Jupiter 32 and Scenes from the Second Storey

Two brief news items, the first being that one of my better sci fi illustrations dating back 15 years now is to appear on the cover of Jupiter 32: Eurydome. I did a lot of black and white ink illustrations through the 1990s and into the 2000s, but not so much these days when my focus is on writing. That said, my art did appear in Secrets of Kenya in 2007 and will now appear in Cthulhu Unbound 3 hopefully released soon. This illustration is amongst my favorites, of a scientist in a cybernatically enhanced all environmental suit (sans helmet) studying a herd of alien creatures. Her all terrain vehicle is parked behind her.

The other news is that Scenes from the Second Storey, which features my Australian Shadow's nominated short story, "Dream Machine", is now available as an ebook from Smashswords.

"Dream Machine" shortlisted for Australia's Top Horror Award

Fantastic news today in that I have made the short list for the Australian Shadows Award, the top speculative fiction award for horror fiction in Australia. This is the second time I've made the shortlist, the last time was in 2007 for my short story "Subtle Invasion".

Congrats to everyone who made the list, especially Angela Challis, Marty Young, Amanda Pillar and Pete Kempshall for Macabre and Scenes from the Second Storey, which included my short stories.

What follows is the song "Dream Machine" from The God Machine which influenced my story in an anthology Scenes from the Second Storey. The anthology was a tribute to the album, with each story corresponding to a track on the album a concept created by Morrigan Books publisher Mark S. Deniz.

The press release follows:

The Australian Horror Writers Association is proud to announce the finalists for the 2010 Australian Shadows Awards. The Australian Shadows Awards are Australia's top honour for horror fiction.

Congratulations to the 2010 finalists:

LONG FICTION

• Madigan Mine by Kirstyn McDermott (Picador Australia)
• The Girl With No Hands by Angela Slatter (Ticonderoga Publications)
• Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healy (Allen & Unwin)
• Under Stones by Bob Franklin (Affirm Press)
• Bleed by Peter M. Ball (Twelfth Planet Press)

EDITED PUBLICATION

• Macabre: A Journey through Australia's Darkest Fears, edited by Angela Challis & Marty Young (Brimstone Press)
• Scenes From The Second Storey, edited by Amanda Pillar & Pete Kempshall (Morrigan Books)
• Dark Pages 1, edited by Brenton Tomlinson (Blade Red Press)
• Scary Kisses, edited by Liz Gryzb (Ticonderoga Publications)
• Midnight Echo #4, edited by Lee Battersby (AHWA)

SHORT FICTION

• "Bread and Circuses" by Felicity Dowker ()
• "Brisneyland by Night" by Angela Slatter (Sprawl)
• "She Said" by Kirstyn McDermott (Scenes from the Second Storey)
• "All The Clowns In Clowntown" by Andrew J. McKiernan (Macabre: A Journey through Australia's Darkest Fears)
• "Dream Machine" by David Conyers (Scenes from the Second Storey)

The AHWA would sincerely like to thank the Australian Shadows judging panel - Stephanie Coxon, Craig Bezant, and Jeff Ritchie - for their tireless work over the past twelve months. The Australian Shadows team would like to thank every author, editor, and publisher who submitted their work for consideration.

Guest judges Chuck McKenzie, Rocky Wood, and Kaaron Warren will now read the finalists and determine the winners. The winners will be announced on April 15.

Further information about the Australian Shadows Awards can be found at http://australianshadows.australianhorror.com/.

Cthulhu's Dark Cults in Preliminary Bram Stoker Award Ballot

Fantastic news, Cthulhu's Dark Cults has just made the preliminary ballot for the 2010 Bram Stoker Awards in Superior Achievement in an Anthology. Not only that, Shane Jiraiya Cumming's "Requiem for the Burning God" included in Cthulhu's Dark Cults made it in the ballot for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction.

Also shortlisted for Superior Achievement in an Anthology is Scenes from the Second Storey edited by Amanda Pillar and Pete Kempshall (Morrigan Books). My openning story "Dream Machine" appeared in that fine collection.

The list of Australian nominations can be found here.

