About Me
- Satima Flavell
- Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- I am based in Perth, Western Australia. You might enjoy my books - The Dagger of Dresnia, the first book of the Talismans Trilogy, is available at all good online book shops as is Book two, The Cloak of Challiver. Book three, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation. I trained in piano and singing at the NSW Conservatorium of Music. I also trained in dance (Scully-Borovansky, WAAPA) and drama (NIDA). Since 1987 I have been writing reviews of performances in all genres for a variety of publications, including Music Maker, ArtsWest, Dance Australia, The Australian and others. Now semi-retired, I still write occasionally for the ArtsHub website.
My books
The first two books of my trilogy, The Talismans, (The Dagger of Dresnia, and book two, The Cloak of Challiver) are available in e-book format from Smashwords, Amazon and other online sellers. Book three of the trilogy, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation.I also have a short story, 'La Belle Dame', in print - see Mythic Resonance below - as well as well as a few poems in various places.
The best way to contact me is via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/satimaflavell
Buy The Talismans
The first two books of The Talismans trilogy were published by Satalyte Publications, which, sadly, has gone out of business. However, The Dagger of Dresnia and The Cloak of Challiver are available as ebooks on the usual book-selling websites, and book three, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation.
The easiest way to contact me is via Facebook.
The Dagger of Dresnia
The Cloak of Challiver, Book two of The Talismans
Mythic Resonance
Mythic Resonance is an excellent anthology that includes my short story 'La Belle Dame', together with great stories from Alan Baxter, Donna Maree Hanson, Sue Burstynski, Nike Sulway and nine more fantastic authors! Just $US3.99 from Amazon.
Got a Kindle? Check out Mythic Resonance.
Follow me on Twitter
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For Readers, Writers & Editors
- A dilemma about characters
- Adelaide Writers Week, 2009
- Adjectives, commas and confusion
- An artist's conflict
- An editor's role
- Authorial voice, passive writing and the passive voice
- Common misuses: common expressions
- Common misuses: confusing words
- Common misuses: pronouns - subject and object
- Conversations with a character
- Critiquing Groups
- Does length matter?
- Dont sweat the small stuff: formatting
- Free help for writers
- How much magic is too much?
- Know your characters via astrology
- Like to be an editor?
- Modern Writing Techniques
- My best reads of 2007
- My best reads of 2008
- My favourite dead authors
- My favourite modern authors
- My influential authors
- Planning and Flimmering
- Planning vs Flimmering again
- Psychological Spec-Fic
- Readers' pet hates
- Reading, 2009
- Reality check: so you want to be a writer?
- Sensory detail is important!
- Speculative Fiction - what is it?
- Spelling reform?
- Substantive or linking verbs
- The creative cycle
- The promiscuous artist
- The revenge of omni rampant
- The value of "how-to" lists for writers
- Write a decent synopsis
- Write a review worth reading
- Writers block 1
- Writers block 2
- Writers block 3
- Writers need editors!
- Writers, Depression and Addiction
- Writing in dialect, accent or register
- Writing it Right: notes for apprentice authors
Interviews with authors
My Blog List
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While My Chapman Stick Gently Weeps - I’m coming down to the last month of writing on this current novel, so I expect that there will be a lot of fairly short entries here while I devote most o...1 hour ago
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Top 10 Scream Queens from Movies and TV: Which Is Your Favourite? - What are Scream Queens? Typically, Scream Queens are the ultimate female character, especially in the horror or thriller genres. They are renowned for th...3 hours ago
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Highlights from Today’s Kindle Daily Deals - *One by One* *One by One by Ruth Ware is $1.99! This was mentioned on a previous Hide Your Wallet. Elyse is a fan of Ware’s thrillers and has reviewed on...8 hours ago
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April is Camp NaNoWriMo… - This year I’m doing something different, I’ve been editing over the last few NaNoWriMo’s and Camp NaNoWriMo’s. I need to get these books out into the world...9 hours ago
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“Just Right” Emotional Appeal 2.0: Goldilocks and the Three unBearables - Last month I mused on possible definitions of melodrama and why it’s such a dirty word. I asked you to comment on it and y’all came through. Thank you! S...13 hours ago
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Thinking disobediently? - Thinking disobediently? A person who “thinks disobediently” can be invigorating, maddening, or both. The life and writings of Henry David Thoreau have pr...14 hours ago
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How to Focus Like a Monk with Jamie Kreiner - We live in a world full of constant notifications, interruptions, and complications. If only we could get away from it all, the peace and quiet would allow...21 hours ago
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The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 12: Witches Abroad - When we last left the Witches, all the way back in Wyrd Sisters, things seemed to have settled down a little bit in the mountainous kingdom of Lancre. Ther...4 days ago
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D.W. Buffa - D.W. Buffa's new novel is Lunatic Carnival, the tenth legal thriller involving the defense attorney Joseph Antonelli. He has also published a series that a...5 days ago
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In Defence of Poland by Rebecca Alexander - My first neighbours were a couple in their eighties from Poland. As time went on, they told me stories of life in childhood, celebrations, food, the Slavic...6 days ago
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How to Revitalize Your Blog Content When You Feel You’ve Covered It All - The post How to Revitalize Your Blog Content When You Feel You’ve Covered It All appeared first on ProBlogger. Maintaining Momentum in Blogging Series Ha...1 week ago
