Cirrus@Austlit

'Enter a world where terrible secrets are hidden in a wind chime’s song.

Where crippled witches build magic from scrap.

And the beautiful dead dance for eternity.

The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories collects the finest science fiction and horror short stories from award-winning writer Joanne Anderton. From mechanical spells scavenging a derelict starship to outback zombies and floating gardens of bone, these stories blur the lines between genres. A mix of freakish horror, dark visions of the future and the just plain weird, Anderton’s tales will draw you in – but never let you get comfortable' (publisher website).

'The Viking Maiden’s crew has received some long-awaited shore leave and all Dana Valkyrie wants to do is kick her heels up, stay out of trouble, and devour the steaks and vegetables you just can’t get in the middle of space. She might be the Maiden’s champion, the best fighter on the toughest ship to sail the spaceways, but even Dana knows better than to pick a fight in a port as strict as White Harbor.

'Her plans soon go awry when the local security division sends an agent to tail Dana through her shore leave, one of her subordinates proves determined to get into a brawl, and even her Captain volunteers Dana for a back dock MMA fight with the pride of the ship at stake.

'Dana knows the smart play is saying no, but as the stakes get higher and the Captain endangers the ship’s very livelihood, Dana’s got no choice but to put up her dukes and fight… even if it means prison if they’re caught.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When the zombies rose, Val and Janice retreated to small farmhouse in the mountains, putting up fences and joining forces with the local militia to keep their community safe. “At least we have each other,” they thought, “everything will be just fine.”

'It turns out long nights hunting the dead and long days wondering if something has gone wrong will take its toll on every marriage.

'Trouble is brewing out past the fence, and Janice fears it will soon find its way inside.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Nothing goes right in Dean’s life. His mother is seeing another woman, his wife left him for a buzz-cut from the militia, and his own prospects don’t seem to be getting any better. He can’t put his finger on what’s dragging him down.

'On one hand, it might be the drinking. On the other, it might be the zombie apocalypse.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The Miracle Man: Stitched together from seven different cadavers, and back from the dead with a living brain instead of the undead hunger everyone’s born with. He hits the local diner looking for a meal, all too aware of the looks he attracts.

'Nobody else wants to serve him, so Megan steps up. She recommends dishes and brings the Miracle Man his food, and for all her instincts tell her to put a bullet in his skull, she tries to remember that she’s a professional.

'Serving a living zombie is the hardest thing she’s ever done, but it just might awaken something Megan’s never realised about herself.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Tillie is selling everything and preparing to move to Tucson, unable to stand being in her house after the dead ate her husband and children. Drinking to forget what’s happened and what the world used to be, she’s desperate to get out.

'Jacks and Arthur are young kids preparing to move into their first home together, and they need furniture to fill the space. Having grown up with the realities of the walking dead, they’re pragmatic and well-armed.

'A yard sale brings the three together in a generation clash of those who remember the world before the undead and those who grew up knowing fighting zombies was their birthright.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Eli and Marla track down dead people, looking for answers so those who lost someone to the rains and the walking dead. Their job is providing answers and ensuring the recently departed aren’t coming back to cause problems for their still-living family.

'It’s a good job, and Eli’s glad he’s got one. Good jobs are scarce these days.

'But some recent trouble with the militia, who decides who can and can’t enter the safety of town, has him wondering if he really wants to trust Marla with his life.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Patrick and his friends were the oldest people in their settlement, and now the settlement is gone. All The Children have packed up and headed inland, desperate to escape the rains and the throngs of undead wandering along the coast.

'Patrick and his friends didn’t want to abandon their home, but staying behind isn’t a picnic. As they celebrate their independence and talk about the old days, it’s clear some decisions require a higher price than any of them expected.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Charlie died in Nevada, 1973, after seeing Led Zeppelin live on stage and making the wrong choice on the long drive home.

'Corey meets him at a TAD gig seventeen years later and feels an immediate attraction. They both swear their night together will be a onetime thing, but neither can stay away.

