News & Reviews

There have been many distractions keeping me from Hollowgirl this week, and all of them have been good! First up, news this morning that I’ve sold a new Twinmaker story to Clarkesworld, one of THE best SF markets around. “The Cuckoo” will appear in their April issue. I’ll post a link when it’s up. (There’s a brief blurb over on the Further Adventures page.)

Also, there’s a new story coming out in a couple of days right here on Twinmakerbooks. “The Hole” is the latest in the series of urban myths set in the Twinmaker universe that I’ve been trickling out to accompany the book. It’s a dark one, like all urban myths, at heart. There are just so many horrible things you can do with d-mat . . .

Meanwhile, it’s just been confirmed that I’ll be signing at BEA in New York late May this year, following the Spirit Animals tour I’m undertaking with Garth Nix earlier in the month. I’m really looking forward to it, as I had a great time there last year. Shame I have to fly, though. Someone invent d-mat already!

On the other topic of this post, I have to confess that I’ve been a bit slack with tracking down reviews. Jasmyn loved it. So did Mondy:

“As a Young Adult novel I expected that Jump: Twinmaker would be filled with teenage angst and love triangles.  (I accept this is a prejudice on my part).  As it happens while some of this was evident what shines through clearly is how this is Clair’s story.  This is her journey as she goes from insecure teenager caught in betwixt and between the stronger personalities of her friends, to an empowered woman who stands tall when the shit hits the fan.  And this isn’t a last minute epiphany.  Clair’s ability to deal with her situation, whether emotionally or physically, kicks in early in the novel.

“Jump: Twinmaker takes an old, possibly obsolete concept, and somehow makes it relevant by using it to shine a light on the way we interact with technology as a whole.  It’s smart, compelling stuff.”

Thanks, both of you, and to everyone who’s posted reviews or rated it online. Hugely appreciated, as always.

One last word: Mondy was puzzled by Twinmaker‘s lack of an Aurealis nomination. Here’s hoping that the prediction recently made at the Children’s Book Council of Australia (Victorian branch) Claytons Dinner comes true. I’ve never had a CBCA Honour Book before!

Oh, and: The picture is of an Australian Fan-Tailed Cuckoo. Is it me, or do these birds always like slightly shifty? Pretty, though. Image by Aviceda.org. Some rights reserved.