AntipodeanSF is an Aussie online magazine that's devoted to the monthly publication of fabulous and original science-fiction, fantasy, and horror mini-stories of about 500–1000 words each, with occasional longer feature stories.
Books:
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| I read more than two books in April, but these are the best |
Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (Known in the UK and Oz as The Rivers of London). The voice in this book is a real treat. It had me laughing out loud quite a bit. It's a police procedural set in London with a bunch of magic thrown in. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are currently working on adapting the series for TV, so think Hot Fuzz meets Harry Potter ;)
Shows:
Avengers: Endgame
No Spoilers here. I just wanted to say how much it surprised me. I loved it. With it being 3 hours long, I had thought they were going to drag it out and get all indulgent, but no. Every scene mattered. The movie had so much unexpected heart. I was thrilled.
Game of Thrones.
No spoilers again. So glad it's back. I've been thoroughly enjoying it. I think I want more surprises than we've got so far. The last episode in particular. But I'm still loving it.
Insecure Writers Support Group:
The question for the month: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
There's a silly children's chant I learned when I was young because I was bullied a lot: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I wish it were true. Words do hurt. They can build a person up and they can pull them down and tear them apart. I was pulled down and torn apart an awful lot. It hurt worse when it came from people who were supposed to be my friends. I became small and escaped into stories where the weak overcame overwhelming odds, the little guy who was dismissed by society became the hero. Would I change any of it? No. Everything I've experienced--the good, the bad, the ugly--has shaped me into the person and the writer I am today.
What books have you been reading? What shows have you been loving? What's been your experience with the power of language?
Congratulations! Is that the one Ion Newcombe runs?
ReplyDeleteEndgame did have a lot of heart.
I was surprised who killed the Night King though. Thought it would be someone else.
Yep!! It is! He is a great supporter of Australian speculative fiction.
DeleteI wasn't surprised....
I think I escaped into books to avoid a lot of those painful sticks and stones, too. Congratulations on your story being online!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Liza
DeleteCongrats on the published story.
ReplyDeleteAs foster parents, we saw first hand how words can destroy someone.
Yeah, it's scary the impact words can have.
DeleteCongratulations!
ReplyDeleteSo happy GoT is back, too. Can't wait to see where it goes these next few episodes, although I really don't want it to end!
I think I have Six of Crows on my To Read list....
Read it! You'll love it.
DeleteSuper cool about your story being published. Congratulations! And don't get me started about GoT. LOL I almost had a heart attack at the end of this last episode.
ReplyDeleteheart attacks are part of the fun!! ;)
DeleteCongrats on your publication!
ReplyDeleteEndgame is three hours long? Wow. Everyone is raving about it. I might need to see it.
Yep, it's a great movie (will make more sense if you've seen all the others though)
DeleteCongrats on the story publication.
ReplyDeleteBooks have always been my refuge, a buffer over the years against harsh and hurtful words...
Happy IWSG Day.
There are so many ways books are awesome
DeleteCongrats on the publication! So exciting.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought the "sticks and stones" rhyme was utterly ridiculous. Words are like razors, and can cut sharp and deep, leaving lasting scars. Books were a refuge for me, perhaps even a salvation.
I totally agree
DeleteCongratulations on our release in the online magazine. I hope you get lots of exposure.
ReplyDeleteAll the best.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
Thanks so much Pat
DeleteCongratulations on your sci-fi story publication.
ReplyDeleteI've heard a lot about Six of Crows, must read it fast.
It's so great!!
DeleteCongrats on your success. And you are so right, without our past we would be different people. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
Everything that happens shapes us :)
DeleteI've seen a lot of people mention the "sticks and stones" line today. Words can definitely hurt.
ReplyDeleteI literally have Six of Crows in my TBR pile! Like, an actual pile of books. I'll get to it eventually!
It was an IG recommendation for me so I went out and bought it. I wasn't disappointed.
DeleteCongrats on your story being published! I was bullied a lot as a kid too.
ReplyDeleteI suspect all the great readers and writers were.
DeleteI know how words can hurt too, but it's amazing we can turn it around and use them for good now. Congrats on your acceptance - fantastic news!
ReplyDeleteExactly!! And thanks! :)
DeleteI've never understood that chant - because it is completely untrue. I guess it's supposed to be an armour we don to protect ourselves, but it doesn't work very often!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the story!!
It's a thin armour, but when you have nothing else, it helps.
DeleteI will have to check out Midnight Riot. I've been reading a ton of Sherlock Holmes YA adaptions and really enjoyed them. Truly, Devious and the sequel were truly amazing. Congrats on your publication!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jennifer.
DeleteWords sure have power, but sticks may hurt a bit more at the time and linger into old age if hit hard enough haha
ReplyDeletewish that weren't true ;)
DeleteWords definitely have power to cause pain, but they also have the power to heal, even if it does take 10 positives to get rid of a negative. We can overcome those negatives!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Endgame yet ... it's partly because my family has been busy and partly because I want to savor it when I get to the theater.
Hopefully you'll be able to avoid any spoilers before you see Endgame.
DeleteLove Six of Crows and everything that Leigh writes. I'm enjoying GoT and like you, could do with more surprises. I'm distressed that so many of my writer friends were bullied in their younger years.
ReplyDeleteIt's why we're writers :)
DeleteCongratulations on your sci-fi story being published today, Lynda! What a thrill that must be for you. I just finished Tonja Drecker's "Music Boxes," and I'm well into "Masquerade Oddly Suited." Both are very satisfying reads. I'm closing in on the end of Yuval Harari's "Sapiens" which is a fascinating take on the history of humans from their earliest beginnings. Movies/Shows ~ Definitely sad as GOT draws to a close. The "Sticks and Stones" chant never made any sense to me either. As a third grader teacher I used it when my class and I discussed the importance of names and how words can hurt. If you want to know the power of words, just ask third graders!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, third graders would be good teachers in that regard ;)
DeleteCongratulations Lyn. Read about it on my phone this morning but it was in one of its moods and I couldn't comment. Such great news. Can't wait to read Six of Crows.
ReplyDeleteI meant to tell you when we had lunch, but it totally slipped my mind, lol. Too much yacking... ;)
DeleteI disliked that saying because bones will heal, and sometimes wounds from words never do. I remember from my childhood too. Congrats on the publication. Wahoo! happy IWSG.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Juneta
DeleteCongrats on your story publication!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could read more than two books a month. I struggle to read one.
Happy May!
30 mins a day can achieve a lot of reading. It's well worth it :)
DeleteI LOVE your short story. LOVE it. "...this traveller could rearrange the ticks so the one after the next could go before and the one before could wait until tomorrow." If only.
ReplyDeleteI'm so thrilled you like my story. Super thrilled. Thanks so much for taking the time to read it. Hugely appreciated.
DeleteHow long did it take you to write it?
DeleteNot long, but I did sit on it for a long while then I changed the ending. It originally had a darker ending, but I can't do them anymore, lol.
DeleteHi Lynda - congratulations on getting your story published ... while the publication sounds a very professional one. I've made a note of the Ben Aaronovitch London one ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Hilary
DeleteBig congrats! You must be so proud:)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mark
DeleteWhat a great post! That is so true – that everything a person experiences influences their writing and who they are/have become. I know I would definitely be a different person/writer without the life experiences I've had.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little late, but congrats on the publication of your story! That's awesome!
With Love,
Mandy
Thanks, Mary
Delete