Zena Shapter's Blog, page 15

Book Quote Thank You – David McDonald @sircamaris #Generous

The generosity of some writers astounds me. Five amazing writers just read my upcoming solo debut Towards White, and gave my publisher IFWG Australia five amazing quotes about it, all while juggling their own projects, writing and family. I had to know more. So today I’m asking David McDonald, what else were you doing while reading and quoting on the Towards White ARC? Firstly, here’s what he said about Towards White:

“Zena Shapter’s debut novel ‘Towards White’ is that rarest of books—an easy read that tackles hard subjects. Combining the ominous vibes of The Stepford Wives” with the science driven action of “The Andromeda Strain”, this slick technothriller will keep you turning the pages long past when you should have gone to bed. ‘Towards White’ shows the conflict and chaos of a meeting between the unstoppable force of scientific progress and the immovable object that is human nature—and what happens to those caught in the middle.” David McDonald, author of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Castaways’ and ‘Captain America: Sub Rosa’

So, David, what were you up to?

1. What were you writing?

I’ve been scripting a graphic novel set in an existing universe. It’s not something I have really done before, so I am learning as I go. It’s someone I am really excited to work with and I can’t wait to see where it goes. I am also trying to write a screenplay for the education market. So, I am trying to stretch myself with a few new skills!

2. What were you editing?

I’ve been making an effort to revisit some older short stories and give them a polish, in the hope that I have progressed enough as a writer to be able to improve them enough for publication. With most of them, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to discover that I still really love the premise and think they deserve another chance, it’s the execution that let them down. It’s interesting (and educational!) seeing the changes in my writing even over a few years—hopefully changes for the better!

3. What were you busy promoting?

For the past few weeks I have been helping to promote a Kickstarter campaign for Jeff Sturgeon’s ‘Last Cities of Earth – The Illustrated Books’. It’s a massive shared world project involving 60+ creators, including Kevin J. Anderson and Cat Rambo. The chance to work with so many writers I look up to is hugely exciting, so I am hoping it gets over the line. I may be biased, but even if I wasn’t in it I think it’s going to be a incredible piece of art and well worth supporting. People can find out more on the campaign page or listen to Kevin J. Anderson talk about it (and a whole lot of other cool stuff) on Galactic Chat.

Thank you, David! I’m so chuffed you enjoyed Towards White!

Want to come to one of my book launches for Towards White? There will be two – see below! You can also pre-order Towards White here.

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Book Quote Thank You – @PamelaHartBooks, @PamelaFreeman #Generous

The generosity of some writers astounds me. Five amazing writers just read my upcoming solo debut Towards White, and gave my publisher IFWG Australia five amazing quotes about it, all while juggling their own projects, writing and family. I had to know more. So today I’m asking Pamela Freeman, what else were you doing while reading and quoting on the Towards White ARC? Firstly, here’s what she said about Towards White:

“If you like your science fiction intelligent, pacy and thought-provoking, ‘Towards White’ is for you. Great philosophical science fiction in a noir thriller package. Crime and a challenging new technology with profound implications for humanity – I thoroughly enjoyed this SF thriller.” Pamela Freeman, author of ‘The Castings Trilogy’

So, Pamela, what were you up to?

Well, apart from everything professional, I was being a mum (and also an aunt).

1. What were you writing?

I was researching and writing Amazing Australian Woman, a kids’ non-fiction picture book about… yes, amazing Australian woman from history. Tell you what, if you want to make yourself feel inadequate, research that topic! There are so many extraordinary women in the long history of this continent. I was also beginning to research another non-fiction kids’ picture book, about Kakadu, which I will be creating with Liz Anelli, a fabulous illustrator (we worked together on ‘Desert Lake: the story of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre’). And… I am beginning the research for my next historical novel, which will be set in 1920s London. As you see, ‘writing’ for me involves a fair bit of research first! Of course, while I’m doing that research I’m also planning the book, imagining the characters and settings, working out some of the plot points… as important a part of writing as actually sitting down and typing, and a lot more fun!

