Helen Lowe's Blog, page 90
May 7, 2017
More Thoughts On Margaret Mahy’s “The Changeover” — A Tale of “Layers”
On May 1, I posted a few thoughts on Margaret Mahy’s classic YA fantasy, The Changeover, on the Supernatural Underground.
You can read the post in full by clicking on: Book of Magic — The Changeover by Margaret Mahy.
As I wrote then: “First published in 1984, Margaret Mahy’s The Changeover won the Carnegie Medal (for Children’s and YA fiction) in the same year. It is now regarded as a classic of supernatural Kids/YA fantasy.” It is also currently being made into a film and Hachette have rerel...
May 3, 2017
A Geography Of Haarth: Brave Hold
“The Heir Of Night” map: artist, Peter Fitzpatrick
The A Geography of Haarth post series explores the full range of locales and places from The Wall Of Night world of Haarth.
From January 25, 2013 to November 25, 2014, the posts traversed locations encountered in The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost.
Now the series returns to gazette the geography of Daughter Of Blood (The Wall Of Night Book Three.) The new series will include updates of previous entries as well as new listings. T...
April 30, 2017
“Small Things Lead To Wonderful Ideas” — A Guest Post from Tarran Jones
As promised on April 10, here is the guest post from Tarran Jones on some of the inspirations for her short fiction collection, Tales From The Scribe.
Tarran and I met at AussieCon4 in Melbourne in 2010, where she impressed me with her friendliness, sincerity and enthusiasm. At that time Tarran lived in Adelaide and was employed in the book industry. Since then we have reconnected via t’ interwebs several times and I have always appreciated Tarran’s engagement with books, writing, and specula...
April 26, 2017
About The Characters: Meet The Minor Players in “The Wall Of Night” Series — “Tisanthe”
USA
Recently I’ve resumed my “About the Characters” posts that focus on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series — because “I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”
The feature is posting every second Thursday, alternating with A Geography of Haarth.
—
.
UK/AU/NZ
Tisanthe: initiate priestess, serving in the Temple of Night
.
‘ “We don’t know why you asked for us at all,” said another young woman, her ey...
April 23, 2017
Classic Reads: “Precious Bane” by Mary Webb
Recently I’ve had the opportunity to re-read some classic novels. One of these was Mary Webb’s Precious Bane, which was first published in 1924.
One aspect that struck me on this reading was what an essentially modern book Precious Bane is, for the following reasons:
it’s told in first person point of view, from the perspective of Prue Sarn, with no intrusions or interpolations from the author as “omniscient narrator”, so characteristic of fiction in this era;. disability is a theme of the...
April 19, 2017
A Geography of Haarth: Blood Gate
“The Heir Of Night” map: artist, Peter Fitzpatrick
The A Geography of Haarth post series explores the full range of locales and places from The Wall Of Night world of Haarth.
From January 25, 2013 to November 25, 2014, the posts traversed locations encountered in The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost.
Now the series returns to gazette the geography of Daughter Of Blood (The Wall Of Night Book Three.) The new series will include updates of previous entries as well as new listings. T...
April 17, 2017
“The Secret Lives of Flashers” — A Guest Post from Nod Ghosh
It’s not all dirty raincoats and running from the police. Flash fiction writing has entered the sphere of respectability within literary circles. W.W. Norton’s Flash Fiction Anthology published in 2015 features short short pieces from Etgar Keret to Christchurch authors Frankie McMillan and James Norcliffe. The third edition of the Best Small Fictions series has recently selected winners from thousands of submissions from around the world.
The number of publications specialising in flash see...
April 12, 2017
About The Characters: Meet The Minor Players in “The Wall Of Night” Series — “Teron”
USA
UK/Aus/NZ
Recently I’ve resumed my “About the Characters” posts that focus on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series — because “I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”
The feature is posting every second Thursday, alternating with A Geography of Haarth.
Today’s character is Teron.
—
USA
Teron: of Cloud Hold, formerly the Earl of Night’s squire and still sworn to his service as an adult.
.
‘ “Yo...
April 9, 2017
Fun Stuff Coming Up!
I hope to have two new guest posts for you over the next few weeks.
The first, intriguingly titled The Secret Lives of Flashers, by my fellow Christchurch writer, Nod Ghosh, discusses the phenomenon of the short short story, otherwise known as flash fiction, in the context of the forthcoming Flash Fiction Magazine. Issue 3. The anthology is to be published on April 12 (US date) and Nod will also have more information on that, as well as other flash fiction hotspots, when her feature posts on...
April 5, 2017
A Geography Of Haarth: Awl Lane
The A Geography of Haarth post series explores the full range of locales and places from The Wall Of Night world of Haarth.
From January 25, 2013 to November 25, 2014, the posts traversed locations encountered in The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost.
Now the series returns to gazette the geography of Daughter Of Blood (The Wall Of Night Book Three.) The new series will include updates of previous entries as well as new listings. Today’s entry is one of the latter.
UK/AU/NZ
USA
—
A...
