Aust SF Bullsheet 167 Part One (long)
Marc Ortlieb
A phlogistic newszine produced for the Australian National Science
Fiction Association by Marc Ortlieb, P.O. Box 215, Forest Hill,
Vict, 3131, AUSTRALIA
(e-mail: mort...@vicnet.net.au).
Postal subscriptions $6-00 for ten.(Cheques made out to
Marc Ortlieb please. Stamps accepted). Available for items of
gossip. E-mailed direct, a once off $10 fee. Free copy from aus.sf
on Internet or at http://www.vicnet.net.au/~sfoz/bullsheet.htm
2001 DITMARS
2001 Ditmar Results courtesy Mark Bivens
Best Long Fiction: Sean Williams & Shane Dix Evergence 2: The Dying
Light
Best Short Fiction: A tie! Stephen Dedman "The Devotee" and Terry
Dowling "The Saltimbanques"
Best Collected Work: Terry Dowling Blackwater Days
Best Artwork: Shaun Tan The Lost Thing
Best Fan Writer: Robin Pen
Best Fan Artist: Grant Watson
Best Fan Production: Grant Watson "The Angriest Video Store Clerk
in the World"
William Atheling Jr Award: Grant Watson & Simon Oxwell "Waking
Henson: A Jim Henson Retrospective."
Best New Talent: Deborah Biancotti
IN PRINT
The Slow Glass Catalogue 147 lists the following Australian
new releases: Albuman's Quest James Cattell & Dorelle Davidson
(Lothian); Destiny of the Light Louise Cusack (Simon & Schuster);
The Wounded Hawk Sara Douglass (Harper Collins); Candle Iron Sally
Odgers (Harper Collins); Scheherazade Anthony O'Neill (Harper
Collins); Bloodlace Kim Wilkins(Harper Collins). Lucy Sussex's
Sunday Age reviews note Andrew Whitmore's The Ark of Dreams (Black
Dog).
AWARDS
The June 2001 issue of SF Chronicle notes that Greg Egan's
Diaspora has been nominated for the Kurd Lasswitz Prize, Germany's
top Science Fiction Award, in the Best Foreign Work category.
Winners to be named at PentaCon, August 25th in Dresden.
Sally Beasley reports " Shaun Tan and Dave Luckett both
made the shortlist for the WA Premier's Book Awards. Shaun for The
Lost Thing and Dave for Rhianna and the Wild Magic".
Sonja Harnett and Isobelle Carmody have been short listed for the
NSW Premier's Literary Awards.
SOON TO BE IN PRINT
Trudi Canavan notes "I've recently learned that HarperCollins will
be publishing my fantasy trilogy. First book tentatively set for
September release. Sally Beasley notes "Dave [Luckett] has sold a
second "Rhianna" book, Rhianna and the Iron Dogs, to Omnibus, and
they seem very interested in getting him to write a third.
AGOG!
Cat Sparks notes "Agog! Press seeks stories for anthology to be
launched at Convergence 2002. Agog! Fantastic Fiction aims to bring
together astounding, compulsively readable stories in the fantastic
genres of SF, horror and general fantasy. The central criteria are
quality, excitement and fun - stories which engage the imagination,
maintain a thrilling pace, and rocket the reader into an astounding
world of speculative imagination. Think of the sort of excitement
once generated by the pulp SF magazines! See: catsparks.com for
submission guidelines "
SALE OF AUREALIS
Chimaera Publications is offering Aurealis magazine for
sale. Details on this may be obtained from Volker Strasser +61 3
9534 1569 or fax +61 3 9534 1530 or email
st...@fhills.starway.net.au for further details. The press release
notes that there is a double issue #27/28 to be published in
August 2001. Sale is by tender with the deadline for written offers
31 May 2001. Chimaera Publications will be changing direction from
July 2001 and will be concentrating on book, online and multi-media
publishing.
FRONTIER RETURNS
Katharine Shade reports the return of Frontier Magazine.
"Our next issue will be number 22, to be released in June and
launched at Multiverse 4 in Melbourne. With a nearly four-fold
increase in our print run, new business connections, plus coming
off a well-deserved break, our plan is to continue to expand in all
ways, which includes increasing the quantity and quality of content
plus our level of exposure in Australia and overseas.
