Blog - Page 4 of 13 - Anne Charnock

5 Authors On Their Short Story Inspirations

September 16, 2015/0 Comments/in WRITING FICTION /by anne

Pre-order the Kindle eBook.

Next week, my story “The Adoption” will be published in an anthology of speculative fiction—Phantasma—edited by J.D. Horn and Roberta Trahan. I decided to celebrate the anthology’s upcoming release by reflecting on a piece of short fiction that inspired my fiction writing. And this led me to wonder if my co-contributors could pinpoint short stories that influenced their own work.

So I’m delighted to share in this blogpost a few reflections on short form by J.D. Horn, Roberta Trahan, Jason Kirk and Kate Maruyama.

You can pre-order Phantasma Stories, a Kindle eBook, and it will be delivered to your Kindle device or Kindle app on 22 September!

So here goes, in alphabetical order… Read more →

My New Website and The Latest on Phantasma Stories

August 31, 2015/0 Comments/in 47NORTH /by anne

I decided to pile on the stress this summer by rebuilding my website!

As the rebuild progressed, my second novel Sleeping Embers Of An Ordinary Mind moved steadily forward from its development edit, to copy edit and proofread. And, at the same time, I polished my short story ‘The Adoption” for the anthology, Phantasma Stories, which will include stories by J. D. Horn, Jason Kirk, Kate Maruyama, Jodi McIsaac and Roberta Trahan.

Over recent weeks I’ve solved a few glitches on the new website and blog. As for the trickiest problems, I’m fortunate to have an ace troubleshooter at hand, namely, my son Adam!

So here is the new website! Read more →

ARCs For Sleeping Embers Of An Ordinary Mind

August 27, 2015/2 Comments/in 47NORTH /by anne

A milestone moment. A box of books! All the way from the US of A. These are Advance Reader Copies of Sleeping Embers Of An Ordinary Mind.

If you’ve never heard of ARCs, let me explain… An ARC is an uncorrected proof, and it’s produced several months before a book’s official publication date.

A publisher sends out print ARCs and electronic ARCs, mainly for review purposes. Often, they’re devoid of cover art, but as you can see, 47North has produced these ARCs with the fab front cover art, designed by M S Corley.

Sleeping Embers Of An Ordinary Mind will be published by 47North on 1 December 2015.

Cover Release: Sleeping Embers Of An Ordinary Mind

August 7, 2015/0 Comments/in 47NORTH, WRITING FICTION /by anne

Since I returned from my month’s research trip to China in May last year, I’ve worked flat-out to write my second novel, Sleeping Embers Of An Ordinary Mind. So this is a special week for me—to see the fabulous cover art, by designer MS Corley. I love the strong emphasis on typography.

Publication date: 1 December 2015, in Kindle eBook, paperback and audiobook editions.

It’s been immense fun to write this novel but a huge challenge, too, because of the complexity of the three-storyline structure. But I have the perfect editor in Jason Kirk at 47North. He gives me invaluable advice and has the knack of suggesting subtle changes that have a big impact.

And with two novels under my belt, I felt it opportune to redesign my website. Many thanks to my son, Adam, who guided me through the revamp!

So here’s the cover and the back cover blurb: Read more →

Coming Soon: September Release for Phantasma Stories

July 30, 2015/0 Comments/in 47NORTH, SCIENCE FICTION, WRITING FICTION /by anne

I find myself in splendid company in an anthology of short fiction and verse—Phantasma Stories—edited by J.D. Horn and Roberta Trahan. The release date is 22 September 2015.

My contribution is a near-future science fiction story titled “The Adoption.” Read more →

A Conversation With Speculative Fiction Author E.J. Swift

June 10, 2015/0 Comments/in CLIMATE CHANGE, GUEST POSTS, SCIENCE FICTION, WRITING FICTION /by anne

I met E.J. Swift last summer when we shared a panel at LonCon 3, with David Hebblethwaite and Adam Roberts, discussing writers who cross the boundary between mainstream fiction and science fiction. Since then, I’ve finished my second novel, Sleeping Embers Of An Ordinary Mind, and E.J. has completed her trilogy The Osiris Project. Not only that…E.J.’s short story “The Spiders of Stockholm” has been long-listed for The Sunday Times EFG Short Story Competition.

We felt it was time for a catch-up chat—about past writing and future plans. Read more →

And The Title For My Novel Is…

June 2, 2015/0 Comments/in 47NORTH, WRITING FICTION /by anne

SLEEPING EMBERS OF AN ORDINARY MIND

I’m absolutely thrilled with this title and I’m now excited about the next stage in the publishing process—cover concepts by 47North’s designers.

The publication date will be sometime this year and as soon as it’s firmly decided I’ll announce it here.

It was a tough challenge to find a title because this novel has three intertwining storylines set 600 years apart—in fifteenth century Italy, present-day China and twenty-second century London.

So when, and how, did I arrive at Sleeping Embers Of An Ordinary Mind? And how did I even choose a working title? Read more →

Worlds Collide: Space Station Call to Tribal Chief in Papua

April 28, 2015/0 Comments/in ART REVIEWS /by anne

Two very differing world views were evident in an intriguing exhibition I came across recently during a mini-break to Prague. The exhibition—Everything Is Different—at DOX Centre for Contemporary Art brings together art, science and folklore, and takes the form of wall drawings, video, photography and sculpture.

For me, the exhibition pivots on a brief conversation between a Papua New Guinea tribal chief and a NASA astronaut on the International Space Station. The conversation, via satellite phone, is presented as a split-screen video (see right).

Beyond The Cave: Meeting Readers at BSFA and SF Book Club

February 5, 2015/2 Comments/in EVENTS, SCIENCE FICTION, WRITING FICTION /by anne

I’ve had a lovely start to 2015! I actually left my writing cave to meet readers.

Author and literary critic Adam Roberts interviewed me at the January meeting of the British Science Fiction Association. He pitched some challenging questions, which led to a lively and wide-ranging conversation. If you couldn’t make it to the meeting, this blogpost by Andrew Wallace gives a good impression of the subjects that Adam and I discussed. Thank you, Andrew, for this detailed commentary. Here’s a brief extract from his blogpost: Read more →

47North Signs Up My Second Novel For 2015 Release

January 7, 2015/4 Comments/in 47NORTH /by anne

I’m delighted to announce that I’ve signed a book deal for my second novel with Jason Kirk, editorial director of 47North, Amazon Publishing’s science fiction, fantasy and horror imprint. As you know, 47North published my debut novel, A Calculated Life, and I’ve had a great experience working with the lovely 47North team in Seattle. I’m excited to be working with Jason who is the ideal editor for my current writing project as we share an interest in science fiction and history.

The manuscript is now close to completion and we’re working towards a release date later this year. And, I’ll let you know as soon as I have a title for this novel!

So what’s it all about?