Matthew Lang's Blog, page 19

Launches, Festivals and Readings, Oh My!

There's a new page on this website. It's been a busy few days for me (no, Dragon Age 2 is still yet to arrive), but I've confirmed a book launch for The Secret of Talmor Manor, entered the People's Choice Night of the Williamstown Literary Festival, and been invited to be a panelist at the Emerging Writers' Festival for their Romance Genre panel.

I did a few other things too, but those are the most interesting ones. And as a result, I've added an events page to this site so they don't get lost amongst the flurry of posting on this blog. Or the hopeful flurry of posting on this blog.

So without further ado, this is what I'm up to!

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AND POETRY NIGHT: WILLIAMSTOWN LITERARY FESTIVAL

For a bit of fun I've entered the Williamstown Literary Festival's People's Choice and Poetry Night, which is an open mic style event for ten short works of poetry and prose, with the audience deciding the winner in each category, with prize money to the tune of $50-$100 each. If you'd like to come along and help me win, your support would be very much appreciated.

When: 7:00 PM Thursday 28 April,

Where: Pirates Tavern,

82 Nelson Parade

Williamstown

MC of the Poetry will be Mike Reynolds of Passionate Tongues. And the MC of the Prose will be notable story teller, Jackie Kerin, who was joint winner of the Ada Cambridge prize in 2009.

Tickets are $5.50 concession and $7.70 adult.

If you would like to enter click here.

Tickets for the event are available at the box office here.

BOOK LAUNCH: THE SECRET OF TALMOR MANOR



The Secret of Talmor Manor will be launched on Friday the 20th of May at Hares & Hyenas

When: 7:00 PM Friday 20th May

Where: Hares & Hyenas

63 Johnston St.

Fitzroy, 3065

Please come down and join me to celebrate the publication of my book, have a drink, possibly listen to a reading, and I'll be on hand for signings.

I'm also talking to some artist friends about possibly having some artwork auctions or similar for charity (most likely the equal love campaign). I'll provide updates as details get finalised. There will be a bar open for the launch as well.

EMERGING WRITERS' FESTIVAL: ROMANCE GENRE PANEL

I will be appearing as a panelist in the Emerging Writers' Festival's Romance Genre Panel.

When: 6:00 PM-7:00PM, Wednesday 1st of June

Where: Wheeler Centre

176 Little Lonsdale Street

Melbourne

Victoria 3000

Other Panelists:

+ Author Stephanie Larens

+ A publishing representative from Mills & Boon

~*~

So don't forget to pop those dates into your diary and watch this space for updates! I hope to see you at one (or several) of the events!

Matt

2011 Rainbow Awards: Call for Jury Members

Elisa is looking for approximately 50 people to be on the jury for the 2011 Rainbow Awards. At present the criteria are:

a) To be willing to read in 1 or more of the LGBT categories: Lesbian, Gay or/and Bisexual/Transgender

b) To be willing to read in 1 or more of the following genres: Coming of Age / Young Adult, Contemporary General Fiction, Contemporary Erotica, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Historical, Mystery / Thriller, Non Fiction, Paranormal / Horror and/or Sci-Fic / Futuristic

c) To be willing to read at least 5 books in 7 months–from May to November (inclusive).

- Judges will start to read books in May; reading period will finish in November (inclusive).

- Each judge will read a minimum of 5 books. Authors/Publishers/Editors will not read books in categories where a their own book is submitted.

- Each book will be judge using 4 different criteria: Plot Development, Setting Development, Characters Development and Writing Style. From 1 to 10 points for each criteria.

- Judges will receive only the ebooks they have to read. (PDF files)

- Judges will have to indicate what categories they are not comfortable to read.

- To be a judge, please contact Elisa; Authors/Publishers/Editors/Reviewers/Readers are welcomed, if Elisa doesn't know you, please provide an introduction and some sort of reference for being eligible to judge a LGBT themed book.

If you are interested, please contact Elisa via the contact details at her livejournal. If you are an author, submission information is also available there.

The Secret of Talmor Manor out in Paperback at Amazon

It's finally out! The Secret of Talmor Manor is now available in paperback from Amazon.com! For those of you waiting for a physical copy to display on your bookshelves, you now can do so!