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What “Burnt” Can Teach Us About Conflict and Stakes - *By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy* *The whole point of creating conflict and stakes is to use them.* My husband and I are big fans of both cooking shows an...1 week ago
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Researching the birth of the first domestic violence refuge - Read a researcher's journey exploring the first few years of Chiswick Women's Aid. The post Researching the birth of the first domestic violence refuge ...1 week ago
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Just Been To See…Dune 2 - Poster. Fair use. I’ve just been to see Dune 2. I was impressed with the first film, which was pretty faithful to the novel, though it ended, not on a...1 week ago
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"An '80s Tenement Love Story' from Bourbon Penn 31 an Aurealis Award Finalist - It's humbling to see my latest story "An '80s Tenement Love Story" recently announced as a finalist for an Aurealis Award. This is the second time I've ...1 week ago
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In which I can now worry significantly less about something terrible happening to 126 things... - I spent yesterday in Dallas, at the Heritage Auction headquarters -- I had decided to auction off some artwork and memorabilia to benefit two charities ...1 week ago
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A home: feels like a whirlwind - We’ve been home exactly one week. I was telling Matthew that I haven’t found my groove yet. I’m currently grooveless. Last post was from London. I don’t th...3 weeks ago
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A home: feels like a whirlwind - We’ve been home exactly one week. I was telling Matthew that I haven’t found my groove yet. I’m currently grooveless. Last post was from London. I don’t th...3 weeks ago
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‘The Noble Salvidge’ in conversation with Will Yeoman at York Writers’ Festival - On April 13th I will be attending the York Writers’ Festival and appearing in conversation with WritingWA’s Will Yeoman. It looks like a really interesting...3 weeks ago
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Trip to Brazil 2024 - Landing in the Megalopolis of Sao Paulo On February 7th I flew to Sao Paulo, Brazil to start a 17 day teachi...3 weeks ago
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#2 - WEP Get Together - March 2024 - Hello fellow WEPpers and friends! Welcome to the second WEP Get Together! *Starting in April, we go bi-monthly. * The WEP team decided to keep in to...3 weeks ago
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New chat on the Lovecraft Ezine - I had a great chat with Mike Davis of the Lovercraft Ezine. We talked about about social media for creators, about small-town horror, about my books, and...5 weeks ago
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Royal Travel: Two Months at Edward II's Court - Unlike later centuries when the monarch spent most of the year in and around London, and went on progresses in the summer when the city got too hot and sti...2 months ago
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Photo Parade 2023 - A bit of fun at the beginning of the new year. I’m following several German travel blogs, and that way came across the annual Photo Parade (Fotoparade) on ...2 months ago
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Happy Public Domain Day 2024, the end of copyright for 1928 works - My annual reminder that January 1st is Public Domain Day, and this year copyright has ended for books, movies, and music first published in the U.S. in 192...2 months ago
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The White Horse Band - Live Blues/Rock - 31 March 2023 Hi All, Time for some LIVE Video Music from me… (as opposed to my original stuff)…. I got into a blues/rock band for a one off gig at ...3 months ago
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Konrath Thanksgiving - Black Friday - Cyber Monday Kindle Bundle Sale - *Get all of my ebook box sets on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents each, November 23 - 28.* *THAT'S 33¢ PER BOOK!* Almost my entire backlist of fifty-four ebooks...4 months ago
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Questions from year 9 students - Recently – actually, not very recently but I somehow forgot to write this sooner – I did what has become an annual online Q&A with the Year 9 girls at Bedf...4 months ago
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On Ohio, and the novels, and the new class - Just small news here. The new class is finished in first draft, and I’m now (and for the first time ever) doing the complete course bug-hunt and clean-up B...5 months ago
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Big disruption hit book publishing before AI showed up - Publishers Weekly recently hosted a stimulating and smart online session about AI and publishing, thanks to the organizing and moderating skills of Peter...5 months ago
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Flogometer 1180 for Christian—will you be moved to turn the page? - Submissions sought. Get fresh eyes on your opening page. Submission directions below. The Flogometer challenge: can you craft a first page that compels me ...7 months ago
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Storny Weather - I've just been out fixing up the damage from last night's storm. This is pretty much the first time I've been able to spend much time outside and do any...7 months ago
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#347 - I've been querying agents for the last 6-months and have over 50 rejections. I'm not sure if my novel isn't very interesting/sellable or if my query let...7 months ago
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Parody - The other day, for the first time in a very long time, I heard the Barbie Song. So, being me, I decided to parody it, in hour of Alianore Audley and *The...8 months ago
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Parody - The other day, for the first time in a very long time, I heard the Barbie Song. So, being me, I decided to write a parody. Hope you like it! *Hiya, Ali...8 months ago
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To Live and Love - To live and love for the both of us Ten years ago today I made that vow I've struggled in the decade since Not always knowing exactly how Ten years you've...8 months ago
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“It’s Random” – a random scribble - “Why am I even here? It’s random. No Divine Thing. No actual “purpose” except what we make of it. I haven’t made anything of it except to be restless, to a...9 months ago
