If you're coming to Sydney for the Aurealis Awards bash, why not start the day a little earlier? I'll be talking with Peter Hollo about remixing as part of the Sydney Writers' Festival, which I'm attending as a guest (and very excited about it I am, too). Garth Nix and I will be larking about as well, here and there. Full program available here.

( Read more... )

Music is my other love. In a parallel universe, I chose composition over novels and am now writing soundtracks for TV or strange electronic music for an audience of, say, twenty. So you can imagine my delight to be the first ever author interviewed for Tracksounds: the Film Music and SoundtracksExperience! The interview was ostensibly to promote ( Read more... )

I'm in a metal mood this week.  Any suggestions?

If the Daleks were ever to record a song, I reckon it'd sound a lot like this:

Click to view

Thanks to crankynick:

All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my lad.

Which song was this lyric from?

Not all of these titles were released this year, but that’s when I discovered them, so that’s where they sit for me. In an ambient world, everything is autobiographical.

1. Insen - Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto
2. Astral Currents - Telomere
3. Vrioon - Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto
4. Earthlight - David Parsons
5. The Tudors: Season One - Trevor Morris

This track embodies everything I loved about the 80s: morose boys, crazy-dancing girls, pretentious videos, and above all the music.  How wonderful that this was released in 2009.  Music is good again.  Hurrah!  (Watch it at least to the chorus before you decide either way.)

Click to view

Once upon a time, I used to think being a writer meant, well, writing.  All the time.  If only that were true!  When between books, as I am at the moment, I don't even attempt to stick to my 1500 words/day target. There just isn't time.  Here's what I got up to in the last week (Monday 5 to Sunday 12), for anyone interested in what I actually spend ( Read more... )

Fourplay are touring at the moment, which is a reason for gladness all around the land.  I saw them last night and they were awesome.  (Pete Hollo: you are a rock god!)  There are lots of shows in the tour left, so check the gig guide and grab a ticket.  If you're in Perth, you'd better hurry.  They're playing there tonight!

Can't get to the gigs?  ( Read more... )

A quick reminder that Concept Sc-Fi's first annual short story competition, which I'll be judging, is now open for entries. The themes are space opera and music. Make me proud!

ETA: Poetry is allowed! (Hey, that rhymes.)


( Read more... )

BSG + Goldfrapp = awesome!

'BSG ends tonight. But instead of mourning, let's focus on the positive, like the heaps of crazy Cylon sex. And to celebrate we rounded up all our favorite naughty robot moments into one NSFW clip. Enjoy our sexy round up to Goldfrapp's "Strict Machine" and remember wear a cylondom.'

Thank you, io9!

ETA See here for ( Read more... )