Margo Lanagan is joint winner of The Barbara Jefferis Award for 2014

Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan is joint winner of the Barbara Jefferis Award for 2014.  The award is given for :

the best novel written by an Australian author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls in society

Sea Hearts or The Brides of Rollrock Island shares the award an prize money with Fiona McFarlane’s The Night Guest.

Margo has the acceptance speech she gave on her blog and I would encourage you to read it:

Sea Hearts and The Night Guest win the Barbara Jefferis Award

I'm really pleased to announce that Sea Hearts is joint winner, with Fiona McFarlane's The Night Guest, of the Barbara Jefferis Award for "the best novel written by an Australian Author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls in society".

The award was given at a lovely event last night hosted by the Australian Society of Authors in the foyer of St Barnabas Church, Broadway, at which Tara Moss spoke—and isn't she a brilliant speaker! Better Read Than Dead bookshop sold many, many books, and champagne flowed and the music played and the room was full of friends and colleagues and really, I couldn't have been happier, for my selkies and my self.

Here's my acceptance speech:

Thank you Margaret, Georgia and Dorothy for all your work and consideration as judges of this year's Barbara Jefferis Award. Amy, Tracy, Jacinta, [Read On]

 

I reviewed Sea Hearts back in 2012 and really enjoyed it.  I think really good writing challenges you and makes you think, makes you reconsider positions.  When an author can do this while entertaining you through fiction, the experience can be transformative. I like the way Margo’s writing gets under my skin.  So, a well deserved prize and further accolades for what is one of my favourite books.

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Eligibility Posts – A reader’s point of view

I read only 54 books last year, but that didn’t even scratch the surface of what was published.   It would be impossible to read everything published in SF&F in a year, and that’s just the middling to great stuff.  Too much info to sift through.  I don’t really care about the Hugo’s unless someone I know is eligible and even then I usually can’t vote.  I’d rather spend the money on interesting SF&F coming out from SE Asia. But for those awards that I can vote in, I do like to be reminded about or alerted to, what’s out there.

SO FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD,

please talk about your stuff that is eligible, do it in any damn way you please.  Do what you feel comfortable doing?  If you turn into a used car salesperson I might un-follow you or… you know, exercise the ability to click on the next title in my RSS feed or walk out and water the chooks.  Let me worry about whether you are creating too much white noise. I am a grown up and if you get boring and start advertising your books I have this strange and apparently rare ability to decide things for myself - I can change the channel.

Talk about your works and what you really liked about them, point me to others reviews.  Reflect on your career to this point.  Just make it interesting.  I have an atrocious memory for books, can’t remember what I read at the start of last year, or midyear for that matter, so jog my memory. Remind me that I haven’t read enough gender diverse material.

Your posts combined with others opinions might lead me to buy and read your work.  Usually it takes a couple of mentions by different folks before I take an interest

Don’t feel like doing it.  Fine just write great fiction and I am sure I’ll encounter you somewhere along the line.

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Aussies represent! The World Fantasy Award

As announced by Tor a couple of days ago the shortlist for the world fantasy award has been announced ahead of the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton this year and it’s great to see four Aussies( and some other notable non-Anglophone personalities) in the running for what is a world fantasy award. The nominated peeps are:

Novel

• Crandolin, Anna Tambour (Chômu)

 

Novella

• “Sky,” Kaaron Warren (Through Splintered Walls)

 

Anthology

• Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Random House)

 

Artist

• Kathleen Jennings (who Alex interviewed for Galactic Chat here)

 

 

 

and a shout out to the ever hard working Charles A. Tan for his Bibliophile Stalker blog  which is up for a Special Award—Non-professional.

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The Ditmar Awards 2013 in tweets and pictures

ISF nominated for European Science Fiction Society Award

International Speculative Fiction Magazine which I pen a review column for has been nominated in the Best European Magazine category at the European Science Fiction Society Awards.

So congratulations to the Roberto and the team for working so hard to bring us free, quality, international fiction and commentary.

Speaking of free.

