April Update

Thought I’d better take time out of editing and teaching to make some kind of attempt at an update here—things have been somewhat hectic, doing the wrap on The Condimental Op (out in July this year) and finalizing the layout and copy editing for Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa? (to be published later in 2013). Both these will be released via Perfect Edge Books.

But there’s other stuff I also should mention as a way of saying thanks to the people involved.

One of the main projects I’ve been working on over the past few weeks has been The Tobacco-Stained Sky, an anthology of post-apocalyptic noir (in short story and comic book form) that’s being assembled for Another Sky Press, and is the response of several writers and artists to the world of Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat: the near-future dystopia of Melbourne, our walled-up last city.

My major playmate in the editing/inspiration/dogged pursuit  of the finishing line stakes here has been fellow Aussie writer Guy Salvidge, who graciously (and goddamned fortunately!) took on the reins of co-editor—and we’ve been blessed with contributions from Josh Stallings, Paul D. Brazill, Nigel Bird, Liam José, Julie Morrigan, Michael Grills, Gerard Brennan, Gordon Highland, Chad Eagleton, Guy Salvidge, Chris Rhatigan, Chad Rohrbacher, Tony Pacitti, Jay Slayton-Joslin, Drezz Rodriguez, Devin Wine, Kristopher Young, Harvey Finch, Marcos Vergara, Matheus Lopes, and others.

We’ve wrapped editing, and fingers crossed the anthology will be released before the end of summer.

Which is when, as I mentioned, my next novel should be published.

I just received Proof #1 of Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa?, and it clocks in at 457 pages, including 35 pieces of artwork (Bullet Gal, here, is one of the characters and I sourced this character design from very cool artist JGMiranda).

Thus far, the pre-publication feedback has been bloody brilliant (whew!). We just received great reviews from Lori Holuta @ A License to Quill and Chris Rhatigan @ Death By Killing.

I also got to have a nice chat with another Aussie, Ness @ Aggressive Comix, about things comic-booky.

Finally, next month there’s an anthology of comic book/sequential art coming out via the fine people at 8th Wonder Press, and I have a 4-page story in there with artwork by Drezz Rodriguez (that’s his gun at the beginning of this rant, above)… so we chatted briefly about it here.

OK, I think that’s ’nuff for this month. Ciao!