The Secret of Talmor Manor — Amazon.com

The Secret of Talmor Manor — Amazon.co.uk

ChillOut! 2011

[image error]So, I'm back from ChillOut!, having decided not to stay for the Monday festivities. It was a fun experience, although I'm not sure how much of it was really my thing. My boyfriend and I arrived on Friday, and due to a booking mess up (on my part) we only had one night's worth of accommodation in Daylesford itself. Thankfully, one of our friend's in Baccus Marsh came to the rescue and we bunked in with him for the Saturday and Sunday nights, which was good, otherwise we might have had to return after only one day there.

Had dinner at The Farmers Arms Hotel, which was good (if pricey). I ordered the venison as an entree and the pork neck as a main. Both were excellent, although the bread the cured venison was served on tasted a bit stale. It wasn't soft, but it lacked the crisp crunch I think it was meant to have–it seemed as though it had been toasted and then left too long before serving it up, resulting in a rather unexciting texture. For his part, my boyfriend loved the vegetable parcel entree, but didn't like the lentils that accompanied the pheasant main. Personally I did, I think he just doesn't really like lentils.

Dayleford itself was a riot of rainbows. It seemed like every establishment had a rainbow flag up–even the ANZ bank (okay, admittedly they are a sponsor). You know something strange is going on when the banks are flying pride flags. All right, I get that ChillOut  is one of the Hepburn Shire's biggest events, with an economic impact somewhere around the $30 million mark. I also would much prefer to be welcomed with pride flags than run out of town, but most of the flag flying seemed very commercial. It was 'Hey, gay people, come shop here!!', which admittedly is something I advocate as one of the best ways to improve tolerance, but part of me objected to the almost over the top gaudiness that the festival seemed to engender. I'm all for bring inclusive and encouraging gay people to shop at your establishment. But if you're only going to fly the pride flag for 3 days a year, I'm probably going to ask what you do to support gay community the other 362 days. Frankly, a small, understated rainbow flag sticker in your window will do more to endear your business to me than jumping onboard the queer bandwagon for a 3 day festival. Of course, if you're flying the pride flag all year round, then I may consider it something I wouldn't necessarily do, but I will respect and fully support your business in doing so. Up to and including shopping there.

Just saying.

Anyway, a big thanks to everyone who turned up at Horvat's Wine Bar on Saturday for the banQuet 2011 readings, and a very special thanks to Gabriel for opening the bar up to us (and for the drinks and pizzas–try the spicy lamb, it's excellent), and to Carson and Dettori at banQuet Press for organising the event. It was fantastic to have another chance to read my work, promote my novel, and hear some of the stories from banQuet women 2011.

Sunday was carnival day, and I ran into some old friends I haven't seen in years (literally) but we got rained out, which was unfortunate. Ended up back in Baccus Marsh where I made a roast chicken and fell asleep on my boyfriend's lap before watching Bruno, Top Chef Masters and um… is it Park Street? Can't remember–the trashy mag one (okay, I slept through most of it).

So would I go again? Maybe. It was a bit annoying to have to pay $20 to get into the Carnival, but the food was better than at Midsumma. Next time I just have to remember to bring a picnic blanket. And maybe a pop up tenty thing.

Q&A @ LoveRomances Cafe

So it was MLR Press author chat day at the LR Cafe yahoo group yesterday, and I thought I'd post the Q&A  here for you all to enjoy, or laugh at. Either one's good really.

Please tell us about yourself. What got you interested in being an author?

Well, about ten years ago, I was living in Hong Kong–my dad got a job over there and moved the whole family–and I ended up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia because of Model United Nations. I honestly can't even remember which country I was representing. Possibly Sudan, although I think that was the year before. Anyway, it was cool because the host family I stayed with was Australian–I'm an Aussie, by the way, hello from down under–and it turned out Simon and I both liked writing, Australian comedy (can't wait for the festival) and Warhammer (okay, I'm a geek). Anyway, he introduced to an PBeM egroup called Imperial Secrets (IMS) that is now sadly defunct, but um… I got home to HK, was up at 2 AM in the morning and created a character to post with and discovered what I

wanted to do with the rest of my life.

Can you tell me a bit about your most recent/upcoming release?

