Clearly, I ain’t cut out for blogging.

I’ll be popping on, from time to time, if I have anything significant to share but I’m otherwise caught up with the new book.

Keep out of trouble…

Tuesday, May 20th, I’ll be participating on a panel for the Sydney Writer’s Festival. The other speakers are D.M. Cornish, authour of Monster Blood Tattoo and Stuart Mayne, current editor of the Aurealis magazine.

The topic is world building in speculative fiction. We will be talking about various perspectives involved in the creation of viable, (hopefully) believable worlds. Judith Ridge, the convenor (and currently the Western Sydney Young People’s Literature Officer) has been working on an interesting program for the evening.

I’m a firm believer that every writer, in fact every story teller, builds a world. If the setting is contemporary, less detail may suffice, but at the end of the day it’s what everybody does. I am curious to see how the discussion will pan out. I have not had the chance to read D. M. Cornish’s book but I understand he spent a lengthy time creating the world of Half-Continent, the setting of his work and Stuart has been involved in editing for over 15 years. It should be a good night.

Hope to see you there… You can find details on the venue and booking tickets here.

Well folks, the world’s worst blogger’s back with more hi-jinks and japeries:

A couple of things to share. Last week a couple of friends told me they heard a radio review of the book. It was played on Radio National’s ‘Book Show’. (You can click here for the audio.) Secondly, there’s a new online interview posted at Specuspere. (This took place just after the Aurealis Awards.)

Otherwise, I am really focusing on my new book. Thanks to the inspiration and support of various old and new buddies, it’s cracking on. I kind of wish I hadn’t let so much emphasis be placed on how long ‘Company’ took me. That book was a hobby and a release and a learning process and I wouldn’t change anything about it- but it certainly isn’t a template for my plans as a writer.

What I’m saying is that this new work should be done and dusted by early 2009.

I would love to talk about it here but I am such a blabber mouth that I would just be offering a bouquet of spoilers so I’m going to stay quiet.

I’ve been reading Marcel Proust (started this in March ‘07 and here I am a year later with 1 volume to go) and Anna Tambour (My find of 2008) and just watched ‘Be kind, Rewind’, which I heartily recommend.

If anyone feels a sudden rush of blood and wants to say hi, feel free to drop me a line (and Ivan and co, you don’t have to scatter- :))

A friend emailed me today with a link to a fascinating site. Basically, a massive forum discussing a plethora of alternate histories. He sent it to me because there was a thread discussing my book. (Under the heading- Alternate History Books and Media.) As the novel is still waiting on a U.S. sale, I was pretty surprised.

They were talking about the website, primarily- the timeline and maps linked to the site. After reading through some of the posts I was drawn back to them.

I have to say, to anyone who has been to this site and not seen the book, that the timeline posted here does not feature anywhere in the novel. The idea is that the history of that world is exposed, piecemeal, as you read along. As for the maps, well… think of them as, hmmm, a starting point…

The opinions expressed on the AH site are generally cogent, except where they extrapolate an interpretation of the entire novel from the website- but hell, these guys are like detectives, and that’s all they have to work with.

Thank God I’d never seen the site while I was writing- I don’t think I would have ever finished the book.

So, to any international readers out there- consider this an awkward greeting, and feel free to ask questions or discuss things that grab you.

Here are a couple of pics, as promised, with thanks to Christine.

Here’s Will Elliot and me, post-bourbon/ pre-ceremony

This is me, not passing out, during my acceptance speech.

For a more rounded view of the event, click here for

a heap of pictures from the night.

Well, I did say I’d keep you posted… And Samantha kindly sent me a congratulatory email and told me to get blogging- so here I am.

The Aurealis Awards took place on the 26th in Brisbane. I am amazed to tell you that I received the award for best Science Fiction novel, and, whilst still reeeling from that event, was also awarded the Golden Aurealis for best novel overall.

The details of that night are hazy, partially due to the alcohol, but I had a wild time. I finally got to meet Will Elliot, recipient of the 2006 Best Horror and Golden Aurealis awards for The Pilo family Circus, who had reviewed my book so kindly in Spectrum magazine last October. Both Will, and his partner Christine, were nice enough to meet up with me before the event and ensure an adequate amount of Dutch courage.  For someone with an imagination dark enough to invent a world of rabid evil clowns, Will was decidedly charming. The fact that he was the presenter of the Golden Aurealis really capped off my night. Christine took some pics, which I plan on posting as soon as my Internet connection becomes unthrottled. (Long story- please don’t ask.)