2. What were you editing?

Editing-as-I-go on my first draft of Amazing Australian Woman and waiting for the structural edit notes on my next Pamela Hart historical novel, The Desert Nurse, which follows a WWI nurse all the way through the war in Egypt and Palestine. So you caught me at one of the few times in the year I am not editing!

3. What were you busy promoting?

The business of promotion is year round. I will normally be promoting my last book – in this case, A Letter from Italy, which is the story of a woman war correspondent in 1917 Italy. Most people don’t realise that the first real woman war correspondent was Australian, Louise Mack. The character in this book is inspired by her. And when a sales promo comes up on one of my earlier books, I promote that on social media. Did I mention that ‘The Soldier’s Wife’ is on special on iBook for $4.99?  Here’s the buy link! The Soldier’s Wife

Thank you, Pamela! I’m so chuffed you enjoyed Towards White!

Want to come to one of my book launches for Towards White? There will be two:

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You’re invited to a book launch! #TowardsWhite @IFWGAustralia

Dear supporter of all things bookish and speculative,

I’m thrilled to invite you to the book launches of my solo debut Towards White – one in Canberra and one in Sydney. I’d love to see some friendly faces there, so please consider joining me, and my publisher IFWG Australia, for a glass of wine to celebrate!

CANBERRA: 2.30pm Saturday 30th September – to be launched by Aurealis Award-winning author Leife Shallcross!

SYDNEY: 6.30pm Thursday 12th October – to be launched by multi-award-winning author Joanne Anderton!

Scientists think they’ve figured out one of our greatest mysteries – where the electrical energy in our brains goes after we die. According to the laws of physics, one form of energy must always become another form. So the electrical energy in our brains can’t simply disappear…

To find out more, please come along to a book launch!

“Suspense that takes you to the brink, then pushes you over.” Kim Falconer, author of ‘The Blood in the Beginning’, an Ava Sykes Novel

“Profound implications for humanity.” Pamela Freeman, author of ‘The Castings Trilogy’

“A complex and driven female lead.” Joanne Anderton, award-winning author of ‘Debris’ and ‘The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories’

“A slick technothriller.” David McDonald, author of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Castaways’ and ‘Captain America: Sub Rosa’

“A deliberate unfolding of the layers of truth.” Leife Shallcross, author of ‘The Beast’s Heart’

What amazing book quotes! I’m so grateful that these incredible authors spared the time to read my novel – we’re all such busy people! In fact, I wanted to know how they managed to find that time so asked them. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting their answers here – what else *were* they doing while reading and quoting on the advanced reading copy of Towards White?

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I’m Writing To Save Children. Want To Help Out Too?!!

For the last five years, I’ve wrangled a team of writers from the pool of awesome talent that is the Northern Beaches Writers’ Group to compete in the annual Write-a-Book-in-a-Day challenge and raise money for The Kids’ Cancer Project. This year was as much of a challenge as ever, but fun too. We were given the following parameters at 8am on Saturday and had to plan, write, illustrate, print and bind an entire book before 8pm that night:

Primary Character 1: Bricklayer

Primary Character 2: Lion Tamer

Non-Human Character: Wizard

Setting: Rock Concert

Issue: An Unwanted Gift

It was hard work non-stop for twelve solid hours – a writing marathon! Why did we do it? To convince people like you to donate to the worthy cause that is The Kids’ Cancer Project, to fund cancer research and equipment. There’s still time to donate a few dollars too, anything you can spare. Donations are tax deductible! Donate to our team via this link, so we can reach our sponsorship target!

Here’s the blurb of our resulting book, ‘Guitar Wizard’:

Thirteen-year-old Emerald O’Shea and her mother, Catherine, make a fun living wrangling their mostly tame lion, Nasla. But when Nasla steals the spotlight for an ageing rock star’s final show, Emerald’s true calling is discovered. If she doesn’t accept the unwanted gift and leave her comfort zone, the soul of music, and humanity, will disappear.

I’m so proud of the writers who spent the day writing with me and creating this book – thank you Emily Antonio, Leah Boonthanom, Bronwen Bowden, Jacqui Brown, Rodney Jensen, Chris Lake, Tony McFadden, Kylie Pfeiffer and Sonia Zadro. I’m in awe of your generosity of spirit, commitment and patience. Thank you for letting me guide your creativity and edit your words. You rock! Here are some photos from the day:

Up early!

