'Swarm' interview tops busy week

My interview with Matt Hanson - the driving force behind A Swarm of Angels - has ended a busy week.

Hanson's enthusiasm is contagious, even via email, and I think the following quote sums it up pretty nicely:

"Everyone knows Hollywood is broken. Hell, even Hollywood knows it. Their business model is hopelessly outdated for the digital age. But A Swarm of Angels isn't about competing with that, it's about creating a complementary entertainment ecology that is peer-to-peer friendly, and offers a way to create large-scale works that are free to give away and share."

Also had the opportunity to post a feature on an interesting comic project by Sydney artist Matthew Huynh, whereby he illustrated the stories of Cabramatta and Canley Vale residents.

(Comic fans should check back at Articulate next week, for an interview with 30 Days of Night artist Ben Templesmith.)

And Movie Minutiae - which has been gaining in popularity since I teamed up with fellow blogger Katie Cassidy - featured an article about The Thing written almost entirely by an Articulate reader (which was what I intended when I started the column 18 months or so ago).

I also received some exciting news this week, but I've been sworn to secrecy!

Stay tuned...

Review: 'Book of Shadows'

Over at ASiF Tim Kroenert has reviewed Book of Shadows Vol 1.

Here's what he had to say about my contribution, "Ad Infinitum".

Perhaps the most effective and memorable of these longer stories is Gary Kemble's "Ad Infinitum". With a heady mixture of empathy and sadism, Kemble has his narrator (and hence his reader) awaken into a succession of increasingly disturbing nightmares. Themes of infidelity and guilt, overseas business travel and fears of crime and terrorism haunt each dream, hinting at the nature of the narrator's waking life and his overarching psychological and emotional state. Kemble, however, takes a surreal, Lynchian approach by keeping the markers of solid reality shifting, so that it’s never entirely clear what’s "real" and what isn't. The overall effect is at once disturbing and strangely moving.

"Lynchian"... cool!

Read the whole review here.

Zombies and night terrors

Got paid today for "Dead Air", a short story that will appear in Robert N Stephenson's upcoming zombie anthology. It's the first time I've been paid for something before publication. The anthology is slated for a September release.

Also just found out that my ultra-short story "Night Terrors" will appear in the Black Box charity e-anthology (Brimstone Press), alongside such dark fiction luminaries as Will Elliott (the 2006 Australian Shadows winner), Lee Battersby, Paul Haines and more.

Zombies are people too!

Here's me in my favourite birthday present, my "Zombies are people too" t-shirt, custom made for me by my sister-in-law, who is setting up a fabric printing business.

Pretty cool, huh?!

I know there are other ZAPT t-shirts out there, but I love the simplicity of the design. Check out the detail here.

Review: The Devil in Brisbane

Over at HorrorScope, Miranda Siemienowicz has reviewed The Devil in Brisbane (which features my "gritty and emotive" story "The Deal").

"The Devil in Brisbane is a charming and unique anthology. Using thirty stories all building on the same central premise, a portrayal of the art of writing, the character of the Devil in literature, and the colourful waterside city of Brisbane emerges that feels more rounded than it could in any one of the stories within. Images recur of writers' aspirations and dreams and the turbulent relationship they hold with writing. In some ways it is a self-indulgent anthology, written by and for writers. Reading it is a playful and warm experience, delightful for anyone who can relate to the angst and desire of the characters within; a perfect book for the dedicated wordsmith."

Zombies on the cards

Meant to blog this closer to my birthday, but work has been crazy-busy.

This is the excellent birthday card my wife made for me. And she doesn't even like zombies!

(The woman screaming is taken off my version of Stephen King's Different Seasons)

Make sure you also check out the back.