Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival 1.0

I took over the reins of the Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival for March, run by the A Writer Goes On A Journey arm of the Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association.  From the 15th of February to the 15th of March I collected all the snippets I could find regarding the Speculative Fiction world in Australia. This is the collated final version for the blog carnival.

If you are so inclined, you can read my previous Blog Carnival posts using the “ASFFWA” tag below.

Blogs & Reviews
Librarian In Black: "Library eBook Revolution, Begin" {link}*
Adventures of a Bookonaut: "Yellowcake and Burn Bright hit the shelves" {link}
Mary Victoria: "Writing Strong Women round-up", includes posts by Australian speculative fiction authors {link}
Bothersome Words: "The stigma of working in fantasy" {link}
MyShelf.com: "Review: Death's Sweet Embrace by Tracey O'Hara" {link}
Dark Side DownUnder: "Darklight On...Mel Teshco Q&A" {link}
Adventures of a Bookonaut: "eBook Review: Realmshift by Alan Baxter" {link}
Booktopia: "Fiona McIntosh answers Five Facetious Questions" {link}
Alan Baxter: "The Borders and A&R collapse" {link}*
Galaxy Bookshop: "Special on Fantasy - ABC TV" {link}
ARRA: "Author spotlight: Tracey O’Hara" {link}
Horrorscope: "2010 Judge's Report: Stephanie Gunn" {link}
Ripping Ozzie Reads: "Is Fantasy a bit of a Boy’s Club?" {link}
Book Bites: "A guide to ebooks in Australia" {link}*
Bookin' It: "Full Moon Rising - One Of The Best Paranormal Romance Werewolf Books" {link}
Bookish Ardour: "Discovering Ebooks and The Sony eReader" {link}
Mel's Random Reviews: "The Farseekers by Isobelle Carmody" {link}
Book Thingo: "Aussie Author Month 2011 – Come and join us!"{link}
Galaxy Bookshop: "Pamela Freeman: What makes a favourite author?" {link}
Nicole Murphy: "Swancon: Romancing the West" {link}
Tez Says: "Six New Covers" {link}
Book Bites (via Book Thingo): "ARRC 2011 and what it has to offer Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy readers" {link}
Boomerang Books: "The Devil’s Diadem by Sara Douglass" {link}
ARRA: "Feature book: Archangel’s Consort" {link}
Tez Says: "Thyla – Kate Gordon" {link}
Zena Shapter: "Times have changed for fantasy writers… or have they?" {link}

Events
24th Febuary, Keri Arthur, Library Lovers Lunch @ Belgrave Library {link}
1-31st March, Open Door Month @ Angry Robot Books**, accepting manuscripts from "unagented authors" {link}
2nd March, Fiona McIntosh, Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link 1}{link 2}{link 3}
5th March, Nicole Murphy, Infinitas Bookstore, Parramatta {link}
5th March, Nicole Murphy,  Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link}
19th March, Animania, Sydney {link}
21st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Ultimo Library, Sydney {link}
23rd March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link}
24th March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Kinokuniya, Sydney {link}
25-27th March, Australian Romance Readers Convention (with Paranormal Romance authors Erica Hayes, Karen Simpson Nikakis, Keri Arthur, Nalini Singh (NZ), Nicole R Murphy, Tracey O'Hara), Sydney {link}
29th March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Strathpine Library, Brisbane {link} 
29th March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Narangba Library, Brisbane {link} 
31st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Redcliffe Library, Brisbane {link}
31st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Victoria Point Library, Brisbane {link}
27th March, Writing the Fantastical with Kate Forsyth, course {link}
27th March, Nominations close for the Chronos Awards {link}
1st April, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Pulp Fiction, Brisbane {link}
1-3rd April, Supernova, Brisbane {link}
3rd April, Voting opens for the Chronos Awards {link}
6th April, Robin Hobb, Dendy Theatre, Sydney {link}
6th April, Jennifer Fallon, Galaxy Bookshop {link}
8-10th April, Supernova, Melbourne {link} 
9-10th April, Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival includes Sophie Masson & Ian Irvine {link}
15th April, 2010 Australian Shadows Awards winners announced {link}
15th May, Voting closes for the Chronos Awards {link}
21st May, Aurealis Awards, Independent Theatre, Sydney {link 1}{link 2}
25th May, Leanne Hall & Cassandra Clare, Palace Westgarth Theatre, Melbourne {link}
21-25th April, Swancon, Sydney {link}
17-19th June, Supernova, Sydney {link}
24-26th June, Supernova, Perth {link}