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#MemorialDay, remembering a female patriot ancestor - *© 2022 Christy K Robinson* We are taught stories about heroic men who gave their lives to bring independence and liberty to their families, friends--and...9 months ago
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Mother’s Day Celebration (for a week!) - Originally posted on IFWG Publishing: We publish a fair bit of horror in many sub-genres, and celebrating Mother’s Day shouldn’t be exempt from our itinera...10 months ago
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A tale of two titles - I have done something notably foolish. Which is perhaps nothing new, though the circumstances on this occasion are unusual. To whit, I am publishing two bo...1 year ago
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Poem: If Wishes were horses - A team of horses racing toward me Brown like the uniforms of soldiers fortressing me around Speckled like a found family, salt of the earth Whit...1 year ago
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another review for the Christmas Maze - *The Christmas Maze by Danny Fahey – a Review by David Collis* Why do we seek to be good, to make the world a better place? Why do we seek to be ethi...1 year ago
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Children’s Rights QLD Ambassador - Children’s Rights QLD appointed Karen Tyrrell (me) Ambassador for Logan City, ahead of Children’s Week, 24-29 Oct 2022. I’m an award-winning child-empowe...1 year ago
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ANWERING THE CALL: LESSONS FROM THE THRESHOLD - NEXT STORY SANCTUARY "Anwering the Call: Lessons from the Threshold" Sept. 20, 7 pm eastern $30 Online Whether you're starting a project, a school year, ...1 year ago
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The Green House, Chapters 1-4 (Revised) - [Dear Reader: Having refined my intentions for this novel based on a lot of recent thinking about life and art, I have restructured and revised the first f...1 year ago
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Publishing Contracts 101: Beware Internal Contradications - It should probably go without saying that you don't want your publishing contract to include clauses that contradict one another. Beyond any potential l...1 year ago
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Tara Sharp is back and in audio book - SHARP IS BACK! Marianne Delacourt and Twelfth Planet Press are delighted to announce the fifth Tara Sharp story, a novella entitled RAZOR SHARP, will be ...1 year ago
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Website Update - My website www.stephendedman.com has been updated, with details of my latest books; please check it out!2 years ago
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Non-Binary Authors To Read: July 2021 - Non-Binary Authors To Read is a regular column from A.C. Wise highlighting non-binary authors of speculative fiction and recommending a starting place fo...2 years ago
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ATTENTION: YOU CAN’T LOG IN HERE - Hey YOU! This isn’t the forum. You’re trying to login to the Web site. THE FORUMS ARE HERE: CLICK THIS The post ATTENTION: YOU CAN’T LOG IN HERE a...2 years ago
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I'M INSIDE A SHORT STORY!! - Ok everyone, you have to read this very short short story. Firstly because it is good, (check out the Bligh story within it too), but also because I'm ...2 years ago
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Grandmother Dragon Forever - It feels like centuries since the last time I wrote something for the Dragon Cave. Only something of great importance would drag me out of my retirement...3 years ago
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What communicates power? - Well, I have to say, I wasn't expecting to get this far behind on my reports on the show, but the launch month was very busy, and then the next month turne...4 years ago
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The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning. - [image: The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning.] The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning. Let's take a look at how this word came about. Actually, P...4 years ago
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Readers Notice and They Care - Readers care about story details and they care about characters. Both last night and this afternoon I had conversations with readers upset about the way au...4 years ago
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Review of Verdi's MacBeth (WA Opera) - *Our president, Frances Dharmalingham, has written a critique of a recent visit to the opera: Verdi’s ‘Macbeth’.* At Christmas 2018, my family’s gift to ...4 years ago
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Breakout 3: tips for engaging your audience - Tips for engaging your audience: how to improve presentation, public speaking confidence and presence on stage, no matter how small the stage is. Present...4 years ago
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The Trains Don't Stop Here - It's been a long, long time since my last blog post. One of the main reasons for this – apart from life being way too busy in general – is that, in my dwin...4 years ago
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Portrait of a first generation freed African American family - Sanford Huggins (c.1844–1889) and Mary Ellen Pryor (c.1851–1889), his wife, passed the early years of their lives in Woodford County, Kentucky, and later...4 years ago
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Revisiting the Comma Splice - One of the difficulties as an editor, particularly when working with fiction, is to know when to be a stickler for the rules. For some people this is not a...4 years ago
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New releases - SFFBookBonanza - StoryOrigin - SciFi and Fantasy Book Sale - New Releases – Jul 2019 The latest and greatest new releases in Science Fiction and Fantasy books! New releases July 2019 99 cent sale - July 22nd - 28t...4 years ago
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Assassin’s Apprentice Read Along - This month, in preparation for the October release of the Illustrated 25th Anniversary edition of Assassin’s Apprentice, with interior art by Magali Villan...4 years ago