My debut novel is called The Secret of Talmor Manor. It's a modern paranormal mystery–although some people are classifying it as historical–the main conceit is that my main character, Jake, falls asleep and finds himself in a Victorian era manor inhabited by a number of ghosts–and then one of them (the hunky one) appears in Jake's living room. Then it's a case of, why is the ghost, Nathaniel, in the waking world? Why is Nathaniel corporeal? WTF is up with this sexual chemistry thing, who is trying to kill them, and what should he wear to the upcoming Halloween party? You know, all the important questions!

For any readers who may not have read any of your books, can you just give us a little sneak peak into world (i.e. the type of genre you write, type of stories you like to write…etc)?

So that would be every reader here, right? Um…well see, typically I write fantasy fiction, so this novel was a bit of a departure for me, and of course it's the one that Laura and MLR went 'Yes Please' to. Um… I guess I like to write stories that are really less 'romance' stories than other stories that just happen to have a male/male romance built in to them as part of the overall plot. I tend to push myself to give characters real reactions, and I also like to be funny, which sometimes doesn't work with the real reactions, so it usually comes down to finding the place where the story sits and forcing myself to stick to it. It usually works.

How much of yourself, if any, do you put into your characters?

That depends entirely on the character. Jake got a few of my pet peeves, but there's bits of me in just about every character, even the antagonist(s). I find that my characters start off somewhere in me and then move rapidly into their own little world and space over the course of writing and drafting.

Is there a genre you haven't done that you would like to explore in the future?

Science Fiction. I just don't quite trust my technobabble skills enough to knuckle down and do it. Plus I have a number of fantasy stories I want to get done first.

If you could throw a party with any five people (living or dead) who would you pick and why?

1) My boyfriend, because it's not really a party without him.

2) Carmel–you know, I don't know her last name, but there's this really nice lady from central Victoria (Australia) over on Goodreads who just offered to sponsor me into the Emerging Writers' Festival, i.e. donate the author's fee that would pave the way for me appearing in it. I don't even know if that's allowed, but I'd really like to meet her, because I've known her less than a week online and she offered me that much support.

NB: This does NOT mean I will be appearing in the Emerging Writers' Festival, only that I have contacted them about the possibility of appearing and Carmel has contacted them about the possibility of sponsoring that appearance. If anything comes of this, I will let you know.

3) Whichever producer out there in existence would listen to and want to produce my musical theatre work, Son of the Son. Yep, I have written a full fledged musical which I'd like to get off the ground one of these years.

4) Kei–Kei is the other me. She's a year younger than I am, absolutely nuts, and Japanese, and the only thing you really need to know is that it's a bit like one person in two bodies–me and her. We get on like a house on fire. No wait, that's just the smoke alarm from us cooking badly…

5) Smittens AKA Gollum AKA Smithy AKA Mark–a friend of mine who moved to the UK and can do perfect Lord of the Rings Gollum impersonations.

*Looks back over the list* Wow okay, so celebrity doesn't really mean much to me. Go figure.

What animal do you think makes the best pet and why?

Well, I currently have a fighter fish, but I'm tempted go with Ferrets. I mean, you get to take a ferret for walkies, what's not to love about that?

Do you hate how you look in pictures? Why or why not?

Oh yeah. I look strange in pictures. That's why there aren't many of me.

Do you have any strange handwriting habits, like capitalizing all your Rs or dotting your Is with heart (or anything like that)?

I tend to write in all caps, although I'm not sure if that counts as strange or not?

Boxers, briefs, boxerbriefs? Or commando on a man? Why?

Boxerbriefs–trunks–for the mix of support with functionality and because I don't like how boxers can twist around your legs. Plus, let's be honest, I'm not likely to have biological kids anyway, so who cares about spermcount? Commando if I'm just lounging around the house–AKA writing–and not planning on going out anytime soon.

What is your strangest habit?

I have been known to sing and dance in public. And when I say public I mean…at random without thinking about it in the middle of the street.

Who are your literary heros and why?

Terry Pratchett (could Alzheimer's please go find someone else to hassle?). The thing I love about Pratchett is that he takes something and critiques it while being amazing funny and he educates people while making them laugh. He's one of the smartest writers I've ever read.

What would you tell aspiring young writers about the publishing business?