Competitions
Win Above & Below by Stephanie Campisi & Ben Peek, closes 24th Febuary {link}
Win The Seventh Wave by Paul Garrety, closes 25th February {link}
Win The Company Articles of Edward Teach & The Angaelian Apocalypse by Thoraiya Dyer & Matthew Chrulew, closes 28th February {link}
Win Power Unbound by Nicole Murphy, closes 28th February {link}
Win the Kim Falconer book of your choice, closes 1st March {link}
Win The Sentinel Mage by Emily Gee, closes 6th March {link}
Win Glitter Rose by Marianne de Pierres, closes 28th March {link}

News*
Bookbee eBooks: "Dear HarperCollins, Why Should Library Ebooks Only be Lent 26 Times?" {link}
Library Journal.com: "HarperCollins Puts 26 Loan Cap on Ebook Circulations" {link}
Bookseller+Publisher: "RedGroup administrators: staff owed $7.8 million, unsecured creditors $44 million" {link}
Horrorscope: "2010 Bram Stoker Award finalists" {link}
The Courier Mail: "Dark fantasy burns brightly" {link}
Horrorscope: "2010 Australian Shadows Awards finalists" {link}
Bookseller+Publisher: "Dymocks attempts to woo A&R/Borders loyalty card holders" {link}
Bookbee Ebooks: Further news regarding Borders US filing bankruptcy and how it effects the Australian Market {link}
SMH: REDgroup (Borders Au, Angus & Robertson and the Whitcoulls) goes into administration {link}
Bookseller+Publisher: Industry reacts to REDgroup news {link 1} {link 2}
Bookbee Ebooks -  Borders and A&R not honouring Gift Vouchers {link}
ABC News: Internet spells the death of bookstores {link}
Murdoch University: "Funds needed to preserve unique science fiction collection" {link}

Editorial*
Harper's Magazine: "Staying awake: Notes on the alleged decline of reading by Ursula K. Le Guin" {link}

Advice & Discussions**
Patty Jansen: "How the size of a planet determines its atmosphere" {link}
Stepcase Lifehack:"10 Reasons You Should Write Something Each Day" {link}
Patty Jansen: "So you want to be a space farmer?" {link}
Bothersome Words: "How stories are distilled" {link}
Erica Hayes: "Chapter breaks and pacing" {link}
Patty Jansen: "How to punctuate dialogue" {link}
Lillith Saintcrow: "Avoiding the 'hard sell'"  {link}
Ripping Ozzie Reads: "‘Words’ a writer’s tools" {link}
Rachelle Gardner: "Myths About Agents" {link}
The Voyager Blog: "Emerging Writers: don’t give up the ghost" by Kim Falconer {link}
Plotting Made Easy: "The Complications Worksheet" {link}
Blood and Barricades: "Writing well versus writing (and tweeting) for the market" {link}
Blood and Barricades: "Bloggers, writers and ‘negative’ reviews" {link}
Patty Jensen: "What to put in a cover letter" {link}


*Reading culture. May not pertain to speculative fiction.
**May not be Australian, but may be of interest to Australian writers.

Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival 0.4

I am taking over the reins of the Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival for March, run by the A Writer Goes On A Journey arm of the Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association.  From the 15th of February to the 15th of March I will be collecting all the snippets I can find regarding the Speculative Fiction world in Australia, with a focus on the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy genres (because, let’s face it, that is where my niche is these days). At the end I will be collating and summarising a final version for the blog carnival. I do have to warn you, I plan to extend this over to late March on my blog only, as the Australian Romance Reader’s Conference  is taking place on the 25th – 27th of March and that is big news in the Paranormal Romance and sexy Urban Fantasy calendars. These won't be included in the official summary for the blog carnival, as someone else will be taking care of March 16th and onwards, but I think, with the lead up to ARRC there will probably be a lot of news to share.

