhi.hart [at] gmail.com.

You can also read an extract of Blood Song here.

Look out for reviews shortly from Skye at In the Good Books and Braiden from Book Probe.

Review: Chime by Franny Billingsley

2011-07-20T17:05:00.002+10:00

I’ve confessed to everything and I’d like to be hanged. Now, if you please.

I don’t mean to be difficult, but I can’t bear to tell my story. I can’t relive those memories—the touch of the Dead Hand, the smell of eel, the gulp and swallow of the swamp. How can you possibly think me innocent? Don’t let my face fool you; it tells the worst lies. A girl can have the face of an angel but have a horrid sort of heart.

This is how Chime begins, with the main character, Briony Larkin, asking to be hanged. She carries the responsibility for her family's hardships upon her slight shoulders, believing she killed her stepmother and caused the injury that made her twin sister simple. In her village, witches are hanged, and she believes herself to be one. Why else would all these bad things be happening?

You get the sense, reading Chime, that there's something Not Quite Right about this stepmother, and that Briony herself is innocent of any wrong-doing. What matters, though, is why. Despite the terrible burden she carries, she's a rather chipper young lady, subject to wild bouts of wordsmithery and cleverness. It's quite entertaining to read. Briony states at the beginning she doesn't want to talk about what happened, but gradually, she does. It's a slow uncovering, and Billingsley makes the journey enjoyable by dispersing throughout it historical clues as to the setting and an entirely rompable main character. (Rompable is my new favourite word. I may have made it up myself.)

Mr Rompable is the leonine Eldric, an educated and mischeivious man who boards with the Larkin family. He may or may not love another girl, but he scores the best dialogues with Briony. They have, if I may use a very English word, absolutely ripping conversations.

This book is set, as far as I can tell, in an English village just after the turn of the 19th century. Steam engines are mentioned. But witches are hanged. There are Old Ones in the swamp, like Brownie, a stick-y legged creature, and the Boggy mun. There's no explanation for why this is so. It just is. And there's nothing wrong with that at all.bright and cute, and has very unusual language.

Chime is bright and cute, and has very unusual language. A fun read.

Unwanted Sniggers and Misconceptions

2011-07-19T15:01:00.000+10:00

Has anyone else had this charming experience? When you tell someone you read or write Young Adult Fantasy books, they snigger, their eybrows rise or they give you a "What the?" look? I've had this several times when people ask what sort of books I write. I couldn't work out why at first, but, horror of horrors, they think it means I write erotica for teenagers.

Can you imagine? How seedy would that be. I'm very quick to disabuse them of the notion. I've learnt now to say, "I write books for teenagers" or "Fantasy novels". The funny thing is, everyone knows what Fantasy novels are. They think of dragons or Lord of the Rings. It's when you tack the "Young Adult" on the front that is sounds somehow sordid. (To them. I think it's perfectly obvious what I mean. Apparently not.)

Review: The Stand, Stephen King

2011-07-18T16:14:00.001+10:00

This mammoth, 1400 page book has been the most recommended of Stephen King's works since friends and bloggers heard that I hadn't read any of his books. Since then I've read Carrie and adored it, so was really looking forward to lugging The Stand around the globe on my recent holiday. Most was read on beaches in Greece. The latter half did a perfect job distracting me from first a sunscreen allergy and then a horrible bout of tendonitis.

(Update on that: I've had my shoulder injury diagnosed by an awesome sports injury doctor, and it's tendonitis and bursitis. I'm getting an injection of cortisone right into the shoulder at 7 am tomorrow. *Fun*. And then I start physiotherapy on Thursday. I do get to go to bellydance tonight as long as I go easy on it, so that's something.)

The Stand was an engrossing tale that began with apocalyptic themes and transitioned into a supernatural showdown. A highly virulent influenza virus is unleashed upon the United States with biblically catastrophic consequences. As the meagre survivors struggle to come to terms with the aftermath, they begin to have dreams. Dreams of a dark man, and dreams of an old black woman. The former are terrifying; the latter offer solace and hope. Terrifying as they are, through the dreams the dark man begins to gather an army in the west. But the old woman is gathering her own army in the east, and if good is to triumph over evil, the good must travel over the Rockies to confront those who have allied themselves with darkness.

For the first third or so I found myself wondering why King created a cast of supremely unlikeable characters. Like Harold Lauder and Larry Underwood, for instance. I didn't enjoy Underwood's chapters one bit to begin with. Then there are those who ally themselves with the dark man. Like Trashcan Man. I deliberately left some passages unread as they strayed into the sadistic, and while I like my horror I'm also a bit of a sook.

By halfway through I'd developed a real affection for the good guys, and a sense of dread over the bad apples in the mix. Stu Redman and Frannie I adored. Redman seemed watery and insignificant to begin with and I was surprised when King moved him front and centre. Suprised but glad.

I don't think I stopped tearing up or outright crying during the last 400 pages. ***Slight Spoiler*** I bawled when Underwood broke down over leaving Redman, a leg broken, in a ditch with a fatal dose of morphine towards the end. He came full circle as a character and I felt genuine affection for him by the end. ***End Spoiler***

An epic struggle of good versus evil, The Stand is a novel populated by original characters, surprising, beautiful moments and a good helping of slimy darkness.

In My Mailbox (Elebenty-sixteen)

2011-07-17T16:11:00.002+10:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

More casualties from the Aussie bookshop cull.This time Readers Feast, my favourite bookstore :(

BUT

They do tell me they'll be opening again somewhere else in the CBD.

*CONFETTI*

But probably not in time for me to go visit my book there. Sadface.

Apart from my badly chipped nail polish and a kitty toy, what you can see in this picture is:

Silvermay by James Moloney (recommended by Adele and also an Inkys longlister. It's Australian fantasy, YAY!)
The Wilful Eye, Isobelle Carmody & Nan McNab (Eds; WOO more Aussie fantasy! This time short stories.)
Stolen, Lucy Christopher (Last year's Inkys winner; another Adele rec.)
Alaska, Sue Saliba (Heard about a million awesome things about this book)
The Dead, Charlie Higson (my only non-Aussie purchase--ZOMBIES! Grrr Arrrgh)
Eon, Alison Goodman (AKA The Two Pearls of Wisdom. I like the new title and packaging better.)

The 2011 Inkys longlist is now up on Inside a Dog.

In other news, last night I went to a costume party dressed as Julia from Nineteen Eighty-Four. Note the red sash around the waist, which signifies membership to the Anti-sex League.

Nobody got my costume! Bah. I loved wearing it though.

Currently sitting on my lap is a mopey kitty who got spayed on Tuesday. We tried taking off the cone today but, devil as she is, she went straight for her stitches. Back on went the cone.

Poor Tiv.

Review: Warm Bodies, Isaac Marion

2011-07-16T17:10:00.000+10:00

I need to get started on my holiday reads reviewing because there is a *lot* to get through. So here goes. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. I picked this up at Book Blogger Con after hearing good things about it on the Book Smugglers. It's not YA. But it's zombie. And I can't resist all things zombie.

I have been known to whinge about "kissable zombie" books. Zoms are bitey. Zoms are monsters. That's the way they should stay. Well, Marion didn't exactly turn his zombies into dream dates, but he did go a long way towards...humanising them. And I loved the result.

The blurb:

R is a young man with an existential crisis–he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, noidentity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy’s memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim’s human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between.

I came to care for R in a way I never thought would be possible. I was convinced I knew what the ending would be before I was very far into it--I read it in New York and I would say to my friend, shaking my head, this is not going to end well.

But Warm Bodies is as unexpected as it is warm. It follows an unusual trajectory for an apocalyptic novel, one that I've only seen explored once before (in Children of the Dust). I really loved this book.

Out and about in Batmania

2011-07-15T12:52:00.000+10:00

Did you hear Justine Larbalestier on Twitter talking about how Melbourne was almost called Batmania? HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE. John Batman founded Melbourne way back when it was a colony.

Last night I ventured out on the town for the first time since coming back from my holiday, for the launch of Dirty Granny Cider at Thousand Pound Bend. With extreme crochet. Just when you thought there was nothing cooler than Batmania!

The cider was pretty awesome too.

I love my city, even when it is frakking cold.

*happy sigh*

Review: Ultraviolet, R. J. Anderson

2011-07-13T21:58:00.000+10:00

I probably shouldn't write a review for a book while I'm still an emotional wreck from just having finished it--but WOW.

First of all, I did not expect to love this one as much as I did when I first started it. The blurb did grab me at the airport in London, but really I needed something to go with Bill Bryson's At Home for the Buy One Get One 50% Off offer (who could pass that up?) This is the blurb:

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.

This is not her story.

Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Kinda chilling huh? Sounds like an issues book, or a psychological thriller. It certainly started that way. But I was disappointed as I saw the protagonist, Alison, go from a batshit-crazy-freakout in a psych ward straight to remorseful and soggy. If this girl has killed someone, can't she just own it, for at least a while?

But then the story changes. Enter (silence, please, as I say this in revered tones) Sebastian Faraday.

Now, I'm known for liking a book a hell of a lot more if I have a major crush on some tall drink of water within the pages. This is definitely one of those times. Not that the book isn't wonderful in its own right. It's incredibly wonderful. But Anderson may as well have stopped by for a coffee and said, "Oh, by the way, Rhiannon, what do you fancy in the way of male protagonists this week, hmm?"

I'm 26, but don't go thinking this is some weird cougar thing and I've been captivated by a 16-year-old. Sebastian is my age. Well, maybe a few years younger ... whatever. He's tall. Golden haired, with a voice as beautiful as his well-shaped hands. His voice is mellifluous, dear readers. He's patient and quirky and smart. I melted into puddles of warm butter in my physio's waiting room just reading about him.

But there is more to this book than the man candy! There is also some of the most beautiful, unselfconscious writing I have come across. Alison has synesthesia, a condition in which the senses are crossed-wired. Numbers have colours. Sounds are seen. Names are tasted. I saw a Scott Pilgrim scenario in which Alison's world came alive in impossible ways. Amazing descriptions.

This book isn't without flaws, but I forgave them all before I was even a third of a way through the book. I just couldn't help it. It's gorgeous. If I was still sixteen I'd be swooning around the house for a week.

I think I shall anyway.

Feeding at the REDGroup carcass

2011-07-10T10:45:00.001+10:00

This is what $60 worth of books looks like when the major chains in Australia implode. That fact somewhat sours an otherwise delicious haul.

A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray
Paranormalcy, Kiersten White
Before I Die, Jenny Downham,
The Eternal Kiss, Trisha Telep (Ed.)
The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, Lauren Kate
Iron Witch, Karen Mahoney
Wolfborn, Sue Bursztynski
Meridian, Amber Kizer
The Reformed Vampire Support Group, Catherine Jinks
Foundling, D. M. Cornish
Dreaming of Amelia, Jaclyn Moriarty
Wither, Lauren DeStefano

In My Suitcase + BLOOD SONG ARC Giveaway!

2011-07-06T10:57:00.001+10:00

I'm home! In one piece...more or less. I had so much fun in Greece that I've given myself a possible rotator cuff injury. Some sort of shoulder thing. I'll know more when I've had an ultrasound this afternoon. Doing what, you ask? Oh, something very sensible and writerly...

That's me on the right with some girls from the hotel in Agios Nikolaos, Crete. One of the most beautiful places I've ever been. And yep, that's the arm in question.

The action shot. We didn't fall out, even though the guy driving (driving? is that the word?) the speed boat was trying his best. (He certainly wasn't sailing the speedboat, that's for sure.)

But onto more important things! I did a *lot* of book buying in New York. Most of them I left at my friend's place in Brooklyn until the end of my holiday. I actually ran out of books my third week in the Greek Islands, which led to nearly panic-buy ferry tickets back to Athens. But then I found this bookshop!

The international bookshop holy grail! Mixed in with all the Cathy Kellys and John Grishams (*shudder*) were some Kathy Reichs and even some decent YAs. I picked up The Body Finder by Kimberley Derting--not just Twilight books! I haven't read any Reichs in years and I love them.

So here are the books I bought in New York, London, Greece, were given to me by my agent, bought in airport bookshops and from Book Depository just before I went away.

Across the Universe, Beth Revis

The Body Finder, Kimberley Derting

Yarn, Jon Armstrong

Warm Bodies, Isaac Marion *

Graceling, Kristen Cashore **

Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi

Jamaica Inn, Daphne du Maurier

Fade, Lisa McCann

The Summoning, Kelley Armstrong

The Demon King, Cinda Williams Chima

A Brief History of Montmaray, Michelle Cooper

Sandman Slim, Richard Kadrey

Mortal Remains, Kathy Reichs *

Cross Bones, Kathy Reichs *

Fatal Voyage, Kathy Reichs *

The Curse of the Wendigo, Rick Yancey

Raised by Wolves, Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Burn Bright, Marianne de Pierres *

We, John Dickenson

Fairy Bad Day, Amanda Ashby

City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley **

Z, Michael Thomas Ford

Ultraviolet, R. J. Anderson

Libyrinth, Pearl North

Shade, Jeri Smith-Ready *

* = Read, review coming soon

** = Already read and reviewed, just wanted to own a copy :)

And CONGRATULATIONS Jeri Smith-Ready for winning a Prism Award for Shade this week! I read Shade on my holiday and I just loved it.

Now the giveaway! I have one signed ARC of Blood Song that I'll be giving away on the blog. I'll post further details later this week, so stay tuned. (Ha, that's cheeky of me isn't it? Promise it won't be long!)

