I know a lot of people finished up on Friday, so it seems timely to talk about the holiday coming up.

I’m planning to stay put, chill out as much as possible, and hang with friends—then straight back into the writing.

But how about you, dear readers, what are your plans for the festive season and holidays?

“There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

~ W. Somerset Maugham, 1874-1965

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I definitely ‘grok’ this one! 😉

Thanks to Jan Butterworth for bringing it to my attention!

The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series is traversing the full range of locales and places from The Wall of Night world of Haarth.

This week canvasses the ultimate entry for “L.”

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Long Pass:  the main pass into Emer when journeying south from the River lands

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 “Their next stop was at the small, neglected shrine to Seruth—Serrut in the Emerian dialect—that marked the southern end of the Long Pass. The surrounding countryside remained desolate; Carick could see no sign of human occupation beyond the white ribbon of road looping away between dun hills. He ran a hand across his dirt-grimed hair. “Does no one live here?” he asked.”

~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two; Chapter 11 — The Wolfpack

Over the past two months I have hosted a blog “mini-series” titled “Here’s SpecFicNZ Wellington” in which my fellow members—from Wellington, of course!—have  introduced themselves using a series of  common headings:

Here’s Who: a short, first person introduction to the member
Here’s Why: the member writes or works in speculative fiction
Here’s What: an example of the member’s work
Here’s Where: you can find out more about the writer and their work—and I really hope you will!

This week, I welcome my final guest, Darusha Wehm, who is also a member of the SpecFicNZ committee—and extend special thanks for her help in putting the series together. A very warm welcome, Darusha.:)

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Here’s SpecFicNZ–Wellington: Featuring Darusha Wehm

Here’s Who:

I am the author of the novels Beautiful Red, Self Made, Act of Will and The Beauty of Our Weapons, three of which have been nominated for the Parsec Award. My short fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and the award-winning Toasted Cake and Escape Pod podcasts. I also am the editor of the crime and mystery short fiction magazine, Plan B, and curate the photo blog Spaceships Today.

Originally from Canada, I sailed to New Zealand with my partner Steven on our yacht “Scream.” We left from the west coast of Canada and sailed to the US, Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Ecuador, across the Pacific via French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. We live aboard in Wellington Harbour.

Here’s Why:

I write lots of different things: mystery, mainstream, poetry, non-fiction… but I mostly write science fiction. Unlike a lot of spec fic writers, I came to SF as an adult, introduced by friends who assured me that there was more to sci fi than rayguns and bugeyed monsters. I began my education with Iain M. Banks, moved on to Neal Stephenson, Octavia Butler, William Gibson and more. I immediately realized that SF can be literate, universal, funny, and intensely real.

To me, speculative fiction is the abstract art of literature: through the depiction of states of existence that are not real, it can illuminate aspects of the human condition that are otherwise inaccessible.

Also, robots, spaceships and cybernetics are way cool.

Here’s What:

Excerpt from The Beauty of Our Weapons
© M. Darusha Wehm

“Why did this have to happen to me?” Jeffie whined. René Biagini patted his friend on the hand and flicked a finger up to the waiter for another glass of synth-wine.

“Can you tell me exactly what was done?” Biagini asked, setting his system to record the conversation. He didn’t really think he’d be able to find whoever vandalized his friend’s store, but he’d promised to try so he ought to put a little effort in. “Do you have a recording of the instantiation?”

Jeffie nodded. “I record every work day. Prevents a lot of disputes over price quotes.”

“Good,” René said. “Send me the vid.” The wine arrived and René felt a download drop into his system. “You drink this,” he said, handing Jeffie a large glass of red, “while I look at it, okay?”

Jeffie sniffled and nodded, sipping the wine. The vid showed a blurry image of Jeffie’s storefront as it materialized in front of his vision. René had visited it more than a few times, and expected to see the familiar yellow and orange sign over the green portal door. Instead, there was a disturbing electrical buzzing sound and the door was distorted and pixellated. It did not look safe to enter, but Jeffie must have gone in anyway as the vid’s point of view moved through the portal and into what should have been the small shop.”

