Ramblings of an Australian Writer

I am steaming right now. Mind you, I'm not alone, bc this is something that's affecting a LOT of authors, both well known and not, from people like George RR Martin, Jeff Vandermeer, John Grisham, Jodi Piccault, David Baldacci, Mary Bly, Michael Connelly, Sylvia Day, to others, such as myself, Megan Derr, Aleksander Voinov, Olivia Dade, Andrea Speed, Ginn Hale and more.

And what is it that is affecting us? Oh, just that our work is being used to "teach" AI how to write books. Without our consent, and without our knowledge, which has to be a breach of some kind of IP and copyright law as we authors retain IP and copyright even when our work is in print or out of print (as is the case for the 7 of my books that are used, and which most of those I intend to republish.)

There's a gift link to read this article at The Atlantic, which expires in 11 days, so read soon, which has a ton of info. More info here, and The Authors Guild are launching a Class Action Suit Open AI. James Swallow is another author who's been hit with this too.

The Authors Guild has been brilliant, I have to say, and has a great post up on their site about what to do next. But I'm still peeved about this, oh yes I am.

Super for You, Bad for Me
Asta Idonea
Dreamspinner Press
14 August 2018
60k/200 pages
MM/Fantasy/Superheroes



Struggling actor Oswell Outterridge thinks he’s hit the jackpot when he’s chosen to play a scene opposite his idol, Kane Teague, in a superhero movie. However, things take an unexpected turn when the slime he accidentally ingests gives him telekinetic powers. Then Kane asks him out, against all expectation, and it seems that life couldn't get any better—aside from the little matter of keeping his identity secret from his celebrity boyfriend. Oswell goes from a nobody with little social life and few prospects for the future to dating the man of his dreams and using his superhuman abilities to defend innocents. Everything is perfect, and it seems he’s finally achieved a happily ever after worthy of the silver screen. But when a supervillain arrives, determined to defeat Oswell and win Kane's affections, everything falls apart. In the ensuing conflict, Kane gets caught in the crossfire, and Oswell faces his toughest fight yet. Can he remain the hero he’s always imagined himself, or will a dark desire for vengeance change him forever?

SoundCloud Excerpt: https://soundcloud.com/nickijmarkus/super-for-you-bad-for-me-by-asta-idonea-excerpt
YouTube Excerpt: https://youtu.be/RmbDY_g0kNc

Buy
Dreamspinner Press: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/super-for-you-bad-for-me-by-asta-idonea-9809-b
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G53GVFY
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/super-for-you-bad-for-me-asta-idonea/1127915418?ean=2940161934173
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/super-for-you-bad-for-me
The Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Super-for-You-Bad-for-Me-Asta-Idonea/9781641080095

Author Bio & Links
Asta Idonea (aka Nicki J. Markus) was born in England but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist, having studied several foreign languages.

Asta launched her writing career in 2011 and divides her efforts not only between MM and mainstream works but also between traditional and indie publishing. Her works span the genres, from paranormal to historical and from contemporary to fantasy. It just depends what story and which characters spring into her mind!

As a day job, Asta works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and in her spare time she enjoys music, theatre, cinema, photography, and sketching. She also loves history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling, and travel, all of which have provided plenty of inspiration for her writing.

Blog: http://www.nickijmarkus.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NickiJMarkus
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickiJMarkus
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aleera21
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickijmarkus/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4567057.Nicki_J_Markus
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Asta-Idonea/e/B00RMGGVYO

The Cocky Cockers
a romance anthology

Release Date: June 25, 2018

What do you get when you cross cocky heroes and heroines with Cocker Spaniels? Why, Cocky Cockers, of course.

All the stories in this anthology feature a Cocker Spaniel and a happily-ever-after (or happy-for-now) ending. How they get there? Well, that’s all the fun!

Warning: The stories in this anthology run the gamut from G to NC-17 ratings and include examples of nearly every subgenre–including contemporary, historical, paranormal, and steampunk–as well as m/f, m/m, and f/f pairings.

Proceeds from this anthology will first be used to defray any legal costs associated with its publication, and secondarily donated to the Romance Writers of America’s Perseverance Fund.

