archive

January 2006

Bit by bit...

Voice of the Gods: 1 prologue and 25 chapters beaten into shape; 25 chapters and an epilogue to go.

I'm almost cheating here, because I did the last lot of chapters on Thursday. I haven't got any done today yet. I spent all morning sorting out urgent accounting stuff. Now I've got a serious case of Mondayitis.

But I did get some fanmail answered yesterday morning.

Deleted guestbook entry

Voice of the Gods: 1 prologue and 23 chapters beaten into shape; 27 chapters and an epilogue to go.

I had to delete an (otherwise very nice) guestbook entry today because it contained a spoiler. Unfortunately the person who left the entry didn't leave an email address, so I couldn't tell them why I had to delete it. Whoever you are, you're welcome to leave another message - minus the spoiler.

Please, everyone, remember that people reading the guestbook may not have finished any of my books yet, so please don't spoil the endings for them by mentioning what state the characters are in at the end!

Thankyou!

Celebrating achievement

Voice of the Gods: 1 prologue and 21 chapters beaten into shape; 29 chapters and an epilogue to go.

In other news, the Ditmar nomination forms are now available at http://www.conjure.org.au/ditmars.htm. What are the Ditmars? Well, they're Australian Awards for speculative fiction, rather like the Hugos.

The hardest part of nominating works is finding out what's eligable. The Aurealis Awards site has lists of books and short stories, (go to http://www.fantasticqueensland.com/~aurealisawards/ and look under Entered Works) but the list only consists of books that were entered in that award. Other books/stories may exist that weren't entered. But if you don't know about them, chances are you haven't read them, so why would you be nominting them anyway?

Usually somebody puts together a list of stories that qualify as novellas, because most people aren't going to sit down and count the number of words in a short story to see if it qualifies as a novella. I'll post it if I find one.

A few years back I went to a lot of trouble to put together a web page listing professional artwork, but these days I don't have the time.

Progress!

The tally:

Voice of the Gods: 1 prologue and 18 chapters beaten into shape; 32 chapters and an epilogue to go.

I've had some fanmail and entries in the guestbook enthusing about me making the BMT into films. It's very touching to think that some readers think I have the expertise, finances and time to make films. Unfortunately, filmmaking isn't my line of work, though when I was a child it was what I wanted to do when I grew up. I do the writing bit.

Needless to say, my agent is ready to consider offers from film producers.

Reporting from the Oven

It's 10am and it's already 40°C/105°F + outside. Yesterday it was supposed to be 35° but reached 41°. You'll have to forgive me talking about the weather. I grew up near the Dandenong Ranges National Park, and most people who do always get edgy during weather like this. We've all experienced bad bushfire seasons. When I was a teenager several students at my school lost their homes in the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983. 47 people died that season. I can still remember standing outside my home that night to see the mountains glowing where the fires still burned.

1n 1997 I wasn't living in the area, but I was visiting my parents (they have airconditioning; I didn't!) when fires broke out again. Watching from their house, it was obvious that these fires were deliberately lit, because they started at the southern end of the range and new ones kept starting in more northerly positions - and the wind was blowing from the north so there was no way the new fires were caused by falling embers. Three people died as a result of those fires. I may be wrong, but I don't believe the culprit was ever found.

I used to live near the edge of the forest (my 'little house on the hillside near a forest'). It took 5-10 minutes to walk to an area where there was still charred tree trunks from that last fire. Though I now live in the suburbs of Melbourne, I'll be tuning into the radio all day, worrying about my old house and my neighbours. 

(I read somewhere a few years back that the word 'Dandenong' is a Europeanised - mispronounced - version of a local indigenous word meaning 'prone to bushfires'.)

For a run-down of major fires in Victoria, go to http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dse/nrenfoe.nsf/childdocs/-D79E4FB0C437E1B6CA256DA60008B9EF-358FFCDA5CA1F43FCA256DA6000942C9?open

It's writing I do, isn't it?

I finished the read-through of part 1/book 3 on Tuesday and I'm halfway through checking the first pages of book 2. It seems like all I've been doing for weeks is proofing. Hang on, all I have been doing for weeks is proofing. 

I'll be relieved when I can get back to rewriting and polishing book 3 next week. Part 2 is going to be fun!

The weather, however, isn't going to be much fun the next four days. Today and tomorrow's forecast is 35°C/96°F. Saturday's is 33° and Sunday's is 41°/106°F. Our old airconditioner is going to get quite a workout.

