Writer JG Ballard, the great dystopian visionary, said in an interview back in 1975, ‘I think I always was a frustrated painter.’ He went on to say: ‘They are all paintings, really, my novels and stories… I approach many of these stories of mine, like the Vermilion Sands stories – even the novels like Crash – as a sort of visual experience.’ This comment appears in Extreme Metaphors – Interviews with J.G. Ballard 1967-2008, in which he frequently declares his love affair with visual art.
And, in 2003, in an interview with art critic Hans Ulrich Obrist, Ballard said, ‘I think the surrealist painters had the biggest influence on me – De Chirico, Ernst, Dali and Delvaux. These are all painters of mysterious and disconnected landscapes, through which the few human beings drift in a state of dream-like trance, which had a direct and powerful appeal for me.’
Art’s science fictional turn
Ballard’s enchantment with art has been reciprocated over the decades as artists have taken inspiration from science fiction, and there’s no sign of abatement. Two exhibitions in London this month present solo shows by artists who specifically respond to Ballard. I rushed to both exhibitions clutching my copy of Extreme Metaphors. Read more
https://annecharnock.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/FC1.jpg513550annehttp://annecharnock.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AC-name-banner2.jpganne2013-10-16 17:26:152015-07-10 16:34:00Art and JG Ballard: Geologic Time and Lucid Dreaming
I round off my release-week blog fest with a conversation with UK-based novelist Steve McHugh. I’d like to thank Steve and all the authors who have taken part either by posting, here, or by inviting me to post on their great blogs. Read more
https://annecharnock.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/steve-mchugh.jpg425283annehttp://annecharnock.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AC-name-banner2.jpganne2013-09-27 08:39:562015-07-31 19:16:50A Conversation with Urban Fantasy Author Steve McHugh
Neve Maslakovic switched from being a research engineer to being a fiction writer. Both professions are creative endeavours, she says, but in science fiction you don’t have to stick to the Rules of the Universe. The ink is now drying on the manuscript of her third novel. In this conversation, we explore are similar backgrounds, discuss our different paths to finding a publisher, and find we share a love of writing dialogue.Read more
https://annecharnock.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/The-Far-Time-Incident-cover.jpg296201annehttp://annecharnock.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AC-name-banner2.jpganne2013-09-26 11:07:022015-07-31 19:18:00A Conversation with SF Author Neve Maslakovic
Kate Maruyama and I are ‘book-twinned’ because 47North released our novels on the same day, yesterday. I’m an avid reader of her blog Annotation Nation, which invites authors to explain how they’ve honed their craft by examining other writers’ works. So I asked Kate to write a guest post about one novel that helped her to write Harrowgate.
https://annecharnock.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/kate_maruyama.jpg390283annehttp://annecharnock.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AC-name-banner2.jpganne2013-09-25 11:01:342015-07-31 19:19:50Guest Post: Kate Maruyama on The Time Traveler’s Wife
The 47North editorial, design and publicity teams have surpassed themselves! In the space of just two months — since acquisitions editor David Pomerico signed me up — they have created a fabulous new cover for A Calculated Life, expedited my manuscript through the editing and proofing process, organized the audiobook and generally ‘put the word out there’. I’ve been involved at every stage in the process!
Little did I know when I took the difficult decision to self-publish my novel that, eight months later, I’d be signing a book deal with a US publisher. Read more
https://annecharnock.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/wrap-cover.jpg409567annehttp://annecharnock.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AC-name-banner2.jpganne2013-09-24 11:27:092015-07-30 19:53:1747North Releases A Calculated Life, Today
Cripes! It’s just two weeks to the release of A Calculated Life by 47North and, at some point before Christmas, the audiobook will be released. I’ve just learned that the audiobook narrator is British actress Susan Duerden who played Carole Littleton in the Lost television series. Susan won an award for her narration of The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht, and she has also narrated Embassytown by China Mieville, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and many more. In an interview with AudioGals website, Susan says she now has a recording studio at home, which allows her to take on more book narration work.
In other developments… I’m particularly chuffed that 47North is advertising my book prior to release on the excellent online magazine Lightspeed. It’s a cute ad! I’m not sure how to describe it – it’s a three-image slideshow advert. Take a look here. And here’s a screen capture: Read more
https://annecharnock.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Screen-Shot-2013-09-06-at-17.43.37.png662965annehttp://annecharnock.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AC-name-banner2.jpganne2013-09-11 13:56:492015-07-31 19:23:45Susan Duerden Narrates Audiobook, and Other News
Fellow 47North author Roberto Calas is a trailblazer in the current revival of serial novels. I invited Roberto to explain his approach to serials. And he also tells us how the discipline of writing to order has lifted his game!