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STOLEN PICTURE OPTIONS TELEVISION RIGHTS TO BEN AARONOVITCH’S RIVERS OF LONDON - *STOLEN PICTURE OPTIONS TELEVISION RIGHTS TO BEN AARONOVITCH’S * *RIVERS OF LONDON* *London, UK: 29April 2019*: Nick Frost and Simon Pegg’s UK-based ...4 years ago
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A Movie That No Writer Should See Alone - Really. REALLY. Trust me on this. particularly since this film, ‘Can you ever forgive me?’, is based on a ‘True story’ – and too many writers will see too...5 years ago
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Review: Trace: who killed Maria James? - [image: Trace: who killed Maria James?] Trace: who killed Maria James? by Rachael Brown My rating: 5 of 5 stars Absolutely jaw-dropping, compelling readin...5 years ago
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Dance Photo Shoots - Photo Session Planning & Preparation Have you ever wanted to do a photo shoot for dance but have been a little unsure about how and what really happens? ...5 years ago
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On Indefinite Hiatus - (Which I pretty much have been from this site for a while already, but for real now.) You can find most archive content through the On Writing page, and li...6 years ago
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2017 Ditmar Winners Announced - Over the Queen’s Birthday weekend, spec fic fans gathered for Continuum 13: Triskaidekaphilia. Continuum is always a great convention, and this year it was...6 years ago
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Writing about the Crusades and talking about a "meddlesome priest" - The Middle Ages are in the news again, so here is a roundup of recent news articles. We start with three good reads from historians talking about the crusa...6 years ago
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The One and the Many – every Sunday - My first serious girlfriend came from good Roman Catholic stock. Having tried (and failed) to be raised as a Christian child and finding nothing but lifele...6 years ago
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A Shameless Plug Ian Likes: Bibliorati.com - A little-known fact is that I once had a gig reviewing books for five years. It was for a now-defunct website known as The Specusphere. It was awesome fun:...7 years ago
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Book Review - Nobody by Threasa Meads - Available from BooktopiaThe subtitle for this work is *A Liminal Autobiography*. Liminal: 1. relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process. 2...7 years ago
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A whole 'nother year-and-a-bit - Well, we have let this blog slip, haven't we? I guess Facebook has taken over from blogs to a very large degree, but I think there is still a need for blo...7 years ago
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2017 Potential Bee Calendar – & ladybirds and butterflies - Bees on flowers – all sorts of flowers (& bees) – and lady birds and butterflies. There were hundreds (literally) of photos to choose from. This is a small...7 years ago
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What is dyslexia? - *" **The bottob line it thit it doet exitt, no bitter whit nibe teottle give it(i.e ttecific lierning ditibility, etc) iccording to Thilly Thiywitz ( 2003)...8 years ago
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Rai stones - *(Paraphrased from Wikipedia)*: Rai stones were, and in some cases are still, the currency of the island once called Yap. *They are stone coins which at th...10 years ago
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Cherries In The Snow - This recipe is delicious and can also be made as a diet dessert by using fat and/or sugar free ingredients. It’s delicious and guests will think it took ...11 years ago
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Al Milgrom’s connection to “Iron Man” - Via the Ann Arbor online newspaper - I felt it was worth repeating as a great example of Marvel doing the right thing by a former employee and without the ...13 years ago
Favourite Sites
- Alan Baxter
- Andrew McKiernan
- Bren McDibble
- Celestine Lyons
- Guy Gavriel Kay
- Hal Spacejock (Simon Haynes)
- Inventing Reality
- Jacqueline Carey
- Jennifer Fallon
- Jessica Rydill
- Jessica Vivien
- Joel Fagin
- Juliet Marillier
- KA Bedford
- Karen Miller
- KSP Writers Centre
- Lynn Flewelling
- Marianne de Pierres
- Phill Berrie
- Ryan Flavell
- Satima's Professional Editing Services
- SF Novelists' Blog
- SF Signal
- Shane Jiraiya Cummings
- Society of Editors, WA
- Stephen Thompson
- Yellow wallpaper
Blog Archive
Places I've lived: Manchester, UK
Places I've lived: Gippsland, Australia
Places I've lived: Geelong, Australia
Places I've lived: Tamworth, NSW
Places I've Lived - Sydney
Places I've lived: Auckland, NZ
Places I've Lived: Mount Gambier
Places I've lived: Adelaide, SA
Places I've Lived: Perth by Day
Places I've lived: High View, WV
Places I've lived: Lynton, Devon, UK
Places I've lived: Braemar, Scotland
Places I've lived: Barre, MA, USA
Places I've Lived: Perth by Night
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Tuesday 30 April 2013
Meet one of my characters
Tuesday, April 30, 2013 |
Posted by
Satima Flavell
I've written a post about one of my nastiest characters as a guest on Joanna Fay's blog:
http://joannafay.me/2013/04/24/character-column-meet-satima-flavell-and-nustofer/
Booze is not Nustofer's greatest weakness, but this 13th century picture from Wikimedia Commons sums up his sneaky character very well!
Thanks to Joanna for inviting me to guest on her blog. You can find info on Joanna and her books there, too - her second one, Reunion, has recently been published by Musa.
Sunday 14 April 2013
Book review: Eagle of the East by LS Lawrence
Sunday, April 14, 2013 |
Posted by
Satima Flavell
Eagle of the East by LS Lawrence
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This review first appeared on the now defunct site The Specusphere in July 2007.
L.S. Lawrence is a nom de plume for one of Aussie fandom's best regarded medieval historians, whose earlier work in the realm of YA fantasy will be familiar to most Speculative Fiction buffs in this country. Out of respect for the wishes of his agent and publisher, his name has been held back from this review. He is, of course, in good company: several other writers use different names for different genres. One who comes to mind is Stateside romance and specfic author Jayne Ann Krentz, who writes under no fewer than seven discrete names!
