Your Gaela horoscope for the week … by Kim Falconer

Visit Kim Falconer's website!

Kim’s tip: Think of what you consider ‘impossible’, then think again!

RAM: Sometimes we reject things because we fail to understand them. Consider where you may be discarding the greatest opportunity of your life! “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” – Decca Recording Company after hearing the Beatles’ in 1962

AUROCHS: Your talents and resources are buried treasures. You have to look beneath the surface and bring them up. “Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You’re crazy.” This was said by the drillers Edwin Drake wanted to hire for his oil project in 1859

TWINS: There is something to express yet you hold back. It might be resistance to vulnerability, or simply the belief that your words will not be well received. Either way, silence is no ally anymore. “Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?”—asked by Warner Brothers in 1927

COBRA: Do you think there is only one way to get from A to B? Consider a new methodology to create what you want. “The horse is here to stay; the automobile is only a novelty.” –Michigan Savings Bank President, 1903, advising against investment in Ford Motors.

LION: Dismissing the suggestion of a friend or partner may not only lead to animosity but a missed opportunity. The telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value.” Western Union internal memo, 1876

CERES: There are things that you want to experience and it may seem like no one supports them. Remember, if it’s meaningful to you, it is meaningful. There is no reason why anyone would want a computer in their home.” Statement by Ken Olson, president of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977

BALENCIA: You may have thought your life was big enough, but things change. Consider expanding your range of motion, physically, creatively and financially. As a Boeing engineer said after the first flight of the 247, (a twin engine plane that carried ten people), said, “There will never be a bigger plane built.”

SCORPION: Power is about energy. Are you using all of yours? You have the power within you to create. Don’t underestimate it. “There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be available. It would mean the atom would have to be shattered at will.” – Albert Einstein, 1932.

ARCHER: Relationships can be based on what the other person thinks should make you happy. Basically, they have no idea. Consider concentrating on your own needs, and they on theirs. You might start by letting go of words like should or ought or this is enough. “640K ought to be enough for anybody.” – Bill Gates, 1981

SEA-GOAT: Intuition is a remarkable thing, unless drowned out by gremlins. Consider a second opinion if you find yourself pulling out of a project. “I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not me.” -Gary Cooper choosing not to take the leading role in Gone With The Wind.

WATER-BEARER: How much weight do you give the opinions of others? Letting them decide ? As a Yale professor said of a student’ paper proposing a national overnight delivery service, “The concept is interesting, but in order to earn better than a C (pass), the idea must be feasible.” The student went on to found the US Federal Express Corporation.

FISHES: Nothing is forbidden. Nothing is beyond reach. It is by going outside the boundaries that new understanding is gained. “The abdomen, chest, and brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the surgeon”. Sir John Ericksen, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria, 1873

Kim Falconer lives in Byron Bay with two gorgeous black cats. As well as her author website‚ she runs an astrology forum and alternative science site‚ trains with a sword and is completing a Masters Degree. Her novel writing is done early every morning. Currently she’s working on the Quantum Encryption Series, the follow up to the Quantum Enchantment trilogy!

Chapter three of Stormlord Rising

In a dry land, water is gold ...

Read Chapter One
Read Chapter Two

Chapter Three
Scarpen Quarter
Scarcleft City
Scarcleft Hall, Level 2

Lord Taquar Sardonyx looked up from his desk, frowning. It was late, it was cold, and he had been about to go to bed. In fact, he’d been wondering whether to ask his steward to fetch him a woman. That pretty new servant girl, for example. Eighteen, wistfully innocent and adoring — she would do. And yet … he glanced at the painting he had mounted on the wall. Terelle’s painting. A waterpainting once, until the earthquake had separated the paint from the water. Now it lacked a little of the life it must have once had, but still the figure leaped at him out of the paint.

Taquar, Highlord of Scarcleft, driving a pede.

She had captured everything he liked to think he possessed: the aura of power, the ruthlessness, the strength, the commanding stature, and of course the sensuality. But more than that, she had painted something of herself into the work: her fear of him, her fear of her attraction to him. Every time he looked at it, he cursed the earthquake that had enabled her to escape. Watergiver, what a lover she would have made! All she’d needed was the awakening, and he could have stirred her senses so easily. Stupidly, he had thought her not ready. And now, whenever he took another woman to bed, he thought of what he had missed, and cursed again. Innocence and the promise of initiating a maiden’s sexual awakening — it intrigued him every time, and rarely disappointed. A victim either learned to match his passion or shivered in fear. Either way, he enjoyed the result.