Our aim is still to provide an informative and interesting
examination of science fiction/fantasy media (ie
television/movies/computer games and spin-offs) from an Australian
perspective, and we also include reviews of recent release
sci-fi/fantasy fiction by Australian authors.
We continue to welcome contributions and feedback, and can
be contacted at edi...@frontiermagazine.net"
IN ELECTRONS
Jonathan Strahan reports "Terry Dowling's latest story "The
Lagan Fishers" is now online at Ellen Datlow's SciFiction. Follow
the link to
http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/dowling/"
EIDOLIST SITENEWS
Eidolist Site News (eid...@eidolon.net) notes
The University of Western Australia Press will launch
Earth Is But a Star: Excursions Through Science Fiction to the Far
Future, a Damien Broderick anthology at Swancon.
Tess Williams' Sea as Mirror was shortlisted for the 10th
Annual James Tiptree, Jr. Award.Kain Massin's story "Wrong
Dreaming"(ONSPEC Fall 2000) was bought for Cramer & Hartwell's
Year's Best Fantasy.
Ace Books has accepted the first novel of a new Sean
Williams/Shane Dix series for publication. The collaboration was
originally referred to as the Orphan trilogy.
BOOKSHOPS
David Syber reports "A new second-hand bookshop has opened
in Warrigal Rd, Oakleigh, opposite the Oakleigh Football oval, 200
metres from Dandenong Rd. Eclectic, lots of fantasy horror and
science fiction. Penny visited them and discovered that one of the
guys running it used to have "Stately & Plump" in High St
Northcote. He ran a nice tight shop."
BULLSHEET MEDIA WATCH
Lucy Sussex has begun her share of the Sunday Age's CoverNotes, a
short reviews section. In the 15/4/2001 issue, she gets to review
Andrew Whitmore's The Ark of Dreams and a Harry Potter spinoff.Lucy
adds "I've moved from doing the Booknotes section in the Saturday
AGE to the CoverNotes section (with Mike Shuttleworth) in the
Sunday Age. This means I get to review four books a week instead
of five. And more skiffy may come my way, as the Sunday Age has an
interest in more popular lit." Sally Beasley reports "Ian Nichols
had a review of Terry Pratchett's "The Truth" in The West
Australian recently." Alan Stewart reports that Lee Smoire appeared
on the Game Show "The Weakest Link" 19/4/2001. Her bio read 51,
Health and Nutrition Consultant from East Perth. She got one of her
two questions right in the first round; the one she missed was
"What does fax stand for?" She was then voted off by six votes out
of the nine.
LAST CHANCE ON ANTIFAN FILMS
Mark Loney reports "The curator that I am dealing with at
ScreenSound Australia is about to put the AntiFan films into the
'queue' for copying to videotape. ScreenSound Australia is making
a digital Betacam copy for its own archive but will also make
digital Betacam and domestic VHS PAL copies available at cost for
those who want them. Anyone who wants to get a copy of the AntiFan
films needs to get their order to me by the end of April as I need
to give ScreenSound Australia final numbers in early May.
Postage paid in Australia, a domestic VHS PAL copy will be
$15 and $275 for a digital Betacam copy. My contact details are:
Lo...@alphalink.com.au PO Box 181, Campbell ACT 2612, Australia"
TASMANIAN TIGERS NOT EXTINCT!
Tansy Rayner Roberts reports The Invisible College, a brand new
writing/critiquing group for SF/spec fic writers, is being launched
in Hobart this Saturday (28/4/2001), by myself & Dirk Flinthart.
There will also be a branch in Launceston (north of Tas). Any of
you out there, pleeeeese contact me. Or turn up 2pm Saturday, The
Afterword Cafe, Hobart. <trob...@postoffice.utas.edu.au>
SYDNEY SF & F WRITERS' ASSOCIATION
Darrell Pitt notes "the Sydney Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers
Association meets at Hornsby Library on the second Sunday of each
month. We are a small group of writers who welcome anyone who
wants to come along and read their science fiction, fantasy, horror
or anything of a speculative nature. It is a workshop environment
where people can read their work and get feedback." For details
contact Darrell on 9476 8230
CONVENTION NEWS
CSFCon in Canberra have announced their details (see below).
