Alien Encounter Cover for Jupiter 32

I think I'm going through the longest "being published" drought I've had since I've started writing seriously, with no stories being published since October last year. That's not to say I haven't got a lot of stories in the wings, or that I've not made sales, or that I'm not working on new material, it's just that nothing has been released. 2011, so far, has been very quiet for me.

However, I have had my artwork published recently, on the cover of Jupiter 32, Eurydome. The picture is one of my better illustrations from the mid to late 1990s early 2000s when I still had time to write and draw. This illustration, 'Alien Encounter', is one of my favorites and (even though I'm no Paul Drummond), I was lucky enough for Ian Redman, editor of Jupiter Magazine, to reproduce it. He seems to very much like it too.



I even got a very nice review from Rod MacDonald at SF Crowsnest regarding the piece:

The cover reminded me of a Robert Burns poem about a mouse. This time we are on an alien planet and a woman has picked up a small creature in danger of being mashed up by the machinery behind her. The artwork is by David Conyers. We are more familiar with his fiction but he is obviously an artist as well. Possessing qualities associated with a woodcut, the cover has a quaint and earthly atmosphere despite being from a distant time on another world.

The issue is also Ian's first move into publishing Kindle editions, both on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, where they both seem to be doing well.

SA Writers Centre and Salisbury Writers' Festival

Now that I'm back in Adelaide again, I decided to rejoin the South Australian Writers' Centre, a very cool organisation that has helped me very much over the years in becoming the writer I am today. Now that I'm back, it was very cool to see that I made their list of authors, which includes D.M. Cornish, Sean Williams, Fiona McIntosh, Jude Aquilina and Malcolm Walker. My entry is found here.

On related news, I'll be giving a talk at the Salisbrury Writers Fesitval, on 'Getting Started Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy'. I've done workshops for the SA Writers' Centre in the past and really enjoyed them, meeting some great writers who are getting started in their craft. The full program and how to book can be found here.

1pm – 3.30pm Getting Started Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy

Join David in an open discussion about how to get started as a science fiction or fantasy writer. He’ll cover plotting a story, characters, worldbuilding, getting the science (or the fantasy) right, researching topics, and getting ideas. On the business side of things he’ll cover how to write a covering letter, proper manuscript formatting, where to find markets, the advantages of writing short stories, getting reviews and entering awards, networking, and maintaining a website.

On other news, David Kernot, Jason Fischer and I caught up in the city to discuss all things related to spec fiction, including an opporunity to workshop ideas and swap opportunities. It was great to catch up with these two talented authors again.

The Strangest Planets

I've been very interested in the planets astronomers are detecting around other suns. What they are finding is so unexpected, and so different to what we have previously imagined possible.

But is it really that strange? Life seems to evolve and adapt to all kinds of conditions, so why can't planets.

There are Jupiter sized planets out there orbiting so close to their suns their surface temperatures are thousands of degrees. Worlds with extreme eliciptical orbits. Massive rocky planets three times and half a dozen times as massive as the Earth. Planets that are 12 billion years old (consider the Universe is only 13.7 billion years old). Planets that are covered in oceans many hundreds of kilometres thick. Planets, it seems, appear wherever they can survive, just like life.

I feel that strange planets are going to turn space opera on its head. Authors like Larry Niven and Alastair Reynolds are great at creating bizarre worlds, but planets are going to be even more extreme, I think, than what we've seen in the best space opera. It's going to be even more of a challenge to write in this genre now.

Check out this slide show of strange planets at Space.com to see just what it is that astronomers are detecting out there in the Big Black.

Back in Adelaide and New Books on Amazon.com

I've moved back to Adelaide, got a good job here and well, Adelaide is much cheaper to live in than Sydney and me and my family are back around family and friends again, just in case anyone was wondering why my profile has changed again.

Also, I've got some new books up on Amazon.com. On is the Kindle edition of the latest issue of Jupiter Magazine #32, which features my cover artwork. Also, some editions of Book of Dark Wisdom where I had my first semi-professional sales. Scenes from the Second Storey is also up there now too.