He’d sent people out looking for her, of course, once he realised she had escaped. Unfortunately it had been a day before they had cleared away enough of the rubble along the passage to her room to see that she was not dead or trapped, but missing. Even then, he’d assumed she was still in the city. Now, five days later and thanks to his seneschal’s investigations, he knew better.

The Shadow Knows …

by Kim Falconer

I learned a lot about ‘evil’ in the summer of 1981. My eyes were opened to its purpose at a conference in Berkeley California where a Jungian analyst talked about the Shadow. She said when it comes to storytelling, ‘evil’ is the author’s best friend. It moves the story forward, forces characters to grow, allows for heroic acts and takes readers to the edge of their seats.

Tolkien says it like this . . . things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling . . . The Hobbit.

If we want to have a ‘good deal of telling’ we best know make friends with ‘evil.’

'Lilith as a Shadow figure.' H R Giger from Necronomicon 2 Edition C Zurich, 1985

Jung defines ‘evil’ as an element of our shadow—a part of our unconscious that is hidden from us. The shadow can be very confronting to experience in ourselves so we project it onto others or art/film/ literature. It evokes powerful emotional reactions like loathing and disgust because it contains the unwanted and disowned material of our psyche. Yet like the banished Lilith, getting to know the shadow is an opportunity for wholeness.

We see this process in fairytale like the ones where the miller (or farmer) has lost his fortune. Just when the story stagnates and nothing more can happen, the Shadow appears. He’s often a dwarf or cripple, hideous or distorted in some way. He steps in and offers to make a ‘deal’. He’ll help the hero if only he promises to give him what’s behind the barn, or out by the shed. The hero thinks what could be there but a rake or an old bucket? And so he agrees. Now up go the stakes because behind the barn at that moment is the miller’s son, or out by the shed is his baby daughter.

A similar shadow image is seen when Bilbo Baggins loses his way under the mountain. He doesn’t know what to do until he meets Gollum—a loathsome damaged creature. They play the riddle game (a deadly deal) and Bilbo wins but like the miller, what is given up is irreplaceable—for the miller it’s his true creative worth and in the case of Mr Bilbo Baggins, it’s his integrity.

The shadow appeals to the hero’s lack of self-worth or direction. Once the deal is struck, the story can move forward again because our hero has to figure out how to get his child back, or redeem himself (which the Hobbits never quite do as it is Gollum in the end who finally destroys the ring). As the saying goes, the shadow knows .. .

Part two will look at other personifications of ‘evil’ in storytelling. If you have a favourite villain or shadow figure you love to hate, please share it with us here.

Kim Falconer lives in Byron Bay with two gorgeous black cats. Her latest book is Strange Attractors, the third book in the Quantum Enchantment series, and it is out now in bookshops across Australia and New Zealand. As well as her author website‚ she runs an astrology forum and alternative science site‚ trains with a sword and is completing a Masters Degree. Her novel writing is done early every morning. Currently she’s working on the Quantum Encryption Series.

Gaela-style horoscopes from Kim Falconer: Feb 2- 8

 

Visit Kim Falconer's website for more!

RAM: The power of optimism surrounds you. All you have to do is reach out for it and take hold. Consider what it is you truly want to create and think about it with intensity! “There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life”. - Federico Fellini

AUROCHS: You may look for evidence of love in concrete form, finding only insinuations, cryptic phrases and half-comprehended subtleties. Perhaps you are using the wrong medium to discover the truth. Love is blind. That is why he always proceeds with the sense of touch. – French Proverb

TWINS: Often we do not know what we are truly feeling about a situation until we take the next step. Hesitation comes in when we think too much—so don’t think too much! …then I did the simplest thing in the world. I leaned in and kissed him. And the world cracked open. -Agnes de Mille

COBRA: Too much talk and not enough action may keep you from experiencing the most sensual, non-verbal aspects of life. Love is not about the mind, unless you’re contemplating tantra. The anticipation of touch more than anything else is one of the most potent sensations on earth.- Richard J. Finch

LION: Looking for someone special in your life doesn’t begin ‘out there’. It doesn’t end ‘out there’ either. Curiously, physicists think there is no ‘out there’ at all! The special other lies within. We all do ‘do, re, mi,’ but you have got to find the other notes yourself. -Louis Armstrong

