Minimalist cover for 'Bug Hunt'

via flickr.com

If short stories had book covers, this is what the one for 'Bug Hunt' would look like! You can read 'Bug Hunt' for free, online. (PDF)

It was also an experiment in remixing CC content - inspired by the seminar I attended on Friday at The Edge.

Posted via email from garykemble's posterous

Bug Hunt: read it now, online!

You can now read all the One Book Many Brisbanes 5 stories online, for free!

I haven't read them yet but, judging from the conversations I had with various writers, I can guarantee it's an eclectic collection with something for everyone.

Check it out at the One Book Many Brisbanes page.

And if you want to jump straight to 'Bug Hunt', you can find it here.

I'd like to once again thank Trent Jamieson and Stephen Dedman for their input on the story. I'll still take credit for all the sucky bits. :)

If you like the stories, you can buy a copy of the book from Brisbane City Council libraries for $11.

Grants, rewrites, anything

I've got a good excuse for not updating my blog lately. Queensland Writers Centre's Angela Slatter told me to! Or told me not too.

Well, kinda. At the One Book Many Brisbanes masterclass she gave us a few tips about living the writer's life, and one of those was that you shouldn't be updating your blog when you could be writing.

I haven't been the most diligent blogger in the past, and this basically got me off the hook!

But I felt bad because my last post was so lame, so I thought I'd better give a quick update.

The One Book Many Brisbanes masterclass was excellent. I got to work with Trent Jamieson and it was like 'being a writer' for three days. Only better, because Trent was there for metaphorical hand-holding.

So, by the end of the three days I felt that 'Bug Hunt' was a much tighter story. Having said that, when I got the final proofs I decided I didn't really like it anymore! There seemed to be way too many short sentences. Like Raymond Chandler on crack, or something like that. I'm hoping this is because I'd been re-writing it so much that I was sick of it. So it will be interesting to see how people like it.

Since then I've been rewriting the bio-terror novel I wrote last year. Moving it from 'generic US city' to Brisbane has been fun.

Unfortunately, I've been a bit sidetracked by grant applications. I've just sent off an application for the Arts Queensland Career Development Fund. If I'm successful I'll be able to go to WorldCon in September, which would be awesome.

I'm also applying for an Australia Council New Work grant. I'm very happy with my AQ application. Nothing is ever guaranteed with these things because you never know who else is applying. But I figure this really is the right time for me, so I figured I may as well throw my hat in the ring.

So thanks to Kate Eltham and Queensland Writers Centre, because without them I wouldn't have know where to start.

The frustrating thing is that my life at the moment is such that I can only work on one thing at a time, so for the past couple of weeks that has mostly been grant applications. But I'm looking on it as an investment -- if it pays off it will be well worth it.

Well, that's a brief summary of what I've been up to. If you want to know more you can find me on Twitter!

Brisbane battens down for cockroach invasion

Nope, this isn't a State of Origin post!

I can today reveal that I'm one of the winners of the 2009 One Book Many Brisbanes competition.

Later this month myself and 19 other winners will work with mentors to polish our stories, for the 5th edition of One Book Many Brisbanes.

My story is about survivors trying to escape Brisbane after an infestation of dog-sized, brain-eating cockroaches.

The masterclass should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it.

Untethered: the word cloud

You've read the story, now check out the word cloud!

Brisbane Writers Festival reading

Just a quick post to say thank you to everyone who came out for the One Book Many Brisbanes reading at Brisbane Writers Festival today.

We were up against some stiff competition so I (and all the other panellists) really appreciate it.

It was an interesting session -- it would have been good if there had been time for questions.

A couple of things that really resonated with me:

* Jennifer Barrett's story about how, with bare days to go until the competition closed (having decided she'd never finish her story in time), she had a dream where her husband was holding up a copy of the book. He said: "Why do we have all these copies of the same book?" The book he was holding up was the previous year's OBMB edition! She found the competition details and realised that 20 copies of the anthology was part of the prize! Then she took a day off work to finish her story.

* Rena Frohman used her $6,000 to buy 'time'. A brilliant idea. She bought 20 Thursdays off from work, and says she has had a very productive 15 weeks so far.

Now, I have to get off my backside and finish my story for this year's competition!

Reminder: One Book Many Brisbanes reading

If you're at a loose end tomorrow morning, come along to the One Book Many Brisbanes reading, from 10am at State Library Queensland.

I'll be doing a reading/talk alongside other One Book Many Brisbanes authors Jennifer Barrett, Isabel D'Avila Winter, Rena Frohman and Alexis Hailstones.

If you can make it, I'd love to see you there.

More details are available at the Brisbane Writers Festival.

One Book Many Brisbanes: Meet The Authors

As you may have seen in the Brisbane Writers Festival program, I'll be appearing with fellow One Book Many Brisbanes authors Jennifer Barrett, Isabel D'Avila Winter, Rena Frohman and Alexis Hailstones at the Brisbane Writers Festival!

The reading/talk, chaired by Sabina O'Callaghan, will be held at The Studio, State Library Queensland, from 10am to 11am on Sunday, September 21.

Best of all, it's free!

OBMB at Brisbane Writers Festival

A few One Book Many Brisbanes authors, including myself, will be doing a reading/talk as part of the Brisbane Writers Festival later this year.

The event takes place at State Library, from 10am on September 21, 2008.

I'll post more details closer to the date.

More One Book Many Brisbanes launch photos

I've uploaded some more photos of the One Book Many Brisbanes 3 launch, courtesy of photographer Phil Hargreaves and Brisbane City Council.

View them at the One Book Many Brisbanes 3 launch group at Flickr.

(Don't forget, if you were at the launch, feel free to join the group and upload your photos)

One Book Many Brisbanes 3 launch

Had an excellent time today at the One Book Many Brisbanes 3 launch at City Hall.

