Deborah Sheldon's Blog, page 23
April 3, 2020
My novelette, "Barralang, pop. 63", out now in Dimension6
Dimension6 is Coeur De Lion Publishing's free and DRM-free electronic magazine of Australian speculative fiction.
Dimension6 issue 19 is out now! It includes:
My novelette ‘Barralang, pop. 63’
Barralang is a place where hope comes to die.
_________________________________
‘Riders on The Storm’ by Tais Teng
Sirriac's life changed when the dust devil followed him home.
_________________________________
‘Cargo’ by Damir Salkovic
The capsule recovery was just another job for Calhoun. It would be his last.
Download the issue FREE direct from the publisher.
https://coeurdelion.com.au/dimension6/
Dimension6 issue 19 is out now! It includes:
My novelette ‘Barralang, pop. 63’
Barralang is a place where hope comes to die.
_________________________________
‘Riders on The Storm’ by Tais Teng
Sirriac's life changed when the dust devil followed him home.
_________________________________
‘Cargo’ by Damir Salkovic
The capsule recovery was just another job for Calhoun. It would be his last.
Download the issue FREE direct from the publisher.
https://coeurdelion.com.au/dimension6/
April 1, 2020
Aurealis Magazine reviews Hand to Mouth
Aurealis Magazine #129 reviews my novelette "Hand to Mouth" (Demain Publishing). Eugen Bacon writes, "The clever little story unfolds with fascinating twists... a thoroughly enjoyable read."
https://aurealis.com.au/store/aureali...
The back-cover blurb of "Hand to Mouth":
“When the truth doesn’t satisfy, people make up stories.”
An imprisoned man writes letters to his son, trying to explain the bizarre circumstances that led to his incarceration. But can his son believe him? Award-winning author Deborah Sheldon keeps you guessing with this novelette of secrets, lies, conspiracies and paranoia.
https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Mouth-Sho...
https://aurealis.com.au/store/aureali...
The back-cover blurb of "Hand to Mouth":
“When the truth doesn’t satisfy, people make up stories.”
An imprisoned man writes letters to his son, trying to explain the bizarre circumstances that led to his incarceration. But can his son believe him? Award-winning author Deborah Sheldon keeps you guessing with this novelette of secrets, lies, conspiracies and paranoia.
https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Mouth-Sho...
March 25, 2020
Aurealis nomination for Body Farm Z
Fantastic news! "Body Farm Z" is shortlisted for "Best Horror Novel" in the 2019 Aurealis Awards!
https://aurealisawards.org/
The back-cover blurb: To solve murders, you must understand the process of decomposition. Australia’s newest body farm, the Victorian Taphonomic Experimental Research Institute, is hidden in bushland some four hours’ drive from Melbourne. Scattered across its 150 acres are human donor cadavers and pig carcasses arranged to mimic some of the ways in which police might find murder victims: exposed to the elements, buried in a shallow grave, wrapped in tarpaulin. Forensic scientists and graduate students meticulously track each stage of putrefaction. Today, Detective Rick Evans of the Homicide Squad is at VITERI for the re-creation of one of his cold cases. A human donor will be locked inside a car. But the donor has other ideas... So begins a facility-wide outbreak of the reanimated dead.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Body-Farm-Z...
https://aurealisawards.org/
The back-cover blurb: To solve murders, you must understand the process of decomposition. Australia’s newest body farm, the Victorian Taphonomic Experimental Research Institute, is hidden in bushland some four hours’ drive from Melbourne. Scattered across its 150 acres are human donor cadavers and pig carcasses arranged to mimic some of the ways in which police might find murder victims: exposed to the elements, buried in a shallow grave, wrapped in tarpaulin. Forensic scientists and graduate students meticulously track each stage of putrefaction. Today, Detective Rick Evans of the Homicide Squad is at VITERI for the re-creation of one of his cold cases. A human donor will be locked inside a car. But the donor has other ideas... So begins a facility-wide outbreak of the reanimated dead.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Body-Farm-Z...
March 10, 2020
Review of Figments and Fragments: Dark Stories
Christine Morgan of the Horror Fiction Review gives my collection, Figments and Fragments: Dark Stories, a great review. In part, she writes, "Many of the pieces in this one are, as it says in the title, more along the lines of figments and fragments than entire self-contained stories. Yet they work that way, work very well. They’re evocative, bringing the disquieting feelings across, stirring the mood and emotion, without necessarily needing full resolution, explanation, or answers."
https://thehorrorfictionreview.blogsp...
The back-cover blurb of the collection reads:
Brutal. Compelling. Sinister.
From wheat farms, roadhouses, caravan parks and beaches to quiet suburban streets and inner-city apartments, award-winning author Deborah Sheldon tells distinctly Australian stories about violence, loss, betrayal and revenge.
Figments and Fragments includes three new stories written especially for the collection.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Figments-Fr...
https://thehorrorfictionreview.blogsp...
The back-cover blurb of the collection reads:
Brutal. Compelling. Sinister.
From wheat farms, roadhouses, caravan parks and beaches to quiet suburban streets and inner-city apartments, award-winning author Deborah Sheldon tells distinctly Australian stories about violence, loss, betrayal and revenge.
Figments and Fragments includes three new stories written especially for the collection.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Figments-Fr...
February 23, 2020
Review of Body Farm Z
A great review of my horror novel, Body Farm Z, on The Dust Lounge blog. In part, writer Tamara Rogers states, "If you’re looking for a zombie thriller in an original setting, where you won’t realise you’ve been holding your breath until the last page turns*, then this is the book for you. *Safety notice: Please remember to breathe while reading. Or read very quickly."
https://thedustlounge.com/2020/01/16/...