It's All Greek (Islands) to Me

2011-06-20T23:15:00.000+10:00

I have arrived on Crete and it's just beautiful. A far more modern island than any in the Cyclades--the shower is attached to the wall over your head instead of hung like a telephone at hip height! It's remarkably hard to wash your hair with one of those. The sun is vicious but there have been beautiful sea breezes everywhere in the islands.

There are also lots of kittehs!

I have been chasing cats up and down the labyrinthine streets of these Greek Islands. The first was Mykonos which was a crazy party place. There was barely any room to hold a drink, let alone dance, in the club we were in. I think that could be attributed to the impromptu strip-tease that a girl dancing on the bar decided to do. Plenty of cameras came out and I'm sure she's now been uploaded to YouTube. I felt like shouting up to her, "I HOPE YOU'RE GETTING AN EDUCATION YOUNG LADY." The young men around her certainly were. Of her KNICKERS.

The windmills on Mykonos

Next was Naxos, which was where I got some Culture, capital C. I went to hear some traditional music and see some dancing...

...and hung out on Plaka Beach, which was quiet as well as utterly gorgeous. Got through a good thwack of Stephen King's The Stand that day.

A view of the port of Naxos looking down through the ruins of a temple to Apollo

My last day on Naxos I unfortunately broke out in a seething rash all over my body. I'd been slapping sunscreen on three times a day for a week and I'd finally had an allergic reaction to it. Did it ever hurt and YE GODS did it itch. For several hours I was a weepy, itchy mess, waiting for the pharmacies to reopen. Most shops close for the Greek version of a siesta, and I couldn't get get cortisone and antihistamines until 7pm. The pharmacist also told me firmly NO SUN.

Good lord, I'm in the Greek Islands, how do I avoid the sun?!

I convalesced on Paros, swathing myself in cotton and dutifully observing the no-sun rule (zzzz....a pleasant way to spend the afternoons). I chased moar kittehs ...

...and visited museums. This is the Gorgon, or Medusa, seen here with a snake belt rather than snakes for hair. This was the most striking piece in the Museum of Archaeology at Paros. I was terrified she was about to come alive and bite my head off when I took her picture. AN IMAGE OF AN ANGEL BECOMES AN ANGEL. (A little Doctor Who ref for you there, hehe.)

I was mostly better by Santorini, or should I say SANTORINI!!!! It's a truly beautiful place. I was in a rather dull mood when I arrived, but the sight of the sheer cliffs when the ferry docked were so reviving. The town of Thira is literally perched on the edge of cliff. Me, perched on the edge of the edge!

It's a cresent shaped island, the middle having repeatedly blown out by a volcano, the last time being around the 17th century BC. I visited the caldera, an islet in the bay, the following day, by boat. AMAZING place. The rock formations are stunning. The boat also moored just off some hot springs and I went for a swim. Probably a mistake, and the sunburn I got on my legs on the boat (can't use sunscreen, remember!) made the rash on my legs flare up like you wouldn't believe.

Which made me rather miserable.

And I also got stood up that night. Which was even more miserable : /

This is a little Rhiannon IRL (In Real Life): I'm travelling alone so the people I meet make a big difference to the experiece I have. The lovely backpackers on Mykonos that I partied with, the lovely locals on Naxos that I went bar-hopping with ... I've never been stood up before, so thank you, G------, for that delightful experience. Here's a little Lily Allen, Fuck You Very Much, just for you.

Being a long way from my friends mean I have to find some way to vent, you know? ;)

I took a sleeping pill (damned itchy rash!!) and woke up with the worst ache in my shoulder for sleeping on it the wrong way. I woke up with it again this morning, on Crete, and actually had a little cry. Mostly it was frustration because I couldn't find my ibuprofen. Paracetamol coming out of my ears, and it's completely useless!

Dear readers, I'm feeling better now. You can't stay cranky when your hotel looks like this.

I'm visiting the Palace at Knossos tomorrow, and then heading to the pretty little port of Agios Nikolas to finish of my time on Crete. Then The Journey Home begins. I don't actually get back to Melbourne til July 2, so I'm definitely taking the scenic route.

More anon.

Quick Update

2011-06-03T18:29:00.000+10:00

It's a beautiful summers morning here in England and we're about to get on the road again. I'm deep in Midsomer Murders territory, if you've ever watched the show. I'm sure it's dangerous to go wandering in the woods alone.

NYC was AMAZING. I stayed with a friend in Brooklyn. Total hipster central. The bars were amazing and so was the brunching. Epic brunching. I saw the New York Public Library, the Met, Grand Central, Rockerfeller Place, the West End, Chelsea, the park (north, east, west and south) ate SO MANY hotdogs, drank Snapple, sweated in the subway, hailed cabs, shopped, shopped and shopped. The Strand Bookstore. OMG. Massive pile of books bought. And a Lord of the Flies t-shirt. Also, the clothes. Things are so expensive in Australia, as Australians know, so I went a bit mental on the shopping. I got to meet my agent, Ginger Clark, while I was there too, and we had a lovely lunch in Noho.

Now I'm in England with my family (dad is English so there are lots of aunts and uncles and cousins about) and we're all off to my cousin's wedding. Looking forwad to catching up with everyone.

Tuesday I fly to Greece and I'm not sure when I'll get to post next. I'm not sure how much internet access I'll get in the Greek Islands. Talk to you all soon!

Everyone's a Critic

2011-05-23T08:53:00.001+10:00

I turned my back for a moment on the weekend and Tivali got her teeth into the cover printout from my editor >.<

Blud Song? Hmm. Nawt enuf blud.

Cashore Guest Post and Blood Song on Goodreads -- and Travel

2011-05-21T10:09:00.000+10:00

Today I'm over at the Readings Books blogging about Kristin Cashore for their influential YA fantasy authors series. Readings Books are an institution in Melbourne, an independent chain of stores around the inner suburbs that host great events and have a wonderful atmosphere. You're probably all aware how much I love Cashore. If anyone is going to the Kristin Cashore event this Friday and she says ANYTHING about Bitterblue, tweet me ASAP! I'm dying for news about it. I won't make it, unfortunately :( For reasons stated below.

I was so thrilled to be able to reveal the cover and blurb for Blood Song this week. Thank you all for your kind words and excitement! It's a very exciting time. So good to see the cover cropping up all over the interwebs, including the Tor.com Facebook page and blogs like Pirate Penguin, A Cupcake and a Latte (who was the first person to mark Blood Song to-read on Goodreads, incidentally!) and LovLivLife.

Since Blood Song appeared on Goodreads two days ago I must confess I've been almost constantly refreshing the page! Just under 100 people have marked it to-read at the time of posting and it's climbing every hour. The internet does make being a writer a very exciting place.

This Thursday I will be boarding a flight to New York! I'm there for six days and I will be at Book Blogger Con. I'll also be meeting my wonderful agent Ginger Clark for the first time. I'm away for six weeks altogether, and I'll tell you all about my itinerary shortly. But now I must got buy some luggage and comfy gear for the plane.

If you're going to BBC or are in New York, hit me up via Twitter or email. I'd love to meet you.

A very happy Caturday to you all!

Cover and Blurb Reveal for my book, BLOOD SONG

2011-05-18T13:22:00.003+10:00

I'm finally able to show these! I'm so happy with the cover and can't wait to meet it in person.

Blood Song: The First Book of Lharmell, release date September 1, 2011 from Random House Australia

I wanted to turn but I was held captive by the song on the wind. I’m coming, I told the voices. Please, wait for me.

When her sister becomes betrothed to a prince in a northern nation, Zeraphina’s only consolations are that her loyal animal companions are by her side – and that her burning hunger to travel north is finally being sated.

Already her black hair and pale eyes mark her out as different, but now Zeraphina must be even more careful to keep her secret safe. Craving blood is not considered normal behaviour for anyone, let alone a princess. So when the king’s advisor, Rodden, seems to know more about her condition than she does, Zeraphina is determined to find out more.

Zeraphina must be willing to sacrifice everything if she’s to uncover the truth – but what if the truth is beyond her worst nightmares?

So, what do you think? I love how Zeraphina is looking over her shoulder like there's something behind her...because MAYBE THERE IS. *evil laugh*

Review: The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

2011-05-02T21:13:00.001+10:00

An English village experiences a strange phenomenon in the form of a "Dayout", an entire day in which everyone in Midwich is unconscious. Several weeks later, all the women of childbearing age discover they are pregnant. After birth the Children grow uncommonly quickly and begin to exhibit strange and unsettling powers. The time of humans being the dominant species may be over, for the Children have plans for Earth, and it's not big enough for both them and us.

I read somewhere that Brian Aldiss, a contemporary of John Wyndham's who also wrote sci-fi, referred dismissively to Wyndham's books as "cosy catastrophes". That probably applies more to The Midwich Cuckoos than the other of his books I have read, namely The Chrysalids and The Day of the Triffids. The Chrysalids is a brilliant book, set far into the future after a nuclear holocaust has transformed most of the Earth into wasteland. Humans exist in tenuous pockets, and mutation is rampant. The Day of the Triffids is highly enjoyable too, even if one or two of the characters and sections did sour it for me.

If there's one certainty it's that Wyndham can invent a brilliant premise. Every woman mysteriously pregnant! How creepy is that? What's going to emerge in nine months' time? How on earth would you cope with such a thing, keep it secret? But secret it does remain, at the behest of the military, naturally. Written during the Cold War, there are lots of whispers that it's some bizarre Russian tactic.

But while the premise is brilliant, the execution is sadly lacking. I found myself wishing that someone like Stephen King had written it and an omniscient or multi-person narrator had been used. The story is told by a character who has very little involvement in the actual story. There are far too many lengthy--and dull, dull, dull--passages of dialogue in places (many places), something I'd noticed in his aforementioned books. But it wasn't such a problem until I read this book. The writing itself is witty enough, and I did enjoy the "cosy" village aspect to the novel. But the way it's put together...I could see how it could have been so much better, and that's rather a disappointing experience for a reader. Some of it was probably due to the book being dated--it was written in 1957--but The Chrysalids was executed almost perfectly, so, Mr Wyndham, I simply can't excuse you on those grounds.

I should really mention the themes Wyndham goes into, as they go someway into redeeming this book. It examines our place as the dominant, sentient beings on this planet, and what might happen if there came to be a more powerful species than us to contend with. One without pity or love; merely a wish to survive and dominate. The interesting thing is the Children act as we do to most other species on the planet. They must survive, no matter what. They will not be reasoned with, as--being the only species capable of such a thing--we won't be reasoned with either.

Throat by R. A. Nelson: Last Stop on the Tour

2011-04-30T23:08:00.006+10:00

Throat is the fourth book from author R. A. Nelson, a fast paced tale of a girl, Emma, who has a seizure while being attacked by a vampire. Emma becomes a vampire herself--but one who doesn't need to drink blood. Hunted by the vampire who attacked her, Wirtz, she takes refuge at the Huntsville NASA base.

What I loved about Throat, as well as the fiendish Wirtz, was the original take on the vampire trope. Nelson blends traditional vampire lore with astrophysics, creating a world in which vampires worship the sun and can be "healed" by solar storms. There's a rather lovely young man on the base too, called Sagan (named after the brilliant and charismatic astronomer, Carl Sagan), that Emma becomes involved with.

There's something different about Nelson's style of writing in Throat compared to his earlier books. It's just as descriptive and evocative, but the manner is more direct. I enjoyed Emma's fresh voice. In a landscape of vampire literature, or bit-lit, Throat stands out.

