Jason Fischer's Blog, page 13

The Rabbit Hole of Research

It’s bloody great fun to fall down the rabbit hole of research. One of my favourite parts of writing is the conception stage, where you get to play fast and loose in the land of what-if. You know, collect shiny things, see how they fit together, woolgather and generally daydream about a topic.

When I was a little boy, I used to love poring through all sorts of books, encylopedias, whatever was lying around. I remember jumping from factoid to factoid, and used to love learning little bits of everything. Outside of pub trivia and writing, this sort of scatter-brain learning doesn’t have much practical use. Luckily I’ve parked my bum behind a keyboard once or twice (and pub trivia’d with the best of them).

And even now, one of my happiest joys is to faff around on Wikipedia or similar, rolling around in knowledge like a dog in poop. It’s almost like a game that I play with my own mind, where everything in a made-up scenario has to comply with its own logic. When I was writing the zombie novellas for Black House Comic’s After the World series (that have been repurposed into my novel Quiver, which is on sale here – wow, see what I did there!) I was a research NERD. I’m serious, I think I’ve learnt more about England, southeastern USA, the US military, Cuba, golf-carts, the English correctional system and about 1000 other things than I ever needed to know. In one instance, I needed to know where one of the characters lived in Gravesend, Kent. To get this information, I had to look up teacher salaries, and real estate, and figure out roughly what sort of house this man could realistically afford, and what would be a nice area to raise a family. This was all to get a street name, which I used ONCE.

This is an essential part of my what-if process – grab many disparate elements, find a way they fit together, and follow that thought for as far as it can go. Before you know it, you’ve got yourself a story sunshine

Of course there’s more to writing than just the outlining/conception phase, but by Jove’s bearded toothbrush, that’s the most fun bit for me.

New Review of Midnight Echo #8

A new review has just gone up of Midnight Echo #8, the issue that contains my story Pigroot Flat. Reviewer OzNoir says:

“PIGROOT FLAT by Jason Fischer flips the script on zombie horror by introducing an all too real horror amidst the dust and desolate Australian outback. I particularly liked the living dead in PIGROOT FLAT as being objectified as mere obstacles while the true horror flourishes behind the face of the living.”

Glad it worked, that’s exactly what I was aiming to do! The rest of the review can be read here:

http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/review-midnight-echo-8.html

Fisch Industries: The Current State of Play

So we find ourselves in 2013. The world did not end, which was fortunate – it turns out I can continue to write about the world ending with complete impunity. Huzzah!

I’ve had a small break from writing and scratched my video game itch. The only problem being that Fallow February is completely out of synch with everything else, and will most likely reappear as Fallow August. Because this February, and for the next few months, it’s nose to the grindstone.

So what’s going on?

a) My first novel Quiver is now on sale. I’m hoping to officially launch this at Conflux, and am currently pimping it hither and yon. If you liked novels like the Hunger Games and the Passage, and dig yourself some sweet zombie action, why not give it a try?

b) I met recently with Russ and Liz of Ticonderoga Publications, the publishers of my forthcoming publication “Everything is a Graveyard”. Writing of new stories for this collection has now begun in earnest, and the titular story is going to be Tonnes of Fun. Toranas, dropbears, steam tractors and more. I’m also planning to write a new Jesusman short story for consideration in the anthology, and revise a new story that I wrote at Writers of the Future. That’s just for starters.

c) Was invited to send in a pitch to a Secret Embargoed Thing, which I have beavered away on over the last month or so. A very cool shared universe, and if it all goes ahead I’ll be as pleased as the proverbial pig in poop.

d) If I get a spare moment, I’m hoping to start work on a new YA novel that I’ve been outlining. Working title is Ripley Quarterquick, and the tagline is “Oliver Twist Meets Real Steel”

So that’s the state of play here at Fisch Industries. No rest for the wicked!

Write up over at Writers of the Future

A lovely write-up regarding my new book can be found over at the Writers of the Future website.

Check it out here: http://www.writersofthefuture.com/writingcontestnews/2012/12/16/australian-winner-jason-fischers-first-novel-hits-print/969

And of course, copies of “Quiver” can be found, previewed and purchased here: http://www.tamsynwebb.com/

Quiver – Now Available!

Easter Eggs that can be found in Quiver

I’m a massive fan of “easter eggs“, meaning when intentional hidden messages, inside jokes, motifs and homages are hidden inside other works. That, plus my love of puns and other word bastardry, means I have included several easter eggs within my new novel “Quiver”.