The back-cover blurb of Body Farm Z reads:
To solve murders, you must understand the process of decomposition. Australia’s newest body farm, the Victorian Taphonomic Experimental Research Institute, is hidden in bushland some four hours’ drive from Melbourne. Scattered across its 150 acres are human donor cadavers and pig carcasses arranged to mimic some of the ways in which police might find murder victims: exposed to the elements, buried in a shallow grave, wrapped in tarpaulin. Forensic scientists and graduate students meticulously track each stage of putrefaction. Today, Detective Rick Evans of the Homicide Squad is at VITERI for the re-creation of one of his cold cases. A human donor will be locked inside a car. But the donor has other ideas... So begins a facility-wide outbreak of the reanimated dead.
https://www.amazon.com/Body-Farm-Z-De...
https://thedustlounge.com/2020/01/16/...
The back-cover blurb of Body Farm Z reads:
To solve murders, you must understand the process of decomposition. Australia’s newest body farm, the Victorian Taphonomic Experimental Research Institute, is hidden in bushland some four hours’ drive from Melbourne. Scattered across its 150 acres are human donor cadavers and pig carcasses arranged to mimic some of the ways in which police might find murder victims: exposed to the elements, buried in a shallow grave, wrapped in tarpaulin. Forensic scientists and graduate students meticulously track each stage of putrefaction. Today, Detective Rick Evans of the Homicide Squad is at VITERI for the re-creation of one of his cold cases. A human donor will be locked inside a car. But the donor has other ideas... So begins a facility-wide outbreak of the reanimated dead.
https://www.amazon.com/Body-Farm-Z-De...
Horror Tree review of Hand to Mouth
A fabulous five-star review of my novelette, Hand to Mouth (Demain Publishing), from the Horror Tree. In part, Alyson Faye writes, “This is a clever, layered, sophisticated take on marriage, the impact of major life changing injury and how the solution becomes the problem with horrific consequences. Highly recommended for a fast slick read.”
https://horrortree.com/epeolatry-book...
The back-cover blurb of Hand to Mouth reads:
“When the truth doesn’t satisfy, people make up stories.”
An imprisoned man writes letters to his son, trying to explain the bizarre circumstances that led to his incarceration. But can his son believe him? Award-winning author Deborah Sheldon keeps you guessing with this novelette of secrets, lies, conspiracies and paranoia.
https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Mouth-Sho...
https://horrortree.com/epeolatry-book...
The back-cover blurb of Hand to Mouth reads:
“When the truth doesn’t satisfy, people make up stories.”
An imprisoned man writes letters to his son, trying to explain the bizarre circumstances that led to his incarceration. But can his son believe him? Award-winning author Deborah Sheldon keeps you guessing with this novelette of secrets, lies, conspiracies and paranoia.
https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Mouth-Sho...
February 18, 2020
Cover reveal: Year's Best Hardcore Horror #5
Red Room Press has revealed the cover of Year's Best Hardcore Horror #5, to be released later in 2020. The anthology includes my story "The Tea and Sugar Train", first published in Dimension6.
https://www.facebook.com/RedRoomPress...
The editors, Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax, say of my contribution, "From Melbourne, Australia, Deb Sheldon delivers the ultraviolent historical tale 'The Tea and Sugar Train'. Trust us, this is in no way a tea party..."
https://www.facebook.com/RedRoomPress...
The editors, Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax, say of my contribution, "From Melbourne, Australia, Deb Sheldon delivers the ultraviolent historical tale 'The Tea and Sugar Train'. Trust us, this is in no way a tea party..."
February 6, 2020
Wonderful review of my novelette, "Hand to Mouth"
Wow! What an incredible review of my novelette, Hand to Mouth, by The Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviewer.
In part, the review states: "Hand to Mouth is a brilliantly written and skilfully-plotted horror story that reveals more and more of itself the longer that you read...
"Sheldon [...]creates a multi-faceted and unforgettable horror story that deserves multiple readings just to appreciate all of its subtleties."
https://scifiandfantasyreviewer.wordp...
In part, the review states: "Hand to Mouth is a brilliantly written and skilfully-plotted horror story that reveals more and more of itself the longer that you read...
"Sheldon [...]creates a multi-faceted and unforgettable horror story that deserves multiple readings just to appreciate all of its subtleties."
https://scifiandfantasyreviewer.wordp...
February 2, 2020
I'm a published poet!
My first ever poem, a sonnet titled “The Sea Will Have”, is published in AntipodeanSF #257.
The inspiration was my short story “What the Sea Wants”, first published in SQ Mag and subsequently included in my award-winning collection, Perfect Little Stitches and Other Stories (IFWG Australia).
https://www.antisf.com/the-stories/th...
The inspiration was my short story “What the Sea Wants”, first published in SQ Mag and subsequently included in my award-winning collection, Perfect Little Stitches and Other Stories (IFWG Australia).
https://www.antisf.com/the-stories/th...
February 1, 2020
Women In Horror Month at the Horror Tree
In February 2020, the Horror Tree will feature a post every day to celebrate "Women In Horror Month". First up is my guest post, "Anxiety: the Horror Writer's Best Friend".
It begins, "Horror fiction is the exploration of helplessness in the face of pain, transformation and death; our free-floating anxieties pinned down in prose. And women who write horror might have an interesting edge over male writers: their increased rates of anxiety..."
https://horrortree.com/wihm-anxiety-t...
It begins, "Horror fiction is the exploration of helplessness in the face of pain, transformation and death; our free-floating anxieties pinned down in prose. And women who write horror might have an interesting edge over male writers: their increased rates of anxiety..."
https://horrortree.com/wihm-anxiety-t...