I'm very pleased to welcome Russ to my blog to answer a few questions about the book.

~~~

RH: Much of the action in Throat takes place on a NASA base where you work. What was it like imagining supernatural creatures in such a familiar place? What do your co-workers thing about it?

RAN: Hi, Rhiannon! I love OZ and I really enjoy your blog! Thanks for having me.

Okay, first question. I’ve been coming to the Marshall Space Flight Center ever since I was a young kid. My dad worked there on the Apollo moon program and later on Skylab. So, counting my day job, I’ve sort of been around the base my whole life! It’s an amazing place full of history colliding with the most modern technology imaginable. A lot of the center is thousands of acres of fields, woods, and cows surrounding all the space center buildings. So it made the perfect setting for Throat where the monster vampires lay siege to my main character in her “tower.” It was a lot of fun setting the story there because I could use so many real details and for the fact that it is a lonely, deserted, HUGE place that can be more than a little creepy at night. Also the Tennessee river runs through the space center, so this ties in perfectly with the story in Throat as well. It’s simply a perfect place for supernatural creatures to battle to the death without much chance of discovery. As for my co-workers, I kind of keep a low profile. I haven’t mentioned Throat to anyone out there, though they do know that I write. There have been some articles in the local paper, though, and I’m always surprised at who will come up to me and mention reading about it!

RH: Your tastes seem very broad and you like to mix vampires with astronomy, ghosts with preachers and so on. What unusual combinations can we expect from you in the future?

RAN: Gosh, I’m not sure what will be mixed in next! But I’m sure something will. I can’t seem to write a book without filling it with ideas from one (or more) of my various passions. But yes, I do love to mix in science and other passions with the stories I write. I feel it adds an air of believability and the concrete details make the sometimes outlandish things that happen in my books more plausible. Also, I love indirectly spreading the joy of science or history or poetry among my readers in such a pain-free way! I’ve always had a passion for these things, but they can be an “acquired taste” for some. J My next book, which has a working title of BEYOND WHERE I CAN SEE, is going to be extremely different from anything I have ever written before, with a really fresh “voice” that I think will be utterly usual when compared with anything else out there. Still in the thinking stages, though work is proceeding. As I go, I’m sure all those crazy fun thoughts I have about everything under the sun will start to tumble out onto the page as well. So I will probably be just as surprised as anyone else.

RH: Why do you think people like to imagine a world in which supernatural creatures exist, be it good or evil? What do you think these novels can offer that contemporary or "real world" novels can't?

I think sometimes people with big imaginations are a little disappointed with real life. As a kid your head is popping with all these incredible possibilities and thoughts of adventures and mysteries. But all too soon things like school, Little League, safety rules, bullies, etc., start chipping away at that early “sense of wonder.” Some people lose the ability to think this way entirely by the time they get to be 12 or 13 or even younger, while others keep it all their lives. I once had a character in a book say this: “I’m desperate for life to turn out to be more interesting than it really is.” Probably a lot of people feel that way because we get to spend so little time on the passions that really excite us because we are constantly taking care of the day to day necessities. I think that reading about imaginary worlds and creatures is a way to kind of keep that connection open to the infinite wonder contained within the universe (and our own heads). We want to be engaged, alive, challenged, fully “in the moment.” Maybe most of all, we want to be dazzled…feel our jaws drop in collective awe. And reading this kind of fiction is a way of doing this that simply can’t be had in almost any other way.

RH: My favourite character in Throat is Wirtz. He's about as far from a kissable vampire that you can get--which I love. A real monster, and a rarity in contemporary young adult fiction. Do you think that monsters such as vampires and werewolves still have the scope to be monstrous in YA lit, or are they becoming "declawed"?

RAN: Thanks, I had a great time writing the character of Wirtz and digging into everything that made him tick. Really I think it all depends on the story and the skill of the storyteller. I definitely think there is room for monsters in YA fiction, as long as it’s done in a unique way. I think if a writer tried to go back and recreate the old Universal movie monsters from back in the day, this would fall flat on its face. There has to be a sense that this is something entirely new, and monstrous characters/villains also work much better if you can “humanize” them in some way, so that the reader experiences the hurt and bitterness inside the rage of the monster. Ruthless, heartless villains are powerful, but also very hard to pull off in an interesting/believable way unless you give them some kind of depth to go along with their “monsterness.” I have no idea if there will be a trend toward this sort of thing. I knew I was taking a risk in doing this in Throat, particularly with vampires, as readers these days are so indoctrinated into the perspective that vampires are glamorous, universally gorgeous, socially dazzling, etc. I didn’t want to be a copycat – I was determined to kind of start at “vampire ground zero” and build from there. If you take the condition at its most realistic, vampires would be bloodsucking homeless people. But I also have some that worship the sun. I love books that surprise me, and this is what I try to do with everything I write.

Thanks again!

Links to previous stops on the tour:

Monday, April 25th : Books with Bite

Tuesday, April 26th : Patricia’s Vampire Notes

Wednesday, April 27th : Bite Club

Thursday, April 28th : SUVUDU

Friday, April 29th : Random Acts of Reading

~~~

Most of you will have heard about the tornadoes that have ripped through Alabama in the last week. At the time of posting Russ, who lives in Alabama, has been silent online. I hear much of northern Alabama is without power. I hope he and his family are safe.

Edit 1 May: Russ's little sister has posted on his Facebook that he and his family are safe and well.

In Lieu of an Actual Post...

2011-04-28T21:11:00.002+10:00

here is a Lolcat.

It's sort of relevant. My heroine, Zeraphina, shoots a bow and arrow in Blood Song. She's pretty nifty with it too.

I will pen a proper post shortly, but until then let me just say THE EDITS ARE DONE! I posted them back to Random House today. Wheeeeeeee! I pity the poor typesetter who has to make sense of two rounds of my scrawl and two editors' mark-ups. And all my see-copy-outs. That second edit had eight--EIGHT--pages of text to be added in all over the manuscript, three or four lines at a time.

That's also the first time I have mentioned the title on this blog. Yep, Blood Song. It has a series title too. I'll reveal that and the release date...shortly. And then there will be a cover not long after. It's so pretty. Zeraphina looks exactly like I imagined she would.

I'm busy planning the launch right now. DJ is booked. "Booked" as in "Hey buddy, wanna DJ my party cos you're super awesome?" It's probably going to be the first book launch with a house DJ, but dammit, the author likes house music!

Waiting on Wednesday: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

2011-04-20T20:59:00.002+10:00

I'm on a bit of a Victorian Gothic kick right now so the cover of this book would have had me intrigued even if it wasn't written by Patrick Ness. That's right, he of Chaos Walking fame. Automatic order. I didn't hear about this book until last week which is probably a good thing as there's not long to wait until the release, which is May 2.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming... The monster in his back garden, though, this monster is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.

Costa Award winner Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final idea of much-loved Carnegie Medal winner Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, A Monster Calls is an extraordinarily moving novel of coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults.

I don't know who Siobhan Dowd is but I'm looking forward to finding out. Can't. Freaking. Wait.

Review: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson

2011-04-19T17:13:00.000+10:00

A lawyer and his friend are strolling through the London streets when one happens to remark on a door. He relates an incident of several nightprior and the man he saw entering there. The laywer, Utterson, is alarmed, and believes he knows of the strange person--a Mr Hyde, a man whom his client, Mr Jekyll, has recently made the beneficiary of his will. Suspecting foul play, Utterson attempts to track down this mysterious man, declaring, "If he be Mr Hyde, I shall be Mr Seek."

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a well-known story even to those who have never actually read it. Most people will know what you mean if you say someone has a Jekyll-Hyde personality. He or she is different from one moment to the next, often unpredictably so. But so often with cultural references, they differ markedly from the original. (It's not Frankenstein who is the monster! Doctor Frankenstein creates the monster!) I remember a Disney animation from childhood in which Bugs Bunny (I think it was Bugs Bunny) swallows a potion and becomes a hulking, evil green rabbit. I wondered how accurate this idea of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was when compared to the real thing.

Pretty accurate, as it turns out. Except for being green. (And a rabbit.) I guess I should do a **spoiler alert** here, but are there really people who don't know that Jekyll is Hyde? In his desire to excercise his darker urges without troubling his conscience, Dr Jekyll creates a potion that separates his good and evil aspects. The experiment isn't a total success, however, as while Mr Hyde is totally evil, Dr Jekyll isn't purely good. I wondered though if Dr Jekyll could ever be completely good, though, if part of him longed to be Mr Hyde for a little while. Surely no one so virtuous could want such a thing.

There weren't a great many surprises reading this short novel, but it was interesting for the manner of its execution and comparing the cultural construction with the real thing. Like a Greek tragedy, none of the action happened "on stage". Most events were related by one character to another or described in letters. The reader is told that Mr Hyde does all manner of sinful things, but with Victorian prudishness we're not told what these things are.

The characters a a little stiff and homogenous but despite this it's an interesting read. Lots of "themes", you know. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde could be a metaphor for drug use or madness, or simply our desire to go a little wild sometimes.

Audio version streamed via LibriVox.org

Waiting On Wednesday: Swear by Nina Malkin (Swoon #2)

2011-04-13T12:44:00.002+10:00

I was just sitting here thinking, I wonder what Nina Malkin has been up to since Swoon? I know a lot of people disliked it, and were quite vociferous in their disliking. But I LOVED it.

And lookie what I discovered! A sequel, Swear.

A promise broken. A bond betrayed. It’s been six months since ghost-turned golem Sinclair Youngblood Powers confessed his love, stole Dice’s heart, and disappeared from Swoon, perhaps from existence. Despite the hurt, Dice has been moving steadily toward ordinary. Dreams of Sin still plague and pleasure her sleep, and the mark of Sin’s love remains on her skin, still sore. But Dice has been throwing herself into music, finding solace in song and sometimes even in the arms of her band mate, Tosh. Life seems almost…normal. The last thing Dice wants is to mess with anything remotely supernatural. But when her best friend’s boyfriend goes missing, Dice has no choice but to become very much involved. She knows that his disappearance was no accident, and it somehow has everything to do with Sin. Because Dice can feel it: Sin is back. And the promises and deceptions he left in his wake have returned to haunt him.

What do you do when an oath of devotion threatens to destroy the one you love?

Deeee-licious.

From my review of Swoon:

I admit to favouring righteous, upstanding but charmingly flawed protagonists. Rather vanilla of me, right? I should get out more. But Dice is flawed all right. She treads the line between flawed and downright reprehensible through every chapter of Swoon, and I lapped it up. Nina Malkin charmed the socks off me. Swoon is told in Dice's rhythmic, luscious and unpretentious manner. She levels with you. She doesn't sugar coat anything or ask for your approval. Sinclair Youngblood Powers has made her go a bit nutty. Which is perfectly understandable as I went a bit nutty for him too.

Available October 18, 2011.

Reviews and Generating Traffic...Or Not.

2011-04-11T22:07:00.002+10:00

I think every book review blogger has noticed this: it's "other" sorts of posts, not the book reviews, that generate traffic and comments. The memes like Waiting on Wednesday and In My Mailbox. The issue-of-the-week posts. The indulgent what-I-did-this-week-and-what-I-learned-from-it posts. The kitty picture posts. (Guilty. Unrepentant.)

The irony is, book reviewing is what we DO. It's our bread and butter. (I still call myself a book reviewer even though my content is evolving.) I read first Adele's Traffic Report post and Megan's Blogging Stats today, and the thing that struck me was how none of Adele's most popular posts and only two of Megan's were reviews. (It struck them too.) It kept striking me all evening and it's why I'm here thinking with my fingers instead of continuing with City of Bones which I'm kinda loving. I took a look at my stats, which I hadn't done before because I, uh...didn't know you could (I know right, can you say blind?) and there's only one review in my top ten, plus that gush I did about North and South, but that's not a book and not strictly a review.

What gives? Should we give up on reviewing? Are we just crap at it?

I was particularly surprised by my results as until now I've been tracking my traffic in Feedburner and there I have 4 reviews in my top ten posts. (Two are for Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking books--you guys have taste.)

Here's my top ten for Blogger:

So what gives? I think it's this: Blogger Stats tracks unique visits to a post. All the popular ones contain incredibly searchable content. It's things that people out there on the interwebs are searching for all the time. The "Are you making fun of me Riz?" post had me stumped for a bit: Why does such a random collection of humorous bits and pieces have the second most number of hits? I looked at it again and realised it's because of that Edward Cullen Venn diagram I included. Never underestimate the lure of the sparklepire.

In contrast, Feedburner tracks the popularity of posts among people who have subscribed to my feed. Most of them, I imagine, are other book bloggers. They might not always comment (and I'm guilty as the next) but they're reading the content.

I like the contrast of the two sets of stats: my regulars like my reviews and memes, and the Dystopian Challenge posts. (Yay! Is great to see them in my Feedburner top ten.) These are the posts I love doing, that I plan and schedule and think of as defining the blog. And then there are the more random posts that happen serendipitously that often have highly searchable content and draw in "them out there". They probably don't stay for long, either. But it's nice to have them visit.

Oh, and so a few of them read this...EDWARD CULLEN VENN DIAGRAM.

*waves*

Review: The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

2011-04-10T15:58:00.000+10:00

A pragmatic American family purchases Canterville Chase from Lord Canterville, dismissing warnings of the 300-year-old resident ghost which has appeared to and petrified generations of Cantervilles. The Gothic setting and frequent appearances of the ghost do little to unnerve the family, however, enraging the ghost and forcing a confrontation between it and fifteen-year-old Virginia.

Such a delicious story! Oscar Wilde's trademark wit and flourish made this tale a perfect morsel for a Sunday afternoon. I found a reading of The Canterville Ghost on LibriVox, free to download or stream. I streamed it on my iPhone and buried myself beneath quilts on the couch as rain whipped the windowpanes.

As a teenager I was fond of the film adaptation of this novella starring Neve Campbell and Patrick Stewart and was pleased to discover how it differs and complements Wilde's original version. The most marked difference is the belief in the ghost. In the 1995 film, Ginny (Neve Campbell) is accused by her father of orchestrating the ghost in a bid to persuade her family to go home to America--a circumstance that creates plenty of tension between Ginny and her family, and Ginny and the ghost, when she eventually confronts it. In Wilde's version, he subverts the roles of terrorizor and terrorizee: once they meet it, the American family swiftly accept that within Canterville Chase resides a ghost, but refuse to be frightened and even begin to play pranks on it. I like both versions, but particular enjoy Wilde's for the humour of the situation.

The more I discover Oscar Wilde the more I love his work. He banishes tedium and excites the mind. The Canterville Ghost is a perfect little tale.

Teenage Wildlife

2011-04-09T09:26:00.002+10:00

Tivali is getting so big she's almost grown into her purr. The other night she was wandering around my room after lights out, navigating the piles of clothes and books. I have a habit of dropping whatever I don't need right at that moment exactly where I stand. It saves time I find.

I could practically hear her kittenish thoughts:

Bored. Bored. Bored.

Then she wandered onto my fluffy robe.

Bored. Bored. Bor--MUMMY!

I could tell it was my fluffy robe as there was an explosion of purring. She loves that robe. Her little paws pistoned away at the fabric. I could hear the claws catching. I should have stopped her but it was a gift from an old boyfriend...

She's growing out of her awkward teenage phase. Slowly. She's had the unnerving habit of leaping just far enough onto something (windowsill/couch/leg) to get the front half of her body up and then scrabbling her bottom half up afterwards. Much wincing on our part. And I thought Siamese were supposed to be graceful.

