tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60996668666295042072024-03-14T02:44:37.376+11:00Paul Burman — bloggety-blogI'd rather you read my books than read my blog, but do both and I'll pour a drink or two, raise my glass to you...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger426125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-16691609702106005392023-01-23T17:00:00.002+11:002023-01-23T17:17:34.251+11:00Best books on Shepherd<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UbLzq2pxCtsZvilHCyn27aDk8uVgrqWWX8u4XCLsnfiBCFvEwy9wQr-uEvHmaEkKpCZzLQCf6KF0-yeCh1wdyut_GpfPEuhoYZwIU0fIUyMHtbPWQnIO3R3HStVXpt94PEVJhLEP6ES2k53UR7j_5oXIqPWOXCLTqMmR2QV_IiDULgf0KFldsYbL/s2048/Night-night,%20Sleep%20Tight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ufu4_neEmUum-SIMOp0zrxnesCkeqRKawD_5-Sawzvl5CcXr8I8BFhDdiwoHrkkjPimeViz4bapNcjuN--Wn-8kNQEqtCIRGgMEihR-L6NZnti5u9K5EgPytFfNAduwio1wjQdNi-ZHSoy9ugWJrPYU2f3hg5sUWM53cx8V0TgnahmiQOioQ6Vvs/s1200/shepherd.com%20best%20crime%20mysteries%20w%20character.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1200" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ufu4_neEmUum-SIMOp0zrxnesCkeqRKawD_5-Sawzvl5CcXr8I8BFhDdiwoHrkkjPimeViz4bapNcjuN--Wn-8kNQEqtCIRGgMEihR-L6NZnti5u9K5EgPytFfNAduwio1wjQdNi-ZHSoy9ugWJrPYU2f3hg5sUWM53cx8V0TgnahmiQOioQ6Vvs/w400-h203/shepherd.com%20best%20crime%20mysteries%20w%20character.jpg" title="The best crime mysteries with an extra twist of character" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was recently invited by Shepherd, a wonderful book discovery site, to recommend 5 of my favourite books around a topic, theme or mood, that might in some way be reflected in my crime mystery novel <i>Night-night, Sleep Tight</i>. The title I came up with for my topic was '<b>The best crime mysteries with an extra twist of character</b>' because that's one of the things I look for in a good novel. And what a fascinating challenge it was. You can read my selection <a href="https://shepherd.com/best-books/crime-mysteries-with-an-extra-twist-of-character" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Shepherd is a great way of discovering book recommendations based on books that you might have already read. I love browsing the various lists and letting the themes lead me from one set of recommendations to another. For a broader sweep, I love browsing the bookshelves, especially the <a href="https://shepherd.com/bookshelf/crime" target="_blank">Crime bookshelf</a>.<br /><br />In the words of Shepherd:<br />"7,000+ authors have shared five of their favorite books around a topic, theme, or mood. And we make it easy to find the books they recommend through a book you already love, an author you adore, or a Wikipedia topic that interests you." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Visit Shepherd at </span><a href="https://shepherd.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">https://shepherd.com/</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1327" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UbLzq2pxCtsZvilHCyn27aDk8uVgrqWWX8u4XCLsnfiBCFvEwy9wQr-uEvHmaEkKpCZzLQCf6KF0-yeCh1wdyut_GpfPEuhoYZwIU0fIUyMHtbPWQnIO3R3HStVXpt94PEVJhLEP6ES2k53UR7j_5oXIqPWOXCLTqMmR2QV_IiDULgf0KFldsYbL/w129-h200/Night-night,%20Sleep%20Tight.jpg" title="Night-night, Sleep Tight" width="129" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge76A7rUlqRtbCiA4OVz1nXqZaOdPa6c7CeQkEviiE9chNHGHjFfpt_LnYvNVGjw58Ffo2vDdvnRW_GhgHljvc-FnSgj5hMZp3ds1gc4jC_TPnRMwF5bx_lXEMf-HOhZXciAou29T6dc_E7rpj1ZvW3a1PjZ6TChEHYtofzndiohRtIumB0hIPqRXs/s2048/NnST%20back%20cover%20and%20spine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge76A7rUlqRtbCiA4OVz1nXqZaOdPa6c7CeQkEviiE9chNHGHjFfpt_LnYvNVGjw58Ffo2vDdvnRW_GhgHljvc-FnSgj5hMZp3ds1gc4jC_TPnRMwF5bx_lXEMf-HOhZXciAou29T6dc_E7rpj1ZvW3a1PjZ6TChEHYtofzndiohRtIumB0hIPqRXs/w146-h200/NnST%20back%20cover%20and%20spine.jpg" title="Night-night, Sleep Tight" width="146" /></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-26333002909187396162018-10-01T11:18:00.000+10:002018-10-25T11:39:49.944+11:00New edition - The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whoopee! A brand new, fully revised edition (with chapter head-piece illustrations) of <b>The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore</b> has been published by Windeye Publishing and is now available around the world. This shiny, re-edited edition is released for sale today. You can also buy it from the <a href="https://www.windeyepublishing.com/books/" target="_blank">Windeye website</a> with free postage.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore (2018 edition)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chapter One - text and head-piece illustration</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-65225019233738134432018-02-10T16:34:00.003+11:002018-02-10T16:41:08.645+11:00Travel to the dark side with Night-night, Sleep Tight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OTlNAvBr2e0/Wn6D93Iq_rI/AAAAAAAAEYo/kGAsYil4g2cBjskjOWlhGSUsUojvXcH5ACLcBGAs/s1600/Night-night%252C%2BSleep%2BTight%2Bavailability%2B2018-02-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OTlNAvBr2e0/Wn6D93Iq_rI/AAAAAAAAEYo/kGAsYil4g2cBjskjOWlhGSUsUojvXcH5ACLcBGAs/s400/Night-night%252C%2BSleep%2BTight%2Bavailability%2B2018-02-10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now offering free delivery to more of the planet! France, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark, UK, New Zealand, Canada, USA, as well as Australia. See <a href="https://www.windeyepublishing.com/" target="_blank">Windeye Publishing</a> for details.