CERES: Everyone has crummy memories. We all have baggage from the past. The distinction lies in what we choose to dwell on—where we place our hearts. Oh my heart feels like a spring, and next to it lies my old deep sullen well; let it, I’m not drawing from it these days.-Rilke

BALENCIA: Much focus is on image right now: how to look, what to do, topics of conversation, places to go, people to see. None of it matters to love as the heart contains a world of different things. At this point in my life I’d like to live as if only love mattered. -Tracy Chapman

SCORPION: Communication come in many forms—from the subtle meaning between the lines of a text to the solid foundations of a mathematical equation. Some messages have a different flavour. In order to love simply, it is necessary to know how to show love.- Fyodor Dostoyevsky

ARCHER: It is nonsense to think that love is a singular concept encased in a single heart. Love is energy, incalculable, eternal—voracious in its longing for life, unforgettable in its expression. What are you waiting for?  A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. – Erin Majors

SEA-GOAT: Falling in love is mania—not clinical madness but feelings that allow you to marinate in ecstasy. You’ll sigh, daydream and weary your friends. Confusion sets in as you miss appointments and not care because the soul awakens to love. I feel again a spark of that ancient flame. -Virgil

WATER-BEARER: Love is not always a soothing balm made up like a bed with fresh sheets. Sometimes it is a storm, a wild wind that blows our minds before reason. Perhaps you need to let it? I have never heard your name without a shiver half of delight, half of anxiety….-Edgar Allan Poe

FISHES: Part of the uncertainty of love is in knowing that we see not the mortal flesh and blood human being but the ineffable energy of the divine. Love is the way we touch the gods. For us, it is not easy to approach Goddesses in the beauty of their form. But you …. -Sappho

Kim Falconer lives in Byron Bay with two gorgeous black cats. As well as her author website‚ she runs an astrology forum and alternative science site‚ trains with a sword and is completing a Masters Degree. Her novel writing is done early every morning. Currently she’s working on the Quantum Encryption Series.

Profisize to winn a kopi ov Spellwright!

In February one of the most hotly anticipated new stars of fantasy delivers his first novel: Spellwright.

Blake Charlton has already attracted praise from some of the biggest names in fantasy fiction including Tad Williams, Robin Hobb and Kevin J. Anderson, for his highly original and engaging debut.

Set in a fantasy world where language holds extraordinary power, this book is perfect for fans of Robin Hobb and Tad Williams.

When language holds extraordinary power ... you want to get your spelling right!

In a world where words can come to life, an inability to spell can be a dangerous thing. And no one knows this better than apprentice wizard Nicodemus Weal.

Nicodemus is a cacographer, unable to reproduce even simple magical texts without ‘misspelling’ – a mistake which can have deadly consequences. He was supposed to be the Halcyon, a magic-user of unsurpassed power, destined to save the world; instead he is restricted to menial tasks, and mocked for his failure to live up to the prophecy.

But not everyone interprets prophecy in the same way. There are some factions who believe a cacographer such as Nicodemus could hold great power – power that might be used as easily for evil as for good. And when two of the wizards closest to Nicodemus are found dead, it becomes clear that some of those factions will stop at nothing to find the apprentice and bend him to their will…

’Nicodemus Weal is a protagonist that all of us can identify with. SPELLWRIGHT is a letter-perfect story: an absorbing read and recommended.’ Robin Hobb

Voyager is giving readers the chance to win one of five copies. For your chance to win simply answer the following question in 25 words or less:

What is your prophecy for 2010 and why? You can either email your answer to voyager@harpercollins.com.au (putting ‘Spellwright’ in the subject) or post a comment here.

Terms and conditions are here. The competition is only open to Australian residents.

 

Kim Falconer’s Astro-Mojo Jan 26-Feb 1

Full Moon TIMES: Jan 30 17:18 SYD, 06:18 UT, 01:18 NY, 22:18 (29th) LA

RAM: If you become officious and overbearing, quarrels could ensue. What is it you want to keep in control? “If there is anything we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.” – Carl Jung

AUROCHS: The full moon shines on your domestic life, lighting up family rituals and intimate relationships. If your home world is authentic, you’ll love it; if not, there’ll be a message that something isn’t right and needs adjusting. Life is a combination of magic and pasta. – Federico Fellini

TWINS: This full moon highlights your capacity to communicate by using the written or spoken word. Much creativity can blossom now. Give me a condor’s quill! Give me Vesuvius’ crater for an inkstand! …To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme. - Herman Melville