The end of daylight savings hasn't been received well by anyone in our house, least of all kittens who like to be Fed at Regular Times. I also had a pretty sloshy dinner at the Abbotsford Convent's Lentil as Anything last night and didn't feel like my usual 6am rise. Well. Tiv didn't like that either and wandered around the house trying out her Big Siamese Voice and dragging her toys about.

When I finally rose at seven thirty her toys were tangled in my floordrobe and neither of us could find anything.

Happy Caturday!

Alack, Alas and Woe Is Me

2011-04-07T16:56:00.002+10:00

Why? Why should I be clutching at my breast and wailing fit to fill a moor? Because I'll be out of the country for Kristin Cashore's Melbourne events.

Suuuuuuuuuuuuucks. Cashore is one of my favourite fantasy authors. It's hard enough waiting for the release of Bitterblue (this year? Next year? Who can say!) without getting the chance to gush at the woman for thirty seconds while she signs my books and hear her speak. New York better be worth it, that's all I can say.

Cashore's two Melbourne events:

‘In conversation’ at the Readings State Library of Victoria bookshop, as part of the Readings Matters Conference, Friday 27 May @ 5pm, State Library of Victoria.
Going Global, The Emerging Writers’ Festival, Saturday 28 May @ 11am, Town Hall Melbourne.

I'll be going to Cassandra Clare's event the evening of the 25th of May in Westgarth, however. RSVP here on Facebook. It's the night before I fly out. Maybe it'll give me motivation to, you know, READ HER BOOKS.

In which I defend the dystopian-ness of Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2011-04-01T11:14:00.000+11:00

The United States has found a cure for love, now classified as the disease deliria amor nervosa. There are only a few months before Lena undergoes the procedure and she can't wait. That's when the unthinkable happens: she catches the disease. While concealing her "symptoms" of love for a boy named Alex, she begins to question everything her society has told her is right and good.

This started as a regular review, but I found myself wanting to go on the defence right away. There have been many, MANY reviews praising this novel. And it deserves praise. It's beautifully written. The main characters shine so brightly that all others seem to disappear into the background. The world-building is gradual and thorough.

But there have been a number of reviews that dismiss Delirium as not a true dystopia. As an illogical set of circumstances. I would disagree. I found Delirium to be one of the most carefully constructed YA dystopias that I have read of late. What a lot of authors seem to do is take an idea and run with it: push forward from when a time x becomes outlawed with little concern for how that actually happens. But how it happens is kinda the point. We all want a good yarn from our books, but the word "dystopia" promises something more. It promises a chance to examine the world around us. To look closely at our own behaviour, the words spilling from our politicians' mouths, the hysteria our media is feeding us. Even the most gratuitous of the dystopian genre, the zombie novel (if I can lump apocalyptic in with dystopian), can be used to hold a mirror up to society: what would we degenerate into if our survival was on the line? Would the human spirit survive, or would we descend into barbary?

A dystopia is created out of a specific set of circumstances: someone in a position power, usually with misguided good intentions, attempts to create their idea of paradise. A world without Jews, to use a real-life example. A colony on a new planet where wars can be waged for one person's pleasure. A society of Pretty, happy people.*

In Delirium, the powers that be have seized on the idea that the thing standing in the way of an ordered, happy society is love. A cure is found and the people accept it with open arms: a brain procedure that promises to remove all symptoms of the disease. Pain. Jealousy. Heartache. But also the positive emotions too. Joy. Elation. That ache in your chest that makes you want to do anything to be with that person, and that person only.

Here's the rub: the cure doesn't work until a person has reached maturity. Which means there are teenagers running about with all these dangerous feelings. There have been many books for teenagers in which teenagers are persecuted seemingly because they are the intended readers of the book. It's a cheap trick. But it's true that the adolescent brain is still developing so Oliver's premise isn't entirely unfounded, and she does make reference to this in the novel. I'm inclined to be generous in this case as I enjoyed the book and thought Oliver fleshed out her reasoning well. I don't see it as a cheap trick in this case.

If love was the only thing abolished by the procedure I wouldn't be so forgiving. But the truth is far more insidious. Oliver tells the reader that not only are the citizens of Portland "safe" from the disease deliria amor nervosa, but they're more docile too. More willing to follow the rules. Crime is practically non-existent. The people submit to violent, invasive raids into their homes without a peep of complaint. Portland, by the way, is a massive gated community surrounded by an electrified fence. Designed to keep the Invalids (dissenters) out, but also the citizens penned in. Sedition is quickly dealt with by execution or permanent internment in the infamous crypts. Teenagers who attempt to resist the procedure because they have "caught the disease" are taken forcibly, and the procedure is performed against their wishes.

Now, look me in the eye and tell me that's not a dystopia.

There's a telling scene near the beginning of the novel in which Lena's uncle describes a dream he had where he's sealing a window (I forget the American term, caking? coaking?) but the seal keeps flaking off and he has to apply it again and again. Lena's aunt describes a similar dream in which she can't get to the bottom of a pile of dishes. Isn't that what life is without the higher feelings? Without the sparkle of love or headiness of freedom--a long, hard, grind to the grave?

~~

*The Chaos Walking Trilogy, Patrick Ness; Scott Westerfield's Pretties.

Waiting On Wednesday: Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe

2011-03-30T11:34:00.004+11:00

Whenever I get a bad cold I get out my comfort books. But there are only so many times I can read Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield. I wondered aloud on Twitter, "Twitter, are there any YA ballet books coming out soon?" Almost immediately Gretchen McNeil and Carolina V. Miller came back with this lovely book.

Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe

Seventeen-year-old Sara's dream of becoming a star ballerina is challenged when she falls for Remington, an older choreographer. Instead of success onstage, she becomes Rem's muse, which is a future she never considered--and one that threatens to break her heart.

Audition is available from Viking October 13, 2011.

Girl Friday also drew my attention to this Australian book published by Penguin last year, Dancing in the Dark by Robyn Bavati.

He tossed her into the air as if she were weightless, and just for a moment she seemed suspended there, defying gravity. I couldn't take my eyes off her. I knew what she was feeling. It was in every movement of every limb.

Here was a power I had never seen before, a kind of haunting loveliness I had never imagined. Seeing it made me long for something, I didn't know what . . .

Ditty was born to dance, but she was also born Jewish. When her strictly religious parents won't let her take ballet lessons, Ditty starts to dance in secret. But for how long can she keep her two worlds apart? And at what cost?

A dramatic and moving story about a girl who follows her dream, and finds herself questioning everything she believes in.

Until Audition comes out I'll have to whet my ballet appetite with Dancing in the Dark.

Zom nom nom nom: The Walking Dead (2010) and Dead Set (2008)

2011-03-27T09:56:00.003+11:00

It's been a real nom-fest at our house recently and we've devoured The Walking Dead and Dead Set (2008), a mini-series from the UK. Both immediately follow the zombie-pocalypse, with bitey mayhem.

The first season of The Walking Dead aired recently, a Day of the Triffids/28 Days Later opening falling quickly into Survivor-like squabbling interspersed with some bitey scenes that seemed all too infrequent and fleeting. Stand out episodes were 1, 2 and 6, with the middle of the season frustratingly slow. There's some decent character dynamics going on, which saves it somewhat, but I'm looking for more nomming next season. I have high hopes of this as Stephen King has been asked to pen an ep. Can I get a frak yeah? Lets hope season two has better zombie make-up and direction. They're simply not scary enough as they are.

Dead Set takes place mostly in the Big Brother house. The location is ideal. Where else better to ride out the zombie-pocalyse that an autonomous compound with security fencing? Things quickly deteriorate, however, as these fast moving zombies converge on the studios and in-house squabbling threatens to derail the housemates. Dead Set is not only one of the best zombie-related pieces of entertainment I've watched or read recently, but it's also a stand-out piece of television. The characters are borderline heinous but you find yourself clinging to them as they're forced into smaller and smaller areas and picked off one by one. The parallels with Big Brother itself are too numerous to recount here. Massive props to the writers and directors who took every nomming opportunity they could get to freak out the audience. One of the most frustrating things about The Walking Dead is that it's full of missed opportunities, as if zombies are just a handy prop to have staggering past every now and then rather than the show actually be about the zombie-pocalypse.

Report to the Diary Room ... for nomming.

A word one zombie cliches:
1. The word "zombie" cannot be spoken. It's as if Walt Disney will slap a lawsuit on your arse if the z-word is even uttered. Instead the characters invent naff names like Walkers.
2. No one knows the importance of SHUTTING THE HELL UP. This was by far the most popular reason for yelling at the television while watching both series, second only to HOW ABOUT YOU KEEP A LOOKOUT, MORON?

REVIEW: Return to Labyrinth 4, Jake T. Forbes

2011-03-24T09:19:00.001+11:00

The final installment of the Return to Labyrinth manga! Will it send hearts aflutter or cause a million fangirls to weep tears of despair? Will the labyrinth itself survive? WILL JARETH AND SARAH FINALLY KISS?! And ye gods, would they, COULD they, be together?

It has been the keenest source of pain for many a fangirl (including me) that Sarah defeats the Goblin King and happily trots home (ew) with her baby (double ew) brother at the end of Labyrinth. Was this the film that launched a billion fan-fics? You bet. And were most of them about Sarah returning to the labyrinth, or Jareth following her into the real world as that tantalising closing scene of Jareth in his owl form looking in her window suggests? Absolutely. I was an avid reader, and yes, writer, of such stories. (Not all of them had Sarah. There were a few Mary-Sues as well, as you might guess. All had Jareth though.) I can't remember when I discovered the Return to Labyrinth series. The second volume had already been released, but not the third. I remember rejoicing for here was the OFFICIAL version of events post-film, sanctioned by the people who own copyright. Something about it being "official" made me incredibly excited.

**wee spoiler for volume three follows**

My hopes for a happily-ever-after died with the revelation in volume three of just what an ablation is and what it did to Sarah. It was a selfish, one might say evil, thing for Jareth to have done. But he's the Goblin King. He can be cruel, as he so readily tells us. It felt like something Jareth would do. But of course, the bad guy never gets the girl. But he might still be redeemed and restored to his rightful place. And there still might be that kiss...

**end wee spoiler**

This character consistency is what endears me to the series the most. The drawings might look a little funny here and there and some of the puns are killer. But Jake T. Forbes has done a wonderful job of capturing the quirks and silliness of Labyrinth. The darkness and fear. The sense of adventure. There are plenty of original characters present but Forbes hasn't been afraid to expand on both the characters and the world.

There has been a lot of criticism of this series--as Forbes must have known there would be going into the project. It's a film that is dear to so many people and he's dared to mess with it. The criticism is unfortunate though, because the series feels so much like Labyrinth. And I'm thrilled to have been able to spend a little more time in that world.

A little something else to be excited about: At the end of volume four is an ad that promises EVEN MOAR Labyrinth coming "Fall 2010". Hmmm. Or not. But the interwebs assures me that it will happen. But more like fall 2011. So spring for us southerners!

Review: Del-Del by Victor Kelleher

2011-03-22T21:53:00.002+11:00

On the anniversary of his sister's death seven-year old Sam becomes inhabited by a malevolent being called Del-Del. The change is gradual, but soon Del-Del has taken control. Sam's behaviour is tearing the family apart and no one can tell if Sam is acting out because of his grief or whether the truth is much darker--possession. Told through fourteen-year-old Beth's eyes, this is a story that takes the reader into the darkest parts of the human mind, and the universe.

Del-Del (1991) is a short novel, not even 200 pages, so I was surprised at the speed with which Sam became Del-Del and the family brought in the inevitable exorcist. Clearly there was going to be more to this novel than pea soup and talking in tongues. The first thing that I found curious was that Sam is purportedly a genius. Being a big spec fic fan I was gunning for there being a supernatural element to this book. But Sam's abilities keep the reader guessing. Is he clever enough to manufacture first a possession, and then an entirely more complicated series of events? And if he is making it all up, then why?

I read Del-Del on the recommendation of a friend who told me about it while reminiscing about his favourite books from his high school years. I can see why Del-Del stuck in his mind all these years later. It's a gripping, fast-paced tale, simply told but highly affecting. Find yourself a dog-eared copy on eBay if you like thrilling, psychological reads.

Two more cool things: Victor Kelleher is Australian (OK, UK born and raised in Africa, but whatever) and Del-Del won Children's Book of the Year in 1992. I particularly enjoyed the Sydney setting for this novel. Fantastic Australian books always get me so excited.

Review: Outside In by Maria V. Snyder

2011-03-21T18:38:00.000+11:00

**Small spoilers for book one**

Trella and the Force of Sheep have overthrown the Travas and disbanded the Pop Cops. Insiders now know that they're on a spacecraft travelling through space, on their way to some unknown destination. But they still don't know why, or where, and they're still plagued by the division between Uppers and Lowers. Trella does see herself as a leader but when Outsiders threaten the lives of everyone Inside, she must decide if it's time to step up to the plate. And most importantly, who to trust.

Such a twisty turny book! The plot does get confusing in places and I was mixing up Hank, Jacy, Sloan and Bubba Boom for a while there as characters kept changing their "good guy" hats to "bad guy" hats. There are lots of double-crosses to look out for. I didn't tie myself in knots going back and forth in the narrative and managed to muddle my way through it, mostly because I was just enjoying the ride so much. There's a lot going on in this book and it's all very entertaining. Action-packed and dialogue heavy, it was just the sort of thing to shake me out of my reading slump. Also, there's a bit of raunch. *Fans self* I'm rather fond of Riley, AKA Mr Love Interest, and there's a bit of hanky-panky in places. Nicely done too.

