FLY SOUP

Aurealis #81 and #82 are out and contain some great fiction from equally great authors - and a bit of banter between me and a certain Mr John Scalzi.  Check them both out for the very reasonable price of $2.99. Not bad for Australia's longest running spec-fic mag!   https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/556413

A while ago I decided I loved John Scalzi's books. First I read Old Man's War and it was awesome. Then I read Redshirts and that was awesome too. The kids and I were going on a driving holiday so I bought the audiobook of Agent to the Stars , read by Wil Wheaton, and you guessed it, it was awesome. By the time I read his latest book, Lock In , it was just too much. I needed to speak to this man so I emailed him and we caught up on Skype, just like that. John Scalzi is a great guy and an absolute dream to interview. Once he starts talking it's like a freight train of ideas blasting toward you. We discussed writing (obvs), world-building, feminism, awards, stormtroopers, redshirts and lightsaber cross-guards. If writing, world-building, feminism, awards, stormtroopers, redshirts or lightsabers interest you in any way at all, you do not want to miss the June and July issues of Aurealis. Yes, that's right. This interview is so big it cannot be contained in one issue...

Aurealis #79 is out now and contains my interview with Shane Abbess, the writer and director of upcoming SF flick Infini . The movie has generated a lot of excitement among fans and Shane has some really interesting thoughts on making and distributing Australian films. There's also fiction and stuff... You can get it  HERE .

To be honest, my writing has suffered of late. I've had a few articles appear here and there and a few stories a while ago but nothing substantial in terms of fiction. So I message a US mag who accepted a story of mine last year but hasn't done anything with it, and they say YES, it will be published, it's just taking longer than anyone expected. WIN!!! Simultaneously another publisher has been in touch and have been working through another story with me. DOUBLE WIN!!! Then I get notification that yet another story is on a shortlist and will be decided shortly. TRIPLE WIN!!!!!! All without having written a word (of new fiction) in the past three months. It just goes to show that patience in writing is an important part of the process, and just because you don't have a lot out there at any given time, doesn't mean nothing's happening.

The amazing and talented Dan Allen has just put up my Imperial Imprecision  post at the  Aurealis  Xpress website. It begins thus: Imperial Imprecision It’s long been known that Star Wars: A New Hope contains examples of some of the worst marksmanship in the history of cinema, particularly with respect to the Emperor’s ‘elite’ forces. But how bad were they really? Wouldn’t it be awesome if there was a statistical measure of exactly how astonishingly bad imperial stormtroopers were at hitting their mark?  Click here to read more... Because reading more makes you supercool...

Aurealis #74 is a great read, and of course, contains some thoughts from me on The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark . The blurb reads thus:  In this issue we feature Imogen Cassidy’s ‘Soul Partner’, an urban fantasy gumshoe pastiche with some original touches, and Leife Shallcross’ creepy and engrossing ‘Music for an Ivory Violin’. Chris Large brings some thoughtful silliness* with his ‘When a Jedi Should Think Twice About Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight’ , and Stephen Higgins continues his SF’s Sacred Cows with Asimov's Foundation. *Read: awesomeness!  BUY IT.

Harrison Ford doesn't mind shoving a gun in your face and there's no doubt he's been the toter of some of the coolest guns in movie history - but which is the best? I compare two in Aurealis #74: Han Solo's DL-44 Blaster, and Indiana's 1917M revolver, with surprising results. Ford's "G" face has changed a lot over the years, from the languid intensity of Han Solo, to the glaring hatred of Deckard and Indiana, all the way through to the weary, war-torn Jack Ryan in Patriot Games. Then there's this: Gotta love the guy's enthusiasm. Can't wait for Solo MkII in Star Wars VII. Yeeeharrr!