The Random Static anthology, A Foreign Country: New Zealand Speculative Fiction, was officially launched on Friday, August 27th.  Claire Brunette did a reading of her story ‘Beneath the Trees’, after which many people bought books, happy authors collected their copies, and we lined up for signings. My story, ‘The Future of the Sky’, about sylph mythology is the first story in the book and Juliet Marillier’s beautiful ‘Back and Beyond’ closes the collection. Juliet did a reading of her story at the Con and it was very moving.

Au Contraire Competition

Many of the stories submitted to the anthology were selected via the open competition run in conjunction with Au Contraire. Entries were judged by author and Au Contraire Guest of Honour Sean Williams (http://seanwilliams.com/) who commented:

“This was VERY difficult. Each of the top three was brilliant in its own way. Weird how themes of parenthood, dreams, and loss weave through all of them.”

And the winners are:

1st Place – ‘The Future of the Sky’ by Ripley Patton
2nd Place – ‘Dreams of a Salamander Nation’ by Susan Kornfeld
3rd Place – ‘Cry of a Distress Rocket’ by Brian Priestley
Honourable Mention – ‘Beneath the Trees’ by Claire Brunette

Congratulations, to my fellow writers, place-takers or not. The anthology is truly a work of art.

Availability

A Foreign Country is now available HERE and via an ever-expanding list of bookshops  in New Zealand including Parsons, Unity and The Bookie in Auckland and Arty Bees in Wellington (some of these may not have it on the shelves right now, but they should soon). We’re talking to a number more – if you have a connection to your local independent bookstore, please mention A Foreign Country to them. Bookshops which don’t have copies in stock will be able to order them in for buyers on request (if you know people wanting to do this, please give them the ISBN (978-0-473-16916-9). There will also be copies for sale at the Going West Festival, Armageddon in Auckland and other events to be confirmed.

Ripley Patton!

That’s right. I am just back from Au Contraire in Wellington and I’ve managed to bring home one of the coveted, sharp, green trophies made by The Weta Workshop. Thanks to all of you who nominated and voted for Corrigan’s Exchange (the winner) and Over the Rim.

I tied with Grant Stone, good friend and last year’s winner, for the 2010 Sir Julius Vogel Award for best short story.

I went up to the platform stunned, said some gibberish, and then sat down and promptly impaled my hand on the tip of my trophy. Yes, they are as sharp as they look.

But, at least forensically, there will never be any doubt whose trophy this is.

I was privileged to be in a long list of the following amazing 2010 SJV winners.

• Best Novel: Beyond The Wall Of Time, Russell Kirkpatrick
• Best YA Novel: Brainjack, Brian Falkner
• Best Novella / Novellete: Wives, Paul Haines
• Best Short Story (tie): “Corrigan’s Exchange,” Ripley Patton; “The Living Dead Boy,” Grant Stone
• Best Collected Work: Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand, Mark Pirie and Tim Jones
• Best Artwork: The Test, Serena Kearns
• Best Dramatic Presentation: Under The Mountain
• Best Professional Publication: Semaphore Magazine, edited by Marie Hodgkinson
• Best New Talent: Simon Petrie
• Best Fan Writing: Simon Litten for SJV Watch and SFFANZ Reviews
• Best Fan Production: Coals to Newcastle (Short Film), Yvonne Harrison
• Fan Publication (tie): Phoenixine, John & Lynelle Howell; Time Space Visualiser, Adam McGechan
• Services to Fandom: David Lee Smith, the founder of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club
• Services to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror: Philip Mann

Congratulations to you all, fine writers.

AUGUST 2010

My Olympian fantasy story, Sister of the Benevolent Gods, has just been produced as an amazing podcast by the folks over at Cossmass Infinities.

Cossmass Productions is an audio production company based in Fife, Scotland. They provide a variety of audio adventures as full cast recordings and as narrations published as free podcasts under Creative Commons licenses.

Last night, I sat down with the family and we listened to my story narrated by Stefanie Gallacher in her beautiful Scottish brogue. All I can say is, “It was amazing!”

