#justimagine Author Brad Greenwood on Fusion, films and the desire to write

Introducing Brad Greenwood, whose day job is in films and who writes speculative fiction in his spare time. Brad began work in the Australian film industry after graduating from the Queensland College of Art in 1990 and he has built an impressive CV, having contributed as a designer and artist to many projects including Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, George Miller’s Happy Feet and Zack Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians. He is currently art directing the animated film Blinky Bill.

Brad’s contribution to Fusion is the story The Monkey’s Kiss, a clever angle on one of sci-fi’s favourite themes. Brad’s film background shows through the structure and atmosphere of the tale. And look no further than his photo above for one source of inspiration.

When I ask how Brad felt to hear that his story would be published in the Fusion anthology, I am amazed to learn that this is the first short story contest he has entered. He tells me, ‘I was genuinely surprised when I made the short list, and received an email from Fantastic Books Publishing saying that my story would be included in the anthology.’

The quality of his writing shows he is no beginner, so what was it that made him enter this competition? I ask what was the greatest motivator: the cash prizes, the chance of publication, the charitable donation or maybe none of these things. Brad says, ‘I think those are all great incentives but it was really just the desire to write something and put it out there that motivated me to enter.’

On the topic of the anthology’s invited contributors, Danuta Reah and Stuart Aken. Brad says, ‘Danuta and Stuart are incredible writers. I’m not really sure that I should be published alongside them but I am thrilled to be!’

I’m happy to assure Brad that his success was well-deserved and that The Monkey’s Kiss deserved its place in amongst a set of excellent stories.

In common with all the shortlisted authors, Brad worked with the Fantastic Books Publishing editorial team to polish his story for publication. How did he find this process? He says, ‘What impressed me with the editorial feedback from Fantastic Books Publishing was how concise, intelligent and well articulated the notes were. The notes were incredibly helpful in delivering a better story.’

What would Brad recommend as a compelling read, the sort to make a long-haul flight whip by in a trice? He says, ‘Actually I just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Blink’. It is non fiction but a compelling read.’

And now I ask Brad to put himself in the shoes of a space scout for an alien race. He has discovered Earth and learned its history. Will he tell his people to make contact? I find his answer one of the most perceptive I’ve had to this question. ‘Human beings at their best are compassionate, fun loving, creative and spiritually curious. At their worst they are self destructive, culturally intolerant and politically manipulative. I’d keep an eye on them and check back in a few hundred years!’

And of course I want to know what Brad is writing now, and I’m pleased to hear that the Fusion experience has inspired him to write more short stories. As to the current writing project, he says, ‘It’s going…but slowly.’

Don’t leave it too long, Brad. You have an army of fans out there now.

Find out more about Brad at his website

#justimagine Author Polly Robinson on Fusion and ‘the most helpful editing process I’ve come across yet’

My interviewee is author, Polly Robinson, who had two stories shortlisted in the Fantastic Books Publishing fantasy / sci-fi short story competition and both of them made it into the anthology. Polly is a member of Worcester Writers’ Circle, Worcestershire Literary Festival, Parole Parlate and 42. Polly’s writing CV is impressive. Her work has already appeared in many anthologies including the Survivor’s Guide to Bedlam; Reflections on a Blue Planet: Earth – Water – Sky and Reflections on a Blue Planet: Nature’s Palette, Ripples: Friends in Verse, and Eerie Digest. www.eeriedigest.com

Polly heard that her stories were shortlisted when Fantastic Books Publishing announced the shortlist. ‘I was delighted,’ she says. ‘I hoped that my stories would hold up to scrutiny, but you are never quite sure, so it was great to see two of my stories in the shortlist.’

And what was her motivation to enter? ‘Well, without wishing to seem mercenary, the cash prizes were kind of an added incentive - I might have entered anyway, but we’ll never know now J (!)’

Polly saw it as a definite positive to be published alongside international award winners, Danuta Reah and Stuart Aken. Asked about the process of working with the Fantastic Books Publishing editorial team on her stories to prepare them for publication, she says, ‘This was probably the most helpful process I’ve come across yet. I was impressed by the quality of the editing.’ The end result she thought was some ‘nicely tightened up text.’

When Polly is asked what she would recommend to a long-haul passenger wishing to lose themselves in a compelling tale, she recommends The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

I’m surprised to learn that Polly’s current writing project is not something aimed at another anthology, but a 2000-word assignment for her Open University creative writing course and that ‘~ it’s going … slowly.’