Even good news comes in trilogies

A few days ago a great big blue bag turned up on my doorstep. It turned out to contain my author copies of the US edition of Priestess of the White. The reason the author copies were in a big bag was because the box they had been posted in had busted open. Most of the copies are scuffed around the spine and a few have bent covers, but the damage wasn't too bad.

Yesterday another package arrived containing the advance copies of the same book. They're in good condition, thankfully... though they were supposed to arrive before the author copies. Still... they look great!

Today I received an email from the UK publisher telling me that Priestess of the White is the third most pre-ordered book on amazon.uk at the moment, and ranks at 131, even through it hasn't been published yet. Cor!

I think I can announce a third bit of news, too. Time Warner in the UK will be publishing a limited edition (1500 copies only) hardback omnibus ediiton of the Black Magician Trilogy for Waterstone's. I'll be signing all of them, on the prebound pages rather than bookplates. I'm not sure when it is due out. Will keep you posted on that.

This morning the first pages of Last of the Wilds arrived for me to proof, nearly a week earlier than I'd expected. I've still got a few chapters in part one of Voice of the Gods to read through, so I'll do them first.

My list of things to do keeps growing. Thankfully my back is a lot better. Well, back to its normal cranky state, anyway!

It's baaack!

My old back problem has flared up again, so I haven't got much writing done these last few days. I've been trying to read through the first part of book three so I'll be all set to continue rewriting on Monday, but no matter what position I put myself in - lying on my back, side, sitting at my desk - I can't get comfortable. I'm just going to have to let it rest and heal.

Last of the Wilds proof gone!

Yep, they're done and sent. It only took me another hour and a half. I celebrated by eating a chocolate muffin, even though I know the first pages version will be on my desk soon for checking. Fortunately that's a faster process.

It's a scorcher here today. Already 35 degrees and it's only 1pm. Not sure what I'll do next. I'ts too hot to write, and my internet connection keeps dropping out so no blogging.

Laughing at myself

I had no idea I'd made so many corrections to Last of the Wilds. It was supposed to take a couple of breezy hours typing them in. Instead it's 4pm and I'm only 2/3 through. Gonna have to finish tomorrow.

Another deadline bites the dust...

Yipee!

I just finished proofing Last of the Wilds! Yaaaay! All I need to do now is type my changes into a fresh document and email them off to the editor. That'll take most of a day, I reckon.

Next week I'll be back to the rewrite of Voice of the Gods. I'll probably do a quick read through of part one, which I'd worked on before the proofing started, before starting on part two. I guess I can start another tally...

Voice of the Gods: 1 prologue and 15 chapters beaten into shape; 35 chapters and an epilogue to go.

(I checked and yes, there are 50 chapters in this book.)

Nearly there...

A session with the Osteo and a day away from the computer has done my back some good. Yesterday I proofed nine (nine!) chapters. As the plot gains momentum toward the end it's easy to get carried away, so I have to make myself slow down or I'll miss the mistakes.

The tally is:

Proofed: 1 prologue and 42 chapters. Still to go: 7 chapters and 1 epilogue.

(I also discovered that this book has 49 chapters, not 50!)

When I was in the UK earlier this year I visited lots of galleries and bought quite a collection of postcards of paintings, which I've stuck up on a framed board. The paintings I chose weren't necessarily an artist's most famous, but seemed to have a story in them. Some suggested a character, others a scene. I occasionally pause to look at the postcards, waiting to see if any story ideas spring out at me. Yesterday one did. It's a short story idea about suspicion and truth, about someone who always reads the worst out of the words and behavior of others. 

So I have another short story to write when I take my break from big projects next March. I'm so looking forward to 'taking six months off'. I've been feeling creatively drained, and I think I just need to take time to read lots of books, explore some other writing formats without deadline pressure, and just recharge my creative batteries.

And there's that novella to finish, too. It's going to be a very busy 'six months off'.

Happy New Year!

I had a marvelous time over the weekend celebrating the New Year in Adelaide. Unfortunately I wrenched my back - I think it was during the wild dancing on New Years Eve - and yesterday I didn't get any proofing done. This morning I have an appointment with an Osteopath, so hopefully he'll get me all realigned and able to work again.

I've had some really nice emails lately. There's always a post-Christmas rush of them, as people who received one or more of my books as presents let me know what they think. Some of these emailers have asked questions that would be answered easily looking at my website, which is a bit frustrating after all the work that went into it! One thought I was 22! Lol! I really want to know how she arrived at that number. But even though I'd love to answer these now, I have to be fair and put them in the queue.