FLY SOUP

When CSFG Publishing puts out a submission call to authors across Australia and NZ, it's with a view to showcasing the fantastic work of established and emerging writers in this region of the world. This was most certainly the case with  A Hand of Knaves , edited by yours truly and Leife Shallcross in 2017-18. The "blind" submission process helps a lot, as there can be no subconscious (or even conscious) favouritism involved during the story-selection phase. The most exciting part of the process for me, was getting to show-off some new (and even first-time) authors to readers of short fiction in this country. But now some of the more established contributors are getting their opportunity to shine. The recent announcement of the 2018 Aurealis Award finalists includes three stories from A Hand of Knaves: For Best Fantasy Short Story "A Moment's Peace" by David Versace For Best Science Fiction Short Story "A Fair Wind off Baracoa" by Rob Por...

5 Dynnyrne Rd. Hobart TAS, 7005. Fantastic 4-bedroom home. Sought-after Tasmanian location.  Has stood for over 100 years (sadly no centenary letter from the Queen), being one of the original Dynnyrne Station houses. Unlike the nearby whippersnappers built in the '50s and '60s, 5 Dynnyrne Rd has weathered the test of time and is a true 1915, federation-style original. Not haunted! No ghosts, poltergeists or repeating spectral apparitions of any kind observed or reported in the past 20 years. Protected from meteorite impacts!* Proximity to Hobart’s iconic  Kunanyi/ Mt Wellington means you’ll be shielded from extra-terrestrial debris, particularly from the northwest. Well clear of predicted tsunami disaster zone . Be “that guy” posting videos of houses getting washed away while laughing quietly yourself and sipping the micro-brewed beverage of your choice, as any (standard-sized) tsunami steamrolls over Taroona, Sandy bay and Battery Point below. ** Ca...

Tears and laughter. For this kid it was mostly tears. This weekend the Royal Society of Tasmania put on a picnic in the park WITH DINOSAURS for the kids (4000 of them apparently). As I do from time to time, I was one of the dinosaurs - the Utahraptor to be precise. The little ones loved it and I had a lot of fun too. There was a baby T-rex there as well, expertly operated by a friend of mine. You can't see much in those suits, so you need dino-wranglers to shout out when you're about to mow some poor kid down, or when one of the more "excitable" little tykes starts trying to punch you in the knee.  Verdict: Being a dino is a lot of fun but those suits can get really, really hot inside. 

I've only just started my 5e D&D journey, having played through Horde of the Dragon Queen  earlier this year with some friends and really loving it. On a whim (after having launched A Hand of Knaves and still feeling the roguish vibe) I picked up the  Dragon Heist  (Waterdeep) campaign module last week and it looks really good. Dragon Heist begins with a low-intensity mystery, allowing players to get a feel for their new characters, and slowly builds into a fun urban adventure. The city-based intrigue is strongly reminiscent of the AD&D 1st and 2nd ed. Lankhmar adventures, which I absolutely love. It's difficult to compare the two really, since my friends and I spent many game sessions navigating Lankhmar's dark, rogue-invested back-alleys, and I know little about Waterdeep - but still - I get a very Lankhmar-ish vibe from Dragon Heist . The city maps for both are spectacularly detailed - though I think I prefer the Lankhmar map for its colourful names and gen...

A couple of weekends ago I attended Conflux 14 in Canberra. I had a great time for many reasons, not least of which was because, alongside Leife Shallcross, I got to finally launch A Hand of Knaves! Editing this fantastic collection of stories about thieves, pirates, con-artists and anti-heroes of all kinds with Leife has taken up a lot of my time over the past year and to see the finished product in the hands of readers was a real thrill for me. It's the first collection of stories I've 'properly' edited and I think I can safely say that Leife and I struck up a great working relationship. It was a superb learning experience for me as a writer as much as anything. I learned a lot about my own strengths and weaknesses, not only through my interactions with Leife, but with the authors as well. A couple of tipsy editors A lot happened for both of us between the time we chose to take on A Hand of Knaves,  and the date of publication. Leife beat out literally thous...

Thanks to Shauna O'meara  A Hand of Knaves now has a cover, and it's a great one. Thanks also go to Simon Petrie for the layout of the text inside and out. I'm really pleased with every aspect of this anthology and can't wait to launch it with Leife Shallcross at Conflux 14 at the end of September. I know it's traditional only to show the front cover when announcing these things, but I like the wrap-around so much I just wanted to show off the whole thing.

So much awesome I'm one of the many, many unashamed Star Trek: The Next Generation fans who were blown away by the recent news that Jean Luc Picard would be making a return to the Star Trek universe. Even better: Sir Patrick Stewart came out and said the character may be a little different than we remember. Character evolution and quirky surprises are what will make his return interesting and, hopefully, exciting. But what will his new story look like? And what could be the reason for his return? These are the questions fans will be asking until the new series premieres. What will the show look like? Hopefully not some turgid political drama involving the internal machinations of Starfleet, as some seem to be suggesting. WTF people? Name one thing that would be good about that. Just one. I dare you! Some have suggested an Indiana Jones-style show focusing on Picard's interest in archeology. This could be interesting but there isn't much scope for high-stakes intri...