As someone with no real (previous) connection to the speculative writing community, I have to say I felt welcomed with open arms. I can’t bring myself to name drop here because, as Steven Spielberg once said to me, over a nice quiet drink with George Lucas and Stanley Kubrick, “David, the only thing worse than dropping names is not dropping names.” “Steve,” I’d replied wistfully, the thing is…”  Sorry, just wanted to see how that looked on the screen.

So, I was saying, I had the chance of meeting up with, and listening to some amazing writers. (I’m going to quickly thank Anna Tambour here. Her speech, earlier in the night (for receiving the award for best Horror Short Story) was inspiring and gave me the ability to open my mouth when I had to say a few words. She was full of wisdom and great ideas and it was enthralling talking to her.) The organisers did an astounding job and I have to say that I had the night of my life.

As this is starting to sound like an acceptance speech, I’ll shut the hell up, but I will just say a couple of last words.

Thanks to Will, my head’s down and I’m working hard on the next book. I am as excited about the way it’s turning out as I was about Company, which can’t be a bad thing. I will be talking about the new book here fairly soon, and rest assured, we ain’t looking at anything close to ten years with this baby.

I have had a number of enquiries from overseas about how Company of the Dead can be obtained. I am currently in talks about overseas sales and I will be posting here as soon as I have any news. (Believe me!) For the time being the book can be purchased online.

I also was asked about signed books. If anyone is really keen, I am happy, as long as time permits, to sign personalised copies and have them sent out from some of the Sydney based stores. Drop me a line at the contact page if you are interested.

So, in signing off, I hope this finds you all well. Thank you for all your kind emails and comments- and keep out of trouble.

Folks, as the worst blogger I know, I’ve been as remiss as ususal . I just don’t really want to pull on your coat about every little thing that happens.

Having said that, I just popped on to share some very pleasing news with you. The book has been shortlisted for an Aurealis Award in the category of best science fiction novel.

The awards were started just over 10 years ago and have gone hand in hand with the development of speculative fiction in Australia. They will be announced on Australia Day, 2008, in Brisbane.

I’ll keep you posted…

It’s been just on 3 months since Company hit the stands, a month since my last post here.

Having spent 10 years working on the novel, the last 12 months editing the manuscript, I have to admit it’s been harder letting go than I might have imagined. I won’t say I’m in mourning, but it certainly feels like I’ve parted with something.

I’ve been working on a new project, as mentioned below. After a very strong start I was caught out over the last few months, unable to really make any progress. The problem is, Company came out of nowhere, and the desire was to write it, rather than be a writer per se.

I recall reading somewhere that Umberto Eco, author of The Name of the Rose, once said that he wrote his second novel to prove that the first wasn’t a fluke. I guess a bit of that is fuelling my desire to proceed with the next work. Also, there were certain ideas I didn’t get to pursue in Company. So I’m pressing forward.

The last few weeks have been scarily productive. Hence my absence from the blog.

I’ll keep you guys posted.

I was just notified that another radio interview is available online. Apart from the fact that I talk too fast, and sound like I’m talking to the guy through a tin can attached to a string, it ain’t too bad. You’ll find it here.

On other fronts, the book has been selected for certain Christmas gift guides. Despite the fact that I think of Company as more of a chimney-filler than a stocking-filler, I’m pleased as punch. More to the point, I’ve been getting good feedback online from you guys- which is all that has ever mattered to me.

I’ve started working on two other novels, work and kids permitting. Niether have anything to do with the Titanic, time travel, or anything else starting with ‘T’ that you’d care to imagine.

Feel free to drop me a line. I know you’re out there.

I know, I know, it all seems to be about me, me, me…

So…  last Saturday I got a call from my mum asking me if I’d read the paper yet. It was 7.30 in the morning.

I said ‘no’- politely mind you- despite the hour.

She preceded to read out a review of the book. The piece was by Will Elliot, author of the Aurealis Award winning debut: The Pilo Family Circus, (Next on my reading list after I have finished my ridiculous reading project for 2007.)

Having been told that a mention in Spectrum was unlikely for a first time novelist, I was pleasantly surprised to be in there at all. I will let you peruse the review for yourselves. I have to say- I’m absolutely thrilled with it.