ellen_datlow

http://twitter.com/#!/EllenDatlow

I can't post on my phone so at least for now I can only tweet from computers. Don't expect much --I don't :-)

The drive from Denmark Thursday was lovely but it rained on and off all day. When
we got to the Leeuwan Lighthouse it was rainy, cold, and windy but we
braved it all to look at the juncture of the Southern and Indian Oceans. A weird experience.

Once we reached Margaret River we settled into our (small) two rooms at the inn and explored the town a little. We made a reservation for a Chinese restaurant along the main street (last res available luckily). We got there are 7:30 on the dot but had to wait an hour for our soup (delicious chicken and corn). It took another hour to get our main courses (also delicious). There was a very loud large group of people at one of the tables so that might be what took everything so long. There was a chef and one waitress. The waitress (Australian) was pretty lackadaisical, forgetting to bring us water glasses and water and instead cleaning an (empty) table. An odd experience. But afterward, the chef came out and apologized to us all for the slow service --oh yes, they also ran out of beef and only told 90 minutes after we ordered it.

Turns out the chef-owner is a Vietnamese man who tried to emigrate to the US from Vietnam 30 years ago but couldn't get in and so was sent to a refugee camp in Malaysia. When someone from the Australian embassy offered to get him into Australia, he jumped at the chance and had been in Margaret River for 25 years.

The food was greatonce we finally got it-Kaaron, James, and I finished our BYO bottle of wine before we even got the soup. Margaret River Chinese--great food if you're not in a rush.

Yesterday (Friday) we explored the galleries and some stores in Margaret River. We also visited the Chocolate Factory and the Willespie winery, where we tasted some very nice wine and bought some (K&J; a couple of cases to ship home) for dinner.

Early night and returning to Perth today. Sunny and warm weather.

On Tor.com Remembering That Vampires Come In Many Forms this one mixed but with praise for stories by Genevieve Valentine, Delia Sherman, Nathan Ballingrud, Kathe Koja, Steve Berman, Lucius Shepard, Ellen Kushner, Cassandra Clare & Holly Black, Catherynne M. Valente, and Garth Nix.

A terrific review on Brendan Moody's blog, The Stars at Noonday.

One of the reasons I'm so pleased with these most recent reviews is that unlike some of the earlier ones, they "get" what Terri and I are doing.

Two very nice reviews of Terri and my anthology TEETH sent on by our editor-(both are trimmed here)


From the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books:

Gr. 9-12 ...the editors challenged a mix of new(ish) and veteran young adult writers to offer vampire stories that were unusual in some way—stories that surprise or challenge enough to shake up readers who might be expecting Twilight in short form. The Meyer issue is tackled head-on as part of an informative introduction that zips through a folkloric and literary history of vampires before addressing the modern surge of bloodsucking tales. ... a solid, well constructed, and strong collection throughout.

... authors less likely to be familiar to young adult readers, such as Nathan Ballingrud, whose gripping, startling tale of a vampire trapped under a house and the boy determined to outsmart him, “Sunbleached,” will likely send readers off in search of his other works. The vampires run the gamut from the super-violent to those who want to survive but detest attacking others, from the wise, brooding, sexual male to the modern snarky teen who didn’t even clock much experience before being turned....nicely varied in length, tone, and perspective, thus guaranteeing that readers all along the taste spectrum, from those hoping for glimpses of Edward to those who roll their eyes at any mention of sparkly vamps, will find plenty to enjoy. It’s exactly what the editors referenced, a sort of safe yet challenging meeting ground for all sorts of fans, and the quality of the anthology means that the goal of adding a noteworthy supplement to the mountain of pointy-teeth books was accomplished. AS
(they missed one poem)

From School Library Journal:

Gr 8 Up–This inevitable and anticipated vampire-themed anthology from an editorial dynamic duo is a compilation of 17 short stories and two poems by award-winning, well-known, and/or new authors typically specializing in fantasy and sci-fi genres inside and out of the YA market. An accessible, interesting introduction reminds readers that vampire lore has long existed in many countries and cultures, evolving over time. An eclectic mix of tales and tones, the stories (refreshingly not all focused on romance) are dark, humorous, bittersweet, haunting, mocking, or
combinations thereof. They explore varying myths and themes of mortality, friendship, survival, the passage of time, misperception, manipulation, transformation, and change.

... will leave readers thirsting for more. Containing occasional swears, this biting, anti-fluff compilation is for fans of the paranormal, Datlow and Windling’s other anthologies, and CW’s Supernatural.–Danielle Serra, Cliffside Park Public Library, NJ

I had a wonderful time participating in Swancon this past weekend. I and the other GOH were treated wonderfully well and I'm satisfied with how all my panels went. Instead of the usual stress I often feel when approaching a panel, I was relaxed. No idea why. Good discussions, good questions from the audience. Books were sold--some hand sold by me, others sold by Justin Ackroyd and Stephen Dedman in the dealers room. I discovered that there was a demand for my OMNI books. If I'd known, I would have brought more. Next time. The arc of Naked City was auctioned off for a fan fun. Last night several of us went to a good pub for dinner... most restaurants were closed all or parts of the weekend for Easter and Anzac Day. Then last night a few people came to room for a last room party.

