We were all so sane and calm and efficient until now. An exemplary people doing amazing things in a terribly trying time. My friend Conor, who visited his parents for Christmas and spent the early part of the year defending … Continue reading
We’re used to impossible adjectives right now in Australia. We think we will get used to what’s happening, but we never do. It’s all personal and it’s all much bigger than any news report has been willing to show. Let … Continue reading
There are some very big subjects that our lives centre around right now in Australia. I don’t want to talk about them. They’re full of difficulty and emotion and… it’s exhausting even thinking about them, to be honest. I can’t … Continue reading
Australian author Michael Pryor said the other day on Twitter, “You know what makes me smile even though I know it’s silly? It’s reading a UK or US book and there’s a passing mention of Australia, or a minor character … Continue reading
This weekend is the Labour Day long weekend in several states of Australia and in the Australian Capital Territory. This means that, for me, it’s the weekend of the Conflux science fiction weekend. It’s also a big weekend for tourists … Continue reading
Summer’s almost here officially, and there are many wonderful books to choose from. Here are a few I’ve enjoyed recently: First I must offer an explanation of why it took me so long to review this book, which entails a … Continue reading
I promised that I would answer questions about Australia and this puts me in the difficult position of explaining last weekend’s election result. There are so many factors, and they’re not all clear yet, so consider this a beginning rather … Continue reading
A sense of place plays a critical role in determining whether a reader “gets into” a story or not. Good place names can lend an aura of reality to even the most fictional of places. Conversely, an obviously made up place name in a story that pretends at reality can make a location that seems perfectly real to the author seem perfectly ridiculous to the reader.
Continue readingWhat good is time travel anyway? For Col. Ben Ming, head of Jalanesia’s armed forces and husband of President Calla Ang, it’s nothing but a headache. Time Traveler Jack Wragsland transported Calla to this space/time. So it wouldn’t be fair to simply shoot him, when Jack’s enemies attack him through Calla. But boy, is it a temptation. If Ben is going to save Calla he’s going to have to save Jack as well, even if it makes him crazy.
Continue readingBetween Christmas and New Year’s, Ellen Rosings travels a landscape of doubt. Can she and Tony truly forge a permanent relationship, and will their families support or oppose their intention to marry?
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