Hal Spacejock in the Amazon Jungle

No, it's not a catchy book title, it's just a reminder that the Hal Spacejock books are listed on Amazon US. So far each of the three books has an average rating of five stars, and that's without my talking friends and family into posting fake reviews - who'd have thought?

Hal Spacejock

Hal Spacejock Second Course

Hal Spacejock Just Desserts (Showing 1 copy left)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Upcoming Publicity and Author Events

I've just been going over the Spacejock publicity stuff with Scott at Fremantle Arts Centre Press, which would be my publisher. (Actually, they're about to become simply 'Fremantle Press' - and I'd like to think publishing Hal Spacejock knocked the Arts right out of them.)

Anyway, here's the current list:

This Sunday I'm doing a TV interview with Access 31 here in Perth. The program is 'on the couch' and I'm supposed to discuss publishing. Hopefully not arts, because that's something I have no experience with.

Monday I'm being interviewed, photographed and suchlike by the Freo Herald. For their arts section, no doubt.

1st March I'll be appearing at the Westbooks 'Night with our stars', which is a do for school librarians and teachers. Each author has three minutes to discuss their upcoming/recent book, which should be interesting. I'm thinking of a talk on the subject of 'Hal Spacejock - It's Not Art!'

Apparently I'll also be doing an interview with Grant Stone for Faster Than Light, and they put podcasts online so I'll link to that. They're also going to play the interview during the morning segment on RTR.

Scoop Magazine is apparently running a review of Hal 3 in the upcoming March issue. This is a classy tourist mag which you find in hotel rooms across Western Australia, and they usually feature a lot of items of interest to the discerning tourist ... including Art. Not this time! Snerk.

Scott tells me Swan magazine is going to be reviewing Hal 3. Alas, I don't know what SF has to do with the Swans. I mean, they didn't even win the Grand Final. Maybe they need cheering up.

Non-Hal news - the Sun Herald and The Age both featured my share market software in their Sunday supplement last weekend. Programming is SO an art.

Back to Hal news: I've been invited along to the WA society of Editors AGM to (I think) read from Hal or discuss editing or something. Either that, or I'm the Elephant Man to Janet Blagg's Treves.

Then there's the appearances at the All Saints' Kids' Lit festival for my second year running. All those school kids just waiting to hear about Writing True Art, and they get me.

I'll also be pootling around Swancon as usual - probably with a T-shirt decrying the sad state of Art in Western Australia.

More to come - this is just off the top of my head.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Hal 3 now available

Just Desserts

Hal Spacejock Just Desserts is now available from bookstores across Australia and New Zealand. (E.g. Dymocks, A&R, Collins, Newslink, most independents.)

Copies are also available in the US from the North American distributor, ISBS, from Powell's Books, and from Amazon.

Everyone else can mail order from Fantastic Planet or the Australian Online Bookstore

Related News:
      First Hal 3 review
      Hal Spacejock Interviewed
      Clunk Interviewed

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Launched

The Hal 3 launch was on last night, and we're all recovering nicely. Full details here.

We came, we saw, we launched. Now my focus turns to Hal 4.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Grumpy Old Bookman

Michael Allen runs an entertaining blog about UK publishing called Grumpy Old Bookman, and the third item on today's post is a neat little piece about the recent Hal Spacejock and Clunk interviews.

And about those interviews: feedback on both has been great, and Hal's is currently the third most popular item on the Specusphere. Clunk is not happy.

So, be sure to click Clunk's and shun Hal's.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Hal 2 - it's on for young and old

Hal Spacejock Second Course has been nominated in the West Australian Young Readers Book Award. According to my publisher, this is a great indication that kids love the book.

The West Australian Young Readers Book Award is a readers' choice award, organised on a statewide basis for young readers. As such, it pioneered a new concept in Australia, allowing children the major say in their prize winning literature.

To find out more about the awards go to the WAYRBA website

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Your invitation to a book launch

Dymocks would like to invite you to a Book Launch for Simon Haynes's new book “Hal Spacejock Just Desserts”, book 3 in the Hal Spacejock series.

Simon Haynes is the author of three Hal Spacejock novels, a number of articles on writing and publishing, and several short stories, one of which collected an Aurealis Award in 2001.

“Hal Spacejock Just Desserts”

A mysterious sealed crate, a pair of shady mercenaries with more guns than brain cells and the amnesiac robot which may or may not be on a secret mission ... Only interstellar ignoramus Hal Spacejock and the unflappable Clunk could turn a straightforward cargo delivery into space opera with clowns.