Brainstorming

Teamwork!

Time to write!

Plot outline

Editing in the corridor, I like my quiet.

We did it!

A long but very worthwhile day. Want to help out too? Every child deserves a future – the fight against childhood cancer is about ensuring they get one! Here’s that link again, I’ll just leave it here: www.writeabookinaday.com/teams/nbwg

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Science Fiction & the Future

Five megabyte hard drive 1956

A client’s email was down the other day. I had trouble sending to and receiving from them – there was no knowing if a message had arrived or would arrive, and several ‘missing’ emails sent to me suddenly arrived in a bundle ten hours after they were sent. It made communication and the transfer of documents difficult. For someone who works from home as I do (I offer writers and publishers creative services), it was frustrating. I had to keep sending texts and Facebook messages saying ‘did you get it’ and ‘just sent’, as did they.

It also reminded me of how lucky I am to do the work I do and that, without technology like a decent internet connection, email and computer, I couldn’t do it. These particular messages all involved an urgent book layout job too, a complicated layout with flowcharts and diagrams. Briefed in the night before, I had it done by 4pm that afternoon, but it was a technological struggle and a busy day. Still, twenty years ago I couldn’t have done it, not that fast and not from home. Do you remember dial-up internet? Here’s a reminder:

My bad email day made me realise and appreciate that, pre-internet and pre-email, working from home as I do now wasn’t even possible.

As a writer of speculative fiction, I also came to appreciate what science fiction does for society – it’s our job to imagine possible futures and the technology that will come with it, and then predict the effect of that on humanity, societies and individuals. I recently went to a speculative fiction festival and to a panel discussing the future of technology, AIs (artificial intelligence) and synthetic biology. The panelists asked: are humans creating the means of their own destruction? Their conclusions were ambiguous.

But it was a fascinating discussion because of all the new technological and scientific developments the panelists had researched and presented. I love learning about new developments! If you do too, here are my favourite websites for updates:

Science
NASA
Nature.com
New Scientist
Gizmodo (was io9)
r/Futurology on Reddit

In ‘Towards White‘, my upcoming solo debut, I invent a future technology and explore how it might effect those around it. Here’s the front cover, how cool is that!

Really, of course, there’s no telling what the future might bring, which is why parents often worry (myself included) about their kids’ futures and in particular what jobs might be around. How do we educate and prepare them for a technologically uncertain future?

Looking at my own life, however, and the fact that I couldn’t have imagined my current lifestyle when I was at school, the answer becomes clearer. My skills were transferable enough to embrace the opportunity when it came along. So that’s what I tell my own kids and other young writers I tutor and mentor: focus on developing your personal skill set, and be prepared to embrace new opportunities.

Reading science fiction can help too! It can show us others facing new challenges set in the future, and ensure we’re prepared for anything!

10 Tips: How To Get Kids Writing… In Their Spare Time!

Waiting for young writers at Dee Why Library

These school holidays I got booked in to teach 10 creative writing classes to young writers aged from 5 to 18 years old, at a plethora of Northern Beaches Council libraries and at Mosman Community College, where I usually teach adults. The classes ranged from 1½ hours to full day workshops, and every session had its own rhythm and atmosphere, depending on the personalities and writing skills present – I had to keep my teachings flexible and adapt to the needs of up to 30 young writers at a time. Doing so many sessions back-to-back was also fascinating, as I got to compare and contrast the best ways to keep everyone engaged and on task.

I thought some parents out there might be interested in my findings (please share them around!), so here are my top 10 tips to get kids writing in their spare time:

1: When & Where

Dee Why Library

Give them the power – choice is powerful. So ask them:

   when they’d like to try some story writing,
   for how long do they want to write, and
   what do they want to write about?

The choice is theirs!

2: Talk It Through

Talk their story ideas through with them before they start writing, and ask questions about how their story will unfold. This will help ensure their plot is clear in their mind before writing.

3: Reference Characters

Forestville Library

As you talk, think of characters you’ve both read or watched who might be similar to the characters in their story. How are the characters similar, how are they different? Finding points of reference will help ensure they have a clear idea of who to write about.

