by Sylvia Hiven

Indeed, the stench was bad; the odor of stale vomit and human waste lay like a veil in the room. And yes, the man that sat in the bed was a mere skeleton, his hollow cheeks pasty despite the amber light from his bedside lamp. But he had his hands clasped around a crucifix, and while his eyes were dark with fear, there was no sign of the devil in him.

From Issue 15 (Nov 2011)
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interview by Joe Vaz

The move to Australia was a good one for me, and I went there as a pastry cook, really thinking that was what was going to happen, and that I’d end up owning a bakeshop in Melbourne. It turned out that their department of immigration is a lot stuffier than I’d expected, and to work as a pastry chef I had to work at some place that hired a certain number of people and they had to prove that they couldn’t find someone local and I had to be making a certain amount of money, so I ended up working in the sub-basement of a five-star hotel in Melbourne

From Issue 15 (Nov 2011)
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review by Joe Vaz

Published by Harvill Secker
PB 199 pages
RRP R112 (Kindle $11.99)

 

“They catch up in two seconds and start bombarding us with apples. Grandpa stays steady through the pounding. We roll up the windows to protect ourselves. Sad, because we haven’t seen apples in a year and now they’re drumming all over us. Unthinkable, that people could keep apples from other people. Grandma leans in close to Grandpa as he squeezes through the traffic, trying to get away.”

 

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interview by Joe Vaz

I love Lois McMaster Bujold's work. When I read that she'd taken fourteen years to finish her first novel, I thought "I can do that".

From Issue 15 (Nov 2011)
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by Cedar Sanderson

Curiosity is what led my predecessors into the wild unknown - curiosity and a driving desire for notoriety.

From Issue 15 (Nov 2011)
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interview by Joe Vaz

Stories arrive and arise from many sources. This one had an interesting metamorphosis. It started with a chance remark made by a friend of mine many years ago along the lines of, “imagine two people had to meet up for dinner every few years otherwise the world will end.” I mean, who wouldn’t want to find out more about these two people?

From Issue 15 (Nov 2011)
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by Domenico Pisanti

He walked into the restaurant, a man in his early fifties; someone who turned heads and for a brief moment reminded all who glanced in his direction of a happier time in their lives. Then it was business as usual. A waiter was already making his way towards the man, who was looking around as though trying to find someone..

From Issue 15 (Nov 2011)
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by Mark Sykes

AT ANY POINT IN a movie I’m watching, it’s always fun to see the director drop in a knowing homage to another movie. It not only tells me a little more about the director’s influences, but also gives me a moment of self-satisfaction if I’m the only one who recognises the reference – then I can patronisingly explain it to whomever I’m watching the movie with, and feel like a smug git for a while.

From Issue 15 (Nov 2011)
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interview by Joe Vaz

My fascination with the occult, coupled with the time period and a healthy dose of Lovecraftianism. My thesis is on Lovecraft and Poe; reading those two on a daily basis will supply a plethora of interesting ideas.

From Issue 15 (Nov 2011)
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by Lynne Jamneck

I am beginning to grasp an understanding of the mystery that has always surrounded my father. Mother never talked about his work. As children we had asked but never received satisfying answers. Like myself, he had been a student of archeology and anthropology; unlike his daughter, the rules and regulations of the university could not keep him bound.

From Issue 15 (Nov 2011)
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