Three simmering planets, two cocky spacemen and one huge mess: Just Desserts, for your pleasure.


Author Signing

DATES: February 9th, 2007 (This Friday)
VENUE: Dymocks Carousel, Cannington
TIME: 7.00pm
TICKET PRICE: Free
RSVP: Please call 08 9356 8888 or email carousel (at) dymocks.com.au

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Clunk interviewed!

The Specusphere just interviewed Clunk as part of the 'Hey, let's talk to Hal and Clunk instead of the author' series.

You can read the result here

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Hal Spacejock Interviewed!

Specusphere has put the Hal Spacejock interview online, and you can enjoy Hal's thoughts on money, the future, and the nature of fictional characters right here.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Hal 3 a bestseller

January's bestsellers at Fantastic Planet bookstore

1...Hal Spacejock: Just Desserts...Simon Haynes
2...Peace and War...Joe Haldeman
3...The Arrival...Shaun Tan
4...Galactic North...Alastair Reynolds
5...Pushing Ice...Alastair Reynolds
6...Running from the Deity...Alan Dean Foster
7...Red Phoenix...Kylie Chan
8...Red Spikes...Margo Lanagan
9...Thud!...Terry Pratchett
10..Temeraire...Naomi Novik

So, a big thank-you to all the staff at Fantastic Planet. Nice going ;-)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Working with an editor part 2

Last July I posted about working with my editor, in an attempt to illustrate the amount of work that goes into a book once it's picked up by a publisher.

Around the same time I expanded the article for Writers' World, and yesterday I discovered the article went into issue 3 late last year.

Writers' World is an online mag, and as luck would have it issue 3 can be read online here

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Australia day photos

Australia Day 2007


Very hot weather, but beautiful skies for the evening fireworks display. One of the launch barges had a 'wardrobe malfunction', with raging flames and fireworks still going off long after the display had ended. Maybe it was the SS Guy?

Here's one pic of the event ... I've put the rest on my website




Fireworks Display

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Canning Times Article

I just spotted my ugly mug in the Canning Times alongside an article about the Hal Spacejock series. Then I saw it again on the masthead - cool.





(The article has a couple of factual errors, but who cares when they got the time, date and location of the book launch correct?)

Anyway, if you live in Perth and happen to glance at this week's Community News (other than the Canning Times), please let me know if you see the same article repeated. It was in the Arts section in mine.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Comet pics

I've been out taking pics of the comet most nights, and these two have come out pretty well:





(No digital manipulation - these are straight out of the camera.)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

To get published, you just have to know the right people ...

... and other fallacies.

This one irks me more than most, to be honest. I've seen it in blog comments, feedback, whiny 'I am SO a writer' posts on forums and more.

Does anyone seriously believe that books only make the grade because the author was buddy-buddy with the publisher? I mean, sleeping your way to the top might work in some industries, but have you looked at a bunch of author pics lately? (I think you'll agree most authors are built for writing and thinking, not for striking poses.)

Seriously ... to get published you have to write a manuscript which is better than 95-97% of the slush pile, and then you need some luck, which usually means an editor happens to be looking for something in your genre when your manuscript crosses their desk.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Comet pics

I added a few pics of the comet to my flickr page, then submitted one of them to the Sunday Times. Imagine my surprise when I saw it on their front page slideshow barely 30 mins later. (It's number 2 of 9 pics at the moment.)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Aus Spec Fic Carnival

Gillian Polack just sent me a big list of links to knock into shape for the Aus Spec Fic Carnival. This is a monthly roundup of doings in the Aussie SF/F/H scene with links to the relevant blog posts so you can go and join the discussions. (Most of the links are hers, all the typos and factual errors are mine.)


You're also welcome to post your own Aussie specfic links in the comments trail below.


Let's start this month's joyride with the publishing announcements:

Karen Miller reports that she's handed in Empress of Mijak to her publisher.

AShR reviews two new Brimstone Press titles.

News from Agog Press: Two further anthologies of Daikaiju stories and a secret project, all to be released in 2007.

Ticonderoga issue 10 is out and includes three pieces of original fiction, a Sean Williams reprint, a couple of interviews (Paul Haines and myself, Simon Haynes) a bunch of reviews and a competition.

Ben Peek's new book is out. Twenty-Six Lies/One Truth.

Glenda Larke has several pieces of good news at once.

Coeur de lion publishing is proud to announce the publication of Rynemonn, a new Terry Dowling collection.

