Lily Mulholland's Blog, page 8

Trickling along

Well that was an unplanned but I guess not unanticipated hiatus. Work has gone supernova and I'm struggling to keep up, which means I have no time and definitely no mental energy for study or for writing. I really wanted to submit some flash to Microw for their winter/December edition, but I just didn't get there. I did, however, manage to come up with an illustration and two manipulated images, which I've just discovered have all been accepted for publication!

I am looking forward to doing some writing over the next three weeks – I have two weeks' leave coming up starting Thursday and I have a story planned for submission to Dead Red Heart. The submission deadline is 1 December, so I'll be cutting it fine! I have a short noir piece set in the gothic heart of Hobart ready to get out of my brain into my computer – there's so much material waiting to be ingested and spat out in that beautiful city built on a convict past – it's really ripe for the plucking and I can't wait to get back down there next week. I just have to find enough clear headspace while I'm there. Wish me luck!

My first author reading on Thursday! Eeek!

So, um, you know I'm newish to this writing gig, right? I have my first live author reading on Thursday night. A little bit nervous – I may chicken out yet. Fortunately I am but one of a bunch of writers featured in the Eve's Harvest anthology published by Odyssey Books, so no one will actually notice if I don't step up.

If you're in Canberra on Thursday evening, do check out the launch event! I'll be reading from my story, 'The Dan Experience'. Cheers!

Time

21 October 2010 · 18:30 – 20:30









Location
Smiths Alternative Bookshop 
76 Alinga st, Civic
Canberra, Australia









Created by:

Eve's Harvest – lip Magazine's First Fiction Anthology









More info
Come celebrate the launch of lip Magazine's first ever fiction anthology! 

Enjoy readings from the anthology, great local music and light refreshments. Even better, experience Smiths Bookshop's new wine bar, and cozy surrounds.

Remember, lip is run on an entirely volunteer basis, with no additional funding. We could use your support!

Here's a bit more about the anthology:

'Revolving around the theme of 'One', this unique selection of stories and poems dissect and explore ideas about life, love, the surreal and the natural to create an anthology that encompasses multitudes of genres and concepts.

The first fiction anthology to be published by lip Magazine, Eve's Harvest showcases all new literature for readers to enjoy wherever they are.'

When publishing a book is like giving birth

After massive amounts of work, the Yin and Yang Books have been published by eMergent Publishing. Brainchild of Jodi Cleghorn and Paul Anderson, the Yin and Yang Books are the second Chinese Whisperings anthology – and they are anthologies with a difference. We've all heard of themed anthologies, well these are different: they are two 'mated' collections of ten interwoven stories, with a shared world and many shared characters. Each writer worked from the same prologue (written by Jodi) and was required to have part of their story situated in the unnamed airport from the prologue. There also had to a link to at least one other character from any of the other 19 stories. The two anthologies are then conjoined by the same epilogue.

I was fortunate enough to join the party as a reserve, when one of the original female authors (the ten blokes wrote for The Yang Book, while the women penned The Yin Book stories) had to pull out. My story is the last before the epilogue, so I knew I had to pull out a story that not only met the criteria, but that laid a path for Paul Anderson to write the epilogue. Fortunately one of the the stories from The Yang Book, 'Three Monkeys' by Paul Servini, gave Paul A the other half of what he needed to bring both books to a climax.

For the two creators/editors, it has been a long, hard road to publication. I liken it to giving birth to conjoined twins – only I was lucky enough to be standing on the sidelines, much like an anxious father. I mopped their brows when I could and gave them encouragement when necessary, but apart from that, the hard work was pretty much all theirs.

You can buy the eBook versions of the books here, either separately or together as The Yin and Yang Book. My story, 'Double Talk' (the one with the fruity language), appears in The Yin Book. The paperback version will hopefully be out in time for Christmas!

When a character speaks, it can be fruity

So, here's a dilemma: does one use disgraceful language in a story, or does one avoid it?

I have a short story coming out in an anthology that launches on Sunday 10/10/10. In it is one of the vilest, most repugnant characters I've ever had the fortune to create. And he speaks like a pig. 'Gosh darned' just would not cut it, so I let him speak, and wrote the dialogue I had to. The opening line of the story is pretty fruity, but I just couldn't find a way to avoid it, without pulling punches. So, I let it stand and will soon be tagged as a writer who can't show her work to her father-in-law!

If some fruity language won't offend, head on over to Chinese Whisperings, where you can find a 750w excerpt from my story, 'Double Talk', as well as excerpts from the other 19 stories that will appear in the Yin and Yang books. You'll be able to buy the eBooks from Sunday onwards, with the paperback version soon to follow.

Story available at The Not

My jury prize nanostory, 'Shimmer Shift', from the Dog Days of Summer competition is available over at The Not.

One of those days

I'm having one of those days. Don't really feel like doing anything much. I should be studying, but I don't have the intellectual energy. I have a short story waiting to be written, but I'm not in the right frame of mind. I have a dress waiting to be cut and sewn, but I haven't the energy. It's cold, windy and raining outside. I suddenly felt the urge to draw. What to draw? I had a cup of hot chocolate sitting in front of me. It won out. Then I drew a picture that's been in my head for a couple of weeks now and submitted it to Microw. I don't know if it's good enough or what they're looking for, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

I haven't drawn for a long time. It's an introverted kind of thing to do, and strangely therapeutic. Might have to do some more.

Profile up on #amwriters

The very generous and lovely Johanna Harness, creative genius behind the #amwriting hashtag on Twitter, has kindly added my profile to the #amwriting website. There has even been some #amwriting going on around here lately – only a very little, but you have to keep plugging away, no?

50 Stories for Pakistan

There are some very generous and talented people out there on the Interwebs, no? Greg McQueen is one of them. Off the back of 100 Stories for Haiti, an anthology of flash fiction he put together through his indie publishing company Big Bad Media, Greg has decided he can't sit by doing nothing for the people in Pakistan who have been so dreadfully affected by the floods. He put out a call to writers to 'donate' a story to the cause: 50 Stories for Pakistan – all profits go to the...

Here's where I get to talk about my latest story

Head on over to Chinese Whisperings to read about the origins of my forthcoming short story, "Double Talk", the final story in the Yin and Yang anthology.

Story up over at the NOT

Life as an emerging writer is one full of story ideas, self-doubt and question marks over the effectiveness of the words we take so much care in ordering sequentially. Your ego takes a boost when an online zine no one has ever heard of accepts your attempt at a story; the pride upon publication is bested only by that experienced following the birth of real, live, breathing children. But when you actually receive an invitation to write, it's a real validation of your toddler talents. So when I...