Fantastic Review of "Dream Machine"

Just found this fantastic review of Scenes from the Second Storey by Shane Jiraiya Cummings on Horrorscope. I mean, I can't ask for a better review than this one:

Imagine this reviewer's surprise, then, when the first story in Scenes, "Dream Machine" by David Conyers, turned out to be one of the best stories of 2010! "Dream Machine" follows Adamson, a man literally pulling himself back together after countless years of torture in Hell. Satan raises Adamson up as Hell's Assassin and then the fun begins! Adamson's journey to learn his trade shows Conyers at his imaginative best. Not only that, as part of this training, the reader is offered glimpses into scenes from the other stories in the anthology (a literal pun on the anthology's title, particularly given the perspective with which Adamson views these scenes). Conyers prose in "Dream Machine" is much more assured than in his earlier work, and his seamless portrayal of a somewhat unsympathetic protagonist (in light of the reveal at the end) shows his growth as a storyteller. Dark, flawed, but sympathetic protagonists is a theme amongst many of the later stories.

Read the rest of the review here, which is very complementary to the whole anthology. Congrats to the editors Amanda Pillar and Pete Kempshall, and publisher Mark S. Deniz.

HorrorScope Recommended Reading List 2010

Great way to start the new year, with several personal listings on Horrorscope's Recommended Reading List 2010, for both my fiction works and for stories in my edited anthology Cthulhu's Dark Cults, with recommendations for stories by Shane Jirayia Cummings and Penelope Love. The relevant extracts (for me) are as follows:

Anthologies:

• Cthulhu's Dark Cults, edited by David Conyers (Chaosium)

Novellas/Novelettes:

• "Requiem for the Burning God" by Shane Jiraiya Cummings (Cthulhu's Dark Cults)
• "Sweet As Decay" by David Witteveen & David Conyers (Macabre: A Journey through Australia's Darkest Fears)

Short stories:

• "Dream Machine" by David Conyers (Scenes from the Second Storey)
• "The Whisper of Ancient Secrets" by Penelope Love (Cthulhu's Dark Cults)

I'm particularly proud that "Dream Machine" got a High Recommendation, with three or more contributors recommending the work). Check out the full list here.

Another Review for Scenes from the Second Storey

Amanda Pillar found another review of Scenes from the Second Storey, the anthology she edited with Pete Kempshall for Morrigan Books. A mini-review from Scoop Magazine, said the following:

"Featuring only work by Australian writers...every short story in this anthology takes its name and inspiration from a song title. A sampler for our best new talent, standouts are Andrew J McKiernan’s post-apocalyptic outback western, a nuanced tale of lost love by Stephanie Campisi and a glimpse into Hell from David Conyers..."

"Dream Machine" reviewed by Jennifer Brozek

The Morrigan Books anthology, Scenes from the Second Storey, has been reviewed by Jennifer Brozek on the Apex Book Company website, and my story gets a special mention:

There are a couple of standout stories—both in the story itself and the connection to the song inspired by it. First is “Dream Machine” by David Conyers – The story is horrific, creating a man into a demonic assassin who finds a peace of sorts with his new place in life and death. Over all, there is a velvety dreamlike quality to the story with its use of picture frames as portals and the protagonist roaming dark stone corridors. This story is enhanced by the song, “Dream Machine,” with its velvety sound and lyrics.

The rest of the review is very positive, and features an interview with the editors, Amanda Pillar and Pete Kempshall.

"The Uncertainty Bridge" released and "Dream Machine" Reviewed

Two exciting pieces of news for me, my post-apocalyptic science fiction novella "The Entropy Collapse" comes out soon in Jupiter 30 : Hermippe, which becomes my fourth consecutive sale for the magazine edited by Ian Redman.

Second piece of news, "Dream Machine" in Scenes from the Second Storey has just been positively reviewed at The Specusphere. Here is what Katherine Petersen and Damien Smith, the reviewers said about my story:

“Dream Machine” by David Conyers opens the literary concert and sets the mood wonderfully with a tale of the creation of Hell’s Assassin. Being the opening story of a compilation such as this was a hefty ask, but Conyers succeeds in not only conjuring up a dark and sinister atmosphere for the next stories to follow, but also gives a nod to several other stories through his hall of painting stalked by the assassin himself.