Vanessa Jacobsen, who is co-ordinating the convention, notes
"...there are further planned conventions for Canberra. This
"mini-Con" for May, although I don't think its going to be so mini
anymore, is a bit of a trial run both for the committee and people
of Canberra, and fans across the country. The plan at this stage is
to have a really big Con same time next year. Further on than that,
who knows? I just hope I'm not too burned out by then."
The 2003 Natcon, Swancon 2003, will be held in Perth.
Rumour has it that it will be an Easter Convention.
Claire McKenna posted some delightfully scurrilous segments
of Swancon reports to the Eidolist. I trust that she doesn't regret
any of them in the morning... Noted Quotations "after all that
erotic fiction, if I don't have a sex-dream tonight there is
something wrong with me"; "there are plenty of fan-boys you'd
happily say yes to" and " Everything is pretty old-hat, and just
about "everything" has been done at room parties...and the fans
that do nakedness, well we've all seen them before." Sounds like
Perth conventions haven't changed all that much since I used to
miss them when I was a slightly younger fan.
At the business session, a motion was passed that the
Chairman of the 1999 Australian NatCon should be censured and
spanked for not getting the 1999 Business Session minutes produced.
I'm looking forward to my spanking, but would like to evoke an
ancient Melbourne Fannish tradition and say It's All Handfield's
Fault! David Cake added "Report on the minutes of the 1999 Natcon
Marc Ortlieb was contacted regarding said minutes. He said that
the minutes were not available and recommended that he be censured.
Motion: That the chair of the 1999 Natcon business meeting be
censured and spanked for not ensuring production of the 1999 Natcon
business meeting minutes. Moved: Ian Nicholls Seconded:
Catherine DeCroy CARRIED unanimously No volunteers were
forthcoming for spanking Marc." Damn!!!
Swancon 2002, next year's Perth Convention, has released
its first Progress Report, noting John McDouall as Fan GoH with
more Guests to come. (See below for details.)
CHUCK MCKENZIE'S SWANCON 26 REPORT, 2001
Well, everyone else is doing it, so why the hell not? I
should point out, though, that - having been written well after the
fact - certain details may not be entirely...what's that word...oh,
*accurate*. An incident that I suggest happened on Saturday might
well have occurred on Sunday (for reasons which shall become
clear). Okay? So...
Wed 11th April:
9pm: Wow! My very first Swancon! Am very excited. Driven to airport
by spouse, who virtually throws me from car. Discover Robert Hood
and Cat Sparks already in lengthy check-in queue, and am given
opportunity to 'jump queue'. Receive several death-threats in
process. Board plane, but we are unable to get seats together. We
compromise by running back and forth between each-other's seats to
chat, under the pretence of doing the anti deep-vein thrombosis
exercises suggested in the in-flight mag. Fools no-one. Robert Hood
is eventually asked by hostess to please go and play outside.
12 midnight (local time): Arrive Perth absolutely knackered.
In-flight showing of Miss Congeniality tends to do that to you.
Wow! Perth looks just like Sydney at night - dark! Catch cab to YHA
hostel (not YMCA, as suggested by Cat in an effort to make me break
into song and dance routine). Am ejected from cab. Cannot open YHA
door. Panic. Cat points out that words are printed on door,
detailing how to attract night manager's attention. My ego crawls
off to die, but I maintain that - after a sleepless Bullock-ridden
night (mm!) - I can't really be expected to read things. Enter YHA,
am shown to shoebox-sized room (or possibly a room-sized shoebox).
Immediately fall on to bed, and am asleep in mid sent -
Thurs 12th:
9.30am. Wake up. Leave YHA. Remember luggage. Go back. Collect
luggage. Leave again. Recall that my 'official' accommodation
(Budget City Holiday Appts - couldn't get in for Wed night, hence
the YHA) are in the same street. Decide to save cab fare by
walking. After ten minutes lugging heavy suitcase in sunny Perth
weather, decide that I am a burke. Arrive at apartment 45 minutes
later, having sweated off 100 kilos (pretty good going, since I
only weigh - er...well, none of your business). Settle in. Go to
pub. Drink beer. Ahh! Beer good.