Based on an intriguing historical vignette, Eagle of the East speculates on the destiny of 10,000 Roman prisoners, who, according to Pliny, were commandeered by the victors to protect the eastern frontier of the Parthian Empire after Crassus's ill-fated expedition in 53 BC. These prisoners, apparently serving as mercenaries, would probably have met the conquering Han Chinese, thus becoming, perhaps, the first westerners to meet people of Chinese ethnicity. From this sketchy episode, Lawrence has developed a richly imagined tapestry of the meeting of three peoples: the Romans, the Parthians and the nomadic tribes of the Central Asian Steppes.
Eagle of the East is largely a coming-of-age novel in which Ardavan, a boy with no father, nevertheless finds his place in the world. Told from the point-of-view of a half-Roman youth of Parthia, the story weaves together themes of jealousy, suspicion, mistrust and murder, giving plenty of opportunity for sword-fighting scenes as well as episodes from the rough-and-tumble life of an army on the march.
While spec-fic fans will miss the magical element that characterized this author's earlier works, young men from eleven to eleventy-one will enjoy Ardavan's adventures. Right from the first chapter, when the youngster defeats a much bigger opponent by squeezing his testicles, we are right in the thick of a world where sharp eyes and ears, together with well-practised self defence skills, are pre-requisites for survival. Along the way, we experience with Ardavan the essentials of Roman fighting techniques, taste the elegant precision of Parthian archery and become embroiled in political and military manoeuvrings and skulduggery.
So many excellent books have been written for young women in recent years that it is a refreshing change to read such a boldly masculine story. Not that the book entirely lacks feminine interest, for the nomadic warrior chieftain Shara will quickly win the heart of any girl who yearns for heroines who are not the usual run-of-the-mill princesses and slave girls so beloved of spec-fic and hist-fic writers. Shara can shoot arrows from horseback faster than I can eat cashew nuts – and that without reins or stirrups. And she gets her man in the end, too, although it must be admitted that romance is only a peripheral element of this unashamedly blokey book.
My only grizzle is that in places I would have liked more dialogue. The narrative is excellent and always in character, but even in the heat of a fight, surely the antagonists would engage in a little light conversation about each other's ancestry and personal habits?
Lawrence has written a story in the tradition of such luminaries of the genre as Rosemary Sutcliff and Mary Stewart. His work, however, is fresh and exciting, being presented in a way that will appeal to today's more streetwise youngsters. Don't tell, them for heaven's sake, that they will be unable to avoid learning a bit of history at the same time. Who knows? Some young men might even find they like it and look for more. Let's hope Lawrence's fertile imagination will come up with a sequel. I, for one, would love to speculate on what those Romans did when they settled in Han country!
View all my Goodreads reviews
Sunday 7 April 2013
Book review - Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
Sunday, April 07, 2013 |
Posted by
Satima Flavell
This is another review that first appeared on the late lamented Specusphere, this one in cahoots with my old crit buddy Ian Banks - not the Scottish one, the Western Australian one who only has one i.
Best Served Cold takes place a few years after Abercrombie’s
breakout trilogy, The First Law. It involves a few subsidiary characters
and features one or two memorable cameos from people we got to know in that
series, but it is a stand-alone volume.
It is the story of Monza Murcatto, a mercenary
captain who has schemed her way to the top of her profession and into the
confidences of her employer, Duke Orso, who has been using her to expand his
interests. Unfortunately, though, she appears to be too popular with the masses
for Orso, so he arranges to have her and her brother murdered. Monza survives
the murder attempt and plots avenge her brother’s death by killing all the men
who took part.
She begins by recruiting agents to her cause and
assembles a wild bunch indeed. There’s the disaffected Northman, Caul Shivers,
who just wants to be better than he is; Friendly, the convict savant who loves
numbers; Morveer the poisoner and his assistant, Day; and several other
colourful and well-drawn characters.
The story doesn’t follow the epic pattern
established in The First Law but plays out more like a western, with Monza
assembling her team, seeking out information, uncovering a wider scheme in
which her revenge is only one factor in a greater fight, and then building to a
bloody and unbelievable climax in which it seems that she may have taken on a
job that even her ruthless nature cannot stomach.
This is great read: it sprawls across countries and
cultures, with memorable characters and some great scenes and, as expected with
Abercrombie, fantastic dialogue. He also raises a lot of questions about the
nature of revenge and of nobility which make this quite a meaty story. In many
ways it’s an easier read than the First Law Trilogy, because there in only one
plot and one set of characters who interact in various ways as they swap
allegiance or interact with minor characters.
All this more than makes up for the shortcomings of
this novel, such as they are. Fans of The First Law will enjoy meeting
some old friends and revisiting some places around the Circle and Azure Seas.
Mention is made of the greater, shadowy conflict that served as the basis for
the denouement of that earlier series, but newcomers may find it all a little
confusing when the story delves into that realm if they haven’t either read the
earlier books. Also, some of the scenes seem a little too over-the-top when you
play them on the large-screen television inside your skull. There is one in
which the team has to cross from one tall building to another by hitching along
by clinging under a rope with hands and feet. The resultant misadventures, both
real and imagined, would make either a terrifying dark horror movie or a
screamingly funny slapstick, depending on how it was played.