I was pleased to discover the Australian covers of Inside Out and Outside In while I was reading this book (gorgeous; shown above) and that Snyder is way popular downunder, and is coming downunder in August! In less sparkly news, though, Tez tells me there are no plans for a third book as yet because sales haven't been as promising as they'd expected. Sad face. Looks like it's up to Aussies to lift flagging sales and make another worthwhile! The frustrating thing is that there is SO MUCH scope for this series to continue on and on. Trella et al. are a LONG way from their destination. So long that unless they stumble into a wormhole, they themselves will never see it. If I don't find out what the major series climax is, I'll be rather miserable.

Maria V. Snyder Tour, New Books and Obligatory Cute Kitten Photo

2011-03-19T16:53:00.001+11:00

It was revealed last week that Maria V. Snyder, the author of several of my favourite books including Poison Study and Inside Out, is coming to Australia and New Zealand in August. Massive huzzahs! I eagerly await tour dates and other info. I assume she'll be here for the Melbourne Writers' Festival. *Please* let there be evening events for those of us who have to work full time!

The Australian cover for Outside In. What do you think?

I'm almost almost done with Outside In by Maria V. Snyder. I left it at home the other day and took Del-Del by Victor Kelleher by mistake. Oops. I will finish and write my (glowing) review soon. Del-Del, by the way, is fantastic. Part one is like a YA version of The Exorcist.

I have passed the 12K mark in my sci-fi novel (!!! yay !!!) and the characters are starting to speak for themselves. I love when that happens and I can just relay the voices in my head instead of stopping every two minutes and going "Um..." It's no longer a chore to write a thousand words.

New books this week ... well, book. Just one. The Quarterly Essay: The Happy Life, The Search for Contentment in the Modern World by David Malouf. I was very fond of his short novel Fly Away Peter and am interested to see what he has to say on the subject.

We just came back from the shops and the kitten jumped into a green bag. I hung it up on the door (one handle only, so she could jump out when she wanted) and she thought it was just fantastic. Kitten hammock that doubles as an aerial attack position.

Happy Caturday!

Inside a Dog it's never too dark to recommend a book

2011-03-17T12:38:00.000+11:00

Last week I attended the launch of the new Inside a Dog website at the very schmick Fairfax Media House in the city. For those not familiar with it, it's a social networking site for teens to review and recommend books to each other. The idea behind this is teens are far more likely to pick up a book based on the recommendation of their peers than a teacher or parent. The exciting thing is that it's being used most heavily between 4 and 6pm weeknight, a time when students are getting home from school and logging on. The launch was done by the lovely Adele of Persnickety Snark, and lately of the Centre for Youth Literature. I was thrilled last year when she told me she was going to be their new Program Coordinator because a) she is perfect for the the role and b) she would be moving to Melbourne!

As part of the launch Bernard Beckett, author of Genesis, gave a speech. He's such a wonderful writer and I was thrilled to get the chance to hear him talk. He is a teacher himself and was addressing an audience of mostly teachers, and had some very interesting things to say about literacy. Not literacy in the sense of being able to read and write, but rather to truly understand and connect with a piece of literature, and how the school system has discouraged this. His position was that reading and writing is something students are constantly judged on which can make the task of analysis daunting. I thought it was interesting that this was the main theme of his talk as judgement and analysis are central themes of Genesis.

We were also there to launch Beckett's new book August. I'm looking forward to starting this one very much. It's not YA, but it has strong dystopian themes and I'm sure will be just as thought provoking as Genesis.

Winter Essentials

2011-03-06T08:46:00.000+11:00

Winter approaching means two things. The first is being cold. For some reason I have an aversion to buying winter clothes and I end up in the same sad jumpers year after year. It's partly because good winter clothes are so damn expensive, and partly because staying home on a cold day is far more attractive than hitting the shops. I always end up cold and fed up with myself by the end of July. NOT THIS YEAR. I have discovered how economical and convenient buying clothes on eBay can be. Recently I have bought a Saba Merino wool wrap-around cardie and a Zara Woman wool cashmere coat, both near new. $100 combined. Including delivery.

I wish it was as easy to buy boots but I have dicky feet so it must be done in store. I need a 10.5 in a wide-ish style, but usually have to settle for an 11 and an extra sock on my left foot. I was told by one store that they "no longer do elevens" (footist--I was ecstatic a few years ago when elevens started becoming the norm. Don't tell me they're beginning to change their mind.) I went from one store to the next, alarmed at the ridiculous heels or the painfully ugly flats. I didn't realise the Madonna/whore dichotomy extended to footwear. Finally I found these wedges in Joanne Mercer, ordered them in black and got the hell out of there.

The second thing that winter approaching means is the 2011 Dystopia Challenge. I can't believe this will be its third anniversary! I'll have lots of new titles to choose from, plus some classics as well. Maybe I'll finally get to The Sheep Look Up. Such a fantastically creepy title. And speaking of dystopian, did you hear that a prequel/sequel to Blade Runner is in the works? Personally I think this is revolting, can never work and they should leave well alone. Why can't they find a good screenwriter, a good script and make that movie instead of mining the classics for a cheap buck?

Review: Black Swan

2011-03-04T13:05:00.000+11:00

It's been a week or two since I saw it, but I need to rave about this movie. Natalie Portman winning an Oscar for Best Actress makes is timely, no? And how divine did she look...

Nina is a young dancer with a prestigious ballet company who strives for perfection. She lives with her mother, a failed dancer, who shows signs of mentally instability early on. The company director, played by Vincent Cassell, seems to enjoy playing favourites with his dancers, his interest in them not entirely professional. When he begins casting for Swan Lake and his present favourite begins slipping from her throne, Nina seizes the chance to replace her and become the prima ballerina in the company. But can sweet, vulnerable Nina embrace her darker side in order to portray the black swan as well as she can the white swan? And if she does, will it destroy her along the way?

I saw one of director Darren Aronovsky's films a few years ago, Requiem for a Dream. Woah. Full on. I don't think I've seen a more affecting film. The closing scene, for those who haven't seen it, involves Jennifer Connolly (yes, dear little Sarah from Labyrinth) doing something entirely debasing (and I mean entirely...there are no words) for a little packet of heroin. And it was a weird film in a scary, psychologically twisted way. I didn't so much enjoy it as want to scrape it out of my brain. In a respecting way, but still. Scraping.

So you could say I was expecting something similar from Black Swan. I like being freaked out, though. Freaky-scary with ballet really appealed to me. So I had high expectations.

Black Swan was everything I'd hope it would be. Nina is literally being driven mad in her striving for perfection. It's impossible to tell whether Nina's paranoia is all in her head or whether her mother, the director, or Lily, the sultry dancer that could be replacing her, is contributing to her downward spiral. There's plenty of Requiem for a Dream thrillerness with lots of excellent scenes and beautiful dancing. I loved the way we didn't see Portman portraying the black swan right until the end. Those were my favourite scenes by far. They were so astounding, confronting. Portman radiated evil in those moments. It was pure brilliance.

Black Swan was released in Australia on January 20. I could have seen my favourite film of the year already and it's barely even begun.

5:51 am, March 3, 2011 or, Tivali the Motivational Kitten

2011-03-03T12:56:00.001+11:00

5:51 am

Me: Mmfffff. Sleep in today.

Kitten: *bounce*

Me: Go away

Kitten: *purr* *prod*

Me: snuh...piss off

Kitten: [worms under the covers; deploys claws]

Me: Yah! [Hurls kitten out of the room]

...

5.57 am

*tinkle*

*drag*

*tinkle*

Kitten: [shoves favourite toy in my face; rings bell over and over]

Me: Kitten from heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell. You've been watching Simon's Cat, haven't you? Little beast...

Kitten: *tinkle*

Me: [Gets up; slings kitten under one arm, laptop under the other]

[Kitten gets fed. I write.]

Fin.

Everything's Something

2011-03-03T07:31:00.002+11:00

Pop culture references. They're in songs, books, films, vocabulary. I have friends who quote television shows to the degree that the sayings have entered our vernacular. When there's a lull in the conversation someone undoubtedly pipes up "Is that gum?" or "Dust? Dust, anyone?" (100 points for anyone who can name those two television shows.)

Cultural references can be used for parody or homage. They allow a creator to create parallels between their own work and the work they are referencing. They borrow credibility from something that is trendy or well established in the (apologies for sounding like I'm writing a uni paper here) collective consciousness. The audience gets to feel clever at having identified the thing that the creator is referencing and perhaps in turn identify with it.

I love a good pop culture reference. Two that have caught my attention recently are in (and I'm going to lose all my hardened street cred here) Kesha's "Blow" and Lady Gaga's "Dance in the Dark". The first goes something like this:

Drink that Kool-Aid
Follow my lead
Now you're one of us
You're coming with me

Did you get that one? I've been researching cults recently so it jumped out at me right away. On November 18, 1978 Jim Jones orchestrated the mass suicide of 900 of his followers at Jonestown, Guyana. The cause of death was a cyanide-laced drink popularly believed to be Kool-Aid. (It was actually Flavor Aid.)

In Lady Gaga's Dance in the Dark, a song she states is about a young woman uncomfortable with her sexuality (surely it's not autobiographical?) the bridge goes:

Work your blonde (Jean) Benet Ramsey
We’ll haunt like Liberace
Find your freedom in the music
Find your Jesus
Find your Kubrick
You will never fall apart
Diana, you’re still in our hearts
Never let you fall apart
Together we’ll dance in the dark

Jean Benet Ramsey, Liberace, Jesus and (Princess) Diana all met tragic ends. Kubrick ... well, he was a brilliant film director who lived to a ripe old age. No tragedy there, he died in his sleep. But could Gaga be comparing herself to all these famous figures?

Even just the vaguest allusion to something can stuff a whole lot of meaning into something as seemingly meaningless as a pop song. I have to say I enjoy the cultural "borrowing", despite the fact that, in the examples above, it seems to be borrowing for the sake of credibility rather than for something important the artist wanted to say. You could interpret, I suppose, that Kesha was saying something snide about her fans ...

Do you enjoy a pop culture reference, or do you find them tacky and derivative?

Music to Write Sci-Fi to

2011-02-20T16:59:00.001+11:00

Enter Galactic, Kid Cudi

Update: The working title is Starstruck (laaaaaaaaaame, obvious, and not particularly appropriate) and I'm at 4,100 words. Which is pretty bad for a month's work. Though I am having to do a *lot* of research. I also have a few distractions right now. One is kitten-shaped.

Meet Tivali, our four-month-old Siamese cross. Tivali was the name of Cleopatra's favourite cat. She's not backward about coming forward, this little thing. We have friends come over and she's bounding across their laps in a matter of seconds.

Sticky Fingers, and Something Cool

2011-01-28T07:24:00.001+11:00

We had our housewarming on Australia Day, and the inevitable mingling of my friends and my brother's friends. (I'd already met most of Li's friends, as we get together for crafternoons, AKA gossip and cake.) Rory's three years older than me, and some of his friends have children. So of them came to the party. Children! At one of my parties. I nearly spontaneously combusted. They were all very well behaved children, despite my vision of a horde of screaming, sticky-fingered monsters. I say "all" and "horde" like we were being overrun. But actually, before a baby arrived later in the afternoon, there were two.

One was a ten year old girl, and once her mother prodded her to "tell Rhiannon what you're reading", I found I didn't mind they were there so much. This girl liked to read fantasy. She was reading Eragon, and liked books about witches and magic. I got up then and there and went to my bookshelves. I would have liked to throw several hundred books at her, but I started with one. My hands hovered over the Immortals quartet by Tamora Pierce, but something held me back. Those books are very to dear to me, and what if she didn't really like fantasy? I settled on the Wolf Tower books by Tanith Lee: funny, exciting, easy to love.

If I was guaranteed to have fantasy-book-loving, dance-class-attending offspring I'd happily procreate (eventually). But what if they're sticky-fingered whiny brats? What if they didn't like books? Perish the thought.

Also, something cool. I stumbled across this yesterday while I was Googling myself. I was actually trying to find a post I did on belly dance for Pirate Penguin. Honest I was.

The New House. Or, where to write?

2011-01-25T00:48:00.000+11:00

I have moved. The past tense is rarely so sweet as when you have moved house. It is DONE. I have moved at least nine times in the last nine years. I have crossed the river so many times that I expected alarms to go off this time around. Inner Melbourne suburbs are divided by the Yarra River. There's the arty north, stuffed full of uni students, artists and veteran op-shoppers. Then there's the trendy, beachy south, populated by the tiny dog set. And never the twain shall meet.

The kitchen viewed from the living room. That's a six-burner hob. My brother practically swooned.

I have moved in with my brother and his girlfriend. We found a gorgeous renovated 1930s house with three bedrooms, a huge living area and open plan kitchen, two bathrooms and a deck. Hopefully that's enough space that we don't get in one another's hair. I haven't lived with my brother in ten years. Last time there was a lot of screaming. We've both mellowed since then. We're still as competitive as hell though. Over board games especially. Yesterday it was Scrabble and goddamn it if he was going to beat me at a word game. It was close, though. His girlfriend, who was also playing, remarked to him, "You play better when you're trying to beat your sister." My reply? "OH REALLY? SO MY MERE PRESENCE IS ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU BETTER! MUA HA HA HA HA."