I will be finding a lot of these links, blog posts, news items, etc., on twitter,  so if you think I am missing something whilst in my little bubble world, please let me know! I will be updating this frequently, although I am not sure yet if I will post updates weekly or bi-weekly. A lot of these links (to competitions and signings, etc.) can be time sensitive which is why I have decided against posting them all at once in mid-March. Rather than listing the dates in the title, I will be including these as instalments. I'll be writing up one large post at the end of my share of the Blog Carnival to be submitted to the A Writer Goes On A Journey listing after the 15th of March.

You can follow these Blog Carnival posts using the “ASFFWA” tag below.

I am compiling all four lead up posts this afternoon. I'll post them within the next 24 hours.

Blogs & Reviews
Book Thingo: "Aussie Author Month 2011 – Come and join us!"{link}
Galaxy Bookshop: "Pamela Freeman: What makes a favourite author?" {link}
Nicole Murphy: "Swancon: Romancing the West" {link}
Tez Says: "Six New Covers" {link}
Boomerang Books: "The Devil’s Diadem by Sara Douglass" {link}

Events
24th Febuary, Keri Arthur, Library Lovers Lunch @ Belgrave Library {link}
1-31st March, Open Door Month @ Angry Robot Books**, accepting manuscripts from "unagented authors" {link}
2nd March, Fiona McIntosh, Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link 1}{link 2}{link 3}
5th March, Nicole Murphy, Infinitas Bookstore, Parramatta {link}
5th March, Nicole Murphy,  Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link}
19th March, Animania, Sydney {link}
21st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Ultimo Library, Sydney {link}
23rd March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link}
24th March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Kinokuniya, Sydney {link}
25-27th March, Australian Romance Readers Convention (with Paranormal Romance authors Erica Hayes, Karen Simpson Nikakis, Keri Arthur, Nalini Singh (NZ), Nicole R Murphy, Tracey O'Hara), Sydney {link}
29th March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Strathpine Library, Brisbane {link} 
29th March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Narangba Library, Brisbane {link} 
31st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Redcliffe Library, Brisbane {link}
31st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Victoria Point Library, Brisbane {link}
27th March, Writing the Fantastical with Kate Forsyth, course {link}
27th March, Nominations close for the Chronos Awards {link}
1st April, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Pulp Fiction, Brisbane {link}
1-3rd April, Supernova, Brisbane {link}
3rd April, Voting opens for the Chronos Awards {link}
6th April, Robin Hobb, Dendy Theatre, Sydney {link}
8-10th April, Supernova, Melbourne {link} 
9-10th April, Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival includes Sophie Masson & Ian Irvine {link}
15th April, 2010 Australian Shadows Awards winners announced {link}
15th May, Voting closes for the Chronos Awards {link}
21st May, Aurealis Awards, Independent Theatre, Sydney {link 1}{link 2}
25th May, Leanne Hall & Cassandra Clare, Palace Westgarth Theatre, Melbourne {link}
21-25th April, Swancon, Sydney {link}
17-19th June, Supernova, Sydney {link}
24-26th June, Supernova, Perth {link}


Competitions
Win Above & Below by Stephanie Campisi & Ben Peek, closes 24th Febuary {link}
Win The Seventh Wave by Paul Garrety, closes 25 February {link}
Win The Company Articles of Edward Teach & The Angaelian Apocalypse by Thoraiya Dyer & Matthew Chrulew, closes 28th February {link}
Win Power Unbound by Nicole Murphy, closes 28 February {link}
Win the Kim Falconer book of your choice, closes 1 March {link}
Win The Sentinel Mage by Emily Gee, closes 6 March {link}
Win Glitter Rose by Marianne de Pierres, closes 28 March {link}


News*
Murdoch University: "Funds needed to preserve unique science fiction collection" {link}



Editorial*


Advice/Discussion**
Rachelle Gardner: "Myths About Agents" {link}
The Voyager Blog: "Emerging Writers: don’t give up the ghost" by Kim Falconer {link}
Plotting Made Easy - The Complications Worksheet" {link}
Blood and Barricades: "Writing well versus writing (and tweeting) for the market" {link}
Blood and Barricades: "Bloggers, writers and ‘negative’ reviews" {link}
Patty Jensen: "What to put in a cover letter" {link}



*Reading culture. May not pertain to speculative fiction.
**May not be Australian, but may be of interest to unpublished Australian writers.