And if I may be so crass, Hal Spacejock Just Desserts was released this month and you're all invited to the book launch


Okay, we're stepping off the publishing merry-go-round to visit the funhouse.

Yes, it's the 2007 Aurealis Award Shortlist as seen from London.


One quick stagger around the spinning cylinder thing and it's off to the coconut shy.

No more Magic Casements, it seems.

Larbalestier/Westerfeld and the Norton Awards

There's a new HarperCollins Voyager author: details here

The Australian Speculative Fiction Project published the latest edition of their newsletter

Fantastic Planet published two bestseller lists: Their 2006 bestselling authors AND their 2006 bestselling books (Wish more indies did this.)

NZ comment on Chris Lawson’s Written in Blood.

Russell Farr posts on accounts, small press and sales right here

Writer/editor/reader interfaces – variations: Russell Farr and Gillian Polack


Now it's off to the house of horrors. Yes, the topic of REVIEWS ...
Glenda Larke and Shane Jiraiya Cummings


Brrr. Spooked out, time for the rollercoaster:

The all-user guide to year's best lists (well, one bunch of them) can be found here

About writing (including some 'what I did this year' posts):
On paragraphs (Justine)
On perspective/POV (Kaaron)
On the writer at fault (Alisa)

So, what do authors owe their readers?


While you're up there in the sky, about to plummet into 2007, why not take a look back? All these people did ...

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine


Off the rollercoaster and into the water slide:

Justine Larbalestier writes about things that it is useful for a writer to do at some point in their life.

Jenny Fallon writes about world building


Dripping wet, it's off to the dodgem cars. Bzzzzt!

Clarion South blogging: A-one, two three


Finally this month, the grand firework display with complimentary feast and cartoon character puppet of your choice: Gillian Polack once again on the strange side effects of Regency Gothic banquet testing. You can also read the continuing saga of testing for the banquet at www.foodpast.com

That's it for this month - as I said above, if you have aus spec fic news feel free to add it below. To allow everyone a chance to comment, I'm pasting this to three different blogs:

Blogger (halspacejock.blogspot.com)
LJ (halspacejock.livejournal.com)
Myspace (blog.myspace.com/halspacejock)


E&OE. If you do spot an E just let me know and I'll fix it. You'll have to post your own O.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Interesting

"ACTING Premier Eric Ripper has listened to PerthNow readers - and backed down from his push for Sunday trading and extended shopping hours."

Ripper abandons Sunday trading

I don't mean Sunday trading in Perth (or the lack of it) is interesting, I mean it's interesting that a senior government minister changed his mind after reading the feedback comments on a news story posted to the internet.

Obviously there were other factors: "Mr Ripper said he had 'listened to radio talkback, read letters to the editor and the hundreds of emails posted on the PerthNow website and spoken to the community, caucus colleagues and the relevant union and business'."

When the average citizen is ushered into the presence of a government minister they're usually awe-struck. But you just know that people will say things on the net which they'd never say in person. Not only that, unlike the immediacy of talkback radio opinions posted to news stories are visible after the fact, and as many a blog owner has discovered, more and more people pile in to have their say, tempers fray, fights break out and so on.

Anyway, I'm in no way a political animal but this did seem to be a case of everyday people telling government what they wanted, and getting it.

PerthNow is the online site for our Sunday newspaper. Comments are a relatively recent innovation, even if they're common elsewhere. In fact, I once left a comment on Perthnow about housing, only to have a journalist from the paper email to ask whether she could get a photo & interview. It didn't happen, probably because she realised I'd be wearing a Hal Spacejock T-shirt, cap, keyring, forehead banner tattoo and anything else I could print up in time ...

Anyway, now people know they can chime in on a story and maybe even influence government policy, this could get really interesting. Instead of moaning down the pub, you can moan online where Big Brother (not the TM version) is listening.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Hal 3 is out!

It's official - Hal Spacejock Just Desserts, book 3 in the series, hits shops across Australia and New Zealand from this week.




Click for full size


I've also seen sales figures for all three books in the series so far, and Hal's rockin' ;-)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Second chance draw - winner

Just before Christmas I drew four winners in the Hal Spacejock draw, but because it was the season of giving I set up a second chance where everyone who commented on the relevant post was included.

Well, the second-chance winner of a signed copy of Hal Spacejock (2nd Ed.) is ...

Paul Eisenberg

Just contact me at spacejock at gmail dot com and I'll sort out the book sending.

Commiserations to everyone else who entered, but I will be drawing more winners. Just make sure you're in the draw!

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)