But the question is, where to write? In my flat I wrote at my dining room table. There just wasn't room in my bedroom. And besides, won't it start feeling like homework if I do it in my room? The last few days I've been writing in the study ... but it's a little cramped in there. When the weather turns chilly I might not have any choice but to write in the dining room as the ducted heating hasn't been installed yet and that's where the reverse cycle is. (All hail air-conditioning. I may only use it for a few days a year, but goddamn, I need it those few days. I detest being too hot or too cold.)

My bedroom, which is the biggest in the house as it hasn't been cut by an en suite. Love the original fireplace, even if it's only decorative.

The livingroom won't be any good, though, when people are up and about, talking and breathing and generally just being distracting. There's a hell of a lot of space in my bedroom, so perhaps I should install a desk and just suck it up if it starts to feel like homework?

Where do you write? Are you precious about it?

Review: A World Out of Time, Larry Niven

2011-01-24T07:04:00.001+11:00

Jaybee Corbell subjected himself to cryogenic freezing in the twentieth century with the belief that he would be awoken once society found a cure for his cancer. Two hundred years later he's revived into someone elses body and under threat of instant annihilation. He is told he owes the State for his life and must become a Rammer--a deep space pilot--to repay his debt, and complete a mission that will take 70,000 earth years. Jaybee is having none of that, and takes the Rammer ship on his own course, one that returns him to the earth three million years later--an earth so drastically changed that he finds it orbiting Jupiter.

Brilliant, funny, gripping beginning. Dull, interminable, seemingly pointless middle section. And I can say little about the end because I didn't read it. I hear this novel began life as short story. I think I would have preferred that version. Corbell the Rammer was far more interesting than Corbell the explorer. I had been hoping his return to an earth drastically different from today would be as fascinating as Wells's The Time Machine, but it wasn't. The cat-tails were cute though.

I think part of the problem was he didn't have a snappy antagonist in the latter part of the book. Pierce/Peersa, a servant of the State, showed off Corbell's snarky, determined side, but unfortunately those aspects of his character disappeared when Peersa did.

I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of A World Out of Time (1976) and I'll happily try more Niven, with the hope that they sustain my (perhaps short--but I like to think, picky) attention.

Acquisition note: This was another from my dad's bookshelves. Sorry, dad, I did try to love it!

Sci-fi relief: Bally and Gucci

2011-01-14T12:32:00.000+11:00

I put aside the sci-fi novels and research last night and picked up a copy of Vogue Australia and drooled over dresses. Particularly these bright outfits from the Bally and Gucci spring/summer collections:

Bally

Gucci. Particularly love the top and skirt on the right.

Gucci. Love this combo.

Beautiful colours, no? I shudder to think what the outfits cost ... time to get the sewing machine out and run up some copies.

Review: Academy 7, Anne Osterlund

2011-01-10T06:42:00.000+11:00

Aerin Renning and Dane Madousin have gained entrance to Academy 7, the most prestigious school in the Alliance. Neither expect their stay to be long. Aerin is a fugitive from a slave planet, trapped there after her father's ship crash landed many years earlier and he was killed. Dane's father suspects Dane has cheated as his eldest son, Paul, never made the cut. There is no love lost between father and son. While navigating the intense curriculum, Dane and Aerin draw on one another's strengths and begin to form a friendship, one that will see them uncover the truth about their parents and the inner workings of the Alliance.

I picked up Academy 7 after I read Tamora Pierce's glowing review on Goodreads. I was also surprised, as she was, that it was sci-fi. The cover gives no indication. While it's light on space and science, there's just enough to give it that sci-fi flavour.

YA novels set in boarding schools were (and still are, really) de rigeur in the literature when this book was published (2009), and it can be a little difficult to get excited about the setting. But Osterlund manages to make it fresh with the sci-fi aspect and doesn't fill the pages with school cliches. Aerin Renning stands out from the typical new-girl-in-school character. I enjoyed her almost Aspergers-like personality, particularly when it was shown through Dane's eyes. Osterlund takes her time developing the friendship and romance between the pair. It's a slow burn rather than the bolt out of the blue, inexplicably-drawn-to rubbish that's so common in paranormal lit. I liked both of them very much. In fact, all the characters were carefully drawn and believable.

Academy 7 is light on sci-fi, but heavy on characterisation and story. A very pleasant read.

Review: Farmer in the Sky, Robert Heinlein

2011-01-05T12:40:00.000+11:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and New Year! I was in Brisbane for Chrissy and it poured with rain just about non-stop. So I went shopping, which I can't complain about at all cos I picked up some beautiful dresses and shoes in the sales. I also raided my dad's bookshelves for some sci-fi reading, particularly books pertaining to colonisation and space travel. I'm researching for a novel in these directions and want to see how the masters do it.

Farmer in the Sky (1950) by Robert Heinlein follows a teenage boy, Bill, and his family on their emigration to Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter. I'd like to tell you all about Bill, but unfortunately he's a rather forgettable character. Bill is little more than the words he speaks and the things he observes. The same can be said for the other characters.

This book reads more like a manual on how to colonise Ganymede than anything else--or rather, it reads as a direct reflection of the colonisation of the New World; the ship that took them to Ganymede was called the Mayflower, for instance. I gave this book a low Goodreads rating because as a book it's rather sparse on plot, tension and characterisation. But that's not to say I didn't enjoy it for other reasons. As far as the science went, it was pretty interesting. Heinlein made most of it sound very plausible. Good research material for budding sci-fi writers.

A short, interesting read if you want some hard science served up with a minimum of emotional interference.

Literature in Songs #5: Call Me Legion

2011-01-04T21:16:00.001+11:00

There is a scene in The Exorcism of Emily Rose in which Emily, in a German tongue, screeches, "I was with Legion." The reference is to a bible passage in which Jesus meets a man possessed by demons. When asked its name the demon, through the man, replies,

My name is Legion, for we are many.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

I'm inordinately fond of that quote. It sends shivers up my spine. So much pea-soup-spewing imagery. (I could have sworn the line, or something like it, is spoken in The Exorcist but I can't find reference to it anywhere.)

Regan, pre-pea soup

The word "legion" itself means vast horde. It's the juxtaposition of the singular and plural that make this quote really work for me: My name is Legion, for we are many. The implication is, of course, that there is a multitude of demons inhabiting one body and they've managed to work together to create one cohesive voice. Creepy as.

This quote has inspired or been referenced in dozens of books, songs and films. But here's one track you've likely not heard before--this version at least. A favourite movie soundtrack from my childhood (and a favourite movie) is the Jewel of the Nile. I went hunting for a track on YouTube called "Legion (Here I Come)", as it appears on the record, and ended up with this one, a song simply called "Legion" by Mark Shreeve. It's a bizarre electronica track with an even more bizarre film clip. But I like it--the track at least. I'm rather fond of electronica and could imagine this being busted out on dance floors in the eighties. If only I had been there!

Happy New Year!!

Merry Catmas!

2010-12-24T09:10:00.004+11:00

Hands up who else is at work on Christmas Eve! And evidently I'm slacking off cos it's gone nine and I'm writing this instead of working on next year's marketing schedule. All in aid of bringing you some purry Christmas cheer...

Merry Christmas! Eat pudding! Flake out with a good book! I'll be getting stuck into The Stand by Stephen King the second I get on the plane tonight. It's going to be a very dystopian Christmas...

Carrie by Stephen King: A review in pictures

2010-12-19T14:35:00.000+11:00

OK, white lie. One picture. But it's worth a thousand words, right? That's me on my friend's balcony in Sydney last weekend totally enthralled with Carrie. It was my very first Stephen King fiction read, and coincidentally the first book he ever wrote. And it became a bestseller. Spewing! If only all debuts were as successful.

It's easy to see, reading Carrie, why King's books are so popular. He's done all the hard work for you. Ticked all the boxes. Character, setting, plot. On a platter. All you have to do it eat it up. Perfect holiday reading. I devoured it in the hours between when I woke up and my five other friends did. I fail at sleeping in. I had no idea the above photo was being taken at the time either. It popped up on Facebook the other day and I was delighted.

What I liked best about Carrie was the way King used foreshadowing to build tension. From the very beginning you know that something terrible happens on prom night. That a lot of people are going to die. It's the how and why that pulls you onward, and the pull is very strong. For the squeamish, this isn't a horror novel. It's more a thriller, and the characters and subject matter make it a perfect YA read.

I loved Carrie. I resolve to read more Stephen King. Yesterday I borrowed The Stand from a friend. (And the film adaptation of Carrie.) What a tome. Wish me luck with that one.

Review: Organ Music, Margaret Mahy

2010-12-05T11:55:00.000+11:00

Harley and David find a car with keys in its engine on infamous Forbes Street. But instead of driving it, it starts driving them--to a hidden laboratory deep in a forest. They're told there has been a security breach and they can't leave until they've been cleared. David suspects something is up. They can hear organ music, and the girl Quinta, who can evade the cameras and wander where she chooses, reminds David of the graffiti in Forbes Street: Where's Quinta?

I remember Margaret Mahy from my childhood and I am certain we had lots of her books around the house. I have the feeling they were short story collections full of ghosts, and I think I read The Haunting at some stage. They would have been bought for me as I am the ghostie lover in my family. If these are the books I am remembering, I was very fond of Mahy back then. I don't tend to read a lot of MG fiction, but the stuff I've come across recently is little more than vaguely annoying. One-dimensional characters, caricatures, shallow plot lines. Every line of dialogue ends with an exclamation! Because otherwise! Kids would get bored! Every reaction is an over reaction! It's all just so exciting! Or rather, it tries to be and miserably fails!

Organ Music is an exceedingly well written and genuinely creepy book. I was creeped out. I love situations where a character finds themselves drawn deeper and deeper into trouble, offering resistance but having it stymied at every turn. Mahy has crafted the situation perfectly. Middle Grade novels should all be like this, where no matter what age you are, the writing is evocative and compelling. I believe this about young adult novels too. I find it very sad when juvenile, second-rate writing is deemed "good enough" for children and teenagers.

Beautiful cover design too. Because I'm an Aussie and we love claiming works by New Zealanders as practically our own, huzzah local talent! Local spooky, supernatural talent. Organ Music is available now from Gecko Press.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2010-12-05T10:08:00.002+11:00

CiNeMaSh party at the Glasshouse last night, "come as a film" night. Couldn't resist the chance to go goth. I think the real goths might have confused me as one of their own for a second or two but I ran away when they asked to examine my piercings for authenticity.

Ideas and their execution

2010-11-28T17:33:00.002+11:00

I am coming to see that there are two main skills a writer can and should have: the ability to generate exciting and plausible ideas, and the ability to execute them. This is hardly a world-shaking revelation on my part. In fact it's rather obvious. But it is a new way of looking at things for myself so I thought I would share it with you.

While reviewing books I have noticed that some writers can take a ripper of an idea and then run it into the ground with atrocious writing. Conversely, a startlingly obvious or unoriginal idea can be elevated to brilliance by its execution. I need hardly give examples--you'll undoubtedly be thinking of your own while reading this. (OK, I'll give one example: this is the second time this week I shall espouse Bill Bryson but I am currently listening to his biography of William Shakespeare in which he writes eloquently, brilliantly and humorously about how we know diddly-squat about the world's most famous poet. This would undoubtedly turn into a cold fish of a book in the hands of a lesser writer.)

For the last few years while working earnestly on becoming published I have spent much time on technique: the sound and structure of a good sentence, grammar, vocabulary and punctuation. I'm rather pleased with the result though I hope for greater improvement in the future. I fear this may mean I will have to start reading and appreciating poetry, as I have heard from several quarters how reading poetry can improve your writing. For some reason I dread the prospect. Poets are so miserly with words, and gosh, how they make you concentrate!

I have read books on setting and character and dialogue and taken much of this into consideration. But the one thing there seems to be a dearth of in the literature of how to be a good, or even great, writer is how to generate ideas. Perhaps this is because there is no way to instruct someone on how have one. So-called writing exercises provide ideas and then ask you to run with them: these are exercises in execution, not idea generation. Stephen King in his wonderful book On Writing instructs the reader how to go about uncovering a plot once the initial idea has been had, but not how to have the idea in the first place.

I have never had an idea for a story out of the blue. They have always arrived in my head after I have said to myself, "Right, for the next five minutes you are going to think of a story idea. Go." And I don't do this very often because gosh, it's hard. I'm not talking about the ideas for the second or third book in a series, mind you. Those are easier as the initial spark has been had and I am building on an existing world and characters etc. But an honest-to-god new story. And when I do think of an idea it's almost always the very beginning of a story and would only cover the first third of a book, or as much as you would read in a blurb. Having a whole idea, including the ending of the story, is elusive to the point of major frustration.

The only course of action, I have decided, is to practice having ideas. GOOD ideas. I am going to tell myself more often, perhaps even once a day, to think of an idea. It seems counter-intuitive, doesn't it, ordering yourself to be creative? But I have little to lose and much to gain, so it is worth a try. I shall inform you of my progress.

Which do you struggle with more, the creation of ideas, or their execution?

Recent Reads

2010-11-24T19:32:00.003+11:00

The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow
Don't believe anyone who promises to explain string theory or M-theory. That's all I'm saying. Cos no one can. Because no one knows what's really going on! And if Stephen Hawking doesn't know what's going on with dark matter and ten or eleven or twelve dimensions and can't posit a cogent theory of everything, well, it just doesn't bear thinking about.*

Hawking and Mlodinow's premise is to address the question of whether the universe was designed or whether it popped spontaneously into existence and continued merrily on it's way to the point we're now at (assuming that time is linear, which we can't of course; that would be far too much to hope for, things being as simple as that), and it's true that this is what at least half this book is about. The other half is gibberish that only physicists would understand. Still, an interesting read. And I felt very brainy holding it up on the train.