You can follow these Blog Carnival posts using the “ASFFWA” tag below.

Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival 0.3

I am taking over the reins of the Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival for March, run by the A Writer Goes On A Journey arm of the Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association.  From the 15th of February to the 15th of March I will be collecting all the snippets I can find regarding the Speculative Fiction world in Australia, with a focus on the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy genres (because, let’s face it, that is where my niche is these days). At the end I will be collating and summarising a final version for the blog carnival. I do have to warn you, I plan to extend this over to late March on my blog only, as the Australian Romance Reader’s Conference  is taking place on the 25th – 27th of March and that is big news in the Paranormal Romance and sexy Urban Fantasy calendars. These won't be included in the official summary for the blog carnival, as someone else will be taking care of March 16th and onwards, but I think, with the lead up to ARRC there will probably be a lot of news to share.

I will be finding a lot of these links, blog posts, news items, etc., on twitter,  so if you think I am missing something whilst in my little bubble world, please let me know! I will be updating this frequently, although I am not sure yet if I will post updates weekly or bi-weekly. A lot of these links (to competitions and signings, etc.) can be time sensitive which is why I have decided against posting them all at once in mid-March. Rather than listing the dates in the title, I will be including these as instalments. I'll be writing up one large post at the end of my share of the Blog Carnival to be submitted to the A Writer Goes On A Journey listing after the 15th of March.

You can follow these Blog Carnival posts using the “ASFFWA” tag below.

Blogs & Reviews
Librarian In Black: "Library eBook Revolution, Begin" {link}*
Adventures of a Bookonaut: "Yellowcake and Burn Bright hit the shelves" {link}
Mary Victoria: "Writing Strong Women round-up", includes posts by Australian speculative fiction authors {link}
Bothersome Words: "The stigma of working in fantasy" {link}
MyShelf.com: "Review: Death's Sweet Embrace by Tracey O'Hara" {link}
Dark Side DownUnder: "Darklight On...Mel Teshco Q&A" {link}
Adventures of a Bookonaut: "eBook Review: Realmshift by Alan Baxter" {link}


Events
24th Febuary, Keri Arthur, Library Lovers Lunch @ Belgrave Library {link}
1-31st March, Open Door Month @ Angry Robot Books**, accepting manuscripts from "unagented authors" {link}
2nd March, Fiona McIntosh, Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link 1}{link 2}{link 3}
5th March, Nicole Murphy, Infinitas Bookstore, Parramatta {link}
5th March, Nicole Murphy,  Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link}
19th March, Animania, Sydney {link}
21st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Ultimo Library, Sydney {link}
23rd March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link}
24th March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Kinokuniya, Sydney {link}
25-27th March, Australian Romance Readers Convention (with Paranormal Romance authors Erica Hayes, Karen Simpson Nikakis, Keri Arthur, Nalini Singh (NZ), Nicole R Murphy, Tracey O'Hara), Sydney {link}
29th March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Strathpine Library, Brisbane {link} 
29th March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Narangba Library, Brisbane {link} 
31st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Redcliffe Library, Brisbane {link}
31st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Victoria Point Library, Brisbane {link}
27th March, Writing the Fantastical with Kate Forsyth, course {link}
27th March, Nominations close for the Chronos Awards {link}
1st April, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Pulp Fiction, Brisbane {link}
1-3rd April, Supernova, Brisbane {link}
3rd April, Voting opens for the Chronos Awards {link}
6th April, Robin Hobb, Dendy Theatre, Sydney {link}
8-10th April, Supernova, Melbourne {link} 
9-10th April, Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival includes Sophie Masson & Ian Irvine {link}
15th April, 2010 Australian Shadows Awards winners announced {link}
15th May, Voting closes for the Chronos Awards {link}
21st May, Aurealis Awards, Independent Theatre, Sydney {link 1}{link 2}
25th May, Leanne Hall & Cassandra Clare, Palace Westgarth Theatre, Melbourne {link}
17-19th June, Supernova, Sydney {link}
24-26th June, Supernova, Perth {link}