4: Personalise

Help them think of events in their own lives that may form the basis of a story. A personal angle will bring depth to their work.

5: Don’t Problem-Solve

Glen Street Library

Don’t solve story problems for them, as this won’t help them grow as communicators. Instead, if something in their story doesn’t make sense, point this out and leave it to them to find the answer.

6: Well Done!

Praise them! Give them encouragement and show delight!

7: Move On

If they get stuck on a particular section tell them to come back to it later: write another section for now, or finish up for the day and re-think that section after a break.

8: Ongoing Discussion

‘Write Stuff’: Booked out!

Continue to read or watch movies together, and talk about those stories as you go. Talk about what’s most likely to happen next and why they think that.

9: Read

Those new to writing often grow by emulating their favourite writers. So keep them reading, both what they already like and new writers / writers they haven’t read before. Their next book might be a new favourite and a strong influence on their developing writing style.

10: Write More

Of course the more they write the better they’ll become, and the better they become, the more they’ll enjoy what they do!

I hope this helps more kids to get writing! Good luck!

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Cover Reveal: Towards White. Thank you @IFWGAustralia

Wow, I love the cover for my upcoming sci fi mystery ‘Towards White’, so couldn’t wait to share it with you!

Thank you so much to my publisher IFWG and their amazing designer Elizabeth Lang!

Due out this September/October. More updates to follow. Squee!

The Write Stuff to Help Kids!

Children – they’re precious, innovative, exciting, cute and annoying all at the same time. I’m so grateful to be a parent (though I do complain *sometimes*), and cherish having a career that enables me to work from home – so I get to be there when my kids get home from school. Lucky me!! My youngest just turned ten – wow, time flies! I’m feeling old.

I’m also feeling excited – because I’m doing so much with kids and writing at the moment. Check out all these fab writing classes I’m running for young writers at my local libraries and community college these school holidays (click to book):

And of course every year I also spend a significant amount of time raising money with my writing for The Kids’ Cancer Project. In fact, it’s that time of year when I reach out to readers and parents, uncles and aunties, grandparents, carers, teachers, kind-hearted folk and even those after a tax deduction receipt… to sponsor my attempt at the charity’s Write-a-Book-in-a-Day challenge. Along with some dedicated members of my Northern Beaches Writers’ Group, I will be facing the challenge on Saturday 26th August and our goal is to raise a minimum of $2,000 for this incredibly worthwhile charity. One little boy with cancer was given three months to live but, thanks to treatments and research funded by The Kids’ Cancer Project, he’s still alive today. All The Good Feelies! Please help researchers continue their work by sponsoring my team here – you can choose whether or not the charity displays your name on the page in thanks:

If you’d like to read more about the project and what it’s meant for my writers’ group, I did a brief interview with the charity here:

It feels so good to make a difference and bring people smiles. So in return for sponsoring us (even a dollar would do – click here!), I’ll gift you this for all the smiles it will bring (WARNING: even if you find the humour distasteful, keep watching until the end, it’s worth it!):

Did it bring you a smile? Well, hey, that sponsorship link is right over here, he he: https://www.writeabookinaday.com/teams/nbwg

A #Supanova Story. Thanks @SupanovaExpo

When was the last time you tried something new, and loved it so much you then couldn’t get enough of it? For me this happened recently with ‘The Walking Dead’, resulting in my hubbie and I binge-watching the show. A friend of mine even made me a ‘Walking Dead’ birthday cake last month because she knew I loved it. What a fabulous friend!

Hubbie and I are now up-to-date and keen for more. The characters are so real for us, the story so alive – we can’t wait to revisit the world and explore it more.

But until then – what next?

It’s the same with books. When I discover a series I love I want to read every story in the series, then I wait on edge until the next one(s) come out. Of course with series like ‘A Game of Thrones’ it can sometimes take a while! So again, what next, in the meantime?