It's a business. If you're not willing to treat it as such, perhaps you ought to question if you really want to be in it.

As an author your job is to tell a compelling story that's going to make people want to recommend your book to their friends–preferably to strangers in the street–and if you're not committed to that you're not going to produce your best work. Also, your editor is your friend, even–especially–when he or she is pointing out gaping plot holes in your baby. If you don't have an editor or aren't good at critiquing yourself, try to find a friend who is capable and

happy to give you their unbiased and unvarnished opinions.

One good piece of advice I remember seeing was 'When you finish your draft, put it away and take it out maybe a month or so later, so the characters aren't running around in your head, and then read it as if you really hate the person who wrote it'. Then see what edits you think should be made…

Tell us five random things about yourself.

1) I have done drag-well, played Angel in RENT, but that's still drag.

2) I knit.

3) If anyone here is in Australia, I'll be in Daylesford this weekend for ChillOut! giving a reading for banQuet Press. *plug plug*

4) I'm a gamer and I'm waiting for Dragon Age 2 to arrive in my mailbox

5) I like cheese.

What type of writer are you? The one who experiences before writing, like Hemingway, or the one who mostly daydreams and fantasizes?

Yes?

From the moment you conceived the idea for the story, to the published book, how long did it take?

Um, well technically 6 years, although if you go from the point where I decided it would be a published book, rather than me mucking around with storytelling, about 18 months?

When it comes to writing, are you an early bird, or a night owl?

Night owl. 2 AM in the morning is creative time.

How was your experience in looking for a publisher? What words of advice would you offer those novice authors who are in search of one?

Do you research. MLR Press was actually the first and only publisher I approached. I looked around at all the places I could find that published m/m writing, and MLR Press stood out for a number of reasons. First and foremost

they stated that they would take the time to read and respond (with feedback) to any manuscript sent to them, and they also published print and eBook copies concurrently, where most of the others were eBook only. I decided if I was going to get published, they were my preferred publisher, so I submitted to them and then went and had a nervous breakdown. Okay, just kidding on that last bit, but it was a scary experience for someone who had no idea what he was doing. It's going to be scary. The entire journey of going from aspiring to published is frightening, but don't let that stop you from doing it.

What book are you reading now?

I'm rereading Planescape Torment. And I think I should just dig out my copy of it again and play though it on the PC. The problem with me is I can read a book in a day, so I'm always running out of books.

~*~

And that's it. I also posted an exclusive expert of The Secret of Talmor manor over on the LRC group–find it here if you want to have a peek!

Anyway, off to Daylesford today. See you all on the other side!

Autographable eBooks?

[image error]American based company Autography LLCM has come up with technology that enables authors to sign eBooks–be that in person, or remotely.

Apparently the technology works using a touch enabled tablet computer–a copy of the eBook is loaded, a blank page is inserted behind the front cover, and the author is able to write, sign and otherwise personalise the page for the customer. According to Autography's Facebook page they are looking to roll out a software package in the next few weeks and are working on an Android based solution (currently I believe they have an iPad version already working).

With the rise in eBook sales, this software could potentially give eBooks one of the precious abilities that was until now restricted to print books–the autograph. That said, the eBook still can't rival the print book for 'show off value' as my boyfriend might say. He's one of those people who likes to impress with a well stocked bookshelf (preferably in hardcover), but for those drawn to the lightweight, compact and mess-free (or privacy saving) world of the eBook, this is certainly a welcome development.

I also wonder if this sort of thing would be beneficial in terms of combating eBook piracy. Obviously an autographed eBook copied away from the original owner is now a distinctive, individual object which can be identified as such–and identified as pirated. It may also prove a disinclination to share, or an incentive for someone to go out and purchase their own eBook copy, although I am aware that these changes (if present) in consumer behaviour would be just a very small proportion of those people out there who pirate creative IP–most likely it would affect the segment of the population who use piracy as a 'try before you buy' option, or a 'get because I'm poor and can't afford a book right now but I plan to buy it someday' crowd.

The Secret of Talmor Manor Out in eBook Format

Well, it's official–The Secret of Talmor Manor is out as an eBook, available in PDF, EPUB and PRC (Kindle) format. Currently it's available directly from MLR Books. For anyone after a printed copy, watch this space, I expect it to be available in print shortly and I'll keep you all posted on that. It hope you all enjoy it–I certainly enjoyed writing it.

