IF Comp: Roads Not Taken

I only did one play-through of this story, which took 40 minutes. “Slice of life” is a good description because it feels autobiographical*—both because of the detailed storytelling (good storytelling) and because it has the rambling uncertainty of real life. A lot of hyperlinks add detail, and the writing is good enough that they’re worthContinue reading “IF Comp: Roads Not Taken”

IF Comp: Valand/The Island

How long it actually took me to play: 15 minutes (the author estimated half an hour but I’m a very fast reader) The opening of this story was really intriguing: The main character (a child—their gender is never specified) comes to consciousness having washed up on a beach, where they immediately meet a magical creatureContinue reading “IF Comp: Valand/The Island”

Death at the Rectory

It’s been a long, long time but I finally have another ChoiceScript interactive story. DEATH AT THE RECTORY (iOS, Google Play, Amazon, etc) is a cozy crime mystery (with magic) which was very much inspired by the real-life rectory of St John’s Anglican in Gundagai. Here are some pics from the actual rectory:   And here’s aContinue reading “Death at the Rectory”

Editing a ChoiceScript Game

The interactive fiction community is a wonderful, welcoming space. It is common practice to share a book (aka a game) with other people before officially publishing it. Those first readers spot all manner of errors and are extremely generous and helpful. But with THE FLOATING CITY, I needed a Sensitivity Reader to check I wasn’tContinue reading “Editing a ChoiceScript Game”

The income of the full-time author

Many years ago, I learned that the average full-time writer in Australia earns $12,000 per year (that is, considerably less than minimum wage). Here’s what I earned over the last three years: $20,000. -$10,000. $5000. Soooo…. this year was better than last year. Yay? The main reason I lost so much money last financial yearContinue reading “The income of the full-time author”

Do your legs stop working when it rains?

I got pissy today, and wrote this piece for the school newsletter. When I googled how much the fine was I stumbled across some stuff I didn’t know, so I thought it was worth a blog post. Dropping and fetching kids is a hassle in winter, but remember… don’t park in disabled spots even whenContinue reading “Do your legs stop working when it rains?”

Things I should be doing right now

Most importantly, I should be writing my quota for the day: 1000 words. And gluing some stuff back together. And tidying the living room. And sorting three loads of washing; washing two loads including cleaning up an epic blood nose from last night (by TJ). And sorting out the ominously paper-filled sections of several “IContinue reading “Things I should be doing right now”

Bits and Bobs from “Brass”

I spent last weekend at Nimmitabel’s Steampunk @ Altitude festival, and the weekend before that at IronFest in Lithgow, so it’s been a wild steam-powered ride for the last couple of weeks. But a few old pics related to HEART OF BRASS just came to my attention, so I’m posting them here before they returnContinue reading “Bits and Bobs from “Brass””

Guest Post: What doesn’t kill me. . .

Hello and welcome to Karen J Carlisle! Karen J Carlisle is a writer and illustrator of steampunk, Victorian mysteries and fantasy. She was short-listed in Australian Literature Review’s 2013 Murder/Mystery Short Story Competition. Her first novella, Doctor Jack & Other Tales, was published in 2015 and her short stories have featured in the 2016 AdelaideContinue reading “Guest Post: What doesn’t kill me. . .”