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-41650215840691856002017-07-18T16:09:00.000+10:002017-07-21T16:45:38.188+10:00Night-night, Sleep Tight giveaway!<div id="goodreadsGiveawayWidget244409"><!-- Show static html as a placeholder in case js is not enabled -->
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com" target="_new" rel="nofollow">Goodreads</a> Book Giveaway
</h2>
<div style="float: left;">
<a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35034072"><img alt="Night-Night, Sleep Tight by Paul Burman" title="Night-Night, Sleep Tight by Paul Burman" width="100" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493812095l/35034072.jpg" /></a>
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<a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35034072">Night-Night, Sleep Tight</a>
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by <a style="text-decoration: none;" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/811606.Paul_Burman">Paul Burman</a>
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Giveaway ends July 27, 2017.
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See the <a style="text-decoration: none;" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/244409">giveaway details</a>
at Goodreads.
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<a class="goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/244409">Enter Giveaway</a>
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</div><script src="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/widget/244409" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-81099229498993747432017-06-17T15:08:00.000+10:002017-06-21T15:12:51.425+10:00Thanks and Word of Mouth<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_1dv">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thanks
so much to everyone who helped launch <i>Night-night-Sleep Tight</i> and
everyone who's bought the book. Crime mystery/suspense novels seem to go
down well. Also thanks to those lovely people who've let me know how
much they enjoyed getting to know Meg Dapsy and reading her story.
Feedback like this makes writing worthwhile.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Word of mouth is
certainly what sells books - newspaper reviews have little impact - so
if you feel like posting a review on Goodreads and/or Amazon, etc that'd
be a tremendous help in reaching a wider audience and selling a few
more copies<span class="_47e3 _5mfr" title="smile emoticon"><span class="_7oe"></span></span> (available with free delivery in Australia from <a href="https://www.windeyepublishing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.windeyepublishing.com</a> or from online sellers/bookstores around the world).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Cheers.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com037 James St, Port Fairy VIC 3284, Australia-38.382456 142.23466800000006-63.904490499999994 100.92607400000006 -12.860421499999998 -176.45673799999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-27429629957365875512017-06-10T14:41:00.000+10:002017-06-21T15:04:44.335+10:00'Night-night, Sleep Tight' launching this evening at Blarney Books<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_1e3">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Psychological thriller <i>Night-night, Sleep Tight</i> will be launched
tonight (6:00pm onward) at Blarney Books as part of the Port Fairy
Winter Weekends Festival and Blarney's wonderful <i>2017 Biblio-Art Opening
& Awards</i> night. Looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it,
but know that time and distance will make it impossible for some. If
you can't get there and would like a copy, <a href="https://www.windeyepublishing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.windeyepublishing.com</a> will give free delivery in Australia and online shops around the world are also selling if you're outside of Oz.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
I always get a kick out of seeing my books for sale on foreign
websites, and particularly on Japanese ones, so here's a slice of
Amazon.jp's page page.</span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IHuiNNTDq6U/WUn-HXWDvxI/AAAAAAAAB8I/jv-tKHPljAcwoX5G2cAzJqEQEc5YZjqewCLcBGAs/s1600/Night-night%252C%2BSleepTight%2Bby%2BPaul%2BBurman%2BAmazon.co.jp.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Night-night, Sleep Tight - psychological thriller by Paul Burman" border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="950" height="291" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IHuiNNTDq6U/WUn-HXWDvxI/AAAAAAAAB8I/jv-tKHPljAcwoX5G2cAzJqEQEc5YZjqewCLcBGAs/s320/Night-night%252C%2BSleepTight%2Bby%2BPaul%2BBurman%2BAmazon.co.jp.jpg.jpg" title="Night-night, Sleep Tight for sale in Japan" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com037 James St, Port Fairy VIC 3284, Australia-38.382456 142.23466800000006-38.5817725 141.91194450000006 -38.183139499999996 142.55739150000005tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-26189357418196217912017-06-08T14:37:00.000+10:002017-06-21T14:38:38.474+10:00'Laundrette' performed this weekend in Port Fairy<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Members of the Port Fairy Theatre Group rehearsing my short comedy, <i>Laundrette</i>, which is one of seven plays being performed this weekend, as part of the Port Fairy Winter Weekends festival.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Port Fairy VIC 3284, Australia-38.3810122 142.22929069999998-38.5803287 141.90656719999998 -38.1816957 142.55201419999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-56841962014601636282017-06-01T14:27:00.000+10:002017-06-21T14:27:57.388+10:00Night-night, Sleep Tight - in the wild!