Here’s Where:

You can read stories, buy books and find out more at http://darusha.ca. I’m also on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

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As noted above, Darusha is the final guest in the “Here’s SpecFicNZ Wellington” series. Christams is upon us now, but I’ll do a roundup of all the featured guests early in the New Year.

by Rebecca Fisher

Introduction:

Fairytales are popular fodder for entertainment these days. When I say that, I’m not talking about the fantasy genre in general, but fairytales specifically. Hollywood has recently drawn upon them for big-budget films such as Snow White and the Huntsman, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters and Jack and the Beanstalk, whilst shows like Grimm and Once Upon a Time also use the old tales as a basis for their storylines. Why the sudden resurgence in popularity? I’m not sure exactly, I only know that I like the results.

Premiering on television in 2011, Once Upon a Time is an elaborate mash-up of fairytales strewn throughout a serialized drama, detailing the strange events that take place in the modest township of Storybrooke, Maine and how they’re linked with the fantasy kingdom in the Enchanted Forest, populated by figures such as Snow White, Red Riding Hood, the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Rumplestiltskin and more.

Currently in its third season, the show was popular enough to warrant its own spin-off: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, which (obviously) is based on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland stories. In both shows, the themes and narratives are deeply concerned with the individual search for a happy ending – and what exactly “happiness” actually entails.

Premise:

Once upon a time, Snow White and Prince Charming’s wedding was gate-crashed by the Evil Queen, eager to take revenge against the happy couple. In front of the entire kingdom, she promises them that a curse is coming, one that will strip them all of they hold dear and transport them to a world where there are no happy endings.

Months later, Snow White’s child is born on the exact same day that the curse arrives, but thanks to some forward planning (and a deal with the devil), Snow and Charming ensure that she’s transported out of the palace and into another world before the curse takes hold. All they’re left to cling to is the hope that one day their daughter will fulfil the prophecy made before her birth: that she will return one day to save them from the Queen’s evil.

Our heroine Emma Swan (in the red jacket) and her son Henry

Years later, Emma Swan makes her living as a bondswoman and bounty hunter, celebrating her 28^th birthday alone when she hears a knock at her apartment door. It’s a little boy called Henry who claims to be the son she gave up for adoption when she was just a teenager. Driving him back to the township of Storybrooke, she hears an extraordinary tale from him on the way: that the town is populated by storybook characters under an evil curse. According to him, his adopted mother is the Evil Queen, his school teacher is Snow White, and the antique store owner is Rumplestiltskin, just to name a few. Naturally Emma doesn’t believe a word, but she does notice something odd about the place, especially after meeting Regina Mills, the Mayor of Storybrooke and Henry’s mother. Following her instincts, Emma decides to stay.

What soon becomes apparent (at least to the audience if not Emma) is that Henry is telling the truth. His mother is the Evil Queen and Storybrooke is her “holding cell” for the citizens of the Enchanted Forest, each one separated from their loved ones and robbed of their memories, living out a monotonous existence as mere shadows of their former selves. Yet Emma’s presence begins to break the curse’s hold, and day by day the entire town begins to rouse itself from its twenty-eight year inertia…

Story:

It’s a compelling set-up, one that gives the writers room to play around with the narratives of our most famous fairytales. The show’s format closely resembles that of Lost in its use of its dual storylines, a shared trait that isn’t that surprising considering many of the show-runners and writers (and even a few actors) worked on the latter show. Each episode has two parallel storylines that centre on a specific character, exploring their lives under the curse in contemporary Storybrooke, and in flashbacks that provide insight into who they were in the Enchanted Forest. Half the initial fun is in trying to guess which Storybrooke resident is what fairytale character, and most of their stories have a clever twist in regards to their backstories, personality, or how the curse effects each one personally.

