My interview with Mark Chitty is up here with links to chapter extracts.

And on the last day of 2008 I'd like to wish everyone the best for the New Year.  Like all of us, my year has been sprinkled with ups and downs but I'm still here to sing the song and enjoy seeing my family grow and blossom. Over at Parrish's Patch I set three New Year resolutions:

1) Write

2) Write

3) Sing and laugh more

Feel free to add your own. We can compare notes next year. 

... a Doubleday blockbuster!

And Supanova has anounced its Melbourne/Brisbane guest list:

Morena Baccarin – Serenity, Firefly, Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Eric Roberts – The Dark Knight, Heroes, D.O.A. and Doctor Who
Richard Hatch – Original and Re-imagined Battlestar Galactica
Vic Mignogna – Full Metal Alchemist, DragonBall Z, Bleach
Dave Willis – Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Dana Snyder – Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Venture Brothers
Matt Maiellaro – Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Space Ghost Coast to Coast - added 26/11/08
Jhonen Vasquez – Invader Zim, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac
The Vampress Girls - creators Jacy & Nick Nova - City of Lost Souls, Witches of Cazador - added 27/12/08
Nicola Scott – Birds of Prey, Secret Six, Star Wars Empire
David Yardin – X-Men vs Hulk, Black Panther, Storm Melbourne only
Colin Wilson - 2000AD, Blueberry: The Early Years, Star Wars (Dark Horse) - added 26/11/08
Stewart McKenny - DC Superfriends, Star Wars: Clone War Adventures Brisbane only - added 24/12/08
Marianne De Pierres - Dark Space, Chaos Space, Parrish Plessis series - added 24/12/08
Sonny Whitelaw - Stargate SG-1: City of the Gods, Stargate Atlantis: The Chosen, Stargate Atlantis: Exogenesis - added 24/12/08
Jennifer Fallon - Tide Lords series, The Hythrun Chronicles, Second Sons series - added 24/12/08
Suzanne Wood - Stargate SG-1: Barque of Heaven Melbourne only - added 24/12/08
Andrew Warrilow - The Familiar’s Tale, The Dream Dimension Brisbane only - added 24/12/08

Lovely snip review  below from MX newspaper. 

CHAOS SPACE  ****

Marianne De Pierres, Orbit, $19.99

Whoever said Mandarin was the language of the future obviously hasn't laid eyes on this fast-paced space chase, which is the second book of the Sentients of Orion trilogy. Forced to flee her planet ofAraldis with a motley crew due to an invasion, an Italian-speaking aristocrat with rare powers tonavigate her bio-ship attempts to mount a rescue mission. Onlytrouble is, each member of the crew - mercenaries, an exiled philosopher and prison escapees - has their own agenda. Big on detail and imagination, this is one for the thinking sci-fi fan and a great read - in anyone's language.

Well - two days until xmas and I'm late with my cards but everything else is on track. It's nice to be having a writing rest - other than blogging and an interview for Mark Chitty at Walker of the Worlds.

My writing buds and I have launched a brand new group blog and website which features a lot of free fiction and guest bloggers. Make sure you check it out. I have a short story up there called Nikei Love - quite cyberpunkish and one I've often thought about turning into novel. Let me know what you think.

Other than that ... dudes! have a wonderful xmas. Thank you for all your support and interest during the year. I hope I can reward you with some decent reading material next year.

Love you all.

MDP 

Just as surely as some reviews can crush your soul with their casual ignorance, others astound you with their attention to detail and genuine desire to accurately convey what it is that you've spent a year or more sweating over. This one from Fantasy Book Critic is one of the latter. Sentients is a complex series with a number POV characters - more power to the reviewer for being able to summarise this so well.

Recently I commented on how things pop up from time to time on the internet that blow me away. Tonight one of those things dropped into my inbox. I was scanning through the latest Aurealis Express when this jumped out at me from Rob's Rants.

"It's Christmas time and I'm heading into a new year. This year I only upset 1000 people with my antics, rants and general view of the world. Not one outburst of temper, nor did I expletive any poor soul. Through the year I journeyed through some good books and also some diatribes that passed as books, unfortunately more of the latter seemed the norm. Are we really writing worse in these modern times or are publishers just giving the hapless reader simplicity diguised as quality?
Chaos Space by Marianne de Pierres is perhaps a book in the forefront of quality. Deft use of language in an expansive world that draws the reader along, like a classical song tantilises the senses with memories of the good old days. So all is not lost."

Rob Stephenson always says *exactly* what he thinks. So thanks Rob - I know you truly mean it. 

My writers group (ROR) has had an extraordinary few months that go something like this:

Richard Harland has sold a YA novel to Allen and Unwin called Worldshaker.

Tansy Rayner Roberts sold a Roman fantasy trilogy to Harper Voyager called Creature Court.

Cory Daniells has sold a fantasy trilogy to Solaris called King Rolen's Kin.