<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yes, it's out there! It's been released! Into the wild! Today is publication day and <i>Night-night, Sleep Tight</i> is now available from booksellers around the world, and with free delivery in Australia direct from <a href="https://www.windeyepublishing.com/books/night-night-sleep-tight/" target="_blank">Windeye Publishing</a> (see their website for details). O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a89MV7VGrC0/WUn0zyXAazI/AAAAAAAAB7c/3cHuJmuwqaYNEwyLo6wjwFwY5gkLAiHWQCLcBGAs/s1600/20170601_144523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Night-night, Sleep Tight, by Paul Burman" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a89MV7VGrC0/WUn0zyXAazI/AAAAAAAAB7c/3cHuJmuwqaYNEwyLo6wjwFwY5gkLAiHWQCLcBGAs/s320/20170601_144523.jpg" title="Night-night, Sleep Tight - a psychological thriller by Paul Burman" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-590755399726749702017-05-28T13:36:00.000+10:002017-06-21T13:38:20.263+10:00Back cover and spine reveal for 'Night-night, Sleep Tight'<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XV6GDDlfPoA/WUnpQKATVWI/AAAAAAAAB7M/dphcCnQAjr0MsuR22gPllbPdoPULVROCwCLcBGAs/s1600/NnST%2Bback%2Bcover%2Band%2Bspine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Night-night, Sleep Tight by Paul Burman - a psychological thriller from Windeye Publishing" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1172" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XV6GDDlfPoA/WUnpQKATVWI/AAAAAAAAB7M/dphcCnQAjr0MsuR22gPllbPdoPULVROCwCLcBGAs/s320/NnST%2Bback%2Bcover%2Band%2Bspine.jpg" title="Night-night, Sleep Tight by Paul Burman" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night-night, Sleep Tight - a psychological thriller</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Back cover and spine reveal for 'Night-night, Sleep Tight'. Released by
Windeye Publishing this coming Thursday - 1st June, 2017.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-53676345826204355592017-05-13T07:00:00.000+10:002017-05-17T14:38:00.738+10:00doubleBig news<h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">New book, new publisher!</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Night-night, Sleep Tight</span></i> is a psychological thriller set against the backdrop of a vast, forested wilderness, and will be released for publication on 1st June, 2017 by Windeye Publishing.</span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Meg Dapsy’s family home has been destroyed in an arson attack. Her mother is dead and her father is missing, but Stella, the younger sister she’s always taken care of, has one secret too many… and it involves an old boyfriend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With suspicion falling on a group of militant Animal Rights activists, Meg has no doubt where the blame really lies.
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's been a while between novels, but having decided to say goodbye to my British publisher, I've followed much good advice and spent several months setting up my own independent publishing company: <a href="https://www.windeyepublishing.com/" target="_blank">Windeye Publishing</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wanting to get things absolutely right - in terms of interior book design, cover design, etc - and not wanting to risk another author's book on the first run, I decided to launch with <i>Night-night, Sleep Tight</i>. And I'm delighted with the result: it's everything I wished for.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's already available for pre-order as an ebook in the global marketplace (Amazon, Kobo, Apple, etc) and should be available for pre-order as a paperback before long.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you live in Australia, you can buy it direct from <a href="https://www.windeyepublishing.com/" target="_blank">Windeye</a> with free delivery, or, if you live in this part of Victoria, I'd love to see you at the launch, which will take place at <a href="https://www.blarneybooks.com.au/single-post/2017/04/16/BIBLIO-ART-2017" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blarney Books & Art</a> in Port Fairy on 10th June, 2017, from 6:00pm, as part of the 2017 Biblio-Art Opening and Awards night.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Across that same long, winter weekend in Port Fairy, my short play, <i>Laundrette</i>, will also be performed (premiered even) by the Port Fairy Theatre Group, along with 6 other plays. So it's tripleBig news really, I guess.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d99lH7ite2M/WRQtuLl23ZI/AAAAAAAAB6w/ffUmNRIdAqIOwunHRlLHScaiDM8AyZgpwCLcB/s1600/Night-night%252C%2BSleep%2BTight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d99lH7ite2M/WRQtuLl23ZI/AAAAAAAAB6w/ffUmNRIdAqIOwunHRlLHScaiDM8AyZgpwCLcB/s320/Night-night%252C%2BSleep%2BTight.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night-night, Sleep Tight</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-71443268058015920042017-03-27T13:21:00.001+11:002017-03-27T13:21:09.750+11:00The Woman on the Stairs by Bernhard Schlink<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33011212-the-woman-on-the-stairs" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Woman on the Stairs" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1479528646m/33011212.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33011212-the-woman-on-the-stairs">The Woman on the Stairs</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2894.Bernhard_Schlink">Bernhard Schlink</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1948710640">4 of 5 stars</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm a sucker for a flawed narrator, especially when the reader catches glimpses of those flaws ahead of the narrator's discovery of them in him or herself, but only as long as there's ample opportunity for redemption and the opportunities are eventually grasped. In part, these aspects drew me to the naive and unimaginative lawyer in Bernhard Schlink's wonderful <i>The Woman on the Stairs</i>: his inability to understand Irene Gundlach, the mysterious woman who modelled for the eponymous painting, coupled with his determination to be her shining knight - to 'save her' and have her love him... while failing to see that it was he who needed saving. Although his behaviour was a tad irritating at times (offset by the arrogance of both the artist and her ex-husband), the delightfully mellow narrative voice of this novel draws the reader along towards a beautiful, redemptive climax (albeit a far from expected one.) A rich novel.