Don’t let it delay you for too long, Polly. Your fans want more like Dust to Dust and The Changeling.

You can find out more about Polly and her writing on her blog or on her  Facebook page or  Facebook profile

Find her first poetry collection, Girl’s Got Rhythm, here in ebook or paperback

and Six Small Beasties a small book of poetry for children also in ebook or paperback.

#justimagine Author John-Paul Cleary on Fusion and freeing those cats!

Introducing Fusion author John-Paul Cleary who lives in the small town of Stonehaven in the North East of Scotland. John’s story Afternoon Express appears in the Fusion anthology.

John-Paul is no stranger to publishing success. His debut novel Convergent Space peaked at number 1 in the Space Opera charts on Amazon UK in 2012 and has sold over 10,000 copies worldwide. 

UK Amazon

His sci-fi novella Eleven Town is also gathering a crop of good reviews on Amazon.

UK Amazon

Despite his success to date, John-Paul wasn’t sure he had hit the right note with Afternoon Express. ‘I wasn’t confident at all that my story would be included in the anthology. I wrote it especially for the collection so it was a pleasant surprise when they liked it.’ He adds, referring to the invited contributors, Stuart Aken and Danuta Reah, ‘It’s always nice to be categorised alongside what I call ‘real’ writers. That doesn’t mean I’m a fake.  It just means I’m not as good as them.’

And how did he find the editorial process and will it have a lasting effect on his writing. He tells me ‘The Fantastic Books Publishing editorial team gave me some invaluable editing tips.’ And on lasting effects, he adds, ‘ I’m hoping my writing will need less editing since I now hear their advice in my head as I write.  Actually it’s becoming a bit of a problem.  I’ve tried counting down from five and clicking my fingers but I just can’t snap out of it…’

Because Fusion spotlights science-fiction and fantasy, we invited all our authors to become a space scout who has just discovered Earth and learnt its history. John-Paul really threw himself into the task and gave us a full-blown alien report.

***

See attached photos of the Grand Canyon, the Pyramids, a whale and a plate of tangled up food they call spaghetti.  Apart from that my trip to Earth was rather dull I’m afraid. The dominant species on this planet call themselves the People. They’ve mastered technology and even rudimentary space flight but at heart they’re a dull lot, not at all the kind of aggressive ally we’re looking for.  They were getting somewhere at one point with a group called the Romans and later during a time-period called the 20^th Century but that’s all gone now.  These days they’re constantly trying to bring peace and avert wars.  It’s really quite sad.

Now if one of the other species on Earth had risen to the top things might have been different, say the hilarious Chimpanzees or the vicious Cat family.  I’m certain the Cats would have devised some weaponry worth writing home about.  But it was not to be.  Earth I’m afraid is stuck with these People and as a precaution they keep the Cats locked up in their houses, never in more than twos and threes.

Another odd thing about the People is their language. They don’t realise that an efficient language – with the necessary affixes, suffixes, infixes, prefixes and circumfixes - only needs 684 different words.  One of their languages called English has hundreds of thousands of different words.  No one even knows what they all mean!

A lot of the People spend their time finding different ways to rearrange these thousands of words into what they call books, which are like anecdotes but much longer. I got my hands on one called the Night’s Dawn Trilogy. 1.2 million words. I won’t be reading that!

My advice about Earth – stay away.  It’s dull and the weather is poor. They don’t do good wars and the People spend most of their time reading books, talking, or sending more words to each other in little messages called texts and tweets.

Earth won’t ever be a useful ally. Not until they get rid of all these words and books, or alternatively until someone frees the Cats!

***

John-Paul’s fans will be pleased to hear that he is currently working on the second book in the Convergent Space series.

Convergent Space– An epic space opera where Earth is a faded galactic power desperate to regain its former status.

Eleven Town – An unstoppable disease strikes a dystopian world - what lies beyond its metal walls?

#justimagine Author Leonie Ewing on Fusion, ecological harmony and Bairns & Beasts

Introducing Leonie Ewing, a retired biologist and farmer who enjoys reading popular physics and science fiction. Leonie also writes poetry and has had her work published in a number of literary magazines including Southlight and Markings. Her short story Infinite Maze was awarded third prize in the Fantastic Books Publishing fantasy /sci-fi short story competition and was then published in the Fusion anthology. It’s a beautifully crafted tale and Leonie’s interest in physics shines through.

