The Story and the Pitch!

Hello everyone! I received something interesting in my email yesterday. Apparently there’s a workshop by a literary agency (!!) in Singapore. More details after the cut but briefly, it’s by Peony Literary Agency. This workshop will be more on pitching and how to snag yourself an agent amongst other things.

Short details: At the Arts House, 10am – 5pm, Friday, 25 February 2011, $40 for registry (includes lunch)

This is going to be an intro to that would lead to their weekend workshops in August. I’d think that would be more extensive (and more expensive[?] since it’ll be TWO days at a conference) but if you can’t go for this Friday one, they’ll have more in the future. Still, this looks promising so check out the main details after the “more” cut. I’m going to be there to attend anyway.

Here’s the copy paste from the email!

Continue reading The Story and the Pitch!

Singapore Steampunk Anthology: Update!

Since I keep seeing it in my keywords searching more about the Singapore steampunk anthology by Two Trees… Here’s a public update! The non-acceptances have been emailed out with comments and the rest have been updated that they’ve passed through the first round!

At the moment, we’re sorting through which stories will fit together in the whole anthology since there ARE quite a lot! The results of that will most probably get through after New Year’s and then we’ll email once more who got through the final cut!

From then onwards, we’ll note to them which parts need editing if they need, etc.

So yes, submissions are closed but we’re still working on it to get it all together!

TGIO PARTY!

Hello, hello. We’ve had the kick off and now it’s the Thank Goodness It’s Over Party! Details in the poster but pretty much:

Date: 4 December 2010

Time: 2.30pm-4pm

Location: Earshot Cafe at The Arts House

It’ll be very informal and there will be cake, pastries, muffins and tea and coffee! Want to talk about anything literary or anything bookish or about writing, just come on even if you’re not a Nanowrimo-er! It’s always good to go to meet other writers and readers for this is usually one of the free events in which they’d come to!

SDS 2.17 – Misery Business

And so the 30th October was the kick off party for Nanowrimo in Singapore! It was at the multipurpose room of the national library. Most people ask why do Nanowrimo since you have to write at least 50k in 30 days well… That is pretty much the point! For others it’s a daunting task, to writers it is fun!

Continue reading SDS 2.17 – Misery Business

The line up!

Here’s the line up guys. (For the official poster of the event, click here.)

National Library, Multipurpose room (basement 1) at 6.30pm (till 8.30pm)

The theme: Superheroes (people are gonna dress to the theme so don’t get freaked out, you’re at the right place!)

Anyone can leave before 8.30pm but that’s the maximum time slot we can be there because the library would close soon after.

Who should come?

  • Nanowrimo-ers
  • Readers and writers
  • Comic fans and geeks

First we’ll have the Nanowrimo kick off! Things start at 6.30pm and all and it’ll lead on towards the mini launching of Bubble G.U.M (because some of us Nanowrimo-ers wrote it)! The book is just $15 just for the launch. You guys will want to buy it there because when it gets stocked at Kino or any other store, they’ll put GST and everything on it which could get the book priced above $19 or something. (We’ll have our previous publication Happiness at the End of the World there at $15 too.)

After the mini launch, we would end the main Nanowrimo events but stay to talk to each other and have our cake while we discuss on the evening’s theme of graphic novels and of speculative fiction in it! They’re related since graphic novels ARE a graphic form of speculative fiction. Batman, Superman, Powergirl and much more! If you’re there just for the discussion, come around 7.20pm! Our main programme isn’t going to be that long, the kick off is more for people to know each other and what they’re writing and reading anyway!

Continue reading The line up!

Time to get sticky

Hey guys! BUBBLE G.U.M IS OUT! Or rather, it’s printed and ready to be shipped by the distributors. HOWEVER, it will take time before the stores will receive it but I’m able to get copies from the publisher themselves. Ah! What’s BUBBLE G.U.M? If you read the last pages of Happiness at the End of the World, you’d be able to see a preview of it.

Here’s a brief description of what the story is though:

It’s 2045 and Prix Chan is beginning her National Service. Her father, Pierre, believes she can handle it but her mother, Su, is hysterical at the thought of her daughter leaving the safety of Singapore’s Green Underwater Metropolis, the Bubble G.U.M., a self-sufficient city-state protected three miles beneath the waves by a dome of chewing gum.