Mayor Regina Mills, presiding over her kingdom

As Emma gets to know them all, the residents of Storybrooke begins to grapple with the curse and reclaim some of their own identities. But naturally, Queen Regina isn’t about to let her little playground of trapped souls go without a fight, and soon she and Emma are at odds, particularly over Henry’s wellbeing. This is a love triangle with a difference, for over the course of the series Regina and Emma are in what could easily be called competition over their son’s affections and loyalty, though at the same time their shared interest in his happiness forms a bond between them. The trio of Emma, Regina and Snow White make up the crux of the show’s emotional centre, and the history that emerges between the three of them (particularly in regards to the Regina/Snow White vendetta) provides some of the show’s most compelling scenes.

The Evil Queen offers Snow White the poisoned apple

Characters:

Perhaps the most appealing part of the show is watching how it spins our assumptions of well-known characters on their heads. It would spoil the fun if I gave too much away, but suffice to say that everyone manages to subvert expectations in some way. Little Red Riding Hood has an interesting relationship to the Big Bad Wolf, and Prince Charming wasn’t always a prince. Rumplestiltskin is a Machiavellian plotter and the Evil Queen – well, let’s just say she thinks she has a good reason to hate Snow White. Their identities in the real world all have meaningful pseudonyms (for example, Cinderella is called Ashley Boyd, whilst Snow White is Mary Margaret Blanchard) and oftentimes more than one fairytale persona can be conflated into a single character.

Sometimes it gets a bit strange, for alongside the fairytale characters who are part of the oral tradition of storytelling are those that actually belong in books, such as the cast of Pinocchio and Peter Pan. The writers play fast and loose with the source material, and often draw upon the more modern Disney versions of the characters rather than their folklore origins. As such, the seven dwarfs are referred to as Grumpy, Sleepy, Happy, and so on – names that were popularized in the Walt Disney film. Be sure to watch out for a slew of other Disney-related in-jokes over the course of the show.

That’s Belle, and that’s a chipped cup. Think about it.

But the massive cast means that some characters fall through the cracks, and at least three interesting and popular characters were kept on the back-burner for so long that their actors quit for greener pastures, leading to their disappointing absence from later episodes. After a certain point you wish the writers would stop introducing new characters and simply concentrate on the ones they’ve got, though at least we can say that the revolving cast keeps things interesting.

Conclusion:

Along with providing plenty of twists on the old storybook tales, the show’s most appealing feature is its girl-power slant. As most of the main characters are women, each one with the capacity to be complex, damaged, heroic, flawed, and interesting, it passes the Bechdel Test with flying colours, and seldom utilizes the old “damsel in distress” cliché. It doesn’t do such a great job with its diversity, as most black characters are either dead or evil (or both), but the latest casting news promises a significant step forward in this respect.

With every new episode the show delves deeper into its own mythology, and the themes of family and happiness are more fully explored when the time comes for heroes and villains to work together in achieving a common goal. Once Upon a Time isn’t always perfect, but the show’s initial premise has already carried it into three seasons, and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.

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Next Time:

Ned has a special gift, though some would call it a curse. With a simple touch, he can bring the dead back to life – though only for a minute, or else someone else will die in order to maintain cosmic balance. In a whimsical Fifties-inspired world, where everything is awash in bright colours and people spontaneously break into song just because they can, Pushing Daisies was a short-lived but unforgettable cult classic that fell victim to the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike. Still, it lives on in DVD collections, and we’ll take a closer look at it next time.

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Rebecca Fisher

About The Reviewer:

Rebecca Fisher is a graduate of the University of Canterbury with a Masters degree in English Literature, mainly, she claims, because she was able to get away with writing her thesis on C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. She is a reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com, a large website that specializes in fantasy and science-fiction novels, as well as posting reviews to Amazon.com and her own LiveJournal blog.