Abercrombie has also, perhaps, gone overboard with the sex, violence and bad language: more than one reader has given up on Best Served Cold because of these. In the earlier trilogy these elements fitted seamlessly into the plot: in this book they sometimes appear gratuitous. It could well be, also, that some readers will be annoyed by the little tricks Abercrombie plays, especially in the last third of the book. He leads us to believe certain things are happening or have happened, and then a few chapters later more or less says 'Hah! Fooled you!'
Abercrombie has also, perhaps, gone overboard with the sex, violence and bad language: more than one reader has given up on Best Served Cold because of these. In the earlier trilogy these elements fitted seamlessly into the plot: in this book they sometimes appear gratuitous. It could well be, also, that some readers will be annoyed by the little tricks Abercrombie plays, especially in the last third of the book. He leads us to believe certain things are happening or have happened, and then a few chapters later more or less says 'Hah! Fooled you!'
But these are small flaws when put against what is
on offer here: a revenge thriller with great characters and snarky dialogue. If
you enjoyed Abercrombie’s earlier books, you will find much to savour here. If
you’ve also enjoyed The Good, the Bad And the Ugly and any kind of
vengeance story in which the payoff may be more than the characters are willing
to come at, you will have a ball with this.
Book review - Arrows of Time by Kim Falconer
Sunday, April 07, 2013 |
Posted by
Satima Flavell
Arrows of Time by Kim Falconer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Another of my reviews that first appeared in the now-defunct webzine, The Specusphere, this one in September 2009.
In Arrows of Time, Kim Falconer continues her story of the many-worlds, which she started in The Spell of Rosette. She uses it to explore three concepts of time – forward, backward and circular. These ideas have been discussed by thinkers religious and philosophical since time immemorial, and in recent times have come to be discussed by physicists, too.
Time is, of course, a toy much loved by speculative authors. Ideas of time travel, parallel worlds and so on can be found in the works of authors as disparate as JB Priestley and Richard Carpenter, not to mention the plethora of more overtly spec-fic writers from HG Wells onward. Its permutations are legion; its possibilities, endless. This won't be the last time-based story you will read and I’ll bet it's not the first, either, unless you’re very new to the genre.
Falconer has an interesting twist to her use of the time-toy. Rosette and Jarrod find themselves in separate time-streams. Rosette is caught up in a seemingly endless time loop and Jarrod, it seems is lost altogether. Rosette looks to alternative futures for help.
The reader, however, is not shown exactly what is going on. We do not recognise Rosette when she first resurfaces, and nor are we privy to the actions of several other characters. This makes for an interesting, if somewhat confusing, read. Generally, I prefer books in which I am allowed to follow the main characters’ doings in temporal sequence and to know their thoughts and feelings, and I find more circuitous means of story telling somewhat distancing. But these characters have their own charm, and as in The Spell of Rosette, I was entranced by the Lupins and the Temple Cats as much as the human characters. If 'science fantasy' is your thing, and you love a good time-travel story, you will find Arrows of Time a great read, more especially so if you also have in interest in New Age religions and philosophies.
View all my Goodreads reviews
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Another of my reviews that first appeared in the now-defunct webzine, The Specusphere, this one in September 2009.
In Arrows of Time, Kim Falconer continues her story of the many-worlds, which she started in The Spell of Rosette. She uses it to explore three concepts of time – forward, backward and circular. These ideas have been discussed by thinkers religious and philosophical since time immemorial, and in recent times have come to be discussed by physicists, too.
Time is, of course, a toy much loved by speculative authors. Ideas of time travel, parallel worlds and so on can be found in the works of authors as disparate as JB Priestley and Richard Carpenter, not to mention the plethora of more overtly spec-fic writers from HG Wells onward. Its permutations are legion; its possibilities, endless. This won't be the last time-based story you will read and I’ll bet it's not the first, either, unless you’re very new to the genre.
Falconer has an interesting twist to her use of the time-toy. Rosette and Jarrod find themselves in separate time-streams. Rosette is caught up in a seemingly endless time loop and Jarrod, it seems is lost altogether. Rosette looks to alternative futures for help.
The reader, however, is not shown exactly what is going on. We do not recognise Rosette when she first resurfaces, and nor are we privy to the actions of several other characters. This makes for an interesting, if somewhat confusing, read. Generally, I prefer books in which I am allowed to follow the main characters’ doings in temporal sequence and to know their thoughts and feelings, and I find more circuitous means of story telling somewhat distancing. But these characters have their own charm, and as in The Spell of Rosette, I was entranced by the Lupins and the Temple Cats as much as the human characters. If 'science fantasy' is your thing, and you love a good time-travel story, you will find Arrows of Time a great read, more especially so if you also have in interest in New Age religions and philosophies.
View all my Goodreads reviews
Friday 5 April 2013
Book review: Rayessa and the Space Pirates by Donna Maree Hanson
Friday, April 05, 2013 |
Posted by
Satima Flavell
Rayessa and the Space Pirates by Donna Maree Hanson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A romp though space with a pair of adventurous teenagers. Ideal light romance for the 12+ age group. A version of the following review first appeared in the now defunct webzine, The Specusphere, in February 2013.
With this charming novella for young adults, Canberran author Donna Maree Hanson takes her first step into longer-length publishing. She already has a good handful or two of short stories under her belt, and she won respect and acclaim from fandom with her Australian Speculative Fiction: A Genre Overview.