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/308303-paul">View all my reviews</a></span></span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-48085509294562038492017-03-22T13:16:00.000+11:002017-03-27T13:22:06.790+11:00The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25661260-the-book-of-speculation" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Book of Speculation" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433404877m/25661260.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25661260-the-book-of-speculation">The Book of Speculation</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8475681.Erika_Swyler">Erika Swyler</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1948684284">4 of 5 stars</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Erika Swyler's <i>The Book of Speculation</i> is a delightful read. I entered its world after being disappointed by several other attempted reads (mainly novels by Booker Prize winners and short-listers) and found it to be a breath of fresh air. I particularly enjoy books that introduce hints of magic or that flirt with the surreal, without being too far-fetched and while remaining grounded in the 'ordinary every-day', and <i>The Book of Speculation</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>certainly satisfied this for me. Loved the two narratives - past and present - and the way they intertwined, and was quickly drawn to the characters (and their relationships) so that I wanted to see how each of their stories connected and played out. Nice one.
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/308303-paul">View all my reviews</a></span></span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-23375214193545255432017-01-22T12:20:00.000+11:002017-01-22T12:20:18.392+11:00Penguin ... butcher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7L2hR-LnswU/WIQIghlcWPI/AAAAAAAAB6A/GMqabThENc0K2VJnBe99fSLxrAClQ9BHgCLcB/s1600/Penguin%2BButcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7L2hR-LnswU/WIQIghlcWPI/AAAAAAAAB6A/GMqabThENc0K2VJnBe99fSLxrAClQ9BHgCLcB/s400/Penguin%2BButcher.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">This
shop sign conjures a range of graphic images. I recently came across it
in the beautiful, north-west Tasmanian town of Penguin.</span></span> </span></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-67520214224136812532016-11-25T19:21:00.000+11:002016-11-25T19:55:32.524+11:00Audio excerpts of Snowing and Greening and Grease Monkey online at The Narratives Library<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vMf1APUUNYs/WDf8fIMeYNI/AAAAAAAAB5g/5EW5rSrZG5Y6QPr_NGsShmGyHFjlU8OgACLcB/s1600/The%2BNarratives%2BLibrary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="93" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vMf1APUUNYs/WDf8fIMeYNI/AAAAAAAAB5g/5EW5rSrZG5Y6QPr_NGsShmGyHFjlU8OgACLcB/s320/The%2BNarratives%2BLibrary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A few years ago, I'd drive 70 km to work each day along a road that didn't see much traffic - just the occasional truck. Of an evening, I'd be extra careful driving home th<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ough, </span>because of the wildlife. An encounter with kangaroos could do serious damage all round as I once discovered on a different road when I managed a 180 degree spin and to wipe out two tyres just avoiding three roos that were a tad short of road sense. One dark night, I came across half a dozen sheep wandering down the road followed, a few minutes later, by a large koala sitting in the middle of the road ... as a truck bore down from behind. There was no shortage of trees waiting at the side of the road either, ready to scoop you up if you swerved too sharply. However, the biggest danger by far, after 12 years of doing this drive, was falling asleep, particularly when the sun was low, and so I'd try out different strategies to keep me alert and add interest to the journey. Unlike the fella I once saw driving towards me with a newspaper spread across the steering wheel, I came to particularly appreciate the value of radio, a good supply of CDs and audio books. They kept me sane.<br /><br />And so it was with more than a smattering of delight that I came across <a href="http://www.narrativeslibrary.com/" target="_blank">The Narratives Library</a> recently, and the opportunity to contribute a few audio recordings of my own.<br /><br />Set up by <a href="http://www.karenawynn-moylan.bravehost.com/" target="_blank">Karena Wynn-Moylan</a> in conjunction with <a href="http://bayfm.org/" target="_blank">Bay FM 99.9</a> and <a href="http://www.artscanvass.com/index.html" target="_blank">Arts Canvass</a>, which Karena presents each Thursday, The Narratives Library "provides a permanent, online resource for community radio stations, educational institutions, book clubs, writers and readers – anyone who is interested in books, stories and writing." Arranged into a variety of themes or categories, the library houses a growing collection of recordings of authors reading excerpts from their books.<br /><br /><i>The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore</i> and <i>The Grease Monkey's Tale</i> are both represented under <a href="http://www.narrativeslibrary.com/try-narratives-out/" target="_blank">Love, Romance, Sex & Relationships</a>. A further <i>Snowing and Greening</i> excerpt can be found under the <a href="http://www.narrativeslibrary.com/strange-and-fantastical/" target="_blank">Strange and Fantastical</a> category, and a second <i>Grease Monkey</i> reading is located in<a href="http://www.narrativeslibrary.com/crime-fiction-and-fact/" target="_blank"> Crime Fiction and Fact</a>.<br /><br />I hope you enjoy listening to these as much as I enjoyed making them.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-38885148759060031272016-10-27T12:16:00.002+11:002016-10-27T12:16:38.885+11:00SUBTITLES FOR NOVELS or A Shift in the Style of Writing Across One Hundred and Fifty Years<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Subtitles for novels have gone out of fashion, it seems. I can't recall a recent publication that's used one. And that's probably not such a bad thing. They seem to belong predominantly to that Victorian era where long, convoluted sentences were strung into long, convoluted paragraphs; each one intricately knotted together with so much punctuation that they somehow ended up resembling the crocheted sideboard runners and antimacassars of the day.