This is where recommendations help, which is why telling friends and family about the books you love is the single most lovely thing you can do for any author. Word-of-mouth is a very powerful thing. For example: “if you love such-and-such, you’ll love Zena Shapter’s stories!” He he…

Word-of-mouth also helps authors develop a fan base that not only inspires us to create more stories, but which takes our stories to a new level – a more real level. This weekend I went to Supanova in Sydney, a completely new experience for me because I’d never been before. I’ve come away with so many ideas about what stories to watch and read next!

Supanova is Australia’s biggest pop culture expo. Think: Star Wars, Star Trek, Dr Who, the Marvel universe, the DC universe, Madman Entertainment, Harry Potter, Transformers, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Terminator, Alien, Halo, Call of Duty, Pokémon – if those ring a bell, you’re probably be a bigger pop culture fan than you think. I love pop culture! So it was a real thrill to discover the expo was full of ‘my people’, people passionate about characters and stories, discovering new worlds and going on adventures.

Most importantly, the expo was full of generous souls. If you ever feel glum about the state of human nature – go along to your nearest pop culture expo and ask to have your photo taken with someone in cosplay, anyone in cosplay. The answer will not only be ‘yes’, but they’ll get into character too, because for them the character and story world are so real it’s easy.

Me with all the #DoctorWho a girl could want!

Hanging with Chewbacca from #StarWars

Hubbie with Boba Fett from #StarWars

Groot from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and Batman

Thanks SCA Medieval Combat for letting my son try on a knight’s helmet!

My daughter’s favourite – a real, live unicorn!

Actors of famous characters also attend expos like Supanova, literally bringing characters to life, and this year we had Thor among the crowd (Chris Hemsworth), along with Glenn from ‘The Walking Dead’ (Steven Yeun), Lincoln and Murphy from ‘The 100’ (Ricky Whittle and Richard Harmon), Superman and Lois Lane from ‘Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman’ (Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher), Biff Tannen and Emmett ‘Doc’ Brown from ‘Back to the Future’ (Tom Wilson and Christopher Lloyd), and more. The place was packed with fans taking all kinds of characters beyond their creator’s original vision, imagining what might happen if a character had this or that to help them, adding personal elements and creating new futures. Stories came alive. Beasts came alive. All with a little cardboard, rubber and paint. Amazing!

There were plenty of indie publishers too, visual artists and craftsmen in ‘The Alley’, though it would have been better had their stalls been dispersed throughout the main venue hall, giving attendees more instant variety.

Oh, and kids could attend Supanova for free (with a paying adult), making the day more affordable too. Just look at all the fun on offer for everyone!

One of the THREE Supanova halls

One day, I’d love to see one of my own characters walking around Supanova. But until then, next, in the meantime… I’m looking forward to Conflux this October long weekend, a purely speculative fiction convention held annually in Canberra. IFWG will be launching my debut novel there, ‘Towards White‘, a speculative fiction mystery about where the electrical energy in our brains goes when we die. I can’t wait! Finally my characters and story will start becoming real…!

Let me know if you’re going…

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Learning, Teaching, Writing, Including

writingtheother.com

They say you never stop learning and, whoever ‘they’ are, I hope they’re right. I love studying, extending my understanding of the world and those in it. So when the opportunity came along last month to apply for a scholarship for a five-week ‘Writing Inclusive Fiction’ course, I jumped at the chance. I sent off a sample of my writing and… I won a scholarship! Woo hoo!

Writing inclusive fiction involves looking at your stories to see if you can include a more diverse range of characters in terms of gender, religion, racial heritage, sexual orientation or other aspects of identity that differ from the ‘dominant paradigm’. The goal is to represent diversity with positivity and accuracy, and not proliferate negative stereotyping or cultural appropriation. The course took up a lot of time but I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to any writer interested in ensuring they represent diversity sensitively and convincingly. The course is for all writers from all backgrounds at any skill level. All you need is a willingness to learn, and when it comes to diversity I have that in oodles.

