Category: News

The Cooper Creek ferry is about to be put to use this week. It’s the first time in thirty years – since the last time the Birdsville Track flooded and they needed the ferry to cross. So all that time it’s just been city quietly in the dust … waiting …

Now that really inspires a story.

I’ve just heard from Tehani Wessely that Fablecroft Publishing will be reprinting my cow-punk story, Virgin Jackson in their upcoming anthology Australis Imaginarium. The story was originally published in agog! Smashing Stories edited by Cat Sparks.

I have such a strong affinity with this story that I’d actually love to write a novel series based on the character and world – just need a publisher to love it too. Maybe the right person will read Tehani’s antho!

Tehani says:

Boasting original cover art by Shaun Tan and award-winning stories by superstars of Australian speculative fiction such as Sean Williams, Margo Lanagan and Marianne de Pierres, Australis Imaginarium showcases Australian storytelling at its very best.

The Fablecroft site has a list of other confirmed stories. Publishing date September 2010.

Alisa and I have pretty much finished the edit on my new Straddie story, which is set to go into the Glitter Rose collection. The name of the story is Mama Ailon (the meaning of which will be made clear when you read it), and I believe/hope it will be a fitting end to the quartet. We’ve selected some beautiful black and white internal illustrations from Australian artists, and Alisa let me twist her arm to to include a colour internal as well. The cover, by Anna Repp, is going to be sensationally unique, and I can’t wait to hold the finished book in my hand.

A dream I had many years ago, is going to come true in a few months.