12 noon: Recall Cat inviting me to lunch thingy at London Court in
city centre. Strictly speaking, is a private 'do', by invitation
only, but such things are meaningless to Cat, who lives to
gatecrash. Wander around city centre for a while, taking in the
sight. Bump into Rob, Cat and Deb Biancotti. Lots of hugs. Am
politely asked to stop. Am introduced to Zara 'Bee' Baxter - a very
odd, yet hypnotically fascinating lady, who tells me that she was
expecting me to be a loud-mouthed, obnoxious American. Well, two
out of three ain't bad, I s'pose - and with a name like 'Chuck' I
cannot blame her. I explain that 'Chuck' is merely a nickname. My
real name is reassuringly normal. She asks what my real name is. I
tell her it's 'Scooter'. We meet up with the five official
lunch-goers, plus 300-odd gatecrashers invited by Cat. Picnic lunch
in park. Mmmmm - Sushi! Who would think raw fish could be so nummy!
3pm: Arrive Rydges Hotel, go straight to bar. Drink beer. Ahh! Beer
good.
5pm: Registration. Worrying lack of what Cat refers to as
'nerdage'. No Trek uniforms whatsoever. Meet up with Bill Congreve,
who has been assumed dead on trans-Nullabor drive in shitbox car.
Meet up with many people I've never met before. Robin Pen is the
spitting image of John Paul Young, which endears me to him
immediately. Am savaged by Russell B Farr, who has taken exception
to my well-known love of disco. Frustrate him further by agreeing
that , yes, disco is crap, but I still love it, so there's no point
him trying to argue that point. He resorts to pulling my ears. I
wonder if he's on medication?
6pm: Opening ceremony. Beer must be having an effect - can
remember virtually nothing more about the entire night, aside from
a welcoming address by David Cake. Or maybe it was Cathy Cupitt. Or
both. Or neither. Am fairly sure I go to a couple of panels, but
can't remember. End up in bar, drinking beer with lots of new
friends. Ahh! Beer good!
Fri 13th:
9am: Arrive at 'con. All other details are now a blur. Am fairly
sure I attend 'Mitch?' launch, possibly the auction, and part of
the ConSensual. Only definite memory is spotting of first 'oddity'
- a male(?) person dressed in a slinky black cocktail dress, with
metal bits projecting through cheekbones. Is admired from behind by
many men before realisation hits. Is resented by many women, who
were intending to wear the same dress. Am brave enough to question
individual, who claims to be dressed as 'Borg Queen'. Hmm. Late(?):
Small gathering in Rob, Cat and Deb's (hereafter referred to as
'The Guys') room. Zara also in attendance, and continues to be odd,
hypnotic and fascinating. Drink beer. Ahh! Beer good. Twenty beers
even better. Drink half a bottle of gin. Room begins to spin. Must
be down to Zara being hypnotic - I'd *never* touch a drop under my
own volition! Watch tells me it's time to leave. Am startled - a
talking watch? Stagger downstairs to find cab, but can't even find
street! The Guys catch up to me and put me into a cab. Am not sure
how they knew I was drunk - apart from the staggering, the only
difference is that I become capable of circular breathing, which
enables me to talk and drink continuously without taking a breath.
On the way back to my apartment in the cab, I live up to my name.
And again back at the apartment. And several times through the
night.
Sat 14th:
7am: My head feels like a bear took a dump in it. I want to die.
Why the hell have I set my alarm for 7am? Oh yeah - I've got to do
a phone-in report for the SPECTRUM SF radio show in Melbourne. Get
up. Vomit copiously. Get a cab into Rydges. Vomit copiously. Have
arranged suite to phone-in from - fortunately with ensuite. Wait
for connecting call - concentrate on trying to sound upbeat and not
vomiting. On-air vomiting probably not a good thing. I can see it
now...
John Weeks: So, Chuck - how's the 'con going?
Me: Well, John, it's *hhhRRRRRRROOOOUUUGHAAAAAAAAAAH!*
JW: Um...Chuck? What was that?
Me: Oh. Um...Robin Pen doing his Godzilla impression? Jack
Dann doing shtick?
Report goes well. Stagger downstairs to 'con level. Vomit copiously
(in loo). Stagger to The Guys' room. Much smirking all round.