It all started when I was at school and took part in a group exercise on teamwork. Each group had to find a solution to a problem, but one person couldn’t participate in the discussions they just had to observe and make notes on how everyone contributed. In my group that observer was me, and I had to identify every time a person: suggested something new, encouraged everyone, pointed out a flaw, made a joke, summarised the situation, suggested compromise, directed the flow of conversation, etc. It quickly became apparent that you need a variety of skills and experiences to make a good team. Put all of the exact same type of people in a group and you won’t get very far. From that moment onwards I appreciated diversity in every shape or form on offer, and that appreciation led me to move away from my home at 18 to live in one of England’s most culturally diverse areas: Birmingham. Five years later, I moved again to live in England’s cultural capital: London. At University I took ‘Media & Cultural Studies’ and Psychology alongside my English degree, and studied feminism, race, sexuality and disability. I’d grown up with gay friends and relatives, with non-dominant religious beliefs, and with those building lives around visible and invisible disabilities ­– and I wanted only utter acceptance for everyone. I still do.

I now live in a country (Australia) that, I’m proud to say, values both its cultural heritage and welcomes new ones. Appropriation of Australia’s aboriginal culture is frowned upon with absolute severity. There are many improvements still to be made legally and culturally but this is a good start. Last night I was helping my daughter Ophelia with her public speaking speech on ‘Multiculturalism: Words Can Hurt’ and from her research I learnt that 83% of Australians agree multiculturalism is good for our country and society (the Mapping Social Cohesion survey, 2016).

Mapping Social Cohesion 2016: National Report

Ophelia’s top tips for her fellow students were to:

Use kind words to everyone around you, regardless of their race, origins, preferences or religion. Words and communication can unify us and make us strong.
Think of everyone as individuals, not as stereotypes. Don’t use nasty labels, names or general remarks to judge people on their looks or what you think you know about them.
Learn more about the cultures around you and celebrate the diversity they bring us. Words can heal. Just get to know each other and it’ll all be fine.

Aw, I will certainly try to follow those tips! We all know what it’s like to be judged unfairly by people assuming they know you but don’t! I won’t always do or say the right things, but I can always try.

I will also continue learning and expanding my knowledge, and do what I can with my writing to represent diversity sensitively and convincingly. I’m looking forward to the publication of my novel ‘Towards White’ this September/October and for readers to meet my protagonist, a woman with an invisible disability that doesn’t stop her from getting what she wants!

As a creative writing tutor, I can also teach others what I’ve learnt and spread the word, and I’ve been booked up to teach a plethora of writing classes for adults and young writers over the coming months (details under ‘Events‘ if you’re interested!):

Creative Writing Essentials – Mosman Community College, 9am-3pm, 28 May.
Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy – Mosman Community College, 5pm-8pm, 19 & 26 June.
Upper Primary Focus and High School Focus to prepare keen writers for the Warringah Young Writers’ Competition – Dee Why Library, 11am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-4.30pm, 4 July.
Problems in Wonderland and Upper Primary Focus – Forestville Library, 11am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm, 5 July.
Writing Technique Development Day – Mosman Community College, 9am-3pm, 6 July.
Problems in Wonderland and High School Focus – Warringah Library, 11am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-4.30pm, 11 July.
Problems in Wonderland and Upper Primary Focus – Glen Street Library, 11am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm, 12 July.
Write Your Own Book – Mosman Community College, 9am-3pm, 13 July.
Turning Life Into Fiction – Mosman Community College, 5pm-8pm, 8 & 15 August.
Creative Writing Essentials – Mosman Community College, 9am-3pm, 10 September.
Make Talk Matter: Dialogue Masterclass – Manly Library for the Manly Arts Festival, 1pm-3.30pm, 23 September

Phew, that’s a lot of writing classes! Let’s hope I can make a difference somehow – we all can, whether we’re teaching or not. A few months ago I was renting a DVD from a nearby rental booth and was horrified to see two new categories and their contents. See if you can guess why:

That’s right – all my favourite movies were in a category not designated for my gender! I phoned their customer service number immediately and suggested alternative categories. Within a week new categories were in place, which were much more descriptive and helpful for both parents and children, including ‘family’, ‘heroes’, ‘adventureland’ and ‘animated’. I was thrilled, and so were they – sometimes all it takes is a friendly nudge to point out something, something that might not be obvious to others (often because it’s subtle), and things can change.

Is there anything you almost walked-by but didn’t, or something you wish you could go back and change?

If so, why not share it with us?! I’d love to hear your stories!

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