*And even if he could, geniuses aren't very good at explaining things to laypeople. Hawking should have told this book to Bill Bryson, who could have then passed on the important bits to us. And the jokes would have been funnier.

Genesis: The Rosie Black Chronicles, Lara Morgan
Gotta love a YA sci-fi novel by an Australian author, set in Australia! Well, I do. Genesis is an adventure story set in Newperth 500 years in the future, a time when colonies exist on Mars and terrible diseases plague the earth. Though Morgan insists that Genesis, the first in a trilogy, is dystopian rather than sci-fi, I'm inclined to lean towards the latter. Genesis has a definite sci-fi grounding with a post-apocalyptic flavour. After the discovery of a mysterious box, Rosie and her friend set off a beacon and a series of events that will have great importance to the future of the human race as well as shed some light on the death of Rosie's mother. The adventure takes Rosie to Mars, and one of my favourite sequences was a hair-raising planet fall (look at me picking up the lingo) in a tiny pod down to Mars's surface.

The Princess Bride, William Goldman
This one is actually three quarters read and I don't know if I'm going to be able to finish it. It's DARK. Seriously dark. Torture and death and true love not seeming to conquer anything. It started off brightly enough--and I have to say Golding's forewords had me enthralled. Pretending not to be the author, I think that's just brilliant. And the things he said about his ex-wife and son! I saw the film many, many years ago and thought it utter rubbish. Someone made the mistake of saying, "If you love Labyrinth you'll love The Princess Bride." Um. NO. So of course I hated it because it does not hold a sputtering candle to my beloved Labyrinth, and also because it's so CORNY. All those silly asides. The stupid phrases. But the book is beautifully written and actually very witty...it just gets rather disturbing and I remember nothing past Wesley and Buttercup tumbling down into the ravine in the film so I can't remember if it has a happy ending or not.

Should I go on and just finish it?

The Last Question by Isaac Asimov
After reading several stories in I, Robot, I moaned to a friend that Asimov couldn't write a decent character to save his life. He agreed, and sent me a link to this story (which I have provided to you; click the title above), saying Asimov's stories are far better when they're pure ideas. How true. The Last Question is pure ideas, and it's a very engaging read.

New Review Policy

2010-10-28T13:11:00.002+11:00

As much as I adore arriving home to books in the post I have fallen woefully behind in my reviewing. I am not holding up my end of the implicit contract by reviewing these books so as of next week I won't be accepting review copies any longer.

Also, I feel sort of funny about having a book coming out and reviewing...I'm still working out these feelings. Bear with me.

I will still be reviewing books, but these I will have bought myself or borrowed from the library.

However:

If you are an Australian YA speculative fiction author I am happy to be contacted if you're organising a blog tour or want me to review your book or interview you. In fact, contact me for a coffee, a chat, a hug!

Blog Tour: The Rosie Black Chronicles: Genesis author Lara Morgan on Writing Sci-fi

2010-10-17T13:29:00.006+11:00

Today I am thrilled to have fellow Australian writer Lara Morgan guest blog on writing sci-fi. Lara Morgan is the author of the brand-spanking new sci-fi series The Rosie Black Chronicles, the first of which is Genesis. I'm reading it right now and it is fantastic! So good to read sci-fi with a female MC, and one that is such a rollicking adventure.

~~

When I was a kid I wanted to be Princess Leia. Okay I wasn’t much taken by that buns-stuck-on-the-side-of-her-head hairdo, but she was a princess, she flew around in space ships and got to kiss Han Solo so it seemed like a good deal. Now things have changed a bit, for one I’d rather be Zoe from Joss Whedon’s Firefly, but I still love sci fi and space ships so when I thought about writing a YA series I had a natural inclination toward science fiction.
I suppose that, technically, The Rosie Black Chronicles is more dystopian than sci fi though. It’s set five hundred years in the future after climate change has broken borders and drowned cities and Earth is being slowly overrun by a new incurable disease that has killed Rosie’s mother, but it does also have space travel, a colony on Mars and Rosie’s main ambition is to be a spaceship pilot so if you want to call it sci fi I’m not going to argue.

Writing a book like this involves, as do most, a lot of research. I read plenty of books on climate change, space exploration, Mars, social collapse and physics and spent a ridiculous amount of time on the web going through NASA’s website, Googling Mars and the planets and occasionally getting sidetracked by Twitter and You Tube...okay maybe not so occasionally, but the point is I had to bury my head in some hard science to make sure I was getting at least some of the details right.

That said though, this book is far from hard science fiction. Writing sci fi for me is more about serving up a story that is essentially about how my characters cope in a future world rather than detailing the technical side of that world. I need to know how things work so the world feels authentic when I write about Rosie in it, but I don’t stop the story narrative to go into a long spiel on the specifications of the city’s transport system. That’s called info dumping and avoiding it is one of the unique challenges of writing genre fiction, be it fantasy, paranormal romance or science fiction. You have to be able to insert small details throughout the story that shows the reader how the world in your book differs from the norm, but do it without being obvious. You can’t, for example, have one of the characters suddenly start talking about how their communication system works in their world, it just doesn’t make sense and throws the reader out of the story. It would be like me suddenly explaining to me friend how mobile phones work. It’s just weird and people don’t do that in real life, so you can’t have your characters doing it. It’s also important in writing sci fi that you never let this great dystopian, or super advanced world, you’ve created take over from the characters. Regardless of the wonders that may be in your world, or the over arching theme you might be trying to get across, at the heart of every story is the people. Story is character, as many great writers have said, and you have to make your book about the people who inhabit your world because no matter how shiny your space ship is, no one can care as much about a hunk of metal as they can about a person.

~~

Lara is giving away a copy of Genesis on her blog, so to be in it pop over for a visit, and view the amazing trailer here. I am green eyed with envy over this trailer.

Thanks for being my guest, Lara! The next stop on this tour is at YA Reads.

Look out for my review of The Rosie Black Chronicles: Genesis very shortly.

I just typed

2010-10-14T19:58:00.000+11:00

The sweetest words.

I've written all year.

END OF BOOK TWO

I'm crying. For many reasons. I started it on April 6, 2009 and I have gone through querying, submissions (still going through those, man!), family tragedy, two (TWO!) break-ups and a failed novel. So it feels bloody good to get to the end. Sort of like closing a door on a lot of crap.

70,286 words. They're all sweet of course, but tonight...I like the last four best.

And now to print it out, give it a hug, and pick up my red pen.

REVIEW: The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, Stieg Larsson

2010-10-11T06:46:00.002+11:00

*Some spoilers for the first two books herein*

The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest is the final installment of the Millenium trilogy, Stieg Larsson's worldwide best-selling tale of violence, fascism and journalism in the IKEA capital of the world. At the cliffhanger conclusion of The Girl who Played with Fire, Lisbeth Salander was left for dead by her father, defected KGB agent Alexander Zalachenko, with a bullet in her brain and found at the eleventh hour by her sometime lover, journalist Mikael Blomkvist.

Books one and two in this series I loved despite their slow beginnings and preoccupation with Blomkvist's sexual adventures. Oh, normally I find these things quite interesting, but when the story itself hasn't yet got going, being informed that Erika Berger's husband is a little bit gay seems rather far from the point. There is a moment in Larsson's books, however, where everything explodes with a mighty big bang and the story starts to happen. It's in this moment that I forgive any and all of Larsson's indulges and would throw a mighty big tantrum if anyone tried to take the book away from me.

The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest does not suffer from a slow beginning. Larsson has 600 pages to dig Salander out of a constitutional mess of espionage, cover-ups, corrupt secret police and evil psychiatrists and has little time to waste. But Salander has Blomkvist on her side, crusading journalist extraordinaire. And this is what endears this series to me so much: the hero is a writer. I could read about Writers Doing Cool Things all day.

The Millennium series is pure entertainment. I have been raving about these books to my friends, mostly because they are so entertaining. There aren't many books I have enjoyed more this year. The other reason is that my friends' eyes tend to glaze over when I go on about the apocalypse, zombies or (brace yourself) books for teenagers. This is a series they will actually read upon my recommendation. Oh happy days.

But the Millennium series has also made me rather miserable. I wept buckets at the of Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness, but I have his next book to look forward to. Larrson died in 2006, shortly before The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was published. There has been speculation that he was offed by the secret police he so roundly denounces in his books, but the truth is far more mundane: a heart attack. According to his discoverer in English, “Sixty cigarettes a day, plus tremendous amounts of junk food and coffee and an enormous workload would be the culprit. I gather he’d even had a warning heart murmur." I was rather miserable for days after finishing the last book, and though there are rumours of a fourth (which is actually the fifth) I don't hold much hope for it being particularly satisfying. It's gone from "the outlines and initial scribblings of a fourth" in October 2009 to "nearly finished" according to Larsson's family in this article published this weekend, which is perhaps Larsson's most astounding feat yet.

Princess Pink

2010-10-09T08:33:00.003+11:00

When I was two or three my mother lovingly made me a pair of overalls with shorts. The fabric had little beetles on it or something equally adorable. My response upon their presentation? NO. Boys wear shorts, and I was a GIRL. I probably didn't come past her knee at the time. What an ungrateful little brat I was.

During my psychology degree there was much discussion of the gender programming we subject children to literally from birth. Pink for girls, blue for boys. Barbies versus Tonka trucks. The ways we encourage play. I had my fair share of pink and dollies, but I also had a big brother (who turned 29 yesterday! Happy birthday!) with whom I played Lego war and block war and Transformer war. We made bows and arrows out of hibiscus branches and rubber bands. It worked the other way too--one year he got a doll for Christmas, because he wanted one. He went to ballet classes.*

But I knew I was a girl, and dammit, all the playing war and little green plastic soldiers couldn't change the fact that Girls Wore Skirts and I Liked Pink. I called it (sigh) "pinky-dinky". I may have done this for a long time after it ceased to be cute.

When I was plotting my novel, originally the main character was a servant to a royal. I knew there was going to be a lot of trekking about in trousers for her and plenty of times she would be filthy and bloodied and half starved. I thought about that for a day or so and then the I Like Pink part of my brain took over: if I made her a princess I could dress her up like a Regency debutante. I don't like to count how many dresses are mentioned in the book (lots; she has more costume changes than Katniss Everdeen) but from that moment on there was an explosion of satin and lace and thorough girliness all over the book.

It's my book and I wanted the best of both worlds: Princess Pink meets Xena Warrior Princess.

Here's Princess Pink herself, in all her pink tutu-ed glory, aged nine at a dance recital.

"LOOK AT ME. LOOK AT ME IN MY TUTU. IT'S PINK. PINK I TELL YOU."

My dad posted this to Facebook last week and I tried to be embarrassed. I really did. But the Princess Pink part of my brain went into overdrive. Unfortunately I can't get away with tutus anymore.

OR CAN I?

In My Mailbox (37) and weekend update

2010-10-03T14:14:00.001+11:00

This meme is hosted by The Story Siren.

Spring has FINALLY sprung! It's T-shirt weather, there's some vitamin D circulating through my body and I bought a pair of new sunglasses. Actually I went a bit nuts on the shopping yesterday. Two new outfits and a bra set from Pleasure State, who make some of the prettiest lingerie around. I am in saving-for-OS mode, but when I went to cancel my mobile phone carrier so I could switch to another they offered me a crazy huge discount to stay. So I did. Which means I had several hundred dollars worth of FREE MONEY to play with and what do you do with free money? YOU GO SHOPPING.

I have been finishing up book two in my series, which is oddly PANIC INDUCING. I have set myself a deadline: October 5. Which is in TWO DAYS. It doesn't have to be perfect then but it needs to be done. There's only about 1500 words left to write and I'm probably going to bawl all the way through them.

There's a video on YouTube that's a friend sent to me this morning and I am dying to post it here, but it's not very PG-13. Actually, not at ALL. It's an homage to Ray Bradbury and it is the funniest thing I have seen all year. Girl after my own heart! If you've seen it you'll know what I mean. Even funnier than the one that came out of Alabama a few months back. ("Run and tell THAT, homeboy!") There are some very funny and talented songwriters out there.

For review:

Embrace, Jessica Shirvington
(Hachette Australia, October 14)

Violet Eden is dreading her seventeenth birthday dinner. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. The one bright spot is that Lincoln will be there. Sexy, mature and aloof, he is Violet’s idea of perfection. But why does he seem so reluctant to be anything more than a friend?

After he gives her the world’s most incredible kiss – and then abandons her on her front doorstep – Violet is determined to get some answers. But nothing could have prepared her for Lincoln’s explanation: he is Grigori – part angel and part human – and Violet is his eternal partner.

Without warning, Violet’s world is turned upside down. She never believed in God, let alone angels. But there’s no denying the strange changes in her body ... and her feelings for Lincoln. Suddenly, she can’t stand to be around him. Luckily, Phoenix, an exiled angel, has come into her life. He’s intense and enigmatic, but at least he never lied to her.

As Violet gets caught up in an ancient battle between dark and light, she must choose her path. The wrong choice could cost not only her life, but her eternity...

Jessica Shirvington is Australian and married to Matt Shirvington, the Olympian athlete and FOXTEL presenter.

Woo! Aussie books rule! Happy weekend all.