<br /><br />Elizabeth Gaskell's MARY BARTON <span style="font-size: x-small;">(1848) </span>is subtitled <i>A Tale of Manchester Life</i>, while Flaubert's MADAME BOVARY <span style="font-size: x-small;">(1857)</span> is subtitled <i>A Story of Provincial Life</i>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL <span style="font-size: x-small;">(1843)</span> ran under the full title:</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A CHRISTMAS CAROL</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>In Prose</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Being</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A Ghost Story of Christmas</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A</span>nd HARD TIMES <span style="font-size: x-small;">(1854)</span> as HARD TIMES <i>For These Times</i>.<br /><br />Thomas Hardy was no slouch when it came to a solid subtitle either, with:</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">UNDER THE GREENWOOD TREE</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">or</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">THE MELLSTOCK QUIRE</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Rural Painting of the Dutch School<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (1872)</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Life and Death of the</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Story of a Man of Character <span style="font-size: x-small;">(1886)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Pure Woman</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Faithfully Presented By</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thomas Hardy<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (1891)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />While it's a maxim that didn't carry much weight in the nineteenth century, I suspect, authors today are urged to 'Show, don't tell,' and this may account not only for shorter, punchier sentences and less knotty punctuation - to say nothing of the shift in narrative voice - but also for the decline in subtitles. Of course, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">subtitles</span> still occasionally surfaced during the twentieth cent<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ury</span> and Hermann Hesse wasn't averse to using them, most notably with:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">THE GLASS BEAD GAME</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A tentative sketch of the life of</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Magister Ludi Joseph Knecht</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">together with</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Knecht's posthumous writings</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">edited by</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">HERMANN HESSE<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (1943)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A</span>lthough it could be argued that Hesse <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">used this a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s</span></span> an artistic <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">device</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">on this occasion in order to extend </span>the fiction.<br /><br />Which, no doubt, is what Kurt Vonnegut achieved in 1969<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, whe<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">n</span> he appear<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ed to </span></span>nail the subtitle once and for all.<br /> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">S<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">LAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">O<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">r</span> T<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">he</span> C<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hildren's</span> C<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">rusade</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>A Duty-dance with Death</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A fourth-generation German-American</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">now living in easy circumstances</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">on Cape Cod</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">[and smoking too much],</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">who, as an American infantry scout</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>hors de combat</i>,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">as a prisoner of war,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">witnessed the fire-bombing</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of Dresden, Germany,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'The Florence of the Elbe,'</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a long time ago,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and survived to tell the tale.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is a novel</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">somewhat in the telegraphi<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">c </span>schizophrenic</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">manner of tales</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of the planet Tralfamadore,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">where the flying saucers</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">come from.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Peace.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-65829403958482722132016-08-18T11:15:00.001+10:002016-08-18T11:15:53.470+10:00What's In A Novel's Title? Some Famous Alternatives<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It seems that a good book title is almost as important as a good book cover.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When my first publisher and editor at PaperBooks, Keirsten Clark, changed the title of <i>The Snowing and Greening of Tom Passmore</i> to <i>The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore</i>, it didn't take long to weigh up the benefits of having a more rhythmic metre to the title against the less formal use of his name. After all, my aim was to make the prose in this novel as lyrical as possible and, besides, the reader would soon find out, through reading his story, how his friends called him Tom and only officials and his estranged family called him Thomas. And so I happily went with it. