century France - concerning the crusade
against the Cathars, partly in the alternative world of the Grail, and with
reincarnational links to 21st century Australia.
I have contributed poetry to Australian literary magazines - Tamba,
Centoria, Core, Red Lamp, and Sidewalk, to anthologies such as No Strings Attached'
published by the Eremos Foundation, 'Moving Out, Moving On' by the Centoria Press, and
'The Colonial Athens' - a Centenary of Federation project published by the Bunyip Press. I
have had short stories published in Winedark Sea, Shortz, and read on Radio 5UV Adelaide,
plus winning a few awards and commendations, and doing a few turns as a guest poet.
But what about these novels published as e-books, using a technology
that's still only in its infancy? Well if you're thinking of submitting your work to an
e-book publisher be sure not to retire from your day job. At present e-books are only a
niche market and a small one at that, so you won't make a fortune. However e-book
publishers are a pretty open minded lot. They're mostly small, really do read your work -
which is more than can be said for some of the big boys... mentioning no names of course,
and they do give you a fair go.
My novels in this format are THE GATES OF SUNSET a borderline fantasy
set partly in modern South Australia, and partly in an alternative world the last of the
seven Grail Kingdoms. There is war, love, betrayal, a quest, mystery, magic, a talismanic
spear, and two South Australian teenagers who come of age through being caught up in the
struggle between good and evil. Then comes THE TIME TUNNEL AND THE GRAIL, a symbolic quest
fantasy set partly in Darwin at the end of the 20th century, partly in
6th century Britain, in
the Garden of Paradise, and the alternative world of The Grail. It includes an intense
love story, a quest for the Grail, conflict, loss, occult and ritualistic elements, time
travel, and a return to the modern world through The Time Tunnel.
Then there is THE SECRET CHRONICLE OF OISIN an alternative mythology,
taking as its source the well known saga of the Irish hero Oisin and his journey to the
Land of Eternal Youth with Princess Naomh. But the story goes off at a tangent, creating a
new mythology in which Oisin travels to Hyperborea in the far north to find the secret of
defeating Death, who has entered The Land of Youth and is destroying it. Again we have
quest, love, sacrifice, conflict, trial by ordeal, ending with the lovers challenging
Death himself... and so on, then back to Ireland in the time of St. Patrick. As for what
happens to Oisin and Naomh, well, you'll just have to read the book.
In 2010 you'll get THE COSMIC CHARIOT, which in a way is a
sequel to both The Gates of Sunset, and The Time Tunnel. It takes two characters from each
of these books, bringing them together in South Australia at the beginning of the 21
century, when - with links to Nuinenor in the distant past they are confronted by a threat
from a parallel world in a different dimension. Unfortunately this parallel world doesn't
want to remain in its different dimension but break through into ours - with a little help
from the Powers of Darkness of course... just halfway down the Yorke Peninsula coast on the
west side, right in the middle of the holiday season. So watch this space to learn more...
Is there anything else? Yes, I have a short poetry collection published
in print by the Mockfrog Press. Just go to mockfrog.com
to preview. Finally, a word perhaps to my fellow struggling writers, simply keeping going
friends - though you could probably paper your bedroom wall with rejection slips because
in the end it is worthwhile, isn't it? It's what we are, and what we have to do to be true
to ourselves which is surely what we must be, because we're truly, magnificently, and
defiantly human. Let us be like our spiritual ancestors The Cathars - about whom I shall
be writing next, because they knew that they did not have to accept the false, unreal
world that Church and State had made, and neither do we.
