Win the Outcast Chronicles Trilogy

I just found out about a competition being run by SYFY. Win the whole trilogy. You can enter here.

Good luck!

Winner Jo Anderton’s New Book – Suited!

Jo says:

This was a tough choice! Damion mentioned Samus Aran’s powersuit, which I loved. And I felt Brendan really got what the suit itself is all about. But I have to go with Scott’s answer, because the Transmogrifier from Calvin and Hobbs really is the coolest machine ever. And I want to see it deployed in an ultimate battle against an ultimate bad guy.

So Scott email Jo: joanne(at)joanneanderton.com

Cats and Writers…

I don’t think I will become the mad cat lady but…

Sat down to work and opened up the top drawer to get something, then turned around to find Sassy cat had decided the desk drawer was hers.

What? I was just getting comfortable.

A moment later…

If you don’t mind, I’ll get back to my nap.

Cats and writers. Did you know that cuddling a purring cat lowers blood pressure?

It’s official – KRK book 4

Here’s the official Press Release:

Jonathan Oliver, commissioning editor of Solaris Books, has commissioned a new novel by  Australian fantasy writer Rowena Cory Daniells.  The agent is John Jarrold, and the deal is for World English Language rights. The book is due for publication at the end of 2013.

Solaris have already published Daniells’ KING ROLEN’S KIN trilogy very successfully, and are publishing her OUTCAST CHRONICLES trilogy this year.  The new book, provisionally titled KING-MAKER, KING-BREAKER, will complete the story of King Rolen’s Kin.

Jonathan Oliver said: “It’s great to be working with Rowena again and I can’t wait to read this finale to her brilliant fantasy series.”

So I had better knuckle down and deliver KING-MAKERr, KING-BREAKER!

Meet the Authors…

Over at the Logan North Library next Saturday there’ll be a bunch of us authors talking about writing craft. It’s a free event, but it’s essential to book.

 

 

Jo Anderton talks about the darkness within all of us…

Following on from the success of her debut novel, Debris, Jo Anderton‘s new book Suited has been released into the wilds. She’s dropped by today to talk about ‘the suit’ which inspired the book.

 

The story behind the suit

The first time Tanyana saw a debris collecting suit, she mistook it for jewellery. It was, after all, a thick silver bracelet, intricately inscribed with arcane symbols and glowing faintly. That was before one was forcefully drilled into her body, of course. Before she learned that there was much more to it than the bright silver bands — attached to her ankles, wrists, waist and neck — and that it went deep beneath her skin, bound to her nervous system and anchored in her bones.

This debris collecting suit was the catalyst for everything that happened to Tanyana in Debris. And, as you might have guessed from the title and the cover image, it becomes even more important in book two, Suited.

So what is the suit? And what inspired it?

Tanyana’s world is full of pions — semi-sentient sub atomic particles that can be persuaded to rearrange matter. The better you are at directing them, the more powerful you can become. Before the accident that stripped Tanyana of her powers in the beginning of Debris, she was a highly skilled binder and architect, able to command vast numbers of pions. Everything in her world is built with these particles, from something as mundane as a sewerage system, to the might of the military machine. But all this power comes at a cost. Pion manipulation generates a waste product — debris. The more you manipulate, the more debris you create. And debris can be a serious problem, because it destabilises pion systems and can, if left unchecked, completely undo their bonds. For a city built on pions, debris is a real threat.

This is where the debris collectors come in. You see, most people in this world can see and manipulate pions, but they wouldn’t know debris was there if it was floating right in front of their noses (as it tends to do…) Only people who have lost their pion-sight, or were never born with it, can see debris. They are recruited by the government, fitted with suits, and sent out to collect it. Buried within the suits’ six bands is a strong but malleable metal that can expand, and morph into any shape. From delicate tweezers to great shovels or, should the need arise, a sharpened blade.

But Tanyana’s suit is different. From the start, it’s more than just a tool. It has a tendency to move on its own, protecting Tanyana, or reacting even before she has thought to do so. Not only can she use it to shape tools or weapons, but Tanyana’s suit can also spread far enough to wrap around her body, head to toe. In fact, it seems to prefer that. Sometimes it feels almost sentient. It tugs at her bones and thrills down her nerves and whispers to her, inside her. Wouldn’t it be easier to do what it says, and just give in to it’s… violence?

There are times when it’s hard to tell who’s in control: Tanyana, or her suit. And this struggle is what Suited is all about.

So what inspired it? There are a lot of anime influences in these books, and the suit is probably the strongest example. Let’s see… It’s a powerful metallic creature with a mind of its own. It tends to save Tanyana and scare her in equal measure, and its origins are shrouded in secrecy and possible-dodgyness. Well, that’s Neon Genesis Evangelion right there. But don’t worry, the suit isn’t Tanyana’s mother, I can promise you that! Also, this story has absolutely nothing to do with the Dead Sea Scrolls.

