Myke Bartlett's Blog, page 149
April 22, 2012
New Website!
As you might have noticed, my website has been updated over the weekend by my hard-working, talented and generous webmaster, Jason Andrews. The plan has been to create something a bit brighter and simpler than the old site, in time for the launch of FIRE IN THE SEA.
At this stage, the forums have disappeared. If you have any questions you'd like answering, please use the "e" button on the right sidebar. I'll be very happy to post questions and their answers on the blog.
A few elements of the new site are "works in progress", so expect to see a few tweaks in the week ahead.
FIRE IN THE SEA: Now Available to Pre-Order
A cover and synopsis have now been released for my print debut FIRE IN THE SEA. From the Text Publishing website:
Winner of the Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing, 2011
Sadie is sixteen and bored with life in Perth. It’s summer, and lazing on the beach in the stifling heat is a drag. Then something comes out of the sea.
Dark menacing forms attack an old man, leaving him for dead and Sadie wracking her brains to understand what she saw. Then there’s a mysterious inheritance, a strange young man called Jake and a horned beast trampling the back yard.
Sadie finds herself caught in the middle of an ancient conflict that is nearing its final battle, a showdown that threatens to engulf Perth and all those she loves in a furious tsunami.
Fire in the Sea is a fast-paced thrilling adventure with a feisty heroine who is not afraid to fight for what she knows is right.
I'm very happy with the cover. I think it's eye-catching, exciting and has a lovely retro B-movie feel to it. I'd pick it up in a bookshop. Hope you like it too.
You can pre-order the book from Text (free worldwide shipping) here.
A Kindle version is available to pre-order from Amazon here
March 14, 2012
Simon Amstell interview
“Sometimes you get a laugh from something you thought was just a sentence, a normal piece of human behaviour. But it wasn’t a piece of normal human behaviour, it was you being an idiot.”
I was fortunate enough recently to get a chance to chat to one of my favourite British comedians, Simon Amstell. Having found fame prickling popstar egos, Amstell now channels his creative energies into thoughtful, uncomfortable comedy, both on the stand up stage and on screen in Grandma's House. He'll be in Melbourne in April as part of the Comedy Festival. I'll be there.
February 21, 2012
What's in a Name?
After much prevaricating and wordplay, a new title has been arrived at for my print debut. As of about, oh, 9.30 this morning, THE RELIC is now FIRE IN THE SEA. I was never terribly happy with The Relic as a title (partly as it's already the name of a 1997 horror film), so I'm much happier with the new moniker. Hopefully it's mysterious enough to encourage a reader to, at the very least, skim read the first page. (It's a good first page, so that should do the trick.)
I am genuinely appalling when it comes to making decisions and could have easily spent the rest of my life choosing a title for this book. Which is odd, as past titles have arrived quite organically. HOW TO DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY was kicking around for years before I got around to writing the book, as was ELECTRICITY. Most of the SALMON & DUSK titles arrived with little effort.
FIRE IN THE SEA was actually originally called THE DEEP HEREAFTER. It was a title I never really intended to use, although I quite like it now, seeing it written down. At some point I changed it to SUMMER DEVILS, after misreading some graffiti scrawled on a bar toilet wall. (It actually said Summer Bev's, meaning summer bevvies or drinks). It wasn't a popular title and, to be honest, was deliberately misleading about the nature of the story. Which probably isn't what you're after in a title.
Over the last couple of months, I've rebranded the manuscript at least a dozen times. When I sent a new draft through to my editor the title page tended to feature an ever-expanding list of possibilities. THE LOST FLAME? THE DEMON'S BOX?
I suppose a title feels particularly important with this book as it's the first time I actually know that I'm not just writing for my own entertainment. There are people out there who will read the book and other people (not just me) who are hoping it'll sell more than a handful of copies. Which means that those first few words at the top are carrying a lot more weight this time around.
I think FIRE IN THE SEA is a strong enough title to shoulder these expectations. Hopefully you feel the same way. You do, right?
FIRE IN THE SEA will be released August 2012 by Text Publishing.
January 24, 2012
Genre fiction in the digital age: Myke talks - UPDATED LINK
Last November I took part in a panel discussing genre fiction in the digital age. We touched on whether genre fiction is more likely to thrive in a world of ebooks and podcasts. It was so long ago I don't particularly remember anything that was said, but I do remember enjoying myself immensely. Once I stopped sweating and shaking from nerves. (I'm pretty sure I spoke about both the Salmon and Dusk podcasts and my new book The Relic [out this August! Have I mentioned it lately?])
As a regular attendee of these talks I'm familiar with the deathless questions raised during post-session Q and As, but it was certainly a new experience being on the pointy end. As you'll see, the questions we faced were more than a little feisty.
You can view the video and others like it here:
http://wheelercentre.com/videos/video/meanland-literature-genre-and-the-digital-age/
You can also subscribe to the video podcast here