Amazon US Preorder link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DLHHBNC/
Amazon Australia Preorder link: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07DLHHBNC/
Amazon UK Preorder link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DLHHBNC/

Contributing Authors:

Shiloh Walker https://www.shilohwalker.com/website/

Sela Carsen http://selacarsen.com/

Tom Eden http://www.tomeden.com/

Ann Gaston https://annegaston.com/

Missy Jane https://authormissyjane.wordpress.com/

Sadie Jay

Taryn Kincaid https://tarynkincaid.com/

Lucy Kinsley and Tara Song

Rachael Kerr

Mia Koutras http://www.facebook.com/mia.koutras

L. J. LaBarthe http://www.ljlabarthe.com/

Elise Logan

Carrie Lomax https://carrielomax.com/

Mara Malins

Siobhan Muir https://www.siobhanmuir.com/

Marie Piper http://www.mariepiper.com/

Joanne Renaud http://joannerenaud.com/

Dominique Rothford http://dominiquerothford.com/

Selene Grace Silver http://selenegracesilver.com/

Naomi Tajedler

Emily Veinglory https://www.facebook.com/veinglory/

Jules Voigt

Jody Wallace http://jodywallace.com/

Mary Winter https://marywinter.com/

Julia Wolf http://juliawolfwrites.com/

It's out. The Outsiders, book one of The Second Chances trilogy is out with Less Than Three Press. At this time, it's only in ebook, but there will be a paperback release too. I'll post that link as soon as it's available. The beautiful cover is done the amazing Aisha Akeju.

Blurb: Ninety-nine years after going into cryo, Matty wakes up to a world he doesn't know, with no memories of the world—or the man he loves—that he left behind. This new world is full of suspicion and darkness, humanity having moved underground in the aftermath of the mysterious Event.

And as Matty's memories return, along with his beloved Arkady, instead of his life getting easier, he finds his new reality only getting more complicated—and more dangerous.

Get it here: The Outsiders page.

Rachel Lacey and Mia Sosa have teamed up with over 30 romance authors to offer you a special giveaway, in light of the recent natural disasters that have affected parts of the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands. To enter, just email us at romancecares@gmail.com showing proof of a donation (please remove sensitive information) to disaster relief efforts, and you will receive 1 or more free ebooks - chosen at random - from a list of books from participating authors. Some people will even receive an entire series! Please help us spread the word by sharing this giveaway on social media using the hashtag #romancecares.

Our hearts and thoughts are with everyone who's been affected. <3

Entry Details:

1. Please email romancecares@gmail.com by Friday, October 13 showing proof of a donation to disaster relief dated between August 1 and October 13, 2017.

2. In your email, please indicate your preference of Kindle or Nook copies for your gifted ebooks.

3. If you've already read any of the books included in the giveaway, please let us know in your email, and we'll do our best to gift you a book or books you haven't read yet.

Our Awesome Participating Authors:

Jennifer Bernard - Setting Off Sparks
Marnee Blake - Altered
Asa Maria Bradley - Viking Warrior Rising
Laura Brown - Friend (With Benefits) Zone
Celeste Castro - Homecoming
Olivia Dade - Ready to Fall
Alexis Daria - Take the Lead
Jen Doyle - Calling It
Kate Forest - Interior Design and Other Emotions
Calista Fox - His Angel of Starlight Bend
Megan Frampton - the Dukes Behaving Badly series
Codi Gary - Crazy for You
Mia Hopkins - Cowboy Rising and Cowboy Karma
April Hunt - Hard Justice
Ryvr Jones - Shadow and Bones
L.J. LaBarthe - The Archangel Chronicles (complete 9 book set)
Rachel Lacey - Crash and Burn
Ruby Lang - Hard Knocks
Jessica Linden - Fight For Me
Tracey Livesay - the Shades of Love series and the In Love with a Tycoon series
J.L. Lora - Boss
Sarah MacLean - the Scandal and Scoundrel series
Kelly Maher - The Bridesmaid and the Hurricane
Tif Marcelo - North to You
Liz Maverick - The Transporter
Harper Miller - The Sweetest Taboo
Steph Nuss - the Love in the City series
Priscilla Oliveras - His Perfect Partner
Tamsen Parker - Rogue Desire and In Her Court
Annie Rains - Forbidden Kisses
Sara Rider - Going for the Goal
Lydia San Andres - A Summer for Scandal
Susan Scott Shelley - Making His Move
Sabrina Sol - Delicious Satisfaction
Mia Sosa - Acting on Impulse
Elisabeth Staab - Losing the Fight
Mia West - Marked by Fire
Tara Wyatt - Dirty Boxing

Christmas is always a busy time, and in my little part of the world, it's no different. Our family celebration is small, but there's plenty of food and drink, conversation and laughter.