I’ll be having a guest blogpost each month written by one of my new author buddies at 47North. They’re a great bunch and I’m pleased you’ll get to meet them, too! Read more
https://annecharnock.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/AuthorPic_Armor.jpg800778annehttp://annecharnock.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AC-name-banner2.jpganne2013-09-04 11:59:052015-07-31 19:25:05Guest Post: Roberto Calas on Writing Serial Novels, and Insanity
Three short stories are in contention for the Hugo Award and they are diverse. I’ve enjoyed them all. And, as I’m writing a few short stories at the moment, I’ve found it fascinating to read the best of 2013 (as nominated and selected by members of the World Science Fiction Society).
Here’s an admission: I’d intended to read all the shortlisted novels because I wanted to compare them with the Arthur C Clarke Award shortlist, which I reviewed here earlier this year. But with all the work involved with my novel’s new release by 47North, I scaled back my ambition. First, I opted to read all the shortlisted novellas, and later I scaled back again and decided to read the shortlisted short stories. So I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon reading these stories in the shade of my apple tree. Read more
https://annecharnock.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Screen-Shot-2015-07-31-at-19.26.18.png197291annehttp://annecharnock.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AC-name-banner2.jpganne2013-08-28 14:45:102015-07-31 19:30:15Hugo Awards Short Stories 2013: My Favourite
One step closer! I’m thrilled to show you the cover art for the new edition of A Calculated Life, which is now available for pre-ordering on Amazon.
It’s been a wonderful experience having my self-published novel signed by 47North and the team has done a sterling job. The new cover, by theBookDesigners, has an echo of the original (I was surprised by that). And the paperback format is brilliant because the artwork wraps around the spine, with fragmentation of the image on the back cover. Just gorgeous. Great typography, too! I hope you like it.
My editor David Pomerico presented me with several covers. There was a clear consensus on the final choice!
As well as working with the 47North team, I’ve been carrying out research for a new writing project. I’ll tell you more once I’ve progressed beyond scribbles, post-it notes and chaotic bashing at my keyboard… Read more
https://annecharnock.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CalculatedLife_FINALsmall.jpg594396annehttp://annecharnock.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AC-name-banner2.jpganne2013-08-20 13:47:502015-07-10 16:57:43New Cover Release for A Calculated Life: Pre-ordering On!
Nine Worlds GeekFest explored sexuality and gender in science fiction in a fascinating range of debates including Why Is The Future So Binary? This super-packed-out event witnessed a lively exchange between the author-panelists and the attendees, who shouted out examples of gender diversity in SF literature. The event successfully drew together a list of fictional worlds featuring gender non-conformity as opposed to the usual girl-meets-boy scenarios. (More books for the To Read list!)
Alex Dally MacFarlane pointed to the classic example – Ursula K Le Guin’s novel The Left Hand of Darkness, set in a world without gender. ‘Le Guin pokes at gender binary,’ said MacFarlane. And chairing the discussion panel, Tori Truslow told the audience, ‘We need more! SF writers seem to think, “Le Guin did that so we don’t need to do it.”’ Read more
https://annecharnock.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2015-07-28-at-21.04.53.png133127annehttp://annecharnock.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AC-name-banner2.jpganne2013-08-15 12:18:532015-07-31 19:31:58Nine Worlds GeekFest #2: Why Is The Future So Binary?
Art and JG Ballard: Geologic Time and Lucid Dreaming
/in Art, POSTS on HUFFPOST, Science FictionWriter JG Ballard, the great dystopian visionary, said in an interview back in 1975, ‘I think I always was a frustrated painter.’ He went on to say: ‘They are all paintings, really, my novels and stories… I approach many of these stories of mine, like the Vermilion Sands stories – even the novels like Crash – as a sort of visual experience.’ This comment appears in Extreme Metaphors – Interviews with J.G. Ballard 1967-2008, in which he frequently declares his love affair with visual art.
And, in 2003, in an interview with art critic Hans Ulrich Obrist, Ballard said, ‘I think the surrealist painters had the biggest influence on me – De Chirico, Ernst, Dali and Delvaux. These are all painters of mysterious and disconnected landscapes, through which the few human beings drift in a state of dream-like trance, which had a direct and powerful appeal for me.’
Art’s science fictional turn
Ballard’s enchantment with art has been reciprocated over the decades as artists have taken inspiration from science fiction, and there’s no sign of abatement. Two exhibitions in London this month present solo shows by artists who specifically respond to Ballard. I rushed to both exhibitions clutching my copy of Extreme Metaphors. Read more
A Conversation with Urban Fantasy Author Steve McHugh
/in UncategorizedI round off my release-week blog fest with a conversation with UK-based novelist Steve McHugh. I’d like to thank Steve and all the authors who have taken part either by posting, here, or by inviting me to post on their great blogs.