You can download the ISF 2012 anthology in pdf/mobi/epub for free.  That’s right all three formats for free just go here.

It features some names you might recognize Ken Liu, Joyce Chng, Rochita Loenen-Ruiz, Aliette de Bodard and Lavie Tidhar.

 

 

 

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2012 Aurealis Awards finalists announced

Yes those hard working judges have narrowed down the selections from hundreds (750 or so) of hopefuls to a handful of worthy works.  Judging co-ordinator Tehani Wessely (of Fablecroft fame) noted that the standards remained very high this year and that there were a record number of entries.  The amount of quality e-published fiction continued to rise as well [source]

Open publication - Free publishing

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Commentary

Fantasy Novel

A close field, which I note is 80% women. I have only read what I would consider the big guns; Bitter Greens and Sea Hearts.  With the recent short listing of Sea Hearts for the Stella I’d have to say I think it has the edge in this race(which is based entirely on my subjective impressions of Buzz over these books).

Fantasy Short Story

The field dominated by women and by small presses, with only one from the big publishing houses.  I have only read the Lanagan and despite the fact that Margo is on fire this year I can’t rule out any of the others.  Very tough field.

Science Fiction Novel

I have only read one in this selection, the field again showing a strong contingent of female writers and a self published work, which is a pleasant surprise.  No idea who is the front runner here.  On reputation; a Nix versus Anderton ticket maybe?

Science Fiction Short Story

I have only read the Lanagan in this field, but a strong showing from others whose works I have read.  Significant dust was my favourite of the Cracklescape stories so my heart goes there.

Horror Novel

A field that’s received an injection of works compared to last year. And I have read 75% of the entries. Of those three entries read,  all are different kinds of Horror.  I think possibly its a race between Salvage and Perfections.

Horror Short Story

A good showing here from old hands and new blood - Hood and Warren flying the flag for established Australian Horror writers. I liked Sky and its observations about small town country life. 

Dowker, Anderton and Cleghorn with strong showings from writers beginning to really flex their muscles.  I read and REALLY liked Elyora ( which may have some non-Awards news related to it).  I think Cleghorn’s the dark horse here, but its a very solid field. And I note again 80% women.

Young Adult Novel

I have only read the Lanagan, so won’t comment any further.  Other than to say that if Margo doesn’t take home at least one award I’ll be surprised.

Anthology

Or should I say the Jonathan Strahan Field.  Jonathan has been very busy, brining us top quality anthologies but Pillar, Grzyb and Helene are all damn fine anthologists too.  The numbers are on Strahan’s side perhaps, giving him a slight edge, but hmm too close to call.

Collection

I am going to say a Warren vs Hannett & Slatter competition based on Buzz  Such different books though.

Feel free to ruminate below.  I think in terms of storytelling this years Aurealis Finalists shows that the Australian Speculative fiction scene continues to have a depth of talent.

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Australian Winner of the WSFA Small Press Award – 2012

 

The Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award is bestowed upon works of imaginative literature published in English, that do not exceed 20,000 words and that are published by a small press.  The award is announced each October at Capclave, the association’s convention.

This year the winner is The Patrician by Tansy Rayner Roberts, published by Twelfth Planet Press.  It’s the second time that the the combined brains of Alisa Krasnostein and Tansy Rayner Roberts have taken home the award, winning previously in 2010 with the Nancy Napoleon story Siren Beat.

Please join me in congratulating Alisa & Tansy

If you want to check out the awards process go here.

If you would like to purchase the stories you can get them in paperback and ebook form below:

Love and Romanpunk EBook (epub) (featuring the Patrician) – $5.95

Siren Beat (single) – $1.99 US via Smashwords

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Sea Hearts shortlisted for the Queensland Literary Awards

I reviewed Sea Hearts (Brides of Rollrock Island in the northern hemisphere) here. 

