The Writing Show 2005 Archives

Dark fantasy writer Josephine Pennicott lives in Sydney, Australia, but spent her early childhood in Papua New Guinea and Tasmania.

Her first book, Circle of Nine (Simon and Schuster, 2001), was listed as one of the most impressive debut novels of the year in the fifteenth edition of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. Josephine's other novels are Bride of the Stone (2003) and A Fire in the Shell, which was shortlisted for the Aurealis Award for Best Horror Novel in 2004.

In 2001 she won the Scarlet Stiletto, Australia's premier award for female crime writers. She is also the winner of the 2003 and 2004 Kerry Greenwood Domestic Malice Awards.

Josephine has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in painting, and is a graduate of the Australian College of Journalism. Josephine's paintings and writings reflect her interest in myth, magick, fairytales, dreams and transformation.

Josephine lives with her writer partner, David; her six-month old daughter, Daisy; her Maltese dog, Alfie; and a black fluffy cat called Smuchi. Her goals for her life are to keep studying and creating, and to be found annually in the departure lounge at Sydney airport.

There's more information about Josephine's books on her Web site, www.josephinepennicott.com

Born in Melbourne Australia in 1976, David first started writing stories at the age of ten. Creating countless tales of fantasy and terror in his spare time, he also submitted his stories in his English journal assignments in high school, scaring the wits out of his teacher, and always being asked "Do any of your stories have happy endings?"

David went on to study graphic reproduction, and has a satisfying career with an international labeling company. He is nearing completion of his second manuscript, Mercy's End.

"The written word fascinates me, and I love developing characters. My focus has been and always will be, to tell a good story."

- David Schembri

Robert Hood has been a perpetrator of scary fiction for several decades. Among his books are the short-story collections Day-dreaming on Company Time (FIP, 1988) and Immaterial: Ghost Stories (MirrorDanse Books, 2002), as well as novels such as Backstreets (Hodder Headline, 2000) and the Shades series (Hodder Headline, 2001). He recently co-edited Daikaiju! Giant Monster Tales with Robin Pen (Agog! Press, 2005), which is a remarkable collection of stories from around the world inspired by the Japanese tradition of giant monster films.

Hood has won a number of awards for his fiction; a lesser, but cooler, claim to fame is that one of his horror stories, "Autopsy," was banned in Queensland. This story can be read on the Shadowed Realms Web site, www.shadowedrealms.com.au, where it is currently being serialized. Robert Hood's Web site is www.roberthood.net.

Chris Baty is a freelance writer and founder of National Novel Writing Month. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, the SF Weekly, and Lonely Planet guidebooks. His quest for the perfect cup of coffee is never-ending, and will likely kill him some day.

In this highly caffeinated interview, Chris explains:

* What National Novel Writing Month is

* Why the event attracts 60,000 masochists from around the world

* How to sign up, and what you're getting yourself into if you do

* Why it's okay to produce a bad novel during the event

* How people throw lots of parties before, during, and after the event

* Why it's unlikely he'll be sending his winged monkey enforcers after you

* How to have the time of your life even if you don't write fiction

Marty Young is president and founder of the Australian Horror Writers Association. Currently finishing his Ph.D in paleo-oceanography, Marty is co-editor of Macabre: The New Era in Australian Horror, which will be published in 2006. Marty's first short story will be released on Halloween 2005 as part of the Shadow Box e-anthology, and his first novel, 809 Jacob, is finished but awaiting some minor edits before he finds a home for it.

In this creepy interview, Marty reveals:

* Why we love being scared to death

* How writers can build tension and suspense

* How writers can frighten readers

* How horror stories from various world regions differ

* How horror writing has changed over the decades

* Why horror movies are scarier than books--or are they?

* What horror writers are really like

Karen Villanueva is a publicist specializing in the promotion of authors. She began her career in the record industry in Toronto, where she held positions such as national buyer for Canada's second-largest retail chain, and went on to become an award-winning national publicity director for a Canadian record company. She has promoted world-class actors; classical, jazz, and rock musicians; comedians; ice skating champions; television show launches; and special corporate and city-sponsored events. Karen now lives in New Mexico and promotes regional and nationally renowned authors through media outlets such as USA Today, CNN, the Associated Press, and various print and electronic media.

In this informative interview, Karen tells:

* What an independent publicist does (that your publisher does not)

* What to expect when approaching the media

* How you can effectively publicize an older book

* What book tours are really like

* The easiest kinds of books to promote...and the most difficult

* How much it costs to hire a publicist

* The one thing authors on tour (and everywhere) must always do

Moscow-born Olga Gardner Galvin is the founder and publisher of ENC Press, an independent boutique fiction-publishing house that offers an intelligent alternative to the conveyor-belt approach of mainstream publishing. While not necessarily aimed at the broadest possible audience, novels published by ENC Press offer entertainment, food for thought, and zero pulp.

In this candid interview, Olga explains:

* How her approach differs from that of traditional publishers

* Why the look of a book is so important

* Why she distributes her books primarily through her Web site and avoids mainstream distributors and booksellers

* Why authors have to market their books even if they get them in the big stores

* Why she publishes books that do not necessarily appeal to the widest possible audience

Moscow-born Olga Gardner Galvin is the founder and publisher of ENC Press, an independent boutique fiction-publishing house that offers an intelligent alternative to the conveyor-belt approach of mainstream publishing. While not necessarily aimed at the broadest possible audience, novels published by ENC Press offer entertainment, food for thought, and zero pulp.

In this candid interview, Olga explains:

* How her approach differs from that of traditional publishers

* Why the look of a book is so important

* Why she distributes her books primarily through her Web site and avoids mainstream distributors and booksellers

* Why authors have to market their books even if they get them in the big stores

* Why she publishes books that do not necessarily appeal to the widest possible audience

Carl Dierschow is an author and executive coach based in Fort Collins, Colorado. He 's worked in high tech since 1978 as a software engineer, manager, coach, and in many other roles. His first book, Mondays Stink! 23 Secrets to Rediscover Delight and Fulfillment in Your Work, is based on his personal experience, both in the industry as a whole and as a coach to employees who struggle with motivation issues.

In this fascinating interview, Carl explains:

* How he decided upon a title and subtitle for his book

* Why he expressed his content in a variety of formats

* How he handled the issue of illustrations

* How he came up with the idea of creating 20 different bookmark designs

* Why the personal touch works best for him when it comes to marketing

Carl Dierschow is an author and executive coach based in Fort Collins, Colorado. He 's worked in high tech since 1978 as a software engineer, manager, coach, and in many other roles. His first book, Mondays Stink! 23 Secrets to Rediscover Delight and Fulfillment in Your Work, is based on his personal experience, both in the industry as a whole and as a coach to employees who struggle with motivation issues.

In this career-enhancing interview, Carl explains:

* How to create a broad-based support group, and why doing so is critical for everyone who works

* How to communicate so that people actually hear you

* Why making a commitment dramatically improves your chances of success

* How making others look good helps you

* How to test your new behaviors to see if they work