Category Archives: Advanced/Publication

Choices: And Their Souls Were Eaten

I’ve been working very hard on this story app for Tin Man Games all this year, and I’m incredibly proud of it. The beginning is free, and the rest costs a few dollars (or a LOT of ads if you choose that option on Android). It’s a subscription story that releases a new section eachContinue reading “Choices: And Their Souls Were Eaten”

Dancing, Duelling, Delicious: The official book launch for HEART OF BRASS

You know what’s cool? Nurofen tablets are sugar coated. * HEART OF BRASS had her official Book Launch yesterday as part of the inaugural Canberra Writers Festival, an absolutely huge event. I was written about (with a cover image) in Canberra Weekly magazine (96,000 readers!) and in the Canberra Times, as well as various otherContinue reading “Dancing, Duelling, Delicious: The official book launch for HEART OF BRASS”

Tick, Tick

I’m counting the hours until the launch, and desperately hoping I sleep through most of them. It’s been a crazy few weeks (not even a month!) since HEART OF BRASS was released. There are hundreds of moving parts to the launch, each with their own unique quirks, and my publisher and I and the CanberraContinue reading “Tick, Tick”

Happy Birthday, Heart of Brass

You may have heard a rumour that books take a while to get published. This is what I looked like around the time I finished the first draft of HEART OF BRASS: This is what I looked like when the finished book was shortlisted in the Text Publishing Prize (editing takes a while too):  Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Heart of Brass”

HEART OF BRASS cover reveal

Here it is… On the publisher’s website it has an official release date less than a week away! If you’re in Canberra and you want your copy signed, email me at fellissimo@hotmail.com and I’ll see what I can do. I’ll also be at certain conferences this year, including: Brimbank Writers and Readers Festival 1-11 SeptemberContinue reading “HEART OF BRASS cover reveal”

ARR ME HEARTIES!!!

The long weeks at sea have dragged by as the scuttlebutt is whispered from captain to cabin boy… there’s going to be a post-comp release of SCARLET SAILS… it’s twice as long… there are new chapters… there are even more chances to stab, shoot, or magically murder people that annoy you… It turns out that (justContinue reading “ARR ME HEARTIES!!!”

“Scarlet Sails” covers, redux

I wrote about designing the cover for SCARLET SAILS (aka my interactive pirate book….probably coming out within two months, yay!) over here. The cover has to come in several versions, with very specific dimensions. So here’s what I have now:   All of the above (which I now realise should have borders so you canContinue reading ““Scarlet Sails” covers, redux”

Party Post-Mortem

At a typical book launch, this is what happens: Someone does an intro; the author talks a bit and reads a bit; people buy the book; the author signs it; people mingle and eventually depart. There’s food and usually wine. A lot of launches happen at conferences, where new fans are everywhere… but mostly those potentialContinue reading “Party Post-Mortem”

“Worst one I’ve played”: Reviewing the Reviewers

It’s finally happened: my first interactive (that is, Choose Your Own Adventure-ish) Australian steampunk novel is wandering unsupervised in the great big world, gathering reviews near and far (and scaring its mother half to death). My very first review was the hilarious comment “Worst one I’ve played”, accompanied by one star. I’m genuinely delighted by such aContinue reading ““Worst one I’ve played”: Reviewing the Reviewers”

Interactive Fiction: My Shiny New Obsession

If you’ve set eyes on me for more than thirty seconds at any point this year, you know all about my shiny new obsession: interactive fiction. It’s the digital form of “Choose Your Own Adventure” novels. As of seven minutes ago, my first publicly-available interactive fiction story is live (and also free… for now) right here –Continue reading “Interactive Fiction: My Shiny New Obsession”

Do Pirates Squee?

This one does. Fifteen – yes, fifteen – years ago I invented a fantasy world called Rahana based on Indonesia (I was sitting on a folding chair in a concreted Indonesian room attempting to listen to a sermon at the time). My idea was that if I had a rich and complicated world I could base aContinue reading “Do Pirates Squee?”

Pitch Me A Pitch

Conflux is Canberra’s annual speculative fiction conference. I’m there most years, one way or another – wandering around in garb (see pic at right), going to sessions, leading sessions (!), and of course pitching. Pitching is when writers get five or ten minutes one-on-one with a publisher or agent to try to convince them toContinue reading “Pitch Me A Pitch”

Less and More

From next week, I’ll be reducing this blog to two days a week – Miscellaneous Mondays (anything from a rant on equal rights to a picture of a cat) and Louisette Wednesdays. I’m hoping this will result in an increase in quality. Either way, I’ve been blogging faithfully for many years as I wait forContinue reading “Less and More”

The changing face of publishing

Here is quite a long and thorough article on how publishing is changing. I picked the bits I found most interesting about the present. . . Indeed, the problem for readers is that regardless of which side you agree with in theory, in practice you probably love the idea of buying books for under $5.00Continue reading “The changing face of publishing”

The long, long road

I know better than most how long it takes for publishers to make a decision on a book that is reasonably well-written and therefore difficult to reject. Right now I have books at two of Australia’s big publishers. One has been there for almost a year; the other has been there for literally years. EvenContinue reading “The long, long road”

Making your book look like a book

In order to get published, some people get their book made up all pretty-like, with binding and cover and all. According to Lyn Price’s article here, those people are just dumb. Well, dumb and annoying. (Okay, I might be making it slightly clearer than she does – she is more well-mannered than I, but herContinue reading “Making your book look like a book”

Don’t be an idiot (warning: some swearing)

The real title here is: Don’t be a shit. If you want to be a professional writer, be polite. No matter what. This article by Chuck Wendig (who has a potty mouth with occasional vivid sexual references – but he sure is worth listening to) is worth reading and obeying. Here’s a bit: Editors andContinue reading “Don’t be an idiot (warning: some swearing)”

Making money as a writer

Someone on a writing forum said they “need” to finish their novel, both because the story won’t let them go and because they need the money. This is some of what I said, which clearly not enough people are saying: First rule of writing is never ever write for money. Here’s some reasons, as brieflyContinue reading “Making money as a writer”