Escape Publishing is a new imprint (should we call it an imprint when its product is entirely digital?) from Harlequin, purveyors of fine romances for many years. They are obviously keen to move with the times and to suss out exactly what readers want. Whether you’re after romantic suspense, historical romance, GLB romance, erotica, fantasy or sci-fi romance, you will be sure to find something to your taste at the Escape shop. What’s more, they are not frightened to publish e-books of any length from short stories to fat fantasies – and for all ages from 12 upwards! Search their website and you’re sure to find something to suit your taste.
Rayessa and the Space Pirates is light and frothy fare: an easy read and very suitable for the younger end of the target age group. Girls 12-15 will love this one, and older readers will find it entertaining, too, although they will question the credibility of some of the situations. It would be unfair to reveal these because they will inevitably result in spoilers, but I must say that I, as an adult reader, kept thinking, ‘Hey, wait a minute – that can’t be right!’ I don’t think the little solecisms will bother the younger readers, though.
This is one of the earliest books released by Escape, and it was done in something of a hurry. Unfortunately for Rayessa and the Space Pirates this shows up in an apparent dearth of copy-editing. I noticed several typos and even one or two misused words. This is a shame, and I hope Escape will lift their game now the rush of getting the imprint up and running is over.
Congratulations to Donna Maree Hanson. May Rayessa be the first of many romantic heroines to spring from Donna’s keyboard into publication!
View all my Goodreads reviews
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A romp though space with a pair of adventurous teenagers. Ideal light romance for the 12+ age group. A version of the following review first appeared in the now defunct webzine, The Specusphere, in February 2013.
With this charming novella for young adults, Canberran author Donna Maree Hanson takes her first step into longer-length publishing. She already has a good handful or two of short stories under her belt, and she won respect and acclaim from fandom with her Australian Speculative Fiction: A Genre Overview.
Escape Publishing is a new imprint (should we call it an imprint when its product is entirely digital?) from Harlequin, purveyors of fine romances for many years. They are obviously keen to move with the times and to suss out exactly what readers want. Whether you’re after romantic suspense, historical romance, GLB romance, erotica, fantasy or sci-fi romance, you will be sure to find something to your taste at the Escape shop. What’s more, they are not frightened to publish e-books of any length from short stories to fat fantasies – and for all ages from 12 upwards! Search their website and you’re sure to find something to suit your taste.
Rayessa and the Space Pirates is light and frothy fare: an easy read and very suitable for the younger end of the target age group. Girls 12-15 will love this one, and older readers will find it entertaining, too, although they will question the credibility of some of the situations. It would be unfair to reveal these because they will inevitably result in spoilers, but I must say that I, as an adult reader, kept thinking, ‘Hey, wait a minute – that can’t be right!’ I don’t think the little solecisms will bother the younger readers, though.
This is one of the earliest books released by Escape, and it was done in something of a hurry. Unfortunately for Rayessa and the Space Pirates this shows up in an apparent dearth of copy-editing. I noticed several typos and even one or two misused words. This is a shame, and I hope Escape will lift their game now the rush of getting the imprint up and running is over.
Congratulations to Donna Maree Hanson. May Rayessa be the first of many romantic heroines to spring from Donna’s keyboard into publication!
View all my Goodreads reviews
Thursday 4 April 2013
Book review - Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan
Thursday, April 04, 2013 |
Posted by
Satima Flavell
The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This lovely book (alternative title Sea Hearts if you live outside the USA) captures snapshots of well-drawn characters in typical Lanagan style. If you love selkies, mermaids and tales of the sea, this could well be a book for your shelves!
I did not love it quite as much as Tender Morsels (if we could give half stars on Goodreads this one would be three-and-a-half) as I felt the construction precluded any real denouement - the story follows several different protagonists through three generations, and their stories aren't really drawn together in a truly meaningful way. The plot is a slight one - sea people come, sea people stay awhile, sea people go. I am not a fan of several generations being crammed into one book, since no character is there throughout. I find that creates a feeling of something being out-of-joint. However, other readers may not mind that at all.
Nit-picks apart, Sea Hearts is an enjoyable read that arouses sympathy for the characters and the difficult situations they find themselves in due to the deliberate scheming of Misskaella, an unhappy woman with witchy powers. We can never quite like her, but we can see what misery made her into the person she became - and we can see the kind of ongoing disruption that can be caused in a small community by one bitter soul such as Misskaella.
This would make a great book-club read as it seems to arouse strong feelings in its readers. As many people are averse to it as are its devotees, so some interesting, if not heated, discussions are likely!
View all my Goodreads reviews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This lovely book (alternative title Sea Hearts if you live outside the USA) captures snapshots of well-drawn characters in typical Lanagan style. If you love selkies, mermaids and tales of the sea, this could well be a book for your shelves!
I did not love it quite as much as Tender Morsels (if we could give half stars on Goodreads this one would be three-and-a-half) as I felt the construction precluded any real denouement - the story follows several different protagonists through three generations, and their stories aren't really drawn together in a truly meaningful way. The plot is a slight one - sea people come, sea people stay awhile, sea people go. I am not a fan of several generations being crammed into one book, since no character is there throughout. I find that creates a feeling of something being out-of-joint. However, other readers may not mind that at all.