It's always hot, too. Christmas here in Australia is usually a warm one, with various ranges in temperatures depending on where you are in the country. No snow here on our Christmas day! Just sunshine, maybe some wind, and if we're very unlucky, it'll be over 40oC/105oF. Luckily in my home, there's airconditioning and a ceiling fan!

In the spirit of giving, I'm giving one reader an eBook copy of my latest release, Book, Line and Sinker. Leave a comment to go into the draw!



Blurb: After seventeen years serving in the Australian Army, Ash returns to his childhood home in the outback town of Quorn. Filled with the desire to live a happy life in peace and with loved ones, Ash is grimly determined to beat his PTSD and tackle his flashbacks.

What Ash isn’t prepared for is Jaxon, the new librarian in Quorn. Jaxon is calm, gentle, kind, and a rock for Ash’s battered psyche. Ash finds himself falling for the handsome newcomer, even as his mind and memories of the past torment him.

When he has the idea for a mobile library to bring books and entertainment to remote communities in the far north, Ash is delighted that Jaxon is with him every step of the way. But though the library, called Book, Line, and Sinker, takes off, Ash’s past continues to plague him. Can Jaxon’s love be enough to keep them together until Ash is strong enough to stand on his own?

Enjoy the Blog Hop!

Author Happy Holidays Hop—Click For More.

Thank the universe.

This was something that all Australian authors were worried about—the proposed changes to copyright laws. Under the proposal, copyright for authors, which was in line with the international standard of existing with the author or their heirs/assigns for 70 years after their death, would be changed. The change would make it so the copyright would expire 15-25 years after the first publication date of the work.

The author of this proposal is the Productivity Commission, who are tasked with finding new and interesting ways for people to be productive and the government to make money. Its basic role is to help the government to make better policies in the long term interest of the Australian community.

The next proposal by the commission is one that hasn’t been rebuffed by the government or agreed to—in short, the government has given a non-answer on the question of whether or not they’ll go with this recommendation. This is to remove PIR—Parallel Importation Rules—where "an author owns territorial rights to their work, which means that they can sell their book to one publisher in Australia, one in America and another in the UK, and those publishers have an exclusive right to sell that book within their market only. Booksellers can therefore only buy bulk copies of a title from the publisher who has rights in their own territory, so Australian booksellers purchase from Australian publishers." [1]

As it stands at the moment, a consumer can buy a book from anywhere in the world. The system in place is fair and balanced, in that people can buy books in Australia published by Australian publishing houses or imports from overseas publishers, or they can buy books from overseas retailers such as Amazon, Book Depository or secondhand merchants such as Better World Books. Basically, the way it is, everyone gets paid, everyone's happy. This is the system in place in the US and UK as well as here, but it might not be here for much longer. Who knows.

Lastly, there is the debate of what constitutes fair use and that’s a murky thing at the best of times. Who knows what will happen there.

There's a petition to support Australian authors which is still up and running, so if you want to sign and support, that would be wonderful.
https://www.change.org/p/scott-morrison-save-australian-literature-stop-parallel-importation-of-books


[1] https://www.asauthors.org/copyright-under-threat#TOC

Hi, there! Rebecca Hamilton here to tell you how SUPER excited we are to bring you this MEGA giveaway! First place prize is a $1,000 Amazon Gift Card, but we also have 12 runner up ebook and paperback prizes! Entering will connect you with 21 paranormal romance and urban fantasy authors for more great deals, freebies, and giveaway, so in a way, everyone wins!

Before you enter the giveaway, check out an excerpt of DARK INDISCREATIONS: A Prequel by Shakuita Johnson, one of the authors sponsoring the giveaway!