Little does anyone know that in less than a week Prix will cause the biggest crisis to hit Singapore since the planet went into meltdown creating a world of water and a human civilisation on the brink of annihilation.

Yes, it’s science fiction about futuristic Singapore! It’s a young adult with elements of comedy and adventure in it too. A very interesting 6 person collaboration by the Happy Smiley Writers Group.

You guys get can it during the Nanowrimo Kick-Off on the 30th October, 6.30pm at the National Library or email me to “pre-order” it if you want to have a copy before the date or to make sure you do get a copy before then. Why pre-order? Because it’ll take time for the distributors to put it in the stores and I might just have limited stock in my hands when I get some stacks of them from the publisher.

It’s not up for online sale at Two Trees yet but it will be.

What’s the price? $18! It’s probably going to be more expensive in stores when they include GST though. (Un?)Fortunately, you can only get a special sale price of $15 if you go to the Nanowrimo Kick-Off! But hey, if you’re going to the kick-off, you’ll be able to meet the writers, get autographs, listen about writing, talk about geekery such as books and comics while having cake!

It’s totally more worth it to pre-order one and collect it at the event itself. What’s my email? Check my about page, heh. Or ok. It’s sarah @ seriouslysarah.com

Chronicles of a Daywalker – Blood on the Moon

When I saw “Blood on the Moon” by S.M. De Silva, I thought, “Oooh, a vampire story. This looks interesting” for the last local vampire book I read was pretty fun. (You can read preview chapters of Blood on the Moon on their website, by the way.) Plus, I like to support genre fiction especially local ones here since there isn’t too many!

And then I read it and huh.

Before I start this review, I want to make sure that all of you know that this is entirely my opinion and that seriously, it is just mine and I might not be the target audience for this book.

Heck, I’m not exactly sure who the target audience for this book is for either.

But all of you get it? This is just mine and by now, you lot might know what sort of stories I like so consider this as a disclaimer of sorts. For even if you read my review and then read the book, you might think, “What the heck is Sarah talking about? This is gorgeous!”. So take this review with a pinch or a truckload of salt enough to give you high blood pressure.

And so I begin.

Continue reading Chronicles of a Daywalker – Blood on the Moon

And I Prefer Moroccan Mint Tea

Hello people, if you’ve read Soulless and Changeless by Gail Carriger, this might make sense to you.

My friends haven’t all read Blameless yet so I am resorting to post my SQUEE here. This will have spoilers after the more cut. However, for those who are going to read this, I have prepared you a menu. I have not included what the werewolves and vampires are eating for obvious reasons.

If Alexia is not smacking things with her parasol, she surely is eating!

Blameless: The Menu

Chapter 1

Kippers, soft boiled eggs, fried eggs, sausages, scones, toast with a choice of butter or marmalade and barley water

Chapter 3 and 4

Toast and tea

Chapter 5

Large leaf Assam tea* (Favourite of Alexia’s)

Chapter 6

Bland food cooked over steam engine – Porridge?

Raw vegetables (crudités) such as carrots, red bell peppers, asparagus spears and celery sticks, meat pâté, nutty digestive biscuits served with weak tea

Chapter 8

Croissants, basket of kumquats served with Earl Grey tea,

For lunch: Roasted winter vegetables, fruit, cold poultry, fluffy crispy bread such as sliced baguettes, flaky pastry served with tea and milk.

Chapter 10

Sliced melon, apple, ciabatta bread, hard sharp cheese served with coffee. Honey and milk available* (preference of Madame Lefoux’s for her coffee)

Chapter 11

Pesto, cantaloupe and prosciutto ham.

Chapter 13

Apples, bruschetta and hard boiled eggs with pesto

Chapter 15

Pesto spaghetti pasta

And now onwards to where I squee.

Continue reading And I Prefer Moroccan Mint Tea

Help needed from you readers!

Hello everyone! I have joined the Ubud Flash fiction contest! It ends 24 September!

http://flashfiction.ubudwritersfestival.com/2010/08/a-million-years/

Click that! And give me a thumbs up! Only one person per click! If you’re on the same internet as your friend/family or something and they have voted, then you can’t click. SO PLEASE DO IT AT SOME OTHER LOCATION, AARGH.

That is all. Help spread the message!