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sometimes I've wondered whether <i>The Grease Monkey's Tale </i>wasn't catchy enough as a title and whether it might have reached a wider audience if it had been called something else - it certainly hasn't done as well as <i>Snowing and Greening</i> - but then I've never come up with an alternative title I like as much.<br /><br />With these thoughts in mind, I was interested to read <a href="https://www.jonkers.co.uk/blog/working-titles-of-famous-novels" target="_blank">this item at Jonkers Rare Books on <i>Working Titles of Famous Novels</i></a>. I can't imagine feeling the same way about <i>The Great Gatsby</i> if it had retained its original title: <i>Trimalchio in West Egg</i>. As for <i>1984</i>...</span></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J_hvRj7O04E/V7UKUnpU6KI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/0NVuk_pWa4E8rN1PYoNic3dqfcsYtGangCLcB/s1600/The%2BGreat%2BGastby%2B-%2BTrimalchio%2Bin%2BWest%2BEgg%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J_hvRj7O04E/V7UKUnpU6KI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/0NVuk_pWa4E8rN1PYoNic3dqfcsYtGangCLcB/s320/The%2BGreat%2BGastby%2B-%2BTrimalchio%2Bin%2BWest%2BEgg%2Bcopy.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-14806342458924090702016-06-11T14:14:00.000+10:002016-06-14T14:15:05.764+10:00A Second Run for Virtual Reality<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jmlGWjJVTIk/V1-D6XPGTqI/AAAAAAAAB4A/xvyYGmGh4x4kX85xYJ1fsif2ifmAZp06QCKgB/s1600/Port%2BFairy%2BWinter%2BWeekends%2B2016%2B-%2BVirtual%2BReality%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jmlGWjJVTIk/V1-D6XPGTqI/AAAAAAAAB4A/xvyYGmGh4x4kX85xYJ1fsif2ifmAZp06QCKgB/s320/Port%2BFairy%2BWinter%2BWeekends%2B2016%2B-%2BVirtual%2BReality%2Bcopy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Pleased to announce that, following the three sell-out performances
of one act plays last February, Port Fairy Theatre Group have chosen to
present my comedy, <i>Virtual Reality</i>, once again, but this time as part
of the Winter Weekend festivities. It'll be a two-play evening on this
occasion, with <i>Garbage</i>, the accompanying play, and will be performed
at the Lecture Hall theatre on the evening of Saturday 23rd July and
afternoon of Sunday 24th July.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> The seven weekends of win<span class="text_exposed_show">ter
festivities began last night with exhibitions, films, concerts, light
projections around the town and a few glasses of mulled wine. Further
details of all activities across each of the weekends can be found at <a href="http://www.portfairywinterweekends.com.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.portfairywinterweekends.com.au/</a> .</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Tickets for the plays are available via the website, the Visitor
Information Centre and possibly on the door (although they sold out
ahead of the evening last time). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Depending on where you live: Break a leg! Merde! or Chookas!</span><br />
<br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-12670078256322147712016-05-31T10:13:00.001+10:002016-05-31T10:13:09.302+10:00Writers Victoria Salon in Warrnambool - Invitation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-snvXoT9kGJY/V0zWxleZyhI/AAAAAAAAB3s/opytHEYecFA32hse8O3gQxlFZBzfZS29wCLcB/s1600/The%2BSalon%2B-%2BWriters%2BVictoria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-snvXoT9kGJY/V0zWxleZyhI/AAAAAAAAB3s/opytHEYecFA32hse8O3gQxlFZBzfZS29wCLcB/s320/The%2BSalon%2B-%2BWriters%2BVictoria.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Writers Victoria extends an invitation to local writers, which I happily pass on:</span></span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Join us in Warrnambool as we invoke the grand tradition of literary
salons without the pretence. Share your work or success stories in our
two-minute rapid fire Speed Celebration, delight in conversation with
fellow writers and enjoy a brief talk from visiting author Leanne Hall.</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Salon is FREE but <a href="https://writersvictoria.org.au/civicrm/event/info?id=72&reset=1" target="_blank">bookings</a> are essential."</span></span> </blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-61674053044708190282016-02-10T16:57:00.000+11:002016-02-10T16:58:36.360+11:00First Five - A Season of Short Plays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Xawkc5KSe8/VrrN_9_lC4I/AAAAAAAAB3Q/StFVfeN5BVE/s1600/First%2BFive%2B2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Xawkc5KSe8/VrrN_9_lC4I/AAAAAAAAB3Q/StFVfeN5BVE/s320/First%2BFive%2B2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The last time I wrote a play for performance was when I was a student at Kingston Poly in London, reading Literature, History, Philosophy, Politics... that sort of thing. I didn't actually write the entire play, but was part of a group of budding authors who all contributed, under the mentorship of playwright and writer-in-residence, Olwen Wymark. She listened to our ideas, interpreted them, gave them shape and ultimately did the bulk of the writing. We ended up with a play called <i>The Encounter</i>, about an Encounter Group meeting which is busted by the police, and I don't remember much more about it than that, except I was somehow conned into performing the role of a detective during its performance.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Last year, however, a few other writers and myself were invited to each write a short, one act play for the Port Fairy Theatre Group. I hadn't a clue what I'd end up with when I agreed, but certainly didn't think it'd turn out as a comedy, nor that my interpretation of 'short' was a little longer than other people's interpretations. Be that as it may, <i>Virtual Reality</i> and four other plays are being performed in the Port Fairy Lecture Hall, Sackville Street, on Friday 26th February (7:30 pm), Saturday 27th February (7:30 pm) and Sunday 28th February (2:00 pm). Tickets available from the Visitor Information Centre or online from <a href="http://trybooking.com/KGSD">Trybooking.com/KGSD</a>. Further details <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">above</span>.