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He worked himself up with so much anger that he marched to his parents' bedroom. He yanked open the door and barged in without even bothering to knock. He was beyond caring at this point. At his arrival, his mother opened one eye from where she was laid up, cuddling with his father. Eww… Maybe he should have knocked first.

"Really James? What is the problem today that has you in a fit?" Marcella asked, with an eyebrow raised.

"I am not a child!"

"Mm, when you act like this, it's hard to tell," Michael retorted.

"The two of you aren't funny. I'm serious!"

"You're always serious," Marcella said, mocking his tone.

"Don't mock me," James answered. He growled, baring his fangs.

"That's enough out of the both of you," Michael warned. "What is it James? What's wrong now?"

"What's wrong, is I'm twenty-one, yet I still live at home. What's wrong is that you still follow me on a hunt. What's wrong is that I'm not a fucking baby anymore. Stop treating me like one!"

"I see," Michael said.

Marcella scrunched up her face and made a tsking sound in the back of her throat because of his little outburst. Well too damn bad. The shit stopped today.

"I'm moving out," James said. "I'm going to build my own hut and I will live there alone or with Kain!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Marcella scolded. "You are staying here and that is final. I don't want to hear anything else about it. Do you understand me, James?"

"You aren't listening, Mother. I'm not a child and I'm tired of being treated like one."

"Well, when you start acting like an adult, we will treat you like one," Michael said, stepping in. "In the meantime, you aren't living far from our sight. Did you forget the fact that you died?"

"Oh my god! How long are you going to hold that over my head? It was one time, Father. One! It hasn't happened again and it won't."

"We'll see. You are staying here for now and this conversation is over," Michael said. "Now close the door on your way out."

His parents went back to resting on the bed as if he wasn’t even in the room anymore. Even still, they treated him like a child! James stormed out and slammed the door behind him. He opened it and slammed it once more to really bring his point home.

Fuck! His parents were assholes and a pain in his ass. They insisted on parenting, instead of letting him live his own life. It was unacceptable. They were determined to ruin his life with their meddling. It was unheard of in Mystic culture. He shouldn't be the only child, and they shouldn't be trying to keep him under their roof. He was a fucking laughing stock. His entire extended family talked about him behind their backs. They were the top of the food chain, yet he and his parents were barely respected in their own community because of their choices. The worst part was his parents didn't even care. He told them what was being said and they just shrugged and said dumb shit like, "They won't say it to our faces."

James was ready to murder. He couldn’t wait until Kain got there. Someone was going to die tonight, and it wasn't going to be pretty. He was going to rip some poor asshole apart and with his bare fucking hands. He needed to destroy things today.

The emotions were so strong, that he could feel the magic coming off him in waves. If he wasn't careful he would destroy the hut with his erratic magic. That would just make his parents hound him even harder. Any excuse was a good enough reason for them to keep him here. He was done giving them any.

He tried to steady his breathing and think relaxing thoughts, but it wasn't working. Where the fuck was Kain? He needed to hurry up before James lost his damn mind and blew everything to Hell and back. With the mood he was in, it was a good possibility.

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Don't forget to also check out the complete list of books included in this promotion! Some of the authors have even put their books on sale just for you! Click any book to check it out on Amazon!

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Enter the Giveaway - Click Here!

Once upon a time in Australian schools, there was a program called Safe Schools. The program was put into practice in the last days of the Rudd Labor government, approximately six years ago. It was designed to provide teachers and schools with the tools to better understand and help students who were gay, lesbian, intersex, transgender, bisexual or asexual. It was hailed as a great achievement in the movement towards tolerance and equality, but perhaps more importantly, it helped young Australians understand that being non-heteronormative wasn't a bad thing, and that it provided a safe space from bullying and torment any GBLTQI child might experience.



From the Safe Schools website, I quote:

All Australian schools value the health and wellbeing of students and agree that bullying of any kind is harmful and should not be accepted. Across religions and cultures there is a shared belief in the right of all people to be safe, happy and healthy and to be treated with dignity and respect. This is not possible for students and staff in a homophobic or transphobic school environment.