It was a great opportunity to meet some people I've been swapping emails with since finding out I was one of the winners, although it would have been good to have more time to chat with the other authors.

Check out the Flickr photo pool here. (If you were at the launch and took photos and don't mind sharing them, please join the group and upload your photos).

There's a possibility some of the authors might be appearing at a local library near you soon, so if I can I'll definitely be getting involved in that -- I'd love to hear some of the stories behind the stories.

Speaking of which, you can now read all of the stories (including "Untethered") here.

You can find out how to buy the book here, or alternatively borrow it from your local library.

The really good news is that Brisbane City Council is going to run the competition again next year.

I would strongly recommend that if you're a writer, you enter. I never thought I would win. I entered because, frankly, with a $6,000 prize, how could I not enter. And look what happened.

Sometimes life delivers happy endings!

Kate Eltham's defence of One Book Many Brisbanes

Read it here...

Why arts funding matters

A letter of mine has been published in today's Courier-Mail, responding to a piece by Chuck Brooks earlier this week.

Unfortunately Brooks' letter isn't online, so I can't link to it, but the general gist was that arts funding in general (and the One Book Many Brisbanes competition in particular) is a waste of money.

Here's my response, for those who can't get their hands on a copy of the newspaper:

I'm sure there are many people who would agree with Chuck Brooks' musings on arts grants. Just as there are many people who don't agree with taxpayers' money being spent on deploying troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, health funds being spent looking after chronic smokers, or public monies spent propping up unsustainable industries.

But just like defence, health and big business, the arts is a valid and vital part of our society.

Mr Brooks says most people have never heard of the winners. So rather than judging the stories based on merit, he would have preferred them judged on profile? Why not just commission stories from Nick Earls, Rebecca Sparrow, David Malouf et al?

Because the whole point of One Book Many Brisbanes is to encourage all Brisbanites (in fact, the competition was open to all Queensland residents) to reflect on the place they call home.

It was open to everyone, including the cash-strapped waitresses, taxicab drivers, brickies and labourers Mr Brooks mentions.

The total prize pool of $60,000 works out to just over 3c per Brisbane resident. The total cost to ratepayers: 12c each? Let's be generous and call it 50c each.

As for public arts funding as a whole, a 2005 report (by the Canada Council) puts Australia well down the list of comparable countries, on just 0.14 per cent of GDP.

Hardly a case of enslaving and plundering the Australian people.

If you have ever enjoyed an Australian movie, book, play or CD, thank public funding, because I'm sure if you dig down far enough, at some point in their careers those writers, musicians, directors and playwrights have needed a helping hand.

As for living on the public teat, I can say from a personal perspective that nothing could be further from the truth.

I've been writing seriously for 10 years - for love, not for the money. Most of my stories have been published by small press magazines (run by people who also do it for the love), paying generally $25-$50 a pop.

I write because I enjoy it, not for prize cheques. But I applaud Brisbane City Council for celebrating the craft of writing, and the contribution writers make to society, through One Book Many Brisbanes.

When the anthology is released next month, I invite all Brisbanites to read it (it will be available for Brisbane City Council libraries) and decide for themselves whether it is worth their 3 cents.

Thanks,
Gary Kemble
(One Book Many Brisbanes winner)

Sneak peek of 'Untethered'

I'm going to read part of my One Book Many Brisbanes story 'Untethered' at Wordpool on Thursday, May 29, at Avid Reader, West End, Brisbane.

It would be great to see some Kemblog-sters there.

The event kicks off at 6.30pm, and you can get tickets ($10 - wine included) at Avid Reader.

Hope to see you there!

(For those who can't make it, the One Book Many Brisbanes anthology is out next month - check here for details)

Courier-Mail article

Brisbane writer and journalist Jason Nahrung has done a very short interview with me for the Courier-Mail about my One Book Many Brisbanes win.

You can read it here...

“Untethered” wins One Book Many Brisbanes spot

I can now happily reveal that my short story “Untethered” has won a spot in the Brisbane City Council’s One Book Many Brisbanes anthology.

Given that this is by far the biggest competition I’ve ever won and, let’s face it, could be the biggest I ever win, there’s a few people I’d like to thank.

My wife Amelia. Writing is hard at the best of times, but when you’ve got two kids under five, it’s a real challenge finding the time. Amelia isn’t really into horror and science fiction, but she has always helped me find the time when I’ve really needed it. Without her help, “Untethered” either would not have been finished by the deadline, or would not have been polished to the extent that it was.

I’d like to thank the Vision Writers group, especially those who found time to do a last-minute critique of “Untethered”. The feedback, most of which I acted on, was obviously on the money! I’m very grateful to Rowena Lindquist for introducing me to Vision a few years back. I’m not the most active member, but it’s good to be able to connect with other speculative fiction writers, even if only via the internet.

And while I’m thanking writing groups, I’d like to extend this to the Australian Horror Writers Association and Queensland Writers Centre. People sometimes think writing is a lonely hobby and, while the actual sitting down and typing is a solitary experience, there is no shortage of camaraderie for those who wish to seek it out.

A big thanks to all the editors who have published my stories over the years, especially those who have offered me feedback and helped me improve my craft. I’d like to single out Angela Challis (Brimstone Press) for special thanks. I sold my first story to Angela’s Shadowed Realms. It gave me a lot of confidence going forwards. Since then, she has been very supportive of my writing.

Finally, I’d like to thank David Kowalski. David didn’t have any input into “Untethered”, but our chats over the past few months have made a big difference to my attitude to my writing. Earlier this year I was thinking about putting writing “on the back burner”. David’s limitless enthusiasm is a large reason I’ve persevered, and hopefully that decision will bear fruit over the coming years.