Always quirky, sometimes sweet speculative fiction

Best News Saved For The Last

Today there was a talk by Kate Forsyth at the Cleveland library, and while I managed to go, Xander had no intention of sitting calm and quiet for even a minute. So I got to pace around the library bouncing him on my hip and when my arms gave out pushing him in the pram trying to stay near enough to hear her talk but far enough away that the grizzling shouldn’t bother anyone. After 45 minutes I remembered I’d packed the iPad and the magic of videos distracted him long enough for me to get her signature on my copy of Bitter Greens. I apologised if he had made enough noise to bother her and she told me that when her eldest son was Xander’s age she had gone to an author’s reading and her son had behaved the same. It’s interesting to see cycles, I wonder if one day an aspiring author/mother will attend my reading and sheepishly come up to me at the end and apologise if her child was disruptive?

Getting a bit ahead of myself there, but we all have dreams, don’t we?

In other news, I’m beta-reading a YA Sci-fi for the talented Talitha Kalago, and it’s great. She’s intending to self-publish, so I’ll keep you updated on when it comes out so you can all enjoy it as well.

And now, the best for last – and I’m not sure if I should talk about this yet – but I have had my first story accepted for an anthology! I’m so excited, but of course the story is still subject to the editing process, so I’m not going to say more until I’ve passed that hurdle, but hopefully soon I’ll be able to tell you all where you can buy my first published story!

Of course, there’s no rest for the wicked, there’s the mythpunk stories I’ve been working on which I’m considering compiling into an anthology, my novel Keys, Clocks and Quests to finish (so it can FINALLY get a real title, not a lame working title), and of course though I have an acceptance letter  now, I also have a bunch of other stories I need to get out into the world, so I need to start submitting other works (like that massive bunch of new short stories I wrote in December and January). So onwards and upwards.

10 Comments

  1. Belinda

    Go You!!! Wish I could have met Kate. Oh well, one day.
    Envision what you want to be in your future, then become your own self fulfilling prophecy.
    Belinda recently posted..The Night Creatures will take over the world!!!!My Profile

    • Kirstie

      I do love a good self-fulfilling prophecy ;p

      Kate is doing a few more Brisbane events, here is a link to her appearances from her blog. If you can’t make those she was at last years Brisbane Writers Festival, so maybe she’ll be there again.

  2. Erica Bourke

    At the risk of sounding ignorant. What is beta-reading?

    • Kirstie

      Don’t worry Erica, beta-reading is when a writer has finished their novel and gone over it themselves several times, but they want fresh eyes to find the problems they may be missing. Beta-readers are usually other writers or particularly critical readers. The readers look over the book to find plot holes, character discrepancies, and any other errors and report them to the writer. With this information the writer can tighten their work before sending it out into the world.

  3. Kath Lockett

    Congratulations and so well deserved!
    Kath Lockett recently posted..Two meanings of ‘tear’My Profile

    • Kirstie

      Thanks Kath, I’m trying not to count my chickens in case something goes kablooey in the editing phase, but I’m actually really excited to get a professional edit on my story – I can’t wait to read the anthology’s editor’s feedback.

  4. Andy and Sue

    Congratulations Kirstie!!! The first upward step in your writing career!!! It has been a long path, and now begins the ascent. Well done and good luck for the rest of the journey. Love Sue and Andy.

    • Kirstie

      Thanks guys, the hardest part is waiting until the edits are done before counting my chickens ;p I’m distracting myself fairly well by writing some more short stories to submit to other markets.

  5. Elizabeth Barone

    Oh wow, that’s awesome! Congratulations! Please let me know which anthology it is as soon as you can.
    Elizabeth Barone recently posted..How to Avoid Indie Publishing ScamsMy Profile

    • Kirstie

      Thanks Liz, the only reason I haven’t said the name is because I’m waiting until the editing process is done, just in case something goes kablooey – I guess I’m paranoid like that – but don’t worry, I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s 100% set.

Leave a Reply to Belinda Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

© 2024 Storybook Perfect

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