Two Short Story Appearances at WorldCon

Unfortunately I won't be appearing at WorldCon (AussieCon 4), but I will be appearing in two anthologies that will be launched there, and I'm excited about both of them.

"Sweet as Decay" which I co-authored with David Witteveen, a Lovecraftian style tale blended with spook skullduggery in West Africa, which David and I wrote more than five years ago. It's appearing in Macabre, A Journey Through Australia's Dark Fear, edited by Marty Young and Angela Challis (Brimstone Press).

The book will explore Australia's dark literature past, present, and future all in one anthology. From the very earliest colonial ghost stories through to grim tales of modern life. There are classic stories from Australia's masters of horror alongside the best of the new era. It looks to be a very comprehensive anthology, with nothing like it every published before.

I really like the cover too. There have been three planned covers to date, but this is the best so far, and I'm glad it is the one Brimstone Press finally settled with.

The second story is "Dream Machine" which I wrote for the Australian version of Scenes from the Second Storey, edited by Amanda Pillar and Pete Kempshall. For the first time in my career I have the openning story in an anthology. A nasty tale about hell.

Each story in this collection has been inspired by a track from the album, Scenes from the Second Storey by God Machine, and reflects the emotions and images our authors experienced when they heard ‘their’ song from The God Machine's record. Authors include Kirstyn McDermot, Felicity Dowker, Martin Livings and others.

I won't be at WorldCon, but at least my words will.

Scenes from the Second Storey: Dream Machine

After a long wait, I'm finallly appearing in my first Morrigan Books title, which is a great coup for me. Mark S. Deniz and his team produce quality dark fiction anthologies, and I'm proud to appear in Scenes from the Second Storey edited by Amanda Pillar and Pete Kempshall.

The anthology pays homage to the album of the same name by God Machine, with each track title being a short story title. I was lucky enough to be asked my Mark to write the openning tale, "Dream Machine", another first for me.

The book will be out in September 2010. Incidentally this is the Australian edition, there will be another with the same table of contents, only each story will be by different authors from countries other than Oz, presumably some time after this edition has been out for a while.

New Short Story Sale

I've just sold a short story to Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine Issue 47, out in time for WorldCon 2010 (or AussieCon4) which will be held September 2-6, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. The story is a short science fiction piece called "Emergency Rebuild" set on Mars. This is my second sale to Andromeda Spaceways.

Adding to this news I've been reliably informed that Scenes from the Second Storey from Morrigan Books featuring my tale "Dream Machine" will also be launched at WorldCon 2010, so two stories out at once at this major sci fi convention for Australia. This publication is the brain child of Mark S. Deniz, who always wanted to do an anthology of short stories with each tale based on the track listing of the album of the same name by God Machine, and as often happens with these things Mark decided to do two books. One features Australian authors and the other authors from the rest of the world. I guess it's pretty easy to work out which one I'm in. When I was asked to write the openning tale I couldn't turn the offer down. Finally, I'll appear in a Morrigan Books anthology (not for want of trying).

"Dream Machine" (my version) is set in Hell and in the same series as other dark fiction tales of mine that include "Cactus", "The Lord of the Law" and "Hell's Ambassador". I'm certain I was also influenced by Barry Adamson's album As Above, So Below as much as I was by Scenes from the Second Storey.

Website Update #1

I've recently updated my website www.davidconyers.com, mostly tinkering to keep it need and tidy but of more interest perhaps is that I've added three teasers for three new short stories that will be published in 2009 and 2010. All are dark fiction tales and can be found on my dark fiction page.

"The Lord of the Law" and "Dream Machine" are two dark urban fantasy tales from the same setting as "Cactus" and "Hell's Ambassador". One concerns an enigmatic entity that can control gravity while the other concerns a man in hell who rises to a position of power as an assassin. "The Garden Fortress" is a little different, an alternative viewpoint on the Garden of Eden.