Competitions
Win Above & Below by Stephanie Campisi & Ben Peek, closes 24th Febuary {link}
Win The Seventh Wave by Paul Garrety, closes 25 February {link}
Win The Company Articles of Edward Teach & The Angaelian Apocalypse by Thoraiya Dyer & Matthew Chrulew, closes 28th February {link}
Win Power Unbound by Nicole Murphy, closes 28 February {link}
Win the Kim Falconer book of your choice, closes 1 March {link}
Win The Sentinel Mage by Emily Gee, closes 6 March {link}
Win Glitter Rose by Marianne de Pierres, closes 28 March {link}


News*
Bookbee eBooks: "Dear HarperCollins, Why Should Library Ebooks Only be Lent 26 Times?" {link}
Library Journal.com: "HarperCollins Puts 26 Loan Cap on Ebook Circulations" {link}
Bookseller+Publisher: "RedGroup administrators: staff owed $7.8 million, unsecured creditors $44 million" {link}
Horrorscope: "2010 Bram Stoker Award finalists" {link} 
The Courier Mail: "Dark fantasy burns brightly" {link}   
Note: I decided not to report every link on the REDgroup troubles. Sadly that is all that seems to be in the news at the moment. Please contact me if you have other news items I should be sharing!



Editorial*


Advice**
Patty Jansen: "How the size of a planet determines its atmosphere" {link}

*Reading culture. May not pertain to speculative fiction.
**May not be Australian, but may be of interest to unpublished Australian writers.

You can follow these Blog Carnival posts using the “ASFFWA” tag below.

Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival 0.2

I am taking over the reins of the Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival for March, run by the A Writer Goes On A Journey arm of the Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association.  From the 15th of February to the 15th of March I will be collecting all the snippets I can find regarding the Speculative Fiction world in Australia, with a focus on the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy genres (because, let’s face it, that is where my niche is these days). At the end I will be collating and summarising a final version for the blog carnival. I do have to warn you, I plan to extend this over to late March on my blog only, as the Australian Romance Reader’s Conference  is taking place on the 25th – 27th of March and that is big news in the Paranormal Romance and sexy Urban Fantasy calendars. These won't be included in the official summary for the blog carnival, as someone else will be taking care of March 16th and onwards, but I think, with the lead up to ARRC there will probably be a lot of news to share.

I will be finding a lot of these links, blog posts, news items, etc., on twitter,  so if you think I am missing something whilst in my little bubble world, please let me know! I will be updating this frequently, although I am not sure yet if I will post updates weekly or bi-weekly. A lot of these links (to competitions and signings, etc.) can be time sensitive which is why I have decided against posting them all at once in mid-March. Rather than listing the dates in the title, I will be including these as instalments. I'll be writing up one large post at the end of my share of the Blog Carnival to be submitted to the A Writer Goes On A Journey listing after the 15th of March.

You can follow these Blog Carnival posts using the “ASFFWA” tag below.

Blogs & Reviews
Booktopia: "Fiona McIntosh answers Five Facetious Questions" {link}
Alan Baxter: "The Borders and A&R collapse" {link}*
Galaxy Bookshop: "Special on Fantasy - ABC TV" {link}
ARRA: "Author spotlight: Tracey O’Hara" {link}
Horrorscope: "2010 Judge's Report: Stephanie Gunn" {link}
Ripping Ozzie Reads: "Is Fantasy a bit of a Boy’s Club?" {link}
Book Bites: "A guide to ebooks in Australia" {link}*