To read Rebecca’s detailed introduction of both herself and the series, as well as preceding Big Worlds On Small Screens reviews, click on:

Big Worlds On Small Screens

Today I am featuring Sarah Broom’s poem, One story and the other, from the collection Gleam, on the Tuesday Poem hub.

I hope you’ll click on the poem’s title to read and perhaps let me know what you think by leaving a comment below the poem.

One story and the other

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Sadly, Sarah died earlier this year, before Gleam was published. To read my eulogy and other poems featured on this blog, click on the following links:

In Memory of Sarah Broom, 1972-2013

All my life  (featured on the Tuesday poem Hub, 18 December 2012)

Breath

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To read the featured poem on the Tuesday Poem Hub and other great poems from fellow Tuesday poets from around the world, click here or on the Quill icon in the sidebar.

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One of the positives of having a blog is that when friends have very good news, sometimes you can shout about it, too. 😉

Here’s three items of great news I’ve been delighted to learn about recently.

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Siobhan Harvey Wins The Landfall Kathleen Grattan Award 2013

The Kathleen Grattan Award is New Zealand’s richest poetry prize and amongst it’s most prestigious. Siobhan won the award for her unpublished manuscript, Nephology for Beginners, out of 90 entries.

Judge Jeffrey Paparoa Holman commented: ‘Harvey’s work came through for me because it seemed to come out of life itself as well as literature and asked things of the reader. This is a powerful and brave collection, exploring the world of autism through a mother’s eyes, using the world of clouds as both simile and metaphor.’

If you would like to explore Siobhan’s poetry a little further ‘immediatjely’ you can check out the following, all Tuesday Poem features right here “…on Anything, Really” 😉 :

The Autistic Cloudboy Visits Auckland Art Gallery

Day Of Delivery

Van Gogh in Aotearoa

You can also listen to Siobhan’s interview on National Radio, here.

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Helen McKinlay

Helen McKinlay’s “Grandma’s Kiwi Christmas” Features As the Smith & Caughey’s Christmas Window

My fellow Tuesday Poet, Helen McKinlay, is also the author of the “Grandma” children’s books — and right now Grandma’s Kiwi Christmas is featured in the window of Auckland department store, Smith & Caughey’s. (For those in other climes, think David Jones, Selfridges, Bloomingdales…) If you’re in Auckland, do go and take a look. But otherwise, you can see some photos and read about the fun on Helen’s blog, here.

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Wen Baragrey

Fellow Christchurch Writer, Wen Baragrey Signs With a US Agent

A fellow Christchurch writer and early SpecFicNZ member, Wen Baragrey, has just signed with Sara Megibow of the Nelson Literary Agency — for what she describes as a “quirky, humorous contemporary middle grade” — which is just awesome news, so I hope to be able to share even more good news from Wen with you soon!

“Having just finished reading both Wall of Night books for at least the third time, I find myself thinking about Malian and what’s ahead for her. Anticipation, don’t you know… I’m really looking forward to seeing how all these bits and pieces come together.”

[Abridged]

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Kristen B’s comment appeared on November 18th’s post “Favourite Questions From Recent Interviews: Ruth Todd Ask Where Malian Came From.”

Needless to say, I am doin’ my utmost to ensure Daughter Of Blood will not disappoint the anticipation of Kristen and her fellow readers.

“There is no Frigate like a Book, to take us Lands away…”

~ Emily Dickinson, 1830 – 1886

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I only recently discovered this particular quote from Emily Dickinson, but I felt it was definitely “share worthy.”

The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series is traversing the full range of locales and places from The Wall of Night world of Haarth.

This week brings the penultimate entry for “L.” 🙂

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Lion Throne: the court of the Shah of Ishnapur

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‘ He looked at the ambassador. “But Mykon also has a point. I think we would all like to hear why the Lion Throne has taken the unprecedented step of including a demonhunter as part of its embassy to the River.” ‘

~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two; Chapter 8 — The Demonhunter