Read more
A Conversation with SF Author Neve Maslakovic
/in 47North, Guest Posts, Science Fiction, Writing FictionNeve Maslakovic switched from being a research engineer to being a fiction writer. Both professions are creative endeavours, she says, but in science fiction you don’t have to stick to the Rules of the Universe. The ink is now drying on the manuscript of her third novel. In this conversation, we explore are similar backgrounds, discuss our different paths to finding a publisher, and find we share a love of writing dialogue. Read more
Guest Post: Kate Maruyama on The Time Traveler’s Wife
/in 47North, Guest Posts, Writing FictionKate Maruyama and I are ‘book-twinned’ because 47North released our novels on the same day, yesterday. I’m an avid reader of her blog Annotation Nation, which invites authors to explain how they’ve honed their craft by examining other writers’ works. So I asked Kate to write a guest post about one novel that helped her to write Harrowgate.
Kate Maruyama
Read more
47North Releases A Calculated Life, Today
/in 47North, Publishing, Science Fiction, Self-PublishingThe 47North editorial, design and publicity teams have surpassed themselves! In the space of just two months — since acquisitions editor David Pomerico signed me up — they have created a fabulous new cover for A Calculated Life, expedited my manuscript through the editing and proofing process, organized the audiobook and generally ‘put the word out there’. I’ve been involved at every stage in the process!
Little did I know when I took the difficult decision to self-publish my novel that, eight months later, I’d be signing a book deal with a US publisher. Read more
Susan Duerden Narrates Audiobook, and Other News
/in 47North, PublishingCripes! It’s just two weeks to the release of A Calculated Life by 47North and, at some point before Christmas, the audiobook will be released. I’ve just learned that the audiobook narrator is British actress Susan Duerden who played Carole Littleton in the Lost television series. Susan won an award for her narration of The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht, and she has also narrated Embassytown by China Mieville, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and many more. In an interview with AudioGals website, Susan says she now has a recording studio at home, which allows her to take on more book narration work.
In other developments… I’m particularly chuffed that 47North is advertising my book prior to release on the excellent online magazine Lightspeed. It’s a cute ad! I’m not sure how to describe it – it’s a three-image slideshow advert. Take a look here. And here’s a screen capture: Read more
Guest Post: Roberto Calas on Writing Serial Novels, and Insanity
/in UncategorizedFellow 47North author Roberto Calas is a trailblazer in the current revival of serial novels. I invited Roberto to explain his approach to serials. And he also tells us how the discipline of writing to order has lifted his game!
I’ll be having a guest blogpost each month written by one of my new author buddies at 47North. They’re a great bunch and I’m pleased you’ll get to meet them, too! Read more
Hugo Awards Short Stories 2013: My Favourite
/in Book Reviews, Science FictionThree short stories are in contention for the Hugo Award and they are diverse. I’ve enjoyed them all. And, as I’m writing a few short stories at the moment, I’ve found it fascinating to read the best of 2013 (as nominated and selected by members of the World Science Fiction Society).
Here’s an admission: I’d intended to read all the shortlisted novels because I wanted to compare them with the Arthur C Clarke Award shortlist, which I reviewed here earlier this year. But with all the work involved with my novel’s new release by 47North, I scaled back my ambition. First, I opted to read all the shortlisted novellas, and later I scaled back again and decided to read the shortlisted short stories. So I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon reading these stories in the shade of my apple tree. Read more
New Cover Release for A Calculated Life: Pre-ordering On!
/in 47North, Science Fiction, Writing FictionAnd the back cover is fab, too!
One step closer! I’m thrilled to show you the cover art for the new edition of A Calculated Life, which is now available for pre-ordering on Amazon.
It’s been a wonderful experience having my self-published novel signed by 47North and the team has done a sterling job. The new cover, by theBookDesigners, has an echo of the original (I was surprised by that). And the paperback format is brilliant because the artwork wraps around the spine, with fragmentation of the image on the back cover. Just gorgeous. Great typography, too! I hope you like it.
My editor David Pomerico presented me with several covers. There was a clear consensus on the final choice!
As well as working with the 47North team, I’ve been carrying out research for a new writing project. I’ll tell you more once I’ve progressed beyond scribbles, post-it notes and chaotic bashing at my keyboard… Read more
Nine Worlds GeekFest #2: Why Is The Future So Binary?
/in Science Fiction, Writing FictionNine Worlds GeekFest explored sexuality and gender in science fiction in a fascinating range of debates including Why Is The Future So Binary? This super-packed-out event witnessed a lively exchange between the author-panelists and the attendees, who shouted out examples of gender diversity in SF literature. The event successfully drew together a list of fictional worlds featuring gender non-conformity as opposed to the usual girl-meets-boy scenarios. (More books for the To Read list!)
Alex Dally MacFarlane pointed to the classic example – Ursula K Le Guin’s novel The Left Hand of Darkness, set in a world without gender. ‘Le Guin pokes at gender binary,’ said MacFarlane. And chairing the discussion panel, Tori Truslow told the audience, ‘We need more! SF writers seem to think, “Le Guin did that so we don’t need to do it.”’ Read more