Events
24th Febuary, Keri Arthur, Library Lovers Lunch @ Belgrave Library {link}
1-31st March, Open Door Month @ Angry Robot Books**, accepting manuscripts from "unagented authors" {link}
2nd March, Fiona McIntosh, Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link 1}{link 2}{link 3}
5th March, Nicole Murphy, Infinitas Bookstore, Parramatta {link}
5th March, Nicole Murphy,  Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link}
9-10th April, Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival includes Sophie Masson & Ian Irvine {link}
19 March, Animania, Sydney {link}
21st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Ultimo Library, Sydney {link}
23rd March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link}
24th March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Kinokuniya, Sydney {link}
25th February, 2010 Australian Shadows Awards finalists announced {link}
25-27th March, Australian Romance Readers Convention (with Paranormal Romance authors Erica Hayes, Karen Simpson Nikakis, Keri Arthur, Nalini Singh (NZ), Nicole R Murphy, Tracey O'Hara), Sydney {link}
31st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Victoria Point Library, Brisbane {link}
27th March, Writing the Fantastical with Kate Forsyth, course {link}
6th April, Robin Hobb, Dendy Theatre, Sydney {link}
15th April, 2010 Australian Shadows Awards winners announced {link}
21st May, Aurealis Awards, Independent Theatre, Sydney {link 1}{link 2}
25th May, Leanne Hall & Cassandra Clare, Palace Westgarth Theatre, Melbourne {link}

Competitions
Win Above & Below by Stephanie Campisi & Ben Peek, closes 24th Febuary {link}
Win The Seventh Wave by Paul Garrety, closes 25 February {link}
Win The Company Articles of Edward Teach & The Angaelian Apocalypse by Thoraiya Dyer & Matthew Chrulew, closes 28th February {link}
Win Power Unbound by Nicole Murphy, closes 28 February {link}
Win the Kim Falconer book of your choice, closes 1 March {link}
Win The Sentinel Mage by Emily Gee, closes 6 March {link}

News*
Horrorscope: "2010 Australian Shadows Awards finalists"{link}
Bookseller+Publisher: "Dymocks attempts to woo A&R/Borders loyalty card holders" {link}
Note: I decided not to report any more on the REDgroup troubles. Sadly that is all that seems to be in the news at the moment. Please contact me if you have other news items I should be sharing!

Editorial*
n/a

Advice**
Stepcase Lifehack:10 Reasons You Should Write Something Each Day {link}
Patty Jansen: So you want to be a space farmer? {link}
Bothersome Words: How stories are distilled {link}
Erica Hayes: Chapter breaks and pacing {link}
Patty Jansen: How to punctuate dialogue {link}

*Reading culture. May not pertain to speculative fiction.
**May not be Australian, but may be of interest to unpublished Australian writers.

You can follow these Blog Carnival posts using the “ASFFWA” tag below.

Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival 0.1

I am taking over the reins of the Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival for March, run by the A Writer Goes On A Journey arm of the Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association.  From the 15th of February to the 15th of March I will be collecting all the snippets I can find regarding the Speculative Fiction world in Australia, with a focus on the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy genres (because, let’s face it, that is where my niche is these days). At the end I will be collating and summarising a final version for the blog carnival. I do have to warn you, I plan to extend this over to late March on my blog only, as the Australian Romance Reader’s Conference  is taking place on the 25th – 27th of March and that is big news in the Paranormal Romance and sexy Urban Fantasy calendars. These won't be included in the official summary for the blog carnival, as someone else will be taking care of March 16th and onwards, but I think, with the lead up to ARRC there will probably be a lot of news to share.

I will be finding a lot of these links, blog posts, news items, etc., on twitter,  so if you think I am missing something whilst in my little bubble world, please let me know! I will be updating this frequently, although I am not sure yet if I will post updates weekly or bi-weekly. A lot of these links (to competitions and signings, etc.) can be time sensitive which is why I have decided against posting them all at once in mid-March. Rather than listing the dates in the title, I will be including these as instalments. I'll be writing up one large post at the end of my share of the Blog Carnival to be submitted to the A Writer Goes On A Journey listing after the 15th of March.

You can follow these Blog Carnival posts using the “ASFFWA” tag below.