Fantastic Books Publishing announced the winners in a short YouTube video as well as via more conventional means. Leonie was one of ones who first heard of her success through the video. She says, ‘I heard that my story would be published when I listened to the countdown for the winners at the end of August 2012. The countdown was good fun, increased the tension and made the announcement into something special. Although I thought my story was quite well-crafted I was surprised to be included among the prize winners. I had no idea what the editors were looking for.’

As it turned out, the team was looking for well-crafted, well-told tales with depth and variety. Leonie’s stood out as something different. She says she was pleased to find out that the competition and winners anthology would both generate charitable donations and added, ‘I see it as very positive and confidence boosting to be included in an anthology containing the work of established authors.’

Of the subsequent work with Fantastic Books Publishing’s editorial team, Leonie says, ‘The comments were very helpful and a reminder that no matter how carefully you self-edit, the eye of an experienced editor is always useful.’

It’s always good to know what writers like to read. Leonie says, ‘My book of the moment is Tishani Doshi’s The Pleasure Seekers, a totally absorbing book of delights that keeps you turning the pages and looking for more when it is done.’

Because these interviews are being carried out as part of a spotlight on a fantasy / sci-fi anthology, all the authors were asked to put themselves in the shoes of an alien scout who has discovered Earth and learnt its history. Here is the scout’s message as scripted by Leonie:

‘As a member of an alien race that has succeeded in travelling to Earth you will understand that I belong to a civilization much more advanced than yours. We have overcome the dangers of misusing nuclear power and have learnt to live as one people in social and ecological harmony on our planet. We have no interest in Earth’s resources only in passing on some survival tips. I have learnt on this visit that your literary, musical and artistic culture is quite different from our own and we are interested in cultural exchange. I will be reporting back that Earth would be worth a longer visit.’

Leonie’s current writing project is to put together a second poetry collection based around ideas of symmetry, self-organisation and chaos. She says, ‘Some structure is emerging.’

If Leonie’s poetry has the originality and flair of Infinite Maze, I’m happy to recommend it right now.

Leonie’s first poetry collection, Bairns & Beasts, co-authored with Barbara Mearns is available directly from Leonie for £5 including p&p. Email her on ls.ewing@btinternet.com.

#justimagine Author Denise Hayes on Fusion and female protagonists

My next interviewee is Denise Hayes who was awarded second prize in the Fantastic Books Publishing short story competition with Bar-Code.

Denise works as a Senior Lecturer in English and Creative Writing at Newman University, Birmingham, UK. She says that what inspires her are facts, jokes and her favourite authors J.G. Ballard, Jorge Luis Borges and Philip K Dick. She has published poems in Hearing Voices and Mslexia and flash fiction in the Salt anthology Overheard: Stories to Read Aloud. She co-runs the Twitter project @Gregueria1 and the creative writingwebzine Nucleus. 

Despite her publishing track record, I was amazed to find that Denise had never before entered a short story competition. So when did she hear she was in amongst the prizewinners and how did she feel? Denise says, ‘I heard that I'd won as soon as the results were posted online. I was delighted not only to come second but also to find that my other story, Human Fossil, was also on the short list and would be included in the anthology. I've never entered a short story competition before so I was particularly thrilled to do so well - and in my favourite genre. I felt my stories gave space to female protagonists in a genre that some readers feel is more male oriented - I wasn't sure if this would affect my chances of success so it was great to find both of my women made it into Fusion!’

Since this was a first, I’m curious to know what motivated her to enter. ‘Publication was a strong motivating factor,’ Denise tells me. ‘But I also really liked the ethos that radiated from the Fantastic Books site. As a Yorkshire woman I also warmed to Fantastic Books northern location! The involvement of established writers was also a strong factor in my entering the competition. I've worked quite a lot in Linguistics and I also enjoy thrillers and crime fiction so I have huge respect for Danuta Reah as an academic and an author. It was wonderful to be published alongside the strong stories from both Danuta and Stuart.’

Denise helps others with their writing, but as a shortlisted author, she worked with the editorial team at Fantastic Books Publishing. How did that feel? Denise says, ‘The editorial process was extremely helpful. In my teaching role I often give editorial advice to others so it was great to be on the receiving end of such perceptive and professional advice. It's encouraged me to sharpen up my prose and to make my characterisation more subtle.’