FILM REVIEW: The Loved Ones

2010-09-30T13:26:00.002+10:00

Two Aussie YA films in 2010! This is certainly a treat. Earlier in September the much anticipated Tomorrow When the War Began hit silver screens all over the country and has since become the highest grossing Aussie film of the year. Perhaps, um, by default.

Until now? Last night I saw a special preview of The Loved Ones, directed by Sean Byrne, a horror film that has been aptly described as Pretty in Pink meets Wolf Creek. And it wasn't--OMG!--a book first. Is that even allowed these days?

After a car accident that kills his father, Brent can't help feeling that his mother blames him for the crash. He escapes into a world of marijuana and heavy metal, one that his girlfriend Holly hopes to pull him from. After refusing Lola's invitation to the school dance, the timid girl who wears pink and obsesses over finding her prince, Brent is drawn from one nightmare into one that is far, far worse.

The Loved Ones is funny, racy and stuffed full of torture porn. I adore horror films but I'm very squeamish and spent much of the middle third hiding behind my coat thinking make it stop make it stop make it stop. But gosh it was entertaining! Extremely creative violence. But it's more than just the violence. The Loved Ones has a fantastic storyline, and where this film shines is its ending. Brilliant. Various story threads come together for a denouement that really packs a punch. Combined with a talented cast and shots of the arid Victorian countryside (my home state, yay!) this is unmissable watching for fans of horror, teenage and otherwise.

Last night's special screening included a QnA with the director and the audience showed their appreciation for the film with a rousing round of applause as the credits rolled. The Loved Ones releases nationally on November 4, and is going to give Tomorrow When the War Began a run for its money.

REVIEW: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

2010-09-28T08:55:00.001+10:00

***Spoiler free***

Mockingjay is the final installment in the much-loved Hunger Games trilogy. Does much more need to be said in the way of an introduction?

I hate when things end. I have never read The Last Battle, the last Narnia book by CS Lewis, because if I don't then the end will never happen. Even the title makes me sad, being so final and all. There's the sadness of things being finally over, but dear readers, endings also scare me. Because they can so often be a let down and you're left with this awful taste in your mouth. Endings are hard. Endings are risky. Sometimes it's easier just to avoid rather than risk disappointment. I still have not finished the last disk of the audio version of Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta. It's been MONTHS. And I was loving it. I think my tredipation comes from endings that are predictable. Endings that are rushed. Endings that you see coming a mile off, when it's all about wrapping things up rather than doing the characters justice.

There are a lot of things that I loved about Mockingjay. I thought Peeta was handled beautifully. Brilliantly even. I have never been Team Peeta or Team Gale. Because The Hunger Games isn't primarily a romance. I have read swooning posts about Gale tearing my hair out thinking WHY WHY WHY?? Why do we care so much about a character that has 2.5 lines in books one and two combined?

Collins can think up some wonderfully creative violence. And she got the rebels versus the Capitol down to a tee: I loved questioning whether replacing Snow with Coin would be merely a name change, not a regime change. Parts of it was very exciting. As a narrative about the consequences of war and the nature of power and propaganda, I thought it did very well.

There were a lot of things that annoyed me about Mockingjay. It was predictable. Certain parts were rushed. We were left out of key scenes. I have never cared a jot about who Katniss would choose to spend the rest of her life with as she never expressed ONE, not ONE, sweet squishy feeling towards either Gale or Peeta. Anxious, needy, rejecting, confused feelings, but not one word or gesture that made me think she even WANTED A PARTNER. Comfort, yes, human contact, yes, but romance? No. Not once. SO WHY SHOULD I CARE. KATNISS DOESN'T.

Unfortunately, if you don't care who Katniss chooses, a lot of Mockingjay will leave you cold. Because the outcome of rebellion was rather predictable. And the bits that weren't? Hasty. Rushed. Truncated. I have been left with a bad taste in my mouth.

In which there is NEWS! Delicious, wonderful NEWS

2010-09-27T06:47:00.000+10:00

I have been sitting champagne-cork-like on this news for WEEKS.

MY DEBUT NOVEL HAS SOLD!!

*throws confetti*

Here is the announcement:

Australian and New Zealand rights to Rhiannon Hart's untitled debut about a stubborn, determined princess who fears she might be somehow related to the mysterious and deadly creatures taking over her world -- and could that attractive but irritating young noble have anything to do with them?, to Zoe Walton at Random House Australia, by Ginger Clark at Curtis Brown.

If you're a member of Publishers Marketplace you can see the deal here.

You've probably all heard me refer to this book as Lharmell, but as is so often the way, titles get changed. So for now maybe it should be referred to as The Book Formerly Known as Lharmell?

Or perhaps by this unpronounceable symbol?

I am beyond thrilled that my book has been picked up by such an esteemed house as Random House Australia. I was lucky enough to meet and have dinner recently with Zoe Walton, my publisher, as she was down in Melbourne. She is just MADE of awesome! It so thrilling to have such an experienced, well-read and LOVELY person get behind my book. I know it's going to be such a pleasure working with her and the rest of the team. (I know, had dinner with. How much of an author do I feel right now??)

There are plenty of people to thank, but for now I'd just like to thank one person. My agent, Ginger Clark, for all her hard work, advice, and answering all my needy emails.

You rock Ginger!

In My Mailbox (36)

2010-09-26T08:41:00.003+10:00

This meme is hosted by The Story Siren.

For review: Monster High by Lisi Harrison (Atom)

They prefer to call themselves RADs, but some call them monsters. So far, the "monster" community has kept a low profile in Salem, Oregon, but this year two new girls enroll at Merston High School, and the town will never be the same.

Created just fifteen days ago, Frankie Stein is psyched to trade her father's lonely formaldehyde-smelling basement lab for parties and friends. But with a student body totally freaked out by rumors of monsters stalking the halls, Frankie finds that life in the "normi" world can be rough for a chic freak like her.

She thinks she finds a friend in fellow new student Melody Carver--but can a normi be trusted with her big secret?

Monster High isn't just a book, it's a whole franchise with costumes, films, webisodes, apparel and toys, all aimed at teen and tween girls. Emily the Strange for this decade?

On a personal note...you aspiring writers, have you ever walked into a bookshop and checked out which authors you'll be sandwiched between? I'll have Lisi Harrison on one side and Sonya Hartnett on the other--two bestselling authors. Oh the pressure!

On a related note, I HAVE NEWS. STAY TUNED.

Also in my mailbox were these gorgeous Jane Austen goodies from Misty, won during her Jane Austen week. Bad Girls of Jane Austen bookmarks...

...and this stunning necklace that I've been wearing everywhere! It's so pretty.

Here's me wearing it with my friend Reannon just before we hit the town. I know, Reannon and Rhiannon. We are a mighty bad influence on each other, let me tell you!

Visit Marsha Laurence's estsy shop.

For the love of learning

2010-09-24T10:22:00.001+10:00

On Friday night I realised I'm possibly a bit of a freak. I attended an astrophysics lecture at Swinburne University on gravitational lensing. Now, this in itself isn't particularly freaky, depending on how you like to spend your Friday nights. (After the lecture I proceeded to a bar, met with beings called "friends" and swilled a sparkly clear substance. I hear this is considered normal behaviour for 25-year-old girls. I'm still looking in to this.)

The lecture was given by a professor from Caltech, a rather serious-looking gentleman who, upon rising and opening his mouth, gave one of the most enrapturing lectures I have ever heard. I'm not well versed in astrophysics at all. My research so far has consisted of looking at pictures like this and saying, "Ooh, galaxies. Pretty" and having very little idea about what was going on in them:

Can you see those lines of light in the image, and the way some things look stretched? Gravitational lensing explains why that is, and if you're looking for an explanation you can find one here. I won't attempt to explain it myself. I got the gist of it, but the gist hardly does something like this justice.

About halfway through the lecture I was dimly aware of a warm sensation in my chest. The tingly sensation persisted when I left the lecture theatre and boarded a train. I wasn't paying it much attention as I was busy pondering this RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME phenomena that was TOTALLY NEW TO ME and wondering how I could incorporate it into an idea I have for a sci-fi novel.

I drifted around inside my head for a while longer and then became aware of what my body was doing. Hello, what is this? Why the warm and fuzzies? There was something familiar about this sensation, but I couldn't put my finger on it at first. It was a little like excitement, a little like the apprehension you get when you're stand on the edge of a very high place, and a lot like the sensation you get from drinking the aforesaid sparkly clear substance.

Then I realised what it was.

It's the same sensation I get when I'm FALLING IN LOVE.

There. I told you I'm a freak. I've always loved learning, but really, what the frack?! The psych major in me wants to give myself an fMRI scan and see which bits light up when I read something cool about, I don't know, quarks or something, and the bits that light up when I think about...OK, I don't have a boyfriend right now, but if I did and thought about him I bet the areas would be THE SAME.

I'm reading The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow right now and if things continue as they are I'll probably end up proposing to my paperback copy by page 176.*

What about you? Have you ever had an extreme emotional response to something unexpected?

*Note: I have since finished said book. I do NOT feel the urge to marry it. I very much feel the need to splutter at it wildly saying things like "For laypeople my ARSE." Review shortly.

Waiting on Wednesday: Across the Universe, Beth Revis

2010-09-22T11:58:00.000+10:00

Across the Universe Beth Revis (Razorbill)

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

YA sci-fi! I'm really hoping to see this genre take off in the near future. Across the Universe by Beth Revis sounds fantastic. Coming January 11, 2011 (Razorbill) in the US.

Eating Your Words

2010-09-20T11:34:00.004+10:00

The best way to discover new cultures and places in my opinion, apart from actually visiting them, is reading about them and eating their food. It's like having a little holiday, and you don't have to leave your couch or your PJs. I had a little "holiday" of that sort this weekend, one of toast and tahini and trackies and books.

After reading a book set in a foreign place I'll often want to try some of the food that is eaten there--even if it's not actually mentioned in the book. After reading Saundra Mitchell's Shadowed Summer (a fantastic ghost story and a really quick read) I got a sudden craving for beans and rice, even though I'd never eaten bean and rice and it wasn't even mentioned in the book. Beans and rice is delicious. I made a cheat's version with tinned kidney beans and bacon, but still. Yum. I love books set in the South, like Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches Chronicles and To Kill a Mockingbird and R. A. Nelson's gorgeous novels. Plus there are TV shows like HBO's True Blood, which is partly set in a restaurant with actual booths. (Below left, the interior of Merlotte's.) I love booths but we just don't have them here! How I want to sit in a booth and eat a "coke float". We call them spiders and my cousins and I used to eat vanilla ice cream and coke spiders at my nanna's on hot Sunday afternoons.

But it's not just books set in America that make me want to eat. (OK, that wasn't a jibe against you Americans. I just tend to read a lot of books set there!) Paolo Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl made me crave hawker noodle dishes on the streets of Bangkok. Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals, set on the Greek island of Corfu, makes me think of olives and frosty pink watermelon slices. The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini and Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody, while heartbreaking stories, make me want to eat flatbread and spiced meats from Middle Eastern street vendors. A friend make Yorkshire puddings for a dinner party a few weeks ago and I was so excited to try them after reading so many of James Herriot's vet novels as a teenager.

Cat told me on Twitter she just has to eat stew with chucks of bread and cheese whenever she reads fantasy adventure novels, which made me laugh and also made me think about all the oatcake-munching and jerky-chewing that goes on in those books. I remember once trying to make mead, which is a type of honey wine, after reading about it one of those pseudo-medieval fantasy books. I was about thirteen so it wasn't alcoholic. I think it had fruit and honey and cinnamon in it and it was rather delicious. Then earlier this winter I spotted Maxwell's Mead (see right) in a bottle shop and had to try it. It's so good by itself or with ginger beer.

Have you ever read a book that makes you want to eat or cook something either mentioned in it or from the same region?

**EDIT** Since posting this I have read a gut-wrenching post on Saundra Mitchell's blog detailing her reaction to Professor Scroggin's thoughtless attack on the Republic School reading list. Please visit her blog and offer your support, or use the #SpeakLoudly hashtag on Twitter to search for more information on this issue (if you haven't, you know, had your blog reader explode all over your face with posts about this in the last twelve hours).

Review: Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

2010-09-19T02:57:00.001+10:00

Cliffton has been in drought for a decade and when a wizard arrives, bringing rain, he in return asks for Sydelle. She becomes Wayland North's reluctant assistant on his quest to prevent a war. But North doesn't just need an assistant. He has his reasons for choosing Sydelle, and his secrets and sworn enemies could be her undoing.

Fantasy romances were my staple as a teenager and I love the coziness of magic and quests and kings and queens. Working in fabric I also love the idea of magic that revolves around weaving, as it does in Brightly Woven. Such a beautiful cover, isn't it? That and the fact that it's by a debut author around my age meant that I had to order a copy from the States.

Brightly Woven is a charming read and the plot unfolded steadily with interesting characters and one or two small twists. It was probably the author's intention that several secrets could be guessed at, but there was still a nice surprise near the climax. I loved how everything suddenly came together. The execution was uneven, unfortunately. Some scenes were fleshed out and highly visible, but others felt rushed. The middle third was rather frustrating as a whole, with Sydelle (and the reader) being left out of key scenes, which resulted in a very side-kicky feel. Also in the middle third the romance felt forced and demonstrative rather than natural.

Brightly Woven rallied in the end with a lively climax and a very touching romantic finale. It was on the whole a charming read, and an auspicious start to Bracken's career as an author. I hope we see more from her in the future. Bracken has stated she's working on several projects and some of her fans have set up a petition for a sequel. I would certainly be keen on another story from this author set in the same world.