</span></span><br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-18876624753269374512016-02-06T15:49:00.000+11:002016-02-10T15:50:02.899+11:00Two Narratives About To Collide!<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Intertextuality in a cartoon.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-71df550I32c/VrrBVvMvbsI/AAAAAAAAB3A/tJzBiS3C64o/s1600/Sisyphus%2BMeets%2BIndiana%2BJones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-71df550I32c/VrrBVvMvbsI/AAAAAAAAB3A/tJzBiS3C64o/s320/Sisyphus%2BMeets%2BIndiana%2BJones.jpg" width="275" /></a></span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-8069255971807196622016-01-23T15:42:00.001+11:002016-01-23T15:42:54.898+11:00Once Upon A Land In A Time Far, Far Away<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NB8gEUEvLOA/VqL-qsRUspI/AAAAAAAAB20/buCtD72NevM/s1600/Once%2BUpon%2Ba%2BLand%2B-%2BPaul%2BBurman%2B2016.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NB8gEUEvLOA/VqL-qsRUspI/AAAAAAAAB20/buCtD72NevM/s320/Once%2BUpon%2Ba%2BLand%2B-%2BPaul%2BBurman%2B2016.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What makes the best first sentence for a novel?<br /><br />Authors and publishers strive for openings that hook the reader and start reeling them in: the first sentence, the first paragraph, the first page... all the way through to the last line. But while there are many ways of casting that first sentence, it isn't unusual for an author to start a story by acknowledging there is no such place as a beginning.<br /><br />George Eliot does precisely this with the opening motto to <i>Daniel Deronda</i> (1876): <b>'Men can do nothing without the make-believe of a beginning.'</b><br /><br />And Graham Greene has his narrator, Maurice Bendrix, begin <i>The End of the Affair </i>(1951) with the observation: <b>'A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look forward.'</b> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Such statements might be seen as leaning towards the Dear Reader equivalent of breaking the fourth wall, but Italo Calvino embraces this element of metafiction with the decisiveness of a sledge hammer in his opening sentence to <i>If on a Winter's Night a Traveller </i>(1979): <b>'You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel, If on a winter's night a traveler.'</b> Smash!<br /><br />Alexandre Dumas, père, knew how to string out a sentence, and though it may well have appealed to a nineteenth century reader, at 148 words, the opening to <i>The Black Tulip [La Tulipe Noir]</i> (1850) may feel torturous to modern readers:<b> 'On the 20th August, 1672, the city of the Hague, always so lively, so neat, and so trim that one might believe every day to be Sunday, with its shady park, with its tall trees, spreading over its Gothic houses, with its canals like large mirrors, in which its steeples and its almost Eastern cuppolas are reflected, - the city of the Hague, the capital of the Seven United Provinces, was swelling in all its arteries with a black and red stream of hurried, panting and restless citizens, who, with their knives in their girdles, muskets on their shoulders, or sticks in their hands, were pushing on to the Buytenhof, a terrible prison, the grated windows of which are still shown, where, on the charge of attempted murder preferred against him by the surgeon Tyckelaer, Cornelius de Witt, the brother of the Grand Pensionary of Holland was confined.'</b><br /><br />Charles Dickens was no slack when it came to long sentences either, but at least the opening of <i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> (1859) draws on rhetoric and rhythm as bait for the hook:<b> 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.' </b><br /><br />Of course, art borrows from art, builds on it, gives the occasional nod to what's come before, and Alfred Bester's <i>The Stars My Destination </i>(1956) appears to doff its hat to <i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> with its first paragraph: <b>'This was a Golden Age, a time of high adventure, rich living, and hard dying... but nobody thought so. This was a future of fortune and theft, pillage and rapine, culture and vice... but nobody admitted it. This was an age of extremes, a fascinating century of freaks... but nobody loved it.'</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Bible has provided one or two memorable lines across the centuries, but the opening of the <i>Book of John</i> (New Testament) builds on a sentence stem that remains popular to this day: <b>'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’</b> Literature offers many variations of this simple opening (<b>From the very beginning... Ever since the beginning... It began with...</b>), although Hermann Hesse directly references the Bible (and possibly takes a stab at it) in opening <i>Peter Camenzind </i>(1904) with: <b>'In the beginning was the myth.'</b><br /><br />Articles about first lines in novels are not uncommon, although most of these tend to draw their examples from such a limited pool of classics that it’s now possible to recognise where they originate without ever having read the novel in question. For example, few people would fail to recognise the source of <b>'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife' </b>or <b>'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.'</b><br /><br />On the whole, novelists seem to favour first sentences that establish either a sense of place, situation and character, or that create intrigue through ambiguity. John Fowles chooses the former in <i>The Magus</i> (1966/1977):<b> 'I was born in 1927, the only child of middle class parents, both English, and themselves born in the grotesquely elongated shadow, which they never rose sufficiently above history to leave, of that monstrous dwarf Queen Victoria.' </b>As does Khaled Hosseini in <i>The Kite Runner</i> (2003): <b>'I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975.'</b> It can also be seen in Nick Hornby's<i> How to be Good</i> (2001):<b> 'I am in a car park in Leeds when I tell my husband I don't want to be married to him anymore.' </b> And in Sarah Waters' <i>Fingersmith</i> (2002):<b> 'My name, in those days, was Susan Trinder.'</b> While in <i>Tirra Lirra by the River</i> (1978), Jessica Anderson establishes the particular, if only to dismiss it: <b>'I arrive at the house wearing a suit - greyish, it doesn't matter.'