Blood, sweat and tears
This has been my last six weeks or so. Pic stolen from here. (That's the kitchen table, not the writing room. See pelvis entry below.)
posted by Among Amid While at 7:55 am
20 December, 2007
About Me
- Name: Among Amid While
- Location: Sydney, Australia
I write fiction. My latest novel is Zeroes, the first book of the Zeroes trilogy (YA fantasy), a collaboration with Scott Westerfeld and Deborah Biancotti. My novel Sea Hearts is published as The Brides of Rollrock Island in the UK and the US. I've also written Tender Morsels and five short story collections: White Time, Black Juice, Red Spikes, Yellowcake and Cracklescape.
Previous Posts
- Sometimes when you're reading...
- Up at sparrow-fart...
- Done.
- Revisions just about done.
- Here we are,
- Update: life
- Hoot!
- Get ready for the Datlow Del Rey antho
- Red Spikes is on the Horn Book Fanfare!
- Update: reviews (Red Spikes)
2 Comments:
Beautiful, beautiful photograph! Talented kid!
Season's greetings to all!
Jane E.
Dear Ms. Lanagan,
I so enjoyed reading your "Rite of Spring" recently, and I'm inviting you now to share a new speculative story, if you've any interest. Australia would be a perfect setting!
The Background: On Hallowe'en 2007 the Ash-Tree Press released an international neo-Gothic anthology (appearing the next day in Saratoga Springs at the World Fantasy Convention where they were a Special Guest) that I compiled & edited called Exotic Gothic: http://www.ash-tree.bc.ca/atp130exoticgothic.htm.
Now the spirited Ash-Tree Press has committed to my compiling & editing an Exotic Gothic 2 with all-new stories set for a fall 2008 release. This projected autumn 2008 pub. date would help me since I could then teach from EG2 in my fall course.
I hope you have some curiosity for the book. I do know within Exotic Gothic my favorite authors' imaginations were on fire, and they enjoyed the challenges. Though as a rule I dislike any categorizing of artists, I did bring in emerging and established writers, genre geniuses (like Neil Gaiman), mainstream writers with a sense of humor (like T.C. Boyle), and the incredibles who do both (like Joyce Carol Oates). This time around I've asked a good number of original contributors to return with new stories: already Nancy A. Collins, Tom Tessier, Lucy Taylor, Steve Rasnic Tem, David Wellington, and Terry Dowling have already said an enthusiastic yes to EG2, and now I am beginning to ask new contributors.
The only strain is that the publisher would like the original stories in by March 1, 2008. Provided you have interest and time, is this a possible deadline to meet? I so hope so. More than an end product, this second experiment in Gothic literary exotica should be an enthralling journey for the writer. Go wherever you want. If you have always wanted to make a story with sirenish ululations, fierce chants, or guttural growls, I would say now is your chance.
As you revitalize those old magic Gothic conventions that originally came to us from the U.K., Germany, and France, simply avoid those three places, or its old home turf. Maybe transplanting it to Africa, Asia, or Latin America beckons? Besides foreign places, the stunning variety of supernatural increepings in modern gooseflesh tales is of highest interest to me. I was so glad that EG1 featured such fresh twisting of the old patterns regarding malevolent places and abysses of the mind, as well as such a range of figures: vampires, werewolves, witches, succubae, power-mad autocrats, mad killers, crazed scientists, and goddesses were just a few! And of course, visitants appeared: some of whom made ghosts of the living. I shivered with delight when I read an Amazon.com reviewer who said you didn't know what would come at you. Ah, those poor darling readers ...
I would love to see how you rework those early Gothic concepts coming from England in the 1700s (i.e., stranger comes to a new place; stays around just long enough to seem a participant in his/her own victimization; compromises him/herself; perhaps sees the paranormal; and then leaves us wondering whether it really was the supernatural or just his/her brain on 'broil'). The revitalization of this structure--with added realism, an exotic locale, and minus a few layers of the traditional Gothic cheese--all seems of greater interest now with the good word-of-mouth of Jennifer Egan's The Keep, which I thrilled to hear her read in Houston recently.
In this sequel, all seven continents will be represented, since Barbara Roden is bravely working on an Antarctic Gothic. Why not?
Cheers & Thanks from Texas,
Danel danel.olson@nhmccd.edu
http://faculty.nhmccd.edu/dolson/
Prof. Danel Olson
North Harris College
English
Office A270d
2700 W.W. Thorne Dr.
Houston, TX 77073
--------------------------- A few guidelines for the contributors--
The Length: 2500 words up to 8500 words would be great.
The Rights: Permission is simply asked for license to print the never-before-published story once (and it can be immediately reprinted somewhere else, made into film, etc., as soon as you & author wish, and the publisher asks for no percentage on any of that).
The Payment: Modest, the last time for EG1 it was $75. US. (However, I'll see if there can be additional payment for reading the tale aloud for Podcast use, which was done last time for all the new tales, paid for by my College at 11 cents per word to participating authors. I'll aim for the offer again, though I can't guarantee it just yet.)
The Forms: Both Trade Pbk. and Hardbound, set in Galliard font, upon acid-free, environmentally friendly, strong opacity paper with extra-sturdy cloth, board and paper bindings.
The Date: Projected publication is fall 2008, for use both as a general-reader anthology and as a college text.
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