Category: The Literary

Being literary and other stuff.

Submission call for Steampunk short stories!

Hello everyone! Remember Happiness at the End of the World? If you don’t, it’s the science fiction anthology we came out with next year. This time we’re opening submissions for steampunk short stories!

Here’s the short details:

Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy (an imprint of Two Trees) and The Happy Smiley Writers Group are calling for submissions for the second in their sci-fi short story anthology series. Following on the success of their first anthology, Happiness at the end of the World, Happy Smiley and Friends are going Steampunk.

Steampunk Short Story Guidelines:
1) Theme is science fiction steampunk with a happy ending.
2) Word length between 2000 and a firm 6000 words.
3) Deadline for submissions is 31st October.
4) Open to any age, any nationality but must be resident in Singapore. (Singaporeans studying overseas are eligible.)
5) Mail submissions to steampunk@twotrees.com.sg
6) For more details go to http://twotrees.com.sg/steampunk.html

Continue reading Submission call for Steampunk short stories!

Online Book Store Battle!

Hello everyone! This is an updated review of online book stores compared to back then when I wrote Open Trolley is my alternate universe Amazon! If you read the comments there, things got a bit heated up from the various stores telling me that they’ve got offers and whatnot and other people’s experiences with them. (The comments ARE very informative by the way.)

Now you need to know one thing from that era of me using Open Trolley, Acma Mall didn’t give free shipping to Singapore. That post was in August 2009 and then they had the free shipping later. That includes the existence of Book Depository to us Singaporeans even if the about page says it had been founded in 2004. It was just then, no one here really used BD to tell us it isn’t dodgy and all that.

I would like to quote George Stevens who had used all three before I get on with my review. This is one comment that’s very useful from that older post:

OK- tried all 3 of the stores above- here’s the results- all orders were for books shown as “in-stock”-

OpenTrolley- order placed January 6th, available for pickup January 15th- 7 working days. Paid $0.50 to pick them up at Plaza Singapura.

Acma Mall- order placed January 10th, delivered January 26th to my house- 12 working days. 40% off of best sellers and free shipping made this the best price, but the longest delivery.

Book Depository- order placed January 17th, delivered January 26th to my house. Overall good prices and best delivery time (6 working days), even though they are not local. Will probably continue to use them in the future.

I think both of the “local” bookstores are just a website who then order in bulk from overseas, thus the long lead times.

Right. So there you go. It’s pretty much the same timeline for me too. I’ve ordered from OT, AM and lately BD.

Continue reading Online Book Store Battle!

A whole bunch of talks or competitions!

Woooh, a whole bunch of events! Well, usually these things tend to run in the second half of the year onwards. Click the more cut to read more. We have:

  • Talk: ‘In the Footsteps of Raffles’
  • Workshop: What’s Your Singapore Memory?
  • Talk/ Book Launch: ‘A life of its Own’
  • Competition: e-Mote Digital Storytelling
  • Workshop: e-MOTE storytelling
  • Competition: 2010 Adelaide Review Short Fiction
  • Competition: Man Asia Literary Prize 2010
  • Competition: The Iowa Short Fiction Award
  • Competition: The 30th Arvon International Poetry Competition 2010
  • Competition: Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award 2011

Uuuungh. I did wonder to split this post into two or something but whatever. I’ll put them under headlines so you can scroll and pick at it at your own pace or something. Or usually, I’d just copy just the title of the event and press ctrl+f it or apple+f depending on which computer I’m on.

Onwards we go!

Continue reading A whole bunch of talks or competitions!

Ashes to Ashes: Prologue

Helloooo, so… This story came to me from a dream. Well technically it’s original source is a gothic Cinderella dream of sorts. I decide to refix the dream to make it more logical and well, it wanted to be read like a real story. So have a short mini series of Ashes to Ashes. It should be quite short, I hope since I’m just writing it as it goes. Those who read the original dream (I posted that somewhere else) might know how it ends but eh, it always changes when you write it down properly!

Let’s just see ok?

Ashes to Ashes

Prologue

By Seriously Sarah/ sarah coldheart

Continue reading Ashes to Ashes: Prologue

In Search of the Princess of Unicorns

I was one of the panelists for the “Yes we do exist – SFF writing in Singapore” at Spore-Con (that will be a separate SDS post next Monday but this is more on the panel itself!) If you read my previous post on not getting enough support, well it would be silly just to say stuff and not do anything yeah?

So what’s this about the princess of unicorns?

It’s a metaphor because as I’ve said before, all these writers are actually hidden and perhaps on a united front we could make an impact here in Singapore? The poets are quite united in a sense that the key poets are making significant headlines and whatnot. The writers here are in their own little circles and only once the planets align, they might perchance meet each other.

Usually during the Singapore Writers’ Festival but that only happens once every two years.

Continue reading In Search of the Princess of Unicorns

Like a cheap $2 Bra

We don’t get enough support.

There.

I’ve said it.

The we defined here refers to the writers of fiction in Singapore. Don’t give me rubbish of that we have do get some support from various ministries or councils. I said we don’t get enough support. It doesn’t include said ministries or councils. It needs to involve more than that.