</b> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It would be a surprise if Kurt Vonnegut's <i>Slaughterhouse-Five </i>(1969) began in any other way than with an ambiguity:<b> 'All this happened, more or less.'</b> And the first line to <i>The Go-Between </i>(1953) by L.P.Hartley remains a favourite in this category: <b>'The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.'</b> But perhaps the most effective first lines are those which both establish a sense of place, situation and character at the same time as creating a keen intrigue.<br /><br />Mark Haddon achieves this in <i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time</i> (2003), not so much with the opening sentence (<b>'It was 7 minutes after midnight.'</b>), but by choosing to begin the novel with Chapter 2 rather than Chapter 1. <br /><br />Ralph Ellison's opening<b> 'I am an invisible man'</b> is powerful, except the impact on the reader is somewhat diminished for this information having already been revealed in the book's title: <i>Invisible Man</i> (1952).<br /><br />But one of the most effective opening sentences of all time, as far as using a range of strategies to hook the reader, still belongs to Franz Kafka's <i>Metamorphosis [Die Verwandlung] </i>(1915):<b> 'When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect.'</b><br /><br />While Charles Bukowski creates a memorable first line in <i>Post Office</i> (1971) with<b> 'It began as a mistake'</b>, it is the final paragraph of this novel that remains one of my favourites, and although final paragraphs don't generate as much publicity as first lines - after all, the reader has been well and truly reeled in by that point - it seems an appropriate, Happy Ever After place to end this particular piece:<b> 'In the morning it was morning and I was still alive. Maybe I'll write a novel, I thought. And then I did.'</b> <br /><br />Happy reading!</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-81973605842460154272015-12-21T14:32:00.000+11:002016-01-05T14:34:08.655+11:00The Big Questions<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">One of the things I love about literature is its ability to ask the big questions in life.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> This from Cyanide & Happiness (<a href="http://explosm.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">explosm.net</a>) has got me in a state of existential angst out of empathy for gingerbread people everywhere.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_1bVXcgP9nY/Vos5G4-pRPI/AAAAAAAAB2g/Ykz1MuPQqQs/s1600/Cyanide%2B%2526%2BHappiness%2B%2528Explosm.net%2529%2B2015-12-20%2BKris%2BWilson.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_1bVXcgP9nY/Vos5G4-pRPI/AAAAAAAAB2g/Ykz1MuPQqQs/s320/Cyanide%2B%2526%2BHappiness%2B%2528Explosm.net%2529%2B2015-12-20%2BKris%2BWilson.png" width="270" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-40481593110385533532015-12-04T14:17:00.000+11:002016-01-05T14:27:02.031+11:00Bad Sex awards (continued)<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And the winner of the Bad Sex in Fiction Award is... well, I'll let you check out the <a href="https://literaryreview.co.uk/bad-sex-in-fiction-award" target="_blank">Literary Review's site</a> for yourself.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> It would be interesting to know whether this award boosts sales of the nominated books or not. Hmm, I wonder.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OJZEIKFC9JA/Vos3MrODwRI/AAAAAAAAB2U/dQzdxpmbh6o/s1600/Bad%2BSex%2Bawards%2BLiteraryReview.co.uk.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OJZEIKFC9JA/Vos3MrODwRI/AAAAAAAAB2U/dQzdxpmbh6o/s320/Bad%2BSex%2Bawards%2BLiteraryReview.co.uk.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-67513714260900469582015-11-30T09:44:00.000+11:002015-11-30T09:44:04.431+11:00Good sex, bad sex<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Good sex can be hard to write, or so it seems. It's certainly hard to
please the critics, but then everyone probably has a different idea of
what a good sex scene looks like, sounds like, reads like, feels like.
It's become increasingly difficult to write sex in a novel without being
mindful of the Bad Sex in Fiction Awards, and to not tremble at the
knees slightly... in anticipation of being damned. These aren't quite
the literary equivalent of the Darwin Awards, although they might feel
that way to some authors. Nonetheless, there's usually a fair bit of
purple prose floundering about in the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/bad-sex-in-fiction-award-2015-excerpts-morrissey-leads-nominations-with-cringeworthy-list-of-the-a6738201.html#gallery" target="_blank">nominated extracts</a>, and they're
always good for a read. Enjoy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099666866629504207.post-55630473039592766722015-08-07T10:25:00.001+10:002015-08-07T10:25:39.031+10:00Angela Carter - always fireworks<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Angela Carter is one of those writers I keep coming back to. I love the rich density of her prose. <i>The Company of Wolves</i> is one of my all-time favourite short stories. Her prose is like reading the best poetry. Not the sort of poetry that seems deliberately inaccessible, as if this somehow proves a poet's worth, but because her sentences - her paragraphs - allow themselves to be peeled back, like a lover's clothes, layer after layer, to reveal the finest, most delicate of truths.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I recently highlighted this final paragraph from her short story <i>A Souvenir of Japan</i>, which appears in the <i>Fireworks</i> anthology:</span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So we lived under a disorientated moon which was as angry a purple as if the sky had bruised its eye, and, if we made certain genuine intersections, these only took place in darkness. His contagious conviction that our love was unique and desperate infected me with an anxious sickness; soon we would learn to treat one another with the circumspect tenderness of comrades who are amputees, for we were surrounded by the most moving images of evanescence, fireworks, morning glories, the old, children. But the most moving of these images were the intangible reflections of ourselves we saw in one another's eyes, reflections of nothing but appearances, in a city dedicated to seeming, and, try as we might to possess the essence of each other's otherness, we would inevitably fail. </span></span></blockquote>
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