Here are just a few that keen-eyed readers might spot:

Throughout the story the characters encounter several boats – these all start with the same letter.
I’m a fan of the UK series “Shameless”, and I’ve included many riffs that pay homage to this show. Character names, several references to Manchester (a brief mention of a community of survivors, a moment where Tamsyn wears a Man-U scarf etc) and others that fans might spot.
Going against the threads and tropes of postapocalyptic fiction, everyone in a position of legitimate civilian authority is female. The only male community leader found in “Quiver” is the Mayor of Gravesend, and his rule is FAR from legitimate. Most of the military leaders are male, and the polished war machine of today is rapidly devolving into barbarism. This is a very deliberate homage to one of my favourite postapocalyptic books, “The Gate to Women’s Country” by Sheri S. Tepper.
Most of the villainous military officers that Tamsyn encounters have surnames starting with the same letter.
References to other postapocalyptic or dystopian works such as “Lord of the Flies”. There’s the deliberate inclusion of a cat for Tamsyn as an antonym to the Harlan Ellison classic “A Boy and His Dog”.
Finally, while I’ve reined in my natural instinct to pun, there are at least two whoppers that I can think of that made it to the final version.
EDIT: Also, the titles of the original novellas attached to the After the World project were all  puns riffing on place names, death, and whatever Tamsyn was doing at the time. These are (in chronological order) Gravesend, Corpus Christi, Army Corpse, and Better Red than Undead. Hint for the last one: Cuba.

I’ve gotta say, this book was a lot of fun to write. If you’d like to nab yourself a copy, head over to the official website tamsynwebb.com. You can order the book in hard-copy, or get an e-book through either Smashwords or for the Kindle. By all accounts it’s selling well – I’m one proud and excited author!

Today, Quiver goes LIVE

Hi folks,

Well, it’s all official-like. My first full-length novel “Quiver” is now officially on sale, and available both in hard-copy and as an e-book. Publisher Baden Kirgan at Black House Comics has put together a stunning new website for the book, the aptly titled:

http://www.tamsynwebb.com/

This, for the uninitiated, is the name of my tough-as-nails protagonist. The girl with the dead-eye aim, putting arrows into zombie brains. This book has been a long time coming, and it actually took a few years to get to this point. Starting off as four connected novellas (from the “After the World” series), I’ve done my best to tie these together into one coherent novel, in the grand SF tradition of “fix-up” novels. This should be appearing in book-stores soon, and there’ll hopefully be an official launch of “Quiver” at some point in the near future.

Huge thanks to those who helped me with the behind the scenes work on this story (especially Jason Franks), and big kudos to Baden Kirgan and Julie Ditrich at Black House Comics – they’ve moved mountains to get this thing going.

If you like zombies with your YA, and if you’ve enjoyed books such as The Hunger Games and the Passage, “Quiver” might just be the book for you. Tell your friends, and I’d count it as a personal favour if you added the following nifty banner thing to your blogs and such:

http://www.tamsynwebb.com/#!promote/c...

Finally, I’m going to also be releasing this book as a Scott Sigler style podcast/audio-book…more details soon!

The Next Big Thing

Hi folks! Like many other writers, I’ve been tagged in the Next Big Thing meme (by three separate people on the same day, so I think the idea has hit critical mass and is about to collapse on itself like the Greek economy trying a pyramid scheme with Monopoly money). I’d like to use the opportunity to briefly plug my new book “Quiver”, which goes on sale on the 10th of December.

1) What is the working title of your next book?

My next book is called “Quiver”, and is actually a fix-up novel repurposed from four connected novellas, with plenty of new material and reworked to form one complete story. Two of these novellas have previously been published in the “After the World” magazine line – Gravesend and Corpus Christi. “Quiver” is the chance for me to wrap up the entire story in one volume, and I’m really excited to see it about to hit the shelves/ebook stores.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

I originally wrote these novellas as part of the Black House Comics “After the World” series, a set of pulp horror books that saw wide distribution in Australian newsagents in about 2009. When I was first pitching ideas for the project, I wanted to do some sort of gonzo Mad Max style piece set in Australia, but other authors had already written pieces set down under. I was advised by editor Baden Kirgan to look further afield, perhaps the US or England. One of my coworkers (an expat Pom) suggested the location of Gravesend, Kent, and the name was too perfect not to work. Baden gave me some story elements required for the overall plot, and over the course of the next few novellas we came up with a story that I’m proud to put my name to. I gave the world Tamsyn Webb – a broken teenager, a sass-mouth who is a dead-eye shot with her bow.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Here’s some key words: Young adult, zombie, post-apocalypse, horror.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I reckon Rose Byrne would do a great job as Tamsyn Webb. Um, the bloke with the face scars from Gladiator would do a good job as Simon Dawes. I’d like to put Macauley Caulkin in there somewhere, but he doesn’t really fit with any of my characters – I just want to see him in a zombie film. And I would let all my friends cameo as zombies. Me, I’d be zombie #528 – Office corpse chewing on severed forearm.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