COBRA: Disputes erupt over possessions, money or financial obligations it you aren’t ultra independent in these areas of life. What belongs to whom may also be in question. Hint: Only that which cannot be lost in a shipwreck is yours. – Al-Ghazzali

LION: The full moon translates into vibrant energy for you, and lots of it. This is a great time to exert your sense of adventure and dare to begin afresh. If it feels like a risk, take it! There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don’t know. – Ambrose Bierce

CERES: This week offers you a journey behind the veil. Those who study the occult, meditate, practice yoga or martial arts are best fit to travel. The Great Way is gateless, Approached by a thousand paths. Pass through this barrier, You walk freely in the universe. - Zen Teaching

BALENCIA: A dilemma erupts this full moon leaving you torn between accommodating others and asserting your will over them. The trick is finding a balance. We only become what we are by the radical and deep seated refusal of that which others have made of us. – Jean Paul Sartre

SCORPION: Most see what they are taught to see, and stepping beyond that smacks of the Emperor’s New Clothes. So, what’s he wearing? It is one of the commonest mistakes to consider that the limit of our power of perception is also the limit of all there is to perceive. – C.W. Leadbeater

ARCHER: This full moon offers dreams and visions that are the scaffolding of your future. If you expand your mind to embrace a wider range of possibilities you will immediately have greater potential! Remember: There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds. – Gilbert K. Chesterton

SEA-GOAT: This full moon can act as a trigger for long term transits. That means you could be filled with some sudden and unexpected events, particularly in the area of joint ventures and partnerships. Prepare by bracing for impact. Buckle up Dorothy because Kansas is going bye bye. – Matrix

WATER-BEARER: News comes in a rush forcing you to make a choice involving a friend. Stop first to engage with what that friend means to you.  Each friend represents a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. – Anais Nin

FISHES: This full moon awakens existential angst left over from the days when you didn’t know what you were doing. Now you do, so make sure you remind yourself of it frequently. Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you’re alive it isn’t. – Richard Bach

Kim Falconer lives in Byron Bay with two gorgeous black cats. As well as her author website‚ she runs an astrology forum and alternative science site‚ trains with a sword and is completing a Masters Degree. Her novel writing is done early every morning. Currently she’s working on the Quantum Encryption Series.

Kim Falconer: A Piece of Lilith’s Heart

Lilith - Ancient Sumerian Tablet. Lilith with two owls and two lions (circa 2000 BC)

Into the night,
Into the dark . . .
The greater mysteries await.
Kreshkali in The Spell of Rosette

The dark goddesses were a gateway to the great mysteries. A symbol of the sacred feminine, they were honoured, respected and revered. Temple priestesses initiated men into the sacred rights. It was a boon to participate, but as patriarchal cultures conquered those worshiping the Great Mother, the sacred feminine was subjugated and cast out.

Where did she go?

Jung would say she was relegated to the unconscious of both men and women, and not with very positive results. As the saying goes, what we resist persists and the figure of the demonized feminine is alive and well in mythology, folklore and contemporary fiction . . . like Kreshkali.

I didn’t have the ancient goddess Lilith in mind when Kreshkali jumped into the story—I had nothing in mind; she wrote herself—but on reflection she has much in common with the ancient Mesopotamian goddess even though they are from vastly different times.

Kreshkali lives in a 24th century post-apocalyptic Earth where women are persecuted by a totalitarian government. Technology is failing, the oceans dying, tectonic plates shifting. She’s a hardcore survivor though, studying the occult by day and whoring for water by night. Prostitution is the only occupation opened to an unattached female; drinking water the only currency. Lilith lived in earlier times though her life was similarly oppressed.

Ancient Lilith sprang up in Sumer thousands of years BCE. The handmaiden of Inanna, she brought men to the temple for initiation into the sacred rights. Once beautiful, potent and wise, she became demonized as the goddess cults were subsumed. By the time she appears in Cabalistic text, she is the first wife of Adam, a devouring monster who was outcast because she would not submit to him—specifically she would not lie beneath him in sex saying she was his equal. God expelled from the garden and Eve was created from Adams rib (in hopes of a more compliant mate). Both Lilith and Kreshkali were feared and persecuted. As an image of our ‘collective shadow’ they are scapegoats—the despised ‘other’.