Here’s a post in January at Bibliobibuli about “Singapore’s Fiction Famine”. Technically the main article is on the link on her blog but I linked to that post since it has her opinions on it too.

Well, it’s all fine and dandy that Ng Yi-Sheng did say about NAC and Jacaranda in that post but alas. That’s not enough. Amusingly, he did also say about Nanowrimo which heh, I am the municipal liaison in Singapore to know very much well about.

You know what? There are fiction writers in Singapore but they’re all hidden like rebels against the imperial army or unicorns in a forest. They’re there and difficult to find but if you did find one, you might find the rest and realize why they’re hidden. See, being the ML of Singapore’s Nanowrimo, I get to actually see or meet these hidden writers and woah if you get the chance to read their things, you’d go “WHY IS THIS NOT IN THE BOOKSTORES?”.

It’s definitely not because of their skills but more of what we write. (You might doubt my skills, whatever but I have read very well written things by others.)

And we actually write fiction. GENRE fiction. The fun stories you’d actually pick up and buy in bookstores about fantasy, science fiction or romance! Drama, crime thrillers and all sorts of genres! The stuff people read and talk about online and go “OMGOMG I SHIP THIS PAIRING!” and write fanfic about.

You’d think that’ll be interesting right? But no. See, even if we write (and yes we do) these things, they won’t get published here. If they do, it’s usually by a small press publisher or done by the writer’s own initiative. The rules of getting published in Singapore is different than those in the US. Some of those guides or “rules” that one might read in articles of becoming a published author don’t really work here.

Continue reading Like a cheap $2 Bra

And with an appearance…

Well hellooo.

This weekend, there is Spore-Con at Pasir Ris Community Centre. Besides gaming of the board game variety, card games and miniature table top ones, there will be some science fiction and fantasy panel there!

Let me copy and paste:

SPORE-CON SFF PANEL & BOOK SIGNING
 “Yes, We do exist – SFF writing in Singapore”

Room: TIA
Date: 5/6/2010

Time: 11am-12pm

We have readings and a book signing!

Yes. DO come because I’ll be there along with Rozen of Two Trees where you can ask about writing genre fiction in Singapore and such.

For more info, you can check out their page here. Have any friends who like to write and what not? Ask them to come along. After all, besides fiction, it is a gaming convention where you have to think and make up stories for your campaigns. At the time of this post, the room number is still to be advised. Fret not! You’ll probably know which room when you go there and ask if you haven’t checked the website before then.

How to get there?

Pasir Ris East Community Club

No 1 Pasir Ris Drive 4 #01-08 Singapore 519457

SBS Bus Services along Pasir Ris Drive 1:
12, 17, 21, 39, 53, 81, 358, 359 and 518

Contact Numbers for the CC is:  65811861

SEE YOU AROUND, you guys!

Scholastic Asian Book Award!

Yes, my fellow fictioneers. Scholastic is giving out an Asian book award!

The main details can be found at their website here: http://scholasticbookaward.asia/

However, here are the short details!

Deadline: 31 December 2010

Entry submissions:

a. An official entry form, duly filled in.
b. Six copies of the manuscript (in case of a paper submission).
c. A recent photograph in soft copy on CD.
d. A short biography in not more than 100 words in soft copy on CD. In case of a translation,
the biography of both the author and the translator must be submitted.

Prizes

– Winner gets $10,000 and a plaque! The manuscript might also be considered for publication by Scholastic Asia!

– First and second runner ups get a plaque and advice by Scholastic Asia on editing it for publication!

Anyway, it says you can send the submission via email but that is slightly redundant or risky considering it might get “lost” in emails since you still have to send physical copies of your photo and bio on a CD. Plus, you still have to send in the entry form too anywho. The address is available on the website.

Continue reading Scholastic Asian Book Award!

Make your own popular supernatural romance!

The lovely crew that I usually go adventures with have a tendency to gravitate towards bookstores. This is not a tragedy for I gravitate to such places of literature too. However, as we made our rounds through Kinokuniya, such hilarity occurred for in the young adult section had an influx of a certain type of book. Thus, I have made a so called “generator” of sorts below for youto make your own popular supernatural romance!

The instructions.

  • Open up Word, notepad or whatever text editor you have, copy paste the below EXACTLY as it is. Do not press the more cut yet. Replace the words below and do not write in any numericals. Spell them out if you please.
  • Once done, click the more cut and copy paste the text into your text editor. Do not read it, go back to the top and use ctrl+F or apple+F (if you’re on a mac) and replace the words. For example, copy the symbol @ without the bracket and use the replace all function with the noun you have written down.
  • If you have done this correctly, bravo! The words should have been replaced in the correct positions.

1) Name of lead character

2) Age

3) Relative

4) Number

5) Noun

6) Noun

7) Adjective

8 ) Emotion (past tense)

9) Noun

@) Noun

#) Object

$) Colour

%) Adjective

^) Animal

&) Noise (past tense)

*) Adjective

+) Noun

-) Name of the other lead character.

Continue reading Make your own popular supernatural romance!