What about Full Metal Alchemist? Have you guys seen that? If you have, think about Edward’s metallic arm for a minute. The way he uses his alchemy to morph it into any shape, often a sword. Now that’s exactly what Tanyana’s doing with her suit — except she’s using neural connections and muscle memory, not alchemy. If you haven’t seen FMA — do so, now. New series, old series, I don’t care (I liked the old one. Yes, even the ending).

But, you know, I think there’s more to the suit than just anime. Not that there’s anything wrong with that — seriously, I’m the last person to demand deep and meaningful. Give me a good story first and foremost, the rest is just in the telling. Anyway (sorry, getting sidetracked) the suit is also the darkness inside us. It’s a rebellious body, a part that can’t be controlled, something foreign taking you over. It’s an inner violence begging to be let out, growing harder and harder to deny. And this, really, is the point of Suited. The suit, initially forced on Tanyana, is now well and truly a part of her. Through the course of Debris, she learned to control it, she found its limits and its strengths and pushed them as far as they would go. In Suited, the suit starts to push back. But, as I said, it’s a part of her now, inside and out, physically and mentally, and growing more so every day. How can Tanyana fight herself? Where’s the line between Tanyana and suit, and how long will that remain? Is it still her body, if the suit controls more and more of her? How important are our bodies to our sense of identity, and how much do we change when they do?

And hey, guess what, that’s very anime too. Couldn’t you say the same things about Evangelion, Full Metal Alchemist, Ghost in the Shell, and so many more? Maybe that’s because it’s a fundamental human conflict, made physical through the suit, or the Eva, or alchemy? And that’s why we love sci-fi, isn’t it? Because that’s what science fiction is for.

Jo has a copy of Suited to give-away. Here’s the question:

Pretend you’re at the end-game, it’s the ultimate fight with the ultimate big-bad, what would you take with you? From any book, game, movie or tv series. Do you like an old-school magical sword, or would you prefer a giant mecha? Lightsaber, or a summon? What’s the coolest weapon ever?

Here it is, the trailer for The Price of Fame

Thanks to my long suffering DH and Jason and Nat Collins who did the music!

Copies of The Price of Fame should be arriving next week. I promise, first thing I’ll do is send out the prize copies to the competition winners who’ve been waiting so patiently.

Am planning on interviewing Daryl about the proces of creating trailers, creativity and art.

Here it is, the trailer for The Price of Fame

Thanks to my long suffering DH and Jason and Nat Collins who did the music!

Copies of The Price of Fame should be arriving next week. I promise, first thing I’ll do is send out the prize copies to the competition winners who’ve been waiting so patiently.

Am planning on interviewing Daryl about the proces of creating trailers, creativity and art.

Here it is, the trailer for The Price of Fame

Thanks to my long suffering DH and Jason and Nat Collins who did the music!

Copies of The Price of Fame should be arriving next week. I promise, first thing I’ll do is send out the prize copies to the competition winners who’ve been waiting so patiently.

Am planning on interviewing Daryl about the proces of creating trailers, creativity and art.

Fun on Twitter

Those Hip Young Dudes at Solaris Press tweeted: To win a copy of Rowena Cory Daniells’ Outcast Chronicles trilogy, tell your followers what magical power you would like to possess!

I came back with:  Asked Teenage son what magical power he’d like. He wants 2 be able to convince people to do things. (Should be a politician!)

Here are some responses.

@SolarisBooks my magical power would be the ability to split myself into multiple entities; everything gets done, and fast, too!

@Solarisbooks The ability to break things down into their constituent atoms and reassemble them as I saw fit.

@SolarisBooks Would Love and Save count, or is that basically Rewinding Time? Whatever it is, that would be epic :))

@SolarisBooks The ability, at any time and merely by clicking my fingers, to transport myself and my wife instantly to our bedroom. Naked.

@SolarisBooks The power to ensure all that stuff you loved as a kid stayed true when you became an adult. Not just the memories.

@SolarisBooks The ability to answer other people’s questions five seconds before they answer them. Just to see their disbelief.

@SolarisBooks  I’d like the ability to absorb any knowledge and skills instantly.

@Solarisbooks the ability to destroy fifty shades of grey just by sayings its name, thus ending its tyranny.

@solarisbooks the power to grow wings like a dragon and fly

And one smart guy said:

@SolarisBooks asks what magical power I’d like to possess. Well, it’s simple: I just want to HAVE a magical power, doesn’t matter what!! 🙂

Don’t know who the winner was, but I’d like to thank them all for entering!

The magical power I’d like? to be able to download stories straight from my brain without having to spend hours sitting at the keyboard!

Such a nerdy writer thing to say.