Lilith and Kreshkali are alone. They have no mate to explore their worlds with, no sisters to practice their ritual magic, and no creative offspring. In some versions of myth God condemns Lilith to birth one hundred demons a day that she must then kill with her bare hands. Not surprisingly, these outcast women can harbour some bitterness. But to those who gain their trust, they are powerful allies, a source of strength in the search for wholeness. There is something deeply magical about them, as well as deadly.

Perhaps in writing Kreshkali, I was seeking to reinstate the compelling, mystical, potent, sexual and self-determining qualities of the sacred feminine. I know that many readers love her, honour her, and that is fulfilling on more than a personal level. It feels like something in the collective has been redeemed.

Do you have a favourite female character who carries a piece of Lilith’s heart? I’d love to hear about her!

Kim Falconer lives in Byron Bay with two gorgeous black cats. As well as her author website‚ she runs an astrology forum and alternative science site‚ trains with a sword and is completing a Masters Degree. Her novel writing is done early every morning. Currently she’s working on the Quantum Encryption Series.

Congratulations to all the Aurealis winners!

best science fiction novel

Andrew McGahan, Wonders of a Godless World, Allen & Unwin

best science fiction short story

Peter M. Ball, ‘Clockwork, Patchwork and Ravens’, Apex Magazine May 2009

best fantasy novel

Trudi Canavan, Magician’s Apprentice, Orbit

best fantasy short story

Christopher Green, ‘Father’s Kill’, Beneath Ceaseless Skies #24

AND

Ian McHugh, ‘Once a Month, On a Sunday’, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #40, Andromeda Spaceways Publishing Co-operative Ltd

best horror novel

Honey Brown, Red Queen, Penguin Australia

best horror short story

Paul Haines, ‘Wives’, X6, Coeur de Lion Publishing AND ‘Slice of Life – A Spot of Liver’, Slice of Life, The Mayne Press

best anthology

Jonathan Strahan (editor), Eclipse 3, Night Shade Books

best collection

Greg Egan, Oceanic, Gollancz

best illustated book/graphic novel

Nathan Jurevicius, Scarygirl, Allen & Unwin

best young adult novel

Scott Westerfeld, Leviathan Trilogy: Book One, Penguin

best young adult short story

Cat Sparks, ‘Seventeen’, Masques, CSFG

best children’s novel

Gabrielle Wang, A Ghost in My Suitcase, Puffin Books

best children’s illustrated work/picture book

Pamela Freeman (author), Kim Gamble (illustrator), Victor’s Challenge, Walker Books Australia

Gregory Rogers, The Hero of Little Street, Allen & Unwin

Good luck to all the Aurealis finalists tonight!

Here’s the list of shortlisted books/authors …

best science fiction novel

Andrew McGahan, Wonders of a Godless World, Allen & Unwin

Sean Williams, The Grand Conjunction, Astropolis Book Three, Orbit

best science fiction short story

Peter M. Ball, ‘Clockwork, Patchwork and Ravens’, Apex Magazine May 2009

Peter M. Ball, ‘To Dream of Stars: An Astronomer’s Lament’, Apex Magazine October 2009

Christopher Green, ‘A Hundredth Name’, Abyss & Apex Magazine #31

Greg Mellor, ‘Defence of the Realm’, Cosmos #25

Mike Resnick & Lezli Robyn, ‘Soulmates’ Asimov’s September 2009

best fantasy novel

Peter M. Ball, Horn, Twelfth Planet Press

Trudi Canavan, Magician’s Apprentice, Orbit

Glenda Larke, The Last Stormlord, HarperVoyager

K.E. Mills, Witches Incorporated, HarperVoyager

K.J. Taylor, The Dark Griffin, HarperVoyager

best fantasy short story

Christopher Green, ‘Father’s Kill’, Beneath Ceaseless Skies #24

Ian McHugh, ‘Once a Month, On a Sunday’, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #40, Andromeda Spaceways Publishing Co-operative Ltd

Tansy Rayner Roberts, ‘Siren Beat’, Roadkill/Siren Beat, Twelfth Planet Press

Angela Slatter, ‘Words’ The Lifted Brow #5

Lucy Sussex, ‘Something Better than Death’, Aurealis #42, Chimaera Publications

best horror novel

Peter M. Ball, Horn, Twelfth Planet Press

Honey Brown, Red Queen, Penguin Australia

Stephen M. Irwin, The Dead Path, Hachette Australia

Tracey O’Hara, Night’s Cold Kiss, HarperCollins Publishers Australia

Kaaron Warren. Slights, Angry Robot Books

best horror short story

Felicity Dowker, ‘Jesse’s Gift’, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #40, Andromeda Spaceways Publishing Co-operative Ltd

