Writing Again (and I'm done with themed anthologies)

Following a minor bout of cancer (featuring surgeries and 6 months of chemotherapy), I'm writing again! Having spent some time reviewing my writing career to date, I note with a degree of dismay that while I've had some material published, I'm not super happy with all of it. In the past I've pandered to the whims of the industry in order to get stories out. Well, I'm done with that. Now I'm writing what I want to write. No more < 5,000 word stories about "blue aliens on exoplanets", simply because a publisher somewhere decided that's what they wanted for their next anthology. I know it may seem a little hypocritical, given that I helped come up with the theme of A Hand of Knaves (and I stand by it), but I'm allowed to be hypocritical if the mood takes me. And the mood does take me.  From now on I'm writing whatever the hell I want. It might not get published, but it'll be mine and I think I'll be a lot happier with that.  Let...
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A Hand of Knaves - Author List Released

Leife and I have worked for several months to cull the list of fantastic submissions down to nineteen of our favourites for A Hand of Knaves. There are some really fantastic stories in our bucket and it was great to finally put the author's names to their writing (as the reading for CSFG anthologies is done blind).


I've been abroad of late and while I was away the CSFG released the list of stories and authors so I'd like to belatedly congratulate the successful writers, and let those who didn't make the cut know that we had a wealth of excellent stories to choose from so don't be too disappointed.


Our list of authors/stories is as follows:


  • Eugen Bacon, Ace Zone
  • Amy Brown, A Tale Of The Marriage Of Gawain
  • David Coleman, Immortal, Coiled
  • Tom Dullemond, The Killblaine Legacy
  • Maureen Flynn, Gardening Through the Danse Macabre
  • Rebecca Fraser, The Pedlar
  • Isobel Johnstone, The Apothecary’s Apprentice
  • Grace Maslin, A Question Of Identity
  • Chris McGrane, Trojan Thoughts
  • Claire McKenna, The One Who Walks The Permanent Way
  • Cassandra Page, The Best Heist Yet
  • CH Pearce, The Last Magicians of Sad Hill
  • Simon Petrie & Edwina Harvey, On the Consequences of Clinically-Inhibited Maturation in the Common Sydney Octopus
  • Louise Pieper, A Widow’s Worth
  • Robert Porteous, A Fair Wind Off Baracoa
  • Charlotte Sophia, Stardust
  • HK Stubbs, Lost Property
  • David Versace, A Moment’s Peace
  • Angus Yeates, Anchor Point


    • While I was away I was editing on the road and with Leife pushing me (in the nicest way) from Australia we have completed first round edits. I'm clearly biased but I also feel completely confident in saying that A Hand of Knaves will be an excellent anthology and I'm pretty sure I speak for both of us when I say we can't wait to share these tales of space piracy, magical slight of hand, necromancy, dangerous school girls, Ned Kelly-esque legends, assassins-in-training, vengeful hackers and so much more...

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