Young adult book award

• Night Beach (Kirsty Eagar, Penguin)
• The Ink Bridge (Neil Grant, A&U)
• Three Summers (Judith Clarke, A&U)
• Sea Hearts (Margo Lanagan, A&U)
• All I Ever Wanted (Vikki Wakefield, Text)

 

It’s good to see Margo getting shortlisted for a prize and I think the book is worth it.

Sea Hearts is nominated in the young adult section.  I tend to think Margo’s work has a very wide appeal and if you think that because it’s YA  it lacks depth or substance, then you are missing out. 

Read the review. 

Buy it or borrow it from the library. 

Help support great Australian Speculative Fiction.

Oh and Bravo Queenland for maintaining the prestige of the State Awards without the help of that vandal Campbell Newman.

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New Zealand author Helen Lowe wins Morningstar Award

Helen Lowe who was interviewed for Galactic Chat by yours truly in April has taken out the Gemmell Morningstar award for best fantasy newcomer for her novel Heir of Night, the first novel in the The Wall of Night Series.

I know Helen will be stoked upon receiving this. So congratulations Helen for a well deserved award.

I note that Booktopia has the novel at $9.95.  If you are interested click the link above and type WINTER in the coupon box and you’ll get free shipping (only before Midnight Monday) anywhere in Australia.¹

 

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^{1. I will get a small commission too ↩}

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The Clarke Awards vs Christopher Priest

I am beginning to think that somewhere in the “How to run awards guide” there’s section that says that all well run awards should have controversy.  I am talking of course about Christopher Priest’s opinions on this year’s Clarke Award shortlist. His post is here. 

It’s was rather ironic that I had just finished commenting on a blog about how nice writers are generally to one another, when I read Priest’s passionate attack. 

Now, quite a few people have responded and in the main it appears to have been fairly even handed.  Charles Stross, one of the authors that copped a shellacking, took it squarely on the chin and responded in a cleverly disarming way. 

There’s even been some joy over the fact that one can still have such passion for the genre that they feel free to let the world know and damn the consequences.

From my own point of view – sure Christopher is entitled to his opinion, it’s informed by both his length of time as a writer in the genre and by the quality of his work.  I love dissenting opinion and rigorous critique. If an author puts it out there they have to take what comes their way by virtue of the work they present.

But when the commentary turns personal, when it goes beyond a thing that we can examine and criticise, then it’s really nothing more than insult and possibly strays toward libel.

This is the line that I feel Priest has stepped over:

We have a dreadful shortlist put together by a set of judges who were not fit for purpose. They were incompetent. Their incompetence was made more problematical because the overall quality of the fiction in the year in question was poor. They did not know how to resolve this. They played what they saw as safe.

and

Andrew Butler has thus endorsed the decision of the panel, and therefore reveals himself as incompetent as the others.

and

The present panel of judges should be fired, or forced to resign, immediately. Their names are Juliet E. McKenna, Martin Lewis, Phil Nanson, Nikkianne Moody and Rob Grant. Chairman Andrew M. Butler should also resign. These people have proved themselves incompetent as judges, and should not be allowed to have any more say about or influence on the Arthur C. Clarke Award.

Priest has a privileged position as a reviewer, writer and author.  He has influence both within the genre and outside it.  His comments have the potential to impact on the career and earnings of those involved.

Now his defence maybe that “their incompetence” is the truth, but I wouldn’t be confident of going to court with the case he’s outlined.

All in all a bit of a fiasco.

Thoughts?

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Nominate Me! or Someone Else

Alisa Krasnostein of Twelfth Planet Press has done a great job of going through all of the Twelfth Planet Press publications and associated productions, letting us know what publications are eligible for what awards. 

I sincerely wish more publishers and authors would do this.  I think its increasingly important as we move more into the digital sphere and its easier for folk from other countries to read great Australian talent.

Please check out her post here.

But I will draw your attention to the Tin Duck nominations that close in a couple of days.  The Galactic Chat Podcast of which I am a member is eligible for the Unpaid/Fan Production category (Alisa is a Western Australian).

So if you feel so inclined you can register here and nominate us for

Best WA Unpaid or Fan Production.

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