Ramblings of an Australian Writer

It's Round Four of voting on covers for the 2012 Rainbow Awards. I am humbled and thrilled that the cover for No Quarter is still in the race.

So if you'd like to help out and vote, and I'd love it if you did, please go here and cast your ballot.

* If you don't have a Live Journal, don't fret - you can log in using your Facebook or Twitter and vote accordingly. :D

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In writing and publishing news, book three, No Shadows Fall has a release date of the 29th October. And to celebrate all October releases, Dreamspinner Press is having what is, I think, the most awesome giveaways - the tweetaway! If you don't have a twitter but still want to participate and bag yourself free books, bookmark the DSP twitter, right here.

Less Than Three Press has closed submissions for the Rockstar Anthology Collection, in which I have a story called >Capsicum Head. It's about an Aussie punk rock band in the 80s and their highs and lows on tour to the town of Port Pirie and the city of Melbourne. LT3 does have two open calls which, if I may say, look pretty awesome, and I'm planning to have something for the vampire call. If you're reading this..." Message In A Bottle call and Vampire call info.

I am currently at 65K words on City of Jade, the novel sequel to my short story, City of Gold. I am actually amazed at myself right now, I seem to be averaging 5K words a day and this story is practically writing itself. When I picked it up again, I had 30K words down, and now I'm powering along like a writing machine. With a very sore wrist. Ow. I'm really enjoying writing this, I get a lot of joy out of looking at blogs and photos and scholarly and academic research about where this book takes place, which is the Silk Road from Constantinople to Chang'an and then to Li'nan. (Istanbul - Xi'an - Hangzhou). It's set in 1141-42, and is the story of Gallienus of Constantinople and Misahuen of Gyeongju and their trip to find a new home in the Song Dynasty's capital, Li'nan. I would love to follow their journey as a tourist. It's on my bucket list.

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I have gone on a herb growing kick, and my little herb garden in pots is going great guns. My mint is, I'm convinced, related to triffids. If I'm attacked by sentient mint, you all know what happened. Avenge me and honour my memory, friends.

Ahem. Anyhoo, I have mint, parsley, rosemary, lavender, chilli and thyme. (My landlady gave me the thyme. How awesome is that?) I plan to get some perenial corriander (cilatro to my US friends) and some basil, and that should tide me over for the time being. Until I spy something else I must try my hand at growing. Fresh herbs, though, omg. SO GOOD. So very, very good.

I think the following image says it all. Rest in peace, Mr. Bradbury. Your words don't pass with you, and I for one, am grateful.

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I got a really lovely review for City of Gold, which was awesome. I'm so thrilled it's still being read and enjoyed, and makes me even more determined to finish the novel length sequel, City of Jade.

July's plan is actually to do some more on that one; June is, I've decided, time to get as much done as possible (if not finish) Deliverance, which I've been working on since February.

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Lastly, for today, some links.

⋄ Rainbow Awards: Cover Contest (April) http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1614866.html "No Quarter" cover at is up as part of this round! If you liked it, please vote! And vote for other covers too, there's some gorgeous work in the running. :)
⋄ Chronic pain: a letter to people who don't suffer from it. Worth a read. As I do suffer from chronic pain, all I can say about this is the very articulate (ahem) YES OMG YES.
⋄ The Spoon Theory, a fantastic analogy to explain chronic pain to those who don't have it.
⋄ Linking again, because, well, I want to. Fundraiser for "Be Here Now: The Andy Whitfield Story".

I wanted to get all my formatting and submitting of book two of my Archangel series out of the way before blogging about the Preditors and Editors book poll. Also, doing that and filling in the cover art sheet for No Quarter gave me time to calm down from my !!!!! a little, too.

My short story, City of Gold is nominated for best short story: romance, over here (if, you know, you want to vote. XD) I'm thrilled, too, to see that the Erotica Apocrypha anthology is up for best anthology, here.