What is Denise currently working on? She tells me she always has several projects on the go, ‘but my main project is a young adult novel Rediscovering Ameriga that involves a bit of fantasy and some social messages about the dangers of constructed identities online.’ This sounds to me like more to come in the mode of Bar-Code which is great news for science-fiction fans.

If you want to know more about Denise and her work, you can follow her on Twitter at @Dennysaze or have a look at her academic profile.

#justimagine Author Katy Huth Jones on Fusion, creativity and being derailed by the water board.

It is my pleasure to interview Katy Huth Jones, who won the Fantastic Books Publishing short story competition with her story Tam and the Giantess, a beautifully told tale of loyalty, magic and the power of the mind. Katy is no amateur when it comes to the written word and imaginative uses for it. As she says herself, she grew up in a family where creative juices overflowed and made puddles to splash in. Katy has published three books and over 100 short pieces:  stories, poems, and articles. She has appeared in anthologies and magazines, including Highlights for Children, Cricket, Cobblestone, and Boy’s Quest. Her 4th book comes out in February 2013.

Does she have a life outside writing? Absolutely. She lives with her husband Keith in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, plays piccolo and flute in the Symphony of the Hills and home-schooled their two sons before they flew the nest to live creative lives of their own. Best of all, Katy says, she is a cancer survivor.

I asked Katy about the short story competition. How did she feel when she heard she’d been shortlisted? ‘When I saw on Facebook that my story had made the short list, I was ecstatic,’ she says. ‘I hoped it had a shot at being included in the anthology.’ And did she have confidence in her story at that point? ‘Yes,’ she tells me. ‘I was confident Tam and the Giantess was a good story, but I know from experience that contests are often subjective and so I certainly wasn't expecting to win a prize.’

Not only did she win a prize, she won the top prize. What motivated her to enter in the first place? Not surprisingly in Katy’s case, the sponsorship element played a part. ‘Being a cancer survivor,’ she says, ‘the competition's chosen charity of the World Cancer Research Fund was a huge motivation for me to get my story ready to enter.’ She adds, ‘It's a definite positive (and quite humbling) to have the opportunity to be published alongside Danuta Reah and Stuart Aken.’

My own role in the competition was to judge a long list and pick the winners. Out of many excellent stories, Katy’s stood out for its emotional depth, good characterisation and simply for being a good story. But once the shortlist was chosen and the winners announced, the stories were out of my hands and in the hands of the Fantastic Books Publishing editorial team who worked with the authors. When I saw the stories again, I was amazed and delighted at the end products. Some had hardly changed at all, some were significantly different, but they all had a professional polish. Katy’s story didn’t need much polishing, but how did it feel to be an author on the receiving end. Katy says ‘The editing team at Fantastic Books Publishing is, well, fantastic!  They helped me see a few things in my story that I hadn't thought to develop.  I really appreciate their attention to detail and I want to keep their "eyes" in mind while writing future stories.’

What is Katy’s idea of a compelling read? She says, ‘Losing one's self in the reading of a compelling tale is such a delicious experience but oh, so subjective.  Depending on taste in books, I can recommend three such tales I've read in the last eighteen months:  Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games, George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones (and I deliberately did NOT read these two for a long, long time because I rightly realized I would lose touch with reality and my day jobs) and Elise Stokes' Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula which is a fun ride but definitely not as heart-rending and intense as the first two.’

Because the topic is fantasy and sci-fi, I ask Katy to put herself in the shoes of a space scout who has discovered Earth and learnt its history. ‘If I were a space scout,’ Katy says, ‘I would whole-heartedly recommend that my alien race make contact with the people of planet Earth.  Though Earth's colorful history is bloody and not often happy, its people are capable of great things, and there have always been a handful eager to reach for the stars.’

Anyone who has read Katy’s contribution to Fusion will want to know what she’s writing now. She tells me, ‘My current writing project is finishing part two of a five part fantasy.  I was nearly to the end and got derailed by my husband's campaign for the local water board, which was way more work than I thought it would be.  I'm not sure what to do with these new campaign skills I've learned.  Hopefully nothing!  Now that the holidays are finally over I'm rereading (and editing as I go) the previous 800 pages of my story to get back in the groove.’