If you'd like a sneak peek you can read an excerpt here.

In other news I will be doing a full reading of Mr. Perfect at this year's Chillout Festival in Daylesford this Labour Day long weekend, Satuday 12th of March at Horvat's Wine Bar. The events starts at 3:00 PM and will feature full readings from both BanQuet 2011 Anthologies, which will be available for purchase on the day. Tickets are $15/$10 and are available through the Chillout Events webpage. Pop it into your calendars and I hope to see you there.

Love to all

Matt

Cover Art!

The Secret of Talmor Manor has cover art, and here it is! Credit to Deana C. Jamroz. All going well it should be out very soon, and I can confirm it will be available in Australia, America, the UK and most of Europe, as well as online via Amazon.com.

banQuet 2011 now available at Hares&Hyenas

A big hello and thank you to everyone who attended the banQuet 2011 launch yesterday at Hares&Hyenas. For those of you who weren't able to come or who didn't get a copy of the Anthology, it is available at Hares&Hyenas for $24.95 and includes my story, Mr. Perfect.

Hopefully I'll be able to post here soon with publication news for The Secret of Talmor Manor–if you'd like to know when that hits the shelves, sign up for my newsletter on the right.

VIC Greens are after your thoughts on Same Sex Marriage

The Victorian Greens are calling for public submissions ahead of their introduction of a bill supporting Same-Sex Marriage. They are seeking views on the issue in general, on how the law should be framed, and issues such as the legal status and rights granted through marriage; how the laws would apply to interstate residents; the rights of religious celebrants to choose not to conduct a same-sex marriage; and how any new laws would interact with Victoria's current Relationship Register.

Please submit your views to linda.roberts@parliament.vic.gov.au at Sue Pennicuik MLC's office or call (03) 9530 8399.

For those of you who are interested, here's my submission:

Hi Linda,

I saw in the Star Observer that the Victorian Greens are calling for public views on Same-Sex Marriage and I would like to give you mine.

Same-Sex Marriage should happen.

I believe that we may need a new word for 'marriage' in general as it currently has two meanings: under civil law and as a religious practice (largely Christian practice). Homophobic and oppressive Christian political groups often insist that the religious practice of marriage be enshrined in law—as that between one man and one woman. This is not only homophobic, but also runs contrary to the ideal of religious pluralism that our secular society supposedly values. Same sex marriage is recognised and practiced amongst those of the Pagan and Neo-Pagan faiths as well as in many indigenous tribal cultures, such as the American Indians. For a secular, non-religious government to insist that the civil rights of two people coming together to live their lives as a couple must be defined under the non-secular, religious and frankly, bigoted view of a religious minority is an unjust denial of civil liberties and a disservice to the multi-cultural society that supposedly embraces religious pluralism.

As such what we need is a recognition that the secular rights and responsibilities of two people coming together as a couple are distinct from any religious influence or preconceptions and should be enshrined in law as dictated by peoples of conscience, tolerance and in the spirit of fairness. These laws should be non-gender specific and be the only legal standpoint for couples whether gay, straight, trans or any other identification I may have missed. This law should ensure that such a union is a secular joining, much in the way that the only legal part of a marriage ceremony is the signing of the marriage registry.

This would make the religious ceremony of marriage a purely internal religious affair, and religions should be free to decide who they will or will not extend that ceremony to—so a conservative Christian church should not be legally obligated to marry two men or two women if that is their viewpoint. However, under the separation of church and state, they should have a legal obligation to stay out of politics and not interfere with the secular practices of those outside of their faith—however, that may be an entirely different battle and piece of legislation.

On a personal note, I am not in a position where marriage is a consideration for me at the moment, but I hope that one day I will be and when I am in that position, I would hope that the secular government will recognise my relationship as equally as it recognises that of my heterosexual friends, free of the hatred and injustice that is too often being spouted by the religious minority.

Thank you and The Greens for taking the time to call for community views and for reading my submission.

Warm Regards

Matthew Lang

In other news, here's an awesome video of Illinois Senator Ricky Hendon speaking during debate on the recently passed Illinois Civil Union bill.