Bastards. Borg Queen guy is now dressed up as 5th Element chick -
toilet paper strips and tight white panties that clearly reveal his
religious denomination (er, not that I was looking). Go to panel
on...something. Have to leave after ten minutes and - yes, you
guessed it - vomit copiously. I'm bringing up things I ate a week
ago. After barfing up a kidney, I decide to call the day a loss and
go back to the apartment. Crash and sleep for 20 hours.
Sun 15th:
9am: Wake feeling oddly better. Am immediately made to feel worse
upon hearing the news that Sir Harry Secombe has passed on ('He has
fallen in the water!'). *And* the guy who invented the smiley face!
Arrive at the 'con to much smirking. Cat has been working overtime,
and approximately 700 people are now aware of my reputation as a
lager-lout. Am determined to make up for it by going to many
panels. End up going to about two, as the 'con degenerates into a
socialising free-for-all. Spend much time chatting to a guy who
makes fetish gear, who points out the many representatives of
various sexual peccadilloes attending the 'con. Very eye-opening,
as is the admission by one of The Guys that they once filled the
role of bondage mistress. Am strangely aroused - but then, Rob's an
extremely attractive man. Am offered a beer. Stomach churns. Ahh!
Beer bad. Settle for lemonade. Eat for the first time since Friday
night.
7pm: Attend Ditmar Awards. Many deserving winners - Grant Watson
wins around 96, Cat sparks wins approximately 70. Deb Biancotti
wins Best New Talent against No Award (obviously a close contest).
She's very modest about it. So is Grant. Cat isn't, but we love her
for it.
9pm: Attend room party in The Guys' room. Am introduced to Sally
Beasley, Russell Blackford and Claire McKenna, all lovely folks.
Cat is sloshed, very bloody funny, but apparently I still retain
the crown of most entertaining drunk. Blast! Zara has retired to
bed, so, as group drunk, I am charged with going to her room and
dragging her back to the party. Hypnotically fascinating, even in
her jim-jams. People will talk! After explaining to Russell's wife
that my real name is not Chuck, I think I manage to offend her by
(unthinkingly) saying that I'd make a good Russell, 'cos I look
like a bearded Aussie yob. Oops! Perhaps I should just call myself
Myron and have done with it. Head off about 11.30pm, with party
still in full swing.
Mon 16th:
9am: Last day. Am feeling rather sad, but looking forward to
getting home. AM, no panels are attended by The Guys or myself.
There's beer to be consumed! Ahh! Beer good. PM, attend panels -
and actually remember what they are! Cathy's Worldcon report - am
charged with handing over cheque (with Zara and John August) of
Freecon contribution to DUFF. Grand sum of $217.70. May be she can
invest it in a racehorse - the one in the can of Chum. Attend
Reviewers' panel. Very good. 'Nuff said. Then it's time for Rob and
Bill and I to do a reading. Am looking forward to this, and have
brought along copies of my book to sell. Unfortunately, we're up
against a panel featuring the entertaining Scot Snow. 12 people and
a hamster turn up to see the reading. 10 of these people are good
friends of mine, yet - to my amazement - I manage to sell four
copies of my book at the conclusion (the hamster buys 2). I read
for 20 minutes. Rob reads for 20 minutes. Bill gets up to read,
only to be told that he can't because the closing ceremony is about
to start. Half an hour later, the ceremony *actually* starts. We
are treated to a brilliant skit with Mitch and Danny Heap, playing
themselves having travelled back from 50 years in the future to
tell us all about what the future holds; apparently there's talk of
a new Doctor Who series, and Sean William's mind - downloaded on to
computer - is now responsible for 50% of all fiction published
worldwide. Very funny stuff. Then they start handing out awards for
roleplaying - best quote uttered while fighting a monster, etc.
Call me a bitch, ('you're a bitch!') but I begin to fall asleep. A
whole bunch of us decide to sneak out surreptitiously by cunningly
rising en masse and making a dash for the exit. We receive several
reproving looks - or maybe they're jealous looks. We decamp to the
bar. Good food. Good friends. Good conversation. And beer. Aah!
Beer good. People begin to wander off. Am feeling quite sad about
leaving all these nice people behind and getting back to my own sad
little life. Feeling sadder still about the fact that I booked to
fly back with Ansett. Ah well. Life's a bitch. But at least there's
Swancon! What a great week! Thanks and congratulations to all who
had a hand in organising the 'con - they all have reason to feel
very satisfied with their efforts.