I hope you will go have a listen.

AUGUST 2010

An interview with me about my Sir Julius Vogel Nominations, my current works in progress and the launch of SpecFicNZ was broadcast Saturday, August 7th between 11:00 am- 12 on Women on Air, Plains FM, 96.9 out of Christchurch, New Zealand.

Here’s a link to the free podcast of the interview.

July 2010

Isn’t that a beautiful cover? I’m so excited about this book of speculative short stories all by New Zealand authors, edited by Anna Caro and Juliet Buchanon and being put out by Random Static. And yes, I do have a story in there myself titled “The Future of the Sky” about pregnancy and sylphs.

When I first discovered the idea of sylphs, elemental beings of the air that are sometimes glimpsed in the formation of clouds, I was intrigued by the lack of mythos associated with them. That, of course, led me to wanting to make up some mythos for them. And so I did.

The anthology also includes stories by: Philip Armstrong, Richard Barnes, Claire Brunette, Anna Caro, Matt Cowens, Bill Direen, Dale Elvy, J.C. Hart, Paul Haines, Miriam Hurst, Tim Jones, Susan Kornfeld, Juliet Marillier, Lee Murray, James Norcliffe, Simon Petrie, Brian Priestley, Marama Salsano, Lee Sentes, Janine Sowerby, and Douglas A. Van Belle.

A Foreign Country will be launched at Au Contraire which takes place at the Quality Hotel in Wellington, on Friday 27th August at 6pm.

However, the anthology is now available for pre-order by clicking the button below

I hope you’ll support New Zealand spec fic writers and small press by ordering one now.

JULY 2010

I am pleased to announce that my story, Heart of the Salamander, has just been published in the current issue of The Lorelei Signal. It is my fire witch origins story, and I’m so thrilled it found a home. And I LOVE the illustration for the story by Lee Kuruganti. I wrote about an amulet, and she drew it (pun intended) right out of my imagination. Oh, I want it. Anyone out there make jewelry?

Here’s a little blurb;

Heart of the Salamander
By Ripley Patton

Maddy’s entire life has been cursed by fire. Her parents were killed by it. Her body and heart have been scarred by it. And now her village has gone up in flames and Maddy is being accused of wielding, through witchcraft, the one thing she hates most. What happens when you hide from the fire in your heart? And what happens when you finally embrace it?

For the rest, you’ll have to run over and read it. And don’t forget to vote for your favorite story and illustration in the reader’s poll!

JUNE 2010

I had the wonderful opportunity to play acquisitions editor for a month over at Wily Writers Website for their June Flash issue. There is a new story up every week for the five weekends.

Flash fiction has been around a long time under a variety of names and manifestations, but it didn’t appear on my personal radar until 2008. I stumbled upon some flash online, and I was immediately hooked. Here was a form of fiction that seemed tailor-made for the internet- complete stories written in under 1,000 words.

I personally love flash fiction icon, Bruce Holland Rogers’, definition of story- “A story is any narrative that satisfies the reader’s desire for a story.” Well-written flash in all its various forms can certainly do that.

So, it was in late 2008 I found myself enamored with the flash fiction form, but the question remained, “Could I write it?” I decided to give it a whirl by taking a long story of mine that had stalled and condensing it down to its core idea. Within a few hours, I had chiseled away all the unnecessary words and found the story that had been yearning to get out. It was flash, it was titled “Traveling by Petroglyph,” and it was wonderful. It sold to the first market I sent it to, Flash Fiction Online.

Since then, I’ve been writing flash pretty consistently and selling it, while still working on longer short stories, and now, a novel. There was no hesitation for me when I was asked to edit an issue of Wily Writers and choose a theme. I wanted to be the first to read and pick wonderful flash. And that’s just what I got to do.