Nit-picks apart, Sea Hearts is an enjoyable read that arouses sympathy for the characters and the difficult situations they find themselves in due to the deliberate scheming of Misskaella, an unhappy woman with witchy powers. We can never quite like her, but we can see what misery made her into the person she became - and we can see the kind of ongoing disruption that can be caused in a small community by one bitter soul such as Misskaella.
This would make a great book-club read as it seems to arouse strong feelings in its readers. As many people are averse to it as are its devotees, so some interesting, if not heated, discussions are likely!
View all my Goodreads reviews
Tuesday 2 April 2013
Another Easter, another Swancon
Tuesday, April 02, 2013 |
Posted by
Satima Flavell
Easter in Perth means Swancon, Western Australia's state Science Fiction convention, has rolled around again. This year marked the 38th convention. The oldest SF convention in Australia, it was founded by Grant Stone, who has since become one of this country's top pop-culture gurus.
It is ten years since I first attended a Swancon, and in that time I've been to some seven or eight of them, and I've never failed to enjoy myself immensely. However, they do vary greatly in focus, and therefore, to some extent, in content.
There is almost always at least one Guest of Honour from overseas. This year it was author Charles Stross from the UK. His books are numerous and varied, and only yesterday he revealed on his blog that he is expanding into film-making.
Stross is a man of unlimited imagination. His series The Laundry Files, for example, consists of science fiction spy thrillers about a field agent working for British government agency 'the Laundry', which deals with occult threats, while The Merchant Princes is an alternate history series in which some humans have an ability to travel between parallel Earths. However, his works can all be categorised as either hard SF or Space Opera that sometimes borders on Fantasy.
Australian author John Birmingham was also a Guest of Honour. Birmingham is best known, of course, for his first book, He Died with a Felafel in his Hand, which has since been turned into a play, film and a graphic novel. A sequel, The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco was turned into a play that went on to become the longest running stage play in Australian history.
For SF fans, however, Birmingham is best known for his Axis of Time Trilogy, an alternative history of WWII. More recently, he has produced another series, starting with Without Warning, set in an alternative world in which most of the population of America has disappeared on the eve of international war. There have been two follow-up books - After America and Angels of Vengeance. Further books in the series will be released electronically by Momentum.
Other works by John Birmingham include a crime novel The Search for Savage Henry, and How To Be A Man, a semi-humorous guide to contemporary Australian masculinity. Nothing if not versatile, Birmingham spent four years researching the history of Sydney for Leviathan: the unauthorised biography of Sydney which won Australia's National Prize for Non-Fiction in 2002.
Birmingham gave one of the most entertaining GOH speeches I have ever heard. In the persona of a street-wise journalist blended with an old hippie put out to grass (and I use that word deliberately) he had us in stitches for a good half hour, then in more stitches as he fielded questions from the floor. One thing's certain - if Birmingham tires of writing he has a future in stand-up comedy. I suspect the hippie journo is just one facet of a complex and fascinating personality, which explains the enormous variety of his oeuvre.
Other guests included comics writer Gail Simone (I missed her panels, unfortunately) and Melbourne based author, editor and critic Lucy Sussex, whom I heard in a most enjoyable panel on Urban Fantasy with Charles Stross, Helen Duffill and Katherine Mc Farlane. Fan GOH's were my friends John and Sarah Parker, who have been active in fandom for almost as long as anyone can remember!
I must admit that as one whose interests lie in reading, writing, editing and reviewing, I was a tad disappointed that there were no literary or academic streams in this Swancon. It was quite deliberately aimed at fandom, and while I and some other writerly types might have missed out, the convention brought in a younger crowd, some of whom, I suspect, might have come to fandom via the extremely popular commercial conventions run by Supernova. This can only be a good thing, since one of the big discussion points in SF circles in recent years has been the ageing of fandom generally. While there were few panels or talks of interest to writers, one that did impress me consisted of a group of young people discussing Young Adult spec-fic literature. They revealed themselves to be knowledgeable and discriminating (no Twilight fans here!) in the way they described how SF had helped them learn about the world and their places in it. I left the panel wondering if I had just heard the voices of tomorrow's writers.
I missed out on a Tin Duck, but was delighted that several of my friends were recipients. The winners included Adrian Bedford, Juliet Marillier, Sarah Lee Parker, Liz Grzyb, Talie Helene and Elaine Kemp. I was delighted, too, that my friend and fellow writer Sue Isle, who received a Tin Duck last year for her lovely YA book Nightsiders, gained her 33 years award for attendance at Swancon.
Congratulations to ringleaders Tom Eitelhuber, Andrew Sharp and their team for another fun-filled convention! Despite my aforementioned disappointment, I enjoyed the con a lot. As usual, it was a great opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues. What's more, I left mollified by assurances from the convenors for 2014 and 2015 that the literary and academic streams would be reinstated at least for the next two Swancons!
PS. I should point out that the weekend did not entirely lack opportunities for professional development - time spent in the bar chatting with colleagues carries Brownie points, too! :-)
PPS. You can see the Tin Duck winners and shortlistees at
http://wiki.sf.org.au/Tin_Duck_Award#2013
I feel really chuffed to see my name up there alongside those of so many gifted and hard-working people!
Picture credit: By Donell w (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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