Christopher Green, ‘Having Faith’, Nossa Morte, February 2009

Paul Haines, ‘Wives’, X6, Coeur de Lion Publishing

Paul Haines, ‘Slice of Life – A Spot of Liver’, Slice of Life, The Mayne Press

Andrew J. McKiernan, ‘The Message’, Midnight Echoes, Australian Horror Writers Association

best anthology

Alisa Krasnostein (editor), New Ceres Nights, Twelfth Planet Press

Keith Stevenson (editor), X6, Coeur de Lion Publishing

Jonathan Strahan (editor), Eclipse 2, Night Shade Books

Jonathan Strahan (editor), Eclipse 3, Night Shade Books

Jonathan Strahan (editor), The New Space Opera 2, Harper Eos

best collection

Deborah Biancotti & Alisa Krasnostein (editors), A Book of Endings, Twelfth Planet Press

Greg Egan, Oceanic, Gollancz

Paul Haines & Geoff Maloney (editors), Slice of Life, The Mayne Press

Robbie Matthews & Donna Hanson (editors), Johnny Phillips Werewolf Detective, Australian Speculative Fiction

best illustated book/graphic novel

Nathan Jurevicius, Scarygirl, Allen & Unwin

Bruce Mutard, The Silence, Allen & Unwin

Emily Rodda & Marc McBride, Secrets of Deltora, Scholastic Australia

Madeleine Rosca Hollow Fields, Seven Seas Entertainment

best young adult novel

Kate Forsyth, The Puzzle Ring, Pan Macmillan

Cassandra Golds, The Museum of Mary Child, Puffin Books

Glenda Millard, A Small Free Kiss in the Dark, Allen & Unwin

Scott Westerfeld, Leviathan Trilogy: Book One, Penguin

Sean Williams, Scarecrow, HarperCollins Publishers Australia

best young adult short story

Joanne Anderton, ‘Dragon Bones’, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #39, Andromeda Spaceways Publishing Co-operative Ltd

Sue Isle, ‘Paper Dragons’, Shiny #5, Twelfth Planet Press

Ian McHugh, ‘Once a Month, on a Sunday’, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #40, Andromeda Spaceways Publishing Co-operative Ltd

Tansy Rayner Roberts, ‘Like Us, Shiny #5, Twelfth Planet Press

Cat Sparks, ‘Seventeen’, Masques, CSFG

best children’s novel

Deborah Abela, The Remarkable Secret of Aurelie Bonhoffen, Random House Australia

Kate Constable, Cicada Summer, Allen & Unwin

Jen Storer, Tensy Farlow and the Home for Mislaid Children, Penguin/Viking

Gabrielle Wang, A Ghost in My Suitcase, Puffin Books

best children’s illustrated work/picture book

Graeme Base, Enigma, Penguin/Viking

Anna Fienberg (author), Kim Gamble (illustrator), Tashi and the Golem, Allen & Unwin

Pamela Freeman (author), Kim Gamble (illustrator), Victor’s Challenge, Walker Books Australia

Dan McGuiness, Pilot and Huxley, Omnibus Books

Gregory Rogers, The Hero of Little Street, Allen & Unwin

Fingers crossed everybody!

Chapter two of Stormlord Rising

Don’t forget, if you’re in Brisbane tomorrow you can meet Glenda and other Voyager authors at Pulp Fiction Bookshop!

In a dry land, water is gold ...

Read Chapter One (posted last week)

Chapter Two
Scarpen Quarter
Breccia City
Breccia Hall, Level 2

Ravard handed Ryka over to a Reduner bladesman guarding the double doors of Breccia Hall’s public reception room. The man pushed her roughly inside and closed the doors behind her.
Though the area was large, it was crowded. And noisy with crying. Her heart sank as she looked around and absorbed the significance of what she was seeing. Women. No men. Women, yet no small children. Every head turned her way to see who had entered, eyes fearful. And she was standing in a patch of half-dried blood on the floor.
Waterless hells.
There was a gasp from a group sitting on the floor, and a figure came flying to grab her in a tight embrace, sobbing, gasping, shuddering, pouring out her woe. Beryll, but not her pretty, carefree tease of a little sister. Not any more.