Sunday, July 21, 2013

Spaceships and magic - What's new with Nicole Murphy


Congrats Sandy - you've won a copy of Secret Ones! Email nicole at nicolermurphy dot com with your address so I can send it to you.

Hi everyone!

It's been an incredibly busy time for me since I last posted (all the way back in March! Sorry, I will do better).

I was the co-chair of this year's Australian National Science Fiction Convention. I started a brand new project, developing a professional development day for writers. I took over running the 2014 Aurealis Awards (Australia's premier awards for science fiction/fantasy/horror).

There's been some success on the writing front too.

Firstly, my short story 'The Black Star Killer' was selected for inclusion in the Australian Year's Best Fantasy and Horror for 2012. This story is set in the 1920s but is also part of the gadda universe of my novels, so I'm really excited about it. The story first appeared in 'Damnation and Dames' and it's my first ever story to make a year's best collection. Honestly, I'm sure whereever you were in the world that day, you heard my squee of glee!

Also, I sold my second contemporary romance. The Lies We Tell is the story of Sia and Todd, who were driven apart ten years ago by lies. Circumstances have drawn them back together and as the lies start to unravel, whole families are put at risk. It will be released on August 1 - eep!

Right now, I'm returning to my spec fic roots, and also to my storytelling roots. I'm revising my science fiction romance - which needs a title, dammit! - in order to get it read before final polishing for submission. The thing is - I first developed this world, and my heroine Cassandra, when I was 14. Nearly 30 years I've been working on this, and I finally think it's nearly there!

Maybe I should call it 'About Time' :)

I hate coming up with titles - I suck at them. Some people are brilliant. Sometimes, you get stories you want to read just for the titles. For example, the titles of fellow Supernatural Undergrounder Kerrelyn Sparks. They are great!

What's your favourite book title? Let me know, and go in the draw to win a copy of 'Secret Ones', my first gadda novel. Winner will be drawn next Saturday.

5 comments:

Kim Falconer said...

Nicole, it's great to hear what you are up to, and all the successes! Congratulations! Can't wait to read 'The Black Star Killer'!

You've been busy!

One of my favorite titles is 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' by Laini Taylor, Tanith Lee's 'Drinking Sapphire Wine,' and 'Angel of Ruin' by Kim Wilkins . . . there are so many!

Looking over at all the Sup book titles, I get excited about every one of them! So many fantastic reads!

xKim

Helen Lowe said...

Congratulation, Nicole, on all your achievements: they--and you--are awesome!

Like Kim, I "heart" Daughter of Smoke and Bone as a book title, also The Hunger Games--but Gardens Of The Moon by Steven Erikson is another favorite!

Nicole Murphy said...

Thanks Kim and Helen For your wonderfully kind thoughts.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a great title, but I have to say Gardens of the Moon has really caught me. Love that!

SandyG265 said...

Congrats. There are a lot of book titles I like but one of my favorites is Stranger in a Strange Land.

Nicole Murphy said...

Hi Sandy - that's a great one! And don't we all feel like a stranger in a strange land sometimes :)