With government and community support, we are assisting hundreds of schools across the country in their efforts to actively promote safety, diversity, inclusion and respect for the whole school community. This includes working in partnership with government and independent schools, schools in diverse geographic locations, and faith-based schools.

It's a good program, and an important program. It was providing a lot of support to kids who needed it, a lot of teaching to those kids who didn't quite understand GBLTQI issues, and assisting teachers, parents and schools as well.



However, with an election and a new, highly conservative government, came some pushback against the program. That pushback turned into outrage which turned into demands from the far right and from various groups who are blatantly homophobic and transphobic to gut the program entirely. Many parts of the right wing conservative media lashed out at the program. I link them here, but I warn you, the contents of these articles can be triggering.

The Australian cried that the Safe Schools program was (gasp!) making kids learn how to say the words "transgender" and "intersex." Honestly, there's a lot of pearl clutching in the above article and I can imagine the author fainting and someone crying for the smelling salts. I personally rolled my eyes so hard at this piece that I'm surprised my eyes didn't get stuck in the back of my head, but I digress. From Sky News comes the piece that former conservative Prime Minister John Howard is "baffled" that the program even exists. The Brisbane Times is glad the program is getting scrutinized because it's "an excuse for brainwashing … a license for depravity." A mother wrote to Senator Cory Bernardi, a far right senator about the program and was told, among other things, that "You clearly haven’t got any idea what is in the program. If you did then you would be worried about your children being exposed to unhealthy ideas at such an early age."

In the end, new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, called for a review into the Safe Schools Program, giving into the demands of the far right members of his party (Liberal Party) and members of groups who are blatantly homophobic and transphobic and make no apology for it. The review listed a string of recommendations which Turnbull accepted and decided to pare back the program and make it for high schools only. The Conversation goes into more detail about this and the outcomes of it, concluding that:

Much of what the Safe Schools Coalition aims to achieve relates to the whole school culture. While some of this includes lesson plans, this is just one aspect of the program. The remainder includes contextual approaches to reducing homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and encouraging a school culture that is more inclusive of any difference and diversity.

(Warning: the above is pro the Safe Schools program but may contain material that is triggering.)



The Saturday Paper also has a good article about the history of the program and how it was targeted and its near-demise. (As with all articles linked here, please beware that it may contain triggering material.) Doctors and health professionals came out in support of the program, sending an open letter to the Prime Minister and the government on the subject. More media began to publish pieces in support of the program and detailing what happened to a great support and resource.

Politicians and journalists can talk in grand terms and somber tones about the program and debate until the cows come home whether or not it's a good thing or bad thing. But the ones who really need to be heard are the children themselves, and their families, and those who grew up knowing they were different but didn’t have anything like Safe Schools to turn to. One mother begged the government to reconsider, as her son is transgender. Another woman wrote passionately about growing up the child of lesbian parents and of her own coming out without having the support of something like Safe Schools.



However, these words fell on deaf ears as the lobbying by Christian groups and right-wing MPs had the program downsized and, in the words of one MP, "gutted."

And yet, despite the downsizing, the gutting and the verbal abuse thrown around about the program, some light shone in a dark and ugly tunnel. The states of Victoria and ACT decided that they were going to defy the federal government and fund an unchanged program from their own state budgets. In South Australia, Uniting Communities (Uniting Church) backed the program and teachers rallied in support, urging the SA state government to follow in Victoria and the ACT's footsteps.

The program isn't dead yet, despite many wishing it was. The debate continues to rage as children navigate the ever-changing waters of school society and those schools who are involved in the program are doing the best to help them. For myself, I think the program is a great one and it should be embraced by all the states and territories in Australia, and not removed from the curriculum.

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Comment to this entry to go into the draw for an eBook copy of my latest book, Book, Line, and Sinker from Dreamspinner Press.

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE REST OF THE HOP.

"Book, Line, and Sinker" is on sale now and for the release of my new book, it's been on a blog tour! Pop along and have a read.

9th: MM Good Book Reviews.
13th: Gay Book Reviews.
15th: Oh My Shelves!.
15th: Open Skye Book Reviews.
15th: Dreamspinner Press Blog.
15th: Divine Magazine.
17th: My Fiction Nook.
18th: Long and Short Reviews.
19th: Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.
20th: Love Bytes.