Knock backs

received another wonderfully brief - thanks but no thanks from Random House on Catalina

But! On rereading Catalina I can see why - I think it is too long and s begins the wonderful journey of another edit - I am determined to cut at least 10,000 words off the total losing almost all of the last fifth of the book. Its too drawn out.

The Minotaur continued...

So 4 thousand words in I starting to get an idea of what the heck it is I am writing. The minotaur is going to meet the Fisher King and he is also going to lead a small band of mythological creatures into a sort of promised land.



The Fisher King waits in a bomb shelter, trapped and lost

The Minotaur - Androgeus - falls into the shelter after a digging a hole in its roof.

The Minotaur

The idea for the new novel started with a single - line: '

It was fortunate for the  mother of the Minotaur that he was not born with his horns fully formed.'

So that's the start of the new novel.

Thanks to Andrew in Thailand for this!

Legend's sportsbar Phuket

Another Review

Allbooks

Catalina

so Catalina is now at Random House - they actually asked for the full manuscript!!!!! It has been there, hopefully being read by someone, for 3 months now and I am beginning to wonder if I should call and see what's up, or should I simply sit tight and get on with other things.

And ain't that the thing about writing...the waiting... The dreaded letter or these says, the dreaded (and far shorter, think pick as opposed to sledgehammer) email saying thanks but....

Catalina is a children' fantasy - about a girl called Catalina, who happens to be a princess, an aunt who just happens to be the wickedest witch ever and Peter - who happens to get turned into a wolf boy - what else?

Review of The Tree Singer

 another from  SFFANZ

Reviews of The Tree Singer

from Motley Press (issue 4)

The Tree Singer by Danny Fahey
Reviewed by Cran Herlihy
362 pp; published in 2011 by Dragonfall Press.
There is something about working with wood - a
sense of connection in the visual and tactile
exploration of grain and whorl; the scent of
shavings and resin; the dark red hardness of
jarrah, or the golden softness of pine. It is easy to
lose track of the time when finishing a piece by
hand; lost in the planes and curves when sanding,
or applying the coats of oil to penetrate and
preserve and bring out the colours.
In The Tree Singer, Danny Fahey has captured
and conveyed this sense of timeless connection.
Most of Fahey's light fantasy is a delight to read -
the voice fits the narrator's character extremely
well; and a world where the claim, "I sing to the
trees", doesn't lead to white jackets and a padded
cell is definitely a world worth visiting.
The narrator, Jacob, begins his tale as a teenager
blessed with a naive innocence not seen sinceWalt Disney was animating fairy tales for young
baby boomers. Jacob begins with little hope and
no dreams for the future, traits he shares with the
village in which he lives with his widowed
mother.
He introduces us to Simon, a stranger not born
but brought forth complete; a receptacle of lost
knowledge, prescience and the miracle of healing,
but without memory or conscience. It is Simon's
touch which removes Jacob's illness and plants
the dream of making the finest flutes in the land.
It is Simon who heals those most important to
Jacob, and who teaches the boy how to sing the
perfect branch from a tree. Simon is the
instrument of Jacob's happiness and success.
Of course, those wiser in the ways of the world -
any world - know that innocence and happiness
simply can't last; eventually, the other shoe must
drop. Jacob, years later a man in a city threatened
by plague and war, meets Simon again; a Simon
twisted and fouled, bitter at his own failure and at
the city which overwhelmed him. All those years
before, Simon had predicted that Jacob would
feel compelled to betray his friend. The
instrument of Jacob's success thus also became
the means of his downfall.
For Jacob, ashamed and alone, redemption is a
painful path finally found in three distinct
moments involving acceptance.
The few continuity issues and hanging questions
barely detract from Fahey's ability to write a
compelling story; the language, content and
production aim The Tree Singer at the YA
market.

Getting published

What a journey! In 1975 I dreamed of being a published author - mind you I didn't know a thing about how to become a published author and in those days there were no Writing Courses to help. So now, in 2011 I am a published author. Along the way I have had poems published, a couple of short stories published and then a novella called The Unrelenting, Unnerving Life of Pinocchio (which I am currently expanding)  was published digitally by Art & Sole publications (I'll talk about digital publishing in my next blog).

After Pinocchio was published, I sent the manuscript for The Tree Singer off to Dragonfall Press - a small, independent publisher of Fantasy and Sci Fi based in Western Australia. They picked it up, a contract was signed and now the book is in a small group of book stores waiting...

I have no agent, no million dollar 3 book contract, no movie deals (with producers in a mad bidding frenzy, waving dollars and percentages around like confetti),  no invitations to writing festivals, in fact not much at all has changed, but I do have a book published (and some days I walk past the local bookstore just to see it) and, as they say in that old song, you can't take that away from me.

Blues new ad

Blues new ad: See Carlton’s new television commercial

Ebooks and the new world order

So eBooks have overtaken traditional books in sales by Amazon. How do people feel about this? At work I have an Ipad but still prefer my books to be bound in paper. Have others made the leap into the electronic reading age? As a writer I understand that my books must be available as eBooks but there is nothing better than seeing the book on a shelf or in someone's hand.

Same for browsing for books. Just can't come at browsing online. I like to hold the book, smell the fresh paper, see the image on the front cover. Mind you, I am pretty sure I said the same thing when I encountered computers - 'Give me my old typewriter any day. Pen and paper over keyboard and screen' etc.

Been a while since I've even seen a typewriter and now I write straight to screen.

First Post

Had the Book Launch for The Tree Singer last week, went very well. Would like to thank Kevin and Lee for their wonderful words and readings hawthorn for their support. Sorry to those people who could not buy a book - we sold out! Book available as an ebook (Kindle app.)