So where can we find out more? Katy says, ‘To find out more about me and my work, the best place to begin is my website at www.katyhuthjones.com which is nearly as cluttered as my office.  I'm on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and G+.  It's pretty cool being the only Katy Huth Jones in the whole world.’

It certainly is pretty cool, especially when you can produce prose of the quality that comes from Katy’s pen.

#justimagine Author Stuart Aken on Fusion, alien gastronomy and other delights

It’s a real privilege to have been asked to interview this group of very talented authors for Fantastic Books Publishing’s Fusion spotlight. There are some amazing admissions, surprising secrets and fascinating insights to follow in this series of interviews. Fusion itself is a brilliant anthology – twenty-five of the best tales of sci-fi and fantasy.

My first interview is with prolific author, Stuart Aken. Stuart describes himself as a husband, father, novelist, playwright, short story writer, blogger, word wrangler, committed agnostic, romantic open-minded radical liberal, sometimes dangerous to know. He was born, against the odds, to a widowed artist, in a neighbour's bed, raised by a mother who knew what love meant and a step-father who lacked imagination but loved and educated him in things natural and worldly. Stuart tells me that he wrote the wrong things for half a lifetime, until he learned who he was and understood his opinion was as valid as that of anyone else.

Stuart was invited to contribute to the Fusion anthology as one of two professional writers. He says, ‘I was honoured and delighted to be one of the professional writers invited to contribute. Thank you to Fantastic Books for that opportunity to reach more readers, the very life-blood of the author.’ Of the other professional invited to contribute, Stuart says, ‘Danuta Reah is a well respected and popular writer and I was pleased to be published in company with her. Knowing the judges in the contest, I was confident only the very best stories would make it through the filtering process, so I was more than happy to be included with the winners.’

Anyone who is familiar with Stuart’s writing will know what a compelling tale he can weave. I wondered which of his own stories he would recommend to someone wishing to fight the tedium of a long haul flight. He had many to choose from, but went for one of his science fiction pieces, saying, ‘The Methuselah Strain is a science fiction novelette set on a not-too-distant future Earth. Those who’ve read the book, and commented, have found it absorbing and compelling, so it should distract your attention enough to make the time whizz by. There are no references to air travel, so you won’t be induced into panic by a simulated crash, but you might find yourself considering the message once you’ve finished and you doze off toward the end of your long flight.’

Smashwords

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Taking the flight theme up into space, I wondered how Stuart would see Earth through an alien’s eyes. Mentioning something he’d written a while ago, he reminded me, ‘I made this the subject of a short story. It featured in Ten Tales For Tomorrow: A Gastronomic Treat at the Edge of the Galaxy.’

This ‘light-hearted’ tale is presented in the form of a spoof review by a restaurant critic. I read it several years ago. It’s one of several of Stuart’s stories that have remained etched on my brain and that make me glance at the night sky with some trepidation. As Stuart himself says, ‘Within the seasoned folds of the soufflé lurk sharp surprises for the unwary. Try it, you might develop a taste for something unexpected.’

Smashwords 

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What I really want to know of course is what will come next from Stuart’s pen. ‘My epic fantasy trilogy for adults is well under way,’ he tells me, ‘with book one complete and book two undergoing the penultimate edit. Book three lurks in the fog of my subconscious, making increasingly frequent demands to be allowed to take material form. I intend to start writing that volume in the very near future. Also, I continue to produce short stories and, of course, make weekly posts on my blog.’

Stuart’s story, Rebirth, appears in the Fusion anthology but where else can his readers find him?

He says, ‘Find me, and my fiction, the only place I ever bend the truth and which, after love, remains my raison d’être, on my blog http://stuartaken.blogspot.co.uk/. This gives details of all my published work, with links to the outlets where you can buy them.’

Thanks, Stuart, it’s been a pleasure talking to you. Best of luck with the writing. Can’t wait for that epic fantasy to hit the shelves.

Stuart also has an Amazon Author page; UK readers can find it here and International readers can click on this link 

He has a profile page with Smashwords 

And a Facebook Author page 

You can follow Stuart’s Tweets 

And the last word goes to Stuart, who says, ‘Thanks, Dan and Gabi at Fantastic Books Publishing, for this opportunity to be part of your publishing concern. I wish you well with what I believe will be a very successful enterprise, bringing quality work to a growing circle of discerning readers.’