Margo's ROR novel Tender Morsel's is out and getting rave reviews.

Most of the ROR-ettes did extremely well in the Aurealis Awards shorlists for 2009, particularly Trent Jamieson who got three shortlistings.

Dirk Flinthart edited Canterbury 2100 and had his science fiction novel, Angel Rising, published by Twelfth Planet press.

I've published Chaos Space and had a script outline optioned (and other stuff).

Maxine McArthur has something on the boil that we can't speak about yet.

All in all - amazing really. I'm so proud of everyone.

I seem to have gotten embroiled in a bunch of blog stuff recently. On top of my LJ and Myspace replication of this blog, there's the new ROR group blog, the SF Novelists wiki, and my alter ego's wordpress blog. 

Upcoming interview with Mark Chitty at Walker of the Worlds. Should have some chapter samples up at Concept SciFi soon and what else...

Faster Than Light have a review of Chaos Space on their latest podcast.

Check out my friend and colleague, Richard Epcar, who is the voice of THE JOKER in this game clip.

The shortlist is out and I'm thrilled to see the members of my writer's group, ROR, featuring so prominently.

The Courier Mail is also running an article on the shortlisting.

Amanda was the winner of the Dark Space/Chaos Space giveaway at Walker of the Worlds. She has just posted her review of DS, hopefully to be followed by Chaos Space review soon.

Mirror Space has gone to Big Ed and I'm officially having a couple of weeks off. Which means finishing reading Michael Chabon and generally getting ready for xmas.  

The launch is probably best described by Terry over at Orbiteer. Suffice to say, everyone was very kind and ignored my flushed nervousness, ate all the cupcakes, and bought Angus and Robertson's supply out. Thank you dear friends!  I then went home and drank far too much champagne. I should have a couple of pics soon courtesy of Jason Nahrung (fortunately taken before the champagne - not after.)

Tansy Rayner Roberts has announced her fabulous new sale to Harper Collins Voyager. Power and Majesty is a one of our ROR books and I'm thrilled to know it will be hitting the shelves in due course. It's a simply glorious Roman fantasy of the like you haven't seen before.

What else ... Mirror Space for delivery this Friday. Back to work. <cracks whip> 

Just spotted this through google alert:

 With a space opera renaissance hitting all the right notes in the genre circles, what better time to visit part two in a modern-day opus by the acclaimed author of the Parrish Plessis series.
Chaos Space finds Mira Fedor desperately seeking a lifeline for her devastated world. But the authorities seem more interested in stealing her bio-ship Insignia than in helping. As the clock ticks feverishly on, Araldis burns …
The further Mira goes, the deeper she wades into mysteries she may never get to the bottom of. Why do so many of the key players in the galaxy have links to the Stain Wars? And what part does the Sole Entity have to play?
This is a superbly conducted piece you won't be able to tune out of.

My friend and colleague Trent Jamieson is working at Avid Reader and has inaugurated SF Sundays.

Here's a 5 star GoodRead review for Chaos Space. Some interesting comments.

Lastly, don't forgot the Logan Library SF fun day and Chaos Space launch this Saturday at 11.30 am. All welcome

Every now and then something pops up on the internet that blows me away. Tonight I came across two fabulous illustrations by a Czech illustrator called Artie - one for Crash Deluxe, one for Code Noir.

... while I post some review links for Chaos Space. I'll get it out of my system in a week or so. Am really chuffed by this one at The Book Bag.

BTW the workshop is now booked out so thanks to everyone who is coming. See you Saturday

Over at orbitbooks.net I have a couple of words about Chaos Space.

Don't forget there is still time to book for my 'How to become a Professional Writer' workshop at the Logan Library this Saturday or the Chaos Space book launch on the 29th November.  

I don't think I've ever been a 'Noteworthy Release' before so I figured it worth blogging.

Editing Mirror Space now for my December deadline - goodness me these characters got themselves into some situations - no wonder I'm exhausted!

You can read Mark's full review over at Walker of the Worlds.

Amanda Greenslade was the winner of the DS/CS competition. YAY! Amanda. I hope that means a review for Specusphere!

Well, review is a bit of an over-statement but Books Monthly had this to say: 'De Pierres is one of the best SF lady writers around at the moment, and Fedor is a character to die for. I really loved this.'

I'm so pleased to read this because with Mira Fedor I wanted to create a very different character from Parrish - in fact, I felt it was essential to do that. Naturally some people didn't relate to Mira as my new heroine (in comparison to P), she was so repressed initially, and eccentric, and formal. Her emergence into a person of strength and courage is a triumph over hardship and social programming. I hoped my readers would come through the reading experience feeling they could do that too.

Thank you to the brave souls who ventured to Logan last night - namely Nicky, Belinda, Kathleen and Janet. We didn't quite outnumber the audience but close! As Nicky said it was nice to have a chin wag anyway.