I'm delighted to see that Dreamspinner Press, one of my publishers, is up for best publisher. They do great books, so I'm not shy about asking you all to vote for them, right over here. Riptide Press, and Candlemark and Gleam are also nominated.

Finally, congratulations to meredith_shayne, whose Aussie cowboy novel Equilibrium is nominated for best erotica novel, here and to RJ Astruc, whose Aussie/NZ cyberpunk novel Harmonica and Gig is nominated for best fantasy/sci-fi novel, here. Go vote for them, because they deserve it, the books are both fantastic, great storytelling, engaging narrative and tremendously enjoyable worldbuilding.

I'm at Whipped Cream today/tomorrow (depending on your time zone!), talking about history, history reenacting and research. Do drop in and say hi!




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I am at C. R. Moss' blog today, talking about all kinds of things and giving away a copy of "Life and Nothing But" and a copy of "City of Gold." So do come join us!

~ Clickee here! ~

Today is a good day.

Even though I had a blood test done this morning (a regular thing - it never gets less unpleasant), nothing was going to ruin my good mood. And why such a good mood? I woke up to a lovely email from Dreamspinner Press, offering me a contract for the first novel in The Archangel Chronicles.

So No Quarter, the novel that went through over thirteen title changes, has a home and will be published in ebook, paperback and audio book in the first quarter of 2012. Yes, I am excite!

It's a good six months for me in terms of releases. I have Long Road Back coming out in December, as part of the Dreamspinner Press Christmas Advent Calender daily-dose anthology, and preordering for the full anthology is already up, at a special price of $39.99. Individual stories will be available for purchase in December.

Now, to finish City of Jade (which is looking infinitely more doable than it was a few weeks ago), and November, being Nano month, will be devoted to book two of my Archangels in love series. I'll also be doing reading and research for a historical, hopefully novel length, to submit to the Roman period call at Riptide Publishing. So I'm feeling pretty good about things right now.

Don't forget, the Erotica Apocrypha anthology is now available, in both ebook and paperback format, too.

And today's shirt of lulz is 'Cirque du Llama.'

⋄ Evening Greetings from Australia! First post.

⋄ "Life and Nothing But" Excerpt and giveaway.

⋄ "Sunburnt Country" Excerpt and details.

⋄ "City of Gold" Excerpt and giveaway.

⋄ "Fire, Burn" Excerpt and details.

⋄ "Life and Nothing But" & "City of Gold" Giveaways reminder and chatter.

⋄ Winners of the giveaways.

I'm at SJ Peterson's blog today/tomorrow, talking about historical m/m romance, specifically "City of Gold" which is set in 1131AD in Constantinople, so do pop by!



Click the banner above or alternately, click here.

As I've had big time dental work done today, I'm terribly exhausted and in a lot of pain, so I'm about to head to bed for the night, but I will be around to chat at Jo's place on the morrow! (And the teeth thing is why there's no Thursday Thirteen this week.)

Photo: Original walls of Constantinople, taken in 2008, via Flickr.



Even before his first glimpse of Misahuen at the gates of Constantinople, Gallienus had been a frequent patron of the taproom of The Grape Vine. It was no great surprise to the innkeeper or his family that Gallienus continued to drink there at the end of his shifts. That Misahuen was, more often than not, Gallienus’s companion during the long evenings did not seem strange, for Gallienus was well known to be fond of conversation and well liked by those who knew him.

However, Gallienus knew he had to be careful. The law was such that he did not dare state openly how he felt about Misahuen; even hinting at it was enough to make him nervous. He had come to the conclusion only a few days after their first conversation in the taproom that he was attracted to the man.

-- City of Gold.

Other Six Sentence Sundays.

I'll be over at Jo Peterson's blog on the 4th and 5th, talking about my short story City of Gold, being a history buff and what I have planned for the rest of 2011 and into 2012. So do drop in and say hi! I'll post up a link to the posts themselves when they're up. :)