This morning, Kaaron Warren and her family and I drove south to the town of Denmark. Initially,the terrain was brush and very dry but by the time we reached Denmark it became lush and filled with horses, cows, and sheep. It's lovely country.

The five of us (3 adults and 2 children) are in a "Chalet" called Harmony. We're going
to get take out pizza (we drove about 5 hours today) and will relax then
go to a tree walk tomorrow in Walpole.

Having a fabulous time --thank you Australia!
Panels, lunches, drinks, interviews, dinner, panels, schmoozing, book launches, fabulous HarperCollins dinner at French Restaurant: drinking drinking drinking....

Room party spurred by Dirk Flinthart's gift of some excellent Tasmanian sparkly. Good snacks, weird snacks, beer, wine, talk talk talk drink drink drink.
I threw everyone out at 2am and today, a wee bit hungover --the restaurant wine was fab, the Tasmanian "champagne" was fab, but I don't think my guts were too happy about the combo, along with a lovely (but heavy) French meal.

Off to panel, lunch, panel, award ceremony...

More details to come.
Cat Sparks and others have been taking photos.

I was asked to participate in this project by Erin Underwood-here's the result Silence--if you click on the bottom link you can see the photographic response as well.

Congratulations to all, especially Kaaron Warren,whose story "That Girl" from Haunted Legends, has been chosen for the book.

CONTENTS ANNOUNCED FOR THE YEAR'S BEST AUSTRALIAN FANTASY& HORROR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ticonderoga Publications is walking on sunshine to announce the contents
for its inaugural Year's Best Australian Fantasy and Horror anthology.

Editors Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene have produced a list of 33 excellent
tales by some of Australia's biggest names as well as some emerging writers.

The anthology collects 150,000 words of the best stories published last
year from the Antipodes.

"We're pleased with the number of fabulous stories that were published
in 2010 that we had to choose from,” Liz Grzyb said.

"You could hold this anthology up against any international collection -
Australians rock for diverse voices, imagination, and compelling
writing," Talie Helene added.

The stories are (alphabetically by writer):

RJ Astruc: "Johnny and Babushka"
Peter M Ball: "L'esprit de L'escalier"
Alan Baxter: "The King's Accord"
Jenny Blackford: "Mirror"
Gitte Christensen: "A Sweet Story"
Matthew Chrulew: "Schubert By Candlelight"
Bill Congreve: "Ghia Likes Food"
Rjurik Davidson: "Lovers In Caeli-Amur"
Felicity Dowker: "After the Jump"
Dale Elvy: "Night Shift"
Jason Fischer: "The School Bus"
Dirk Flinthart: "Walker"
Bob Franklin: "Children's Story"
Christopher Green: "Where We Go To Be Made Lighter"
Paul Haines: "High Tide At Hot Water Beach"
Lisa L. Hannett: "Soil From My Fingers"
Stephen Irwin: "Hive"
Gary Kemble: "Feast Or Famine"
Pete Kempshall: "Brave Face"
Tessa Kum: "Acception"
Martin Livings: "Home"
Maxine McArthur: "A Pearling Tale"
Kirstyn McDermott: "She Said"
Andrew McKiernan: "The Memory Of Water"
Ben Peek: "White Crocodile Jazz"
Simon Petrie: "Dark Rendezvous"
Lezli Robyn: "Anne-droid of Green Gables"
Angela Rega: "Slow Cookin' "
Angela Slatter: "The Bone Mother"
Angela Slatter& Lisa L Hannett: "The February Dragon"
Grant Stone: "Wood"
Kaaron Warren: "That Girl"
Janeen Webb: "Manifest Destiny"

In addition to the above incredible tales, the volume will include a
review of 2010 and a list of recommended stories.

It's not only because my anthologies and stories from them are often nominated but because invariably there's nominated material I've never heard of, let alone ever read.
For example, this year's list contains the following of which I was not aware:
Novel:
The Reapers Are the Angels, Alden Bell (Holt)

I have read Dark Matter, Michelle Paver (Orion)and A Dark Matter, Peter Straub (Doubleday)

novellas
The Broken Man, Michael Byers (PS Publishing)
# One Bloody Thing After Another, Joey Comeau (ECW Press)
# Subtle Bodies, Peter Dubé (Lethe Press)

Short Story
“Booth’s Ghost,” Karen Joy Fowler (What I Didn’t See, Small Beer Press) (this is a case where if I'd been sent a review copy of the collection, I'd have read the story).