“Quiver” is the story of growing up in a world that wants you dead.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

“Quiver” is the first prose novel to be published by Black House Comics, who are known for publishing a diverse range of Australian comics. BHC ran a great fiction series from 2009 called “After the World”, so it’s great to see them taking on prose works and giving them the same care as the comic lines. I really get the feeling that this is a labour of love for editor and publisher Baden Kirgan, who has given plenty of local storytellers a way to get heard over the past few years (and hopefully many more).

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

It actually took a couple of years to write the whole story, and some elements of it have already seen print so this included revisions, edits, bouncing ideas between colleagues and Baden at BHC. Working in between other projects, I always found myself coming back to Tamsyn Webb’s story, so I think I was always working on it, even subconsciously.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I’d like to think it holds up to the Hunger Games books, the Passage, and hopefully classics like the Stand.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

As above, Gravesend was originally my plan B, but it’s amazing where secondary opportunities can take a story. It just grew organically, and the characters are all amalgams of people I know in real life. Maybe one day I’ll tell them who they are in my book

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

I’ve been told by test readers that it’s fast-paced, compelling and that my characters drive the story really well. It’s the tale of a broken young girl, whose troubled adolescence is interrupted by the end of the world. Trapped in a barricaded town, she soon discovers that the people within are far more dangerous than the undead outside. She learns of a cure for the disease, but it might just doom them all…

So there you have it, the Next Big Thing as happening in the world of the Fisch. Given that every man and his dog has been in this meme, I’m actually not going to tag anyone specifically. If you want to play, by all means consider yourself my tagees, otherwise I’m happy to let the meme die a peaceful death. There are a swag of excellent posts out there for the reading, and I’d like to give a big kudos to my taggers, the brilliant writers Kirstyn McDermott, Alan Baxter and Zena Shapter.

Another hint of things to come…

Watch this space….

If you must NaNo, don’t forget Fallow February

Ah, NaNoWriMo. That’s National Novel Writing Month to the uninitiated, a global event where aspiring writers crank out 50,000 words of first-draft during November. There are criticisms against this event by some, affirmations of its usefulness by others, and if you’re a writer you’re either gonna love or hate it already.

I won’t go into any of that here. One thing I thought worth mentioning is this – one frequent bit of writer advice is that You Must Produce. Write, write, and write some more. Work those fingers until they are bloody stubs and your keyboard the cheese grater. You can’t send out the story that hasn’t yet been written. And this is all true. When the time is right, you must apply arse to chair, and just bloody get on with it. It’s so easy to talk about writing, but if you’re serious about it, you’ll get into the hard slog when needed. It’s exhausting but worthy, otherwise why would anyone do it?

But I would like to gently point out something that I’ve learnt the hard way. Despite all the rhetoric and chest-banging to the contrary, it’s Okay to Take a Break. I’m serious. If you write day after day, you just might burn out. Some people can and do write each day, and if that works for them, kudos. As for me, I like to take at least one decent holiday from writing each year.

I call it Fallow February. Going by the theory that overfarming a plot of land can make it barren and infertile, I like to let my mind go fallow around February-March of each year. Play video games with no guilt. Faff around with movies and books. Socialise, and just relax. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT WRITING.

This year, I’m actually having Fallow February in November. Apart from some work with my lovely AHWA Mentorees, you’ve caught me in the middle of a luxurious stretch of Doing Fuck All. And it’s great. Earlier this year I was actually bombarded by deadlines, so I had to take a raincheck on Fallow February. The last time I tried to write, I really struggled to get into it. And that’s when I knew it was time to hang up my GONE FISHING sign (aka play lots of Skyrim).

I know this is the right thing to do, because my muses are starting to go nuts. I’m getting lots of “what if?” story ideas. The creative fly-wheels are starting to whir and hum, greased by the oil of relaxation and fired by the brand new sparkplugs I plug in once a year.

You’d have a holiday from your job, wouldn’t you? Don’t be a dickhead Fallow February FTW!