'Corey and Charlie spend two decades building a life together, a mortal and vampire in love, but there are some things Corey’s not willing to give up. She can move cities when Charlie’s eternal youth raises suspicion and she can rebuild her career as a music journalist after every disruption to their life, but as she gets older, it’s harder and harder to be satisfied with their nocturnal existence.

'Then a moment of weakness delivers Charlie and Corey the one thing they never expected to have…and their relationship gets more complicated than either of them ever dreamed.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A young girl trapped by generational trauma and an unexpected pregnancy struggles to realise her dreams in the final volume of Mag Vann’s InSecurity Triptych.

'In 1987, baby Marlene witnesses her father mutilated in a Port Moresby compound invasion, giving rise to a deep psychological scar and a powerful family secret.

'In 2012, Marlene finds her perfect match in awkward hacker Andy, an American running from his past and desperate for a visa. Their relationship survives on necessity and petty scams, but visa troubles and an unplanned pregnancy threaten their budding engagement.

'With Marlene’s family watching and struggling to support their daughter, Andy suggests a daring con that could set them up for life. Marlene will sell others out to achieve her dream, but she’s about to learn everyone has secrets and Andy’s are darker than most.

'Could achieving her dream life come with a price tag even Marlene is unwilling to pay?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'“We lived in a world that did not allow women to breathe; how could we be anything but monsters?”

'Tansy Rayner Roberts retells the stories of seven women from Greek mythology, giving voice to the scorned, the sidelined, and the monstrous.

'A young gorgon finds acceptance at the Medusa Club. Atalanta spills the truth behind the myth of the Argonauts. Scylla suffers through a series of terrible college roommates. Handmaids in Sparta get more than they bargained for when they interfere in their queen’s correspondence with a Trojan prince. A comparative mythology graduate finds herself at a speed-dating night packed with dodgy gods. Behind a velvet rope, a queenly Minotaur presides over a roller disco. Persephone shares her story via a series of pomegranate recipes.

'Deliciously mythic and delightfully funny, Gorgons Deserve Nice Things delivers new takes on ancient stories, reinvigorating them with modern perspectives and settings. Showcasing the craft and insight that made her one of Australia’s most beloved short fiction writers, this collection sees Roberts at her wry, subversive best.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Years before he built his name as a science fiction and fantasy author, Peter M. Ball was a young poet and member of the Gold Coast’s Post Hoc Performing Word collective, building a profile with publications in venerable magazines such as Overland and performances at writer’s festivals around Australia. Gold Coast, 2002, collects 24 poems capturing life as a permanent resident of Australia’s most notorious tourist destination, bringing them into print for the first time in 20 years.' (Publication summary)

'“Your career is unlikely to be a constant stream of hits, accolades, festival circuits — and that’s kind of good, because if you’re constantly on-the-road, it’s hard to write and create.”

'In these essays, Angela Slatter — the celebrated author of the Sourdough stories, the Verity Fassbinder series, and (as A.G. Slatter) All The Murmuring Bones — tackles just what it takes to sustain a writing career after your book has launched.

'Building on years of blog posts, keynotes, and articles, What To Do When You Don’t Have A Book Coming Out explores ways you stay visible and sustain a writing career, with advice on doing public readings, applying for grants, engaging with your community, and surviving the fallow periods when the next release seems very distant.

'Whether you’re a new writer trying to plot out your career, or an existing fan of Slatter’s writing looking for yet more sage advice, this chapbook provides a second look at the philosophy and processes of one of Australia’s most acclaimed writers of fantasy and horror.' (Publication summary)

'Several years into their marriage, Beauty and her once beastly husband are at a crossroads. Though they still love each other, they have not been able to have children nor talk about the problems that have beset them since the fairy curse was lifted. Instead, she devotes herself to the roses in their garden while he composes music to charm the most discerning Parisian audiences.

'But Beauty secretly longs for the Beast with whom she fell in love, and her husband fears he’s no longer the creature she most desires. When Peregrine, Beauty’s enigmatic fey sister-in-law, comes to visit, she sparks off a chain of events that will either heal the marriage or leave it in irretrievable tatters.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.