Selections include;

“Aftershocks” by Craig D. B. Patton

“Complete Artistic Control” by Bruce Boston

“Grand-Monster” by Sasha Janel McBayer

“The Time-Share” by Fred Warren

“The Tunnel” by Matt Cowens

I am happy to officially announce the winner of SpecFicNZ’s logo contest, Glynis Jolly of Crossville, Tennessee, USA.  The simple, marbled sphere with SpecFicNZ across it wowed us with its simplicity and versatility.  Seen above on a backdrop of night sky it looks fabulous as our newsletter header, and we are already experimenting with it in a variety of colors and on other backgrounds.

SpecFicNZ would like to formally thank all those who entered our contest. The competition was stiff, but the logo Glynis designed had the appearance of a new looming planet, which is just what we hope New Zealand speculative fiction will be- a new, imminent world dominating the radar of both Kiwi and international publishers.

You may be wondering just who Glynis is, and what motivated her to enter a logo contest for a New Zealand writers association?

I interviewed her to find out just that, and you can read what I discovered below.

INTERVIEW WITH GLYNIS JOLLY

Ripley: Glynis, tell us about yourself. Who is Glynis Jolly?

Glynis: I am 55 years old and have been happily married for 20 years. I have one son and one stepdaughter, both who have been on their own for several years. I am originally from Colorado, but have lived overseas on the Greek Island of Crete. I have also lived on the upper peninsula of Michigan and I currently live in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee in a town called Crossville.

Ripley: What is your connection to speculative fiction?

Glynis: I think I have been interested in speculative fiction since I first thought about writing as a career back in my teen years. Until recently though, I had no idea what to call this genre. I like the idea of taking regular adventure and sprinkling it with science fiction, fantasy, horror or the paranormal. I am especially fond of  the paranormal.

Ripley: What made you decide to enter a logo contest?

Glynis: I saw the contest when you promoted it on your blog, and I decided to give it a try. I used to do web graphics, but for the past four years I’ve switched to focusing on the craft of writing. The contest gave me a chance to see if I remembered any of my old techniques for graphic design. I guess I did.

Ripley: Have you ever won a contest before?

Glynis: The last time I won a contest was when I was 17 years old. I won first place in a state contest playing a flute solo.

Ripley: What was the inspiration for your logo design?

Glynis: I think of speculative fiction as a genre that always involves an “other world”. The globe in my logo is pretty much a representation of that world.

Ripley: How do you feel now that you’ve won our logo contest?

Glynis: I am surprised and proud. I never really thought that I would win. This is a great honor for me.

You can read more about Glynis at her blog Impressions of Life

JUNE 2010

Just got sent a link to a review over at Specusphere of Semaphore’s 2009 Best of Anthology, which contains my fantasy story, Corrigan’s Exchange. Corrigan’s Exchange is currently short-listed for a Sir Julius Vogel Award for best short story 2010.Here’s what the reviewer had to say about Corrigan’s Exchange:

Corrigan’s Exchange by Ripley Patton sees Marty, a young mother struggling with a baby who’s difficult to love, turning in desperation to a radical psychologist, Dr. Corrigan French, for help. Marty’s plight is delicately handled, the tension implicit in the situation- for Dr. French’s therapy may well see Marty lose her infant son- builds naturally. It’s a satisfying, somewhat provocative story.

So, it is a good review, though what I wouldn’t give for an eraser just to smudge out that clarifier  “somewhat” in front of the word provocative.

And it seems my rivalry with 2009 SJV short story winner Grant Stone will have to continue, as he’s referred to later in the review as “one of the most promising emerging voices in New Zealand speculative fiction”. Urgh! ONE OF, Grant. That leaves a little room for me to be “one of the others”, doesn’t it?

Reviews. They never make you perfectly happy, do they?

JUNE 2010

My urban werewolf story, The House That Dirk Built, is now out in the June issue of  Semaphore Magazine.

Nancy Fisk, real estate broker extraordinaire, has never lost a sale, and she isn’t about to lose one now, even if a werewolf has marked the Old Portland style house she’s fixing up as his territory.

Go, read the story, and let me know what you think.