Blogs & Reviews
Bookin' It: "Full Moon Rising - One Of The Best Paranormal Romance Werewolf Books" {link}
Bookish Ardour: "Discovering Ebooks and The Sony eReader" {link}
Helen Lowe:  "Here It Is - the UK Cover for 'The Heir of Night'!" {link}
Mel's Random Reviews: "The Farseekers by Isobelle Carmody" {link}

Events
24th Febuary, Keri Arthur, Library Lovers Lunch @ Belgrave Library {link}
1-31st March, Open Door Month @ Angry Robot Books**, accepting manuscripts from "unagented authors" {link}
2nd March, Fiona McIntosh, Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link 1}{link 2}
5th March, Nicole Murphy, Infinitas Bookstore, Parramatta {link}
5th March, Nicole Murphy,  Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link}
9-10th April, Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival includes Sophie Masson & Ian Irvine {link}
21st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Ultimo Library, Sydney {link}
23rd March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Galaxy Bookstore, Sydney {link}
24th March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Kinokuniya, Sydney {link}
25-27th March, Australian Romance Readers Convention (with Paranormal Romance authors Erica Hayes, Karen Simpson Nikakis, Keri Arthur, Nalini Singh (NZ), Nicole R Murphy, Tracey O'Hara), Sydney {link}
31st March, Marianne de Pierres (aka Marianne Delacourt), Victoria Point Library, Brisbane {link}

Competitions
Win Above & Below by Stephanie Campisi & Ben Peek, closes 24th Febuary {link}
Win The Seventh Wave by Paul Garrety, closes 25 February {link}
Win The Company Articles of Edward Teach & The Angaelian Apocalypse by Thoraiya Dyer & Matthew Chrulew, closes 28th February {link}
Win the Kim Falconer book of your choice, closes 1 March {link}

News*
Bookbee Ebooks - Further news regarding Borders US filing bankruptcy and how it effects the Australian Market {link}
SMH - REDgroup (Borders Au, Angus & Robertson and the Whitcoulls) goes into administration {link}
Bookseller+Publisher - Industry reacts to REDgroup news {link 1} {link 2}
Bookbee Ebooks -  Borders and A&R not honouring Gift Vouchers {link}
ABC News - Internet spells the death of bookstores {link}

Editorial*
Harper's Magazine - Staying awake: Notes on the alleged decline of reading by Ursula K. Le Guin {link}

Advice**
Avoiding the "hard sell" by Lillith Saintcrow {link}
‘Words’ a writer’s tools by Rowena Cory Daniells {link}


*Reading culture. May not pertain to speculative fiction.
**May not be Australian, but may be of interest to unpublished Australian writers.

Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival

Wow are you in for a treat! Or a spam-a-thon, which ever way you wish to view it… *snickers* I am taking over the reins of the Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival for March, run by the A Writer Goes On A Journey arm of the Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association.  From the 15th of February to the 15th of March I will be collecting all the snippets I can find regarding the Speculative Fiction world in Australia, with a focus on the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy genres (because, let’s face it, that is where my niche is these days). At the end I will be collating and summarising a final version for the blog carnival. I do have to warn you, I plan to extend this over to late March, as the Australian Romance Reader’s Conference  is taking place on the 25th – 27th of March and that is big news in the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy calendars. These won't be included in the official summary for the blog carnival, as someone else will be taking care of March 16th and onwards, but I think, with the lead up to ARRC there will probably be a lot of news to share.

I will be finding a lot of these links, blog posts, news items, etc., on twitter,  so if you think I am missing something whilst in my little bubble world, please let me know! I will be updating this frequently, although I am not sure yet if I will post updates weekly or bi-weekly. Please stick around and see. At the end of the month, I will be summarising it, and the summary will be posted on the ASFFWA website.

You can follow these Blog Carnival posts using the “ASFFWA” tag below.

I will be filing this under the following categories:

• Blogs of Interest
• Author Spotlight
• Links of Interest
• News Stories
• Advice
• Media
• ARRC
• Competitions 
• Book Signings
• Gossip