Tag Archives: Jennifer Fallon

Back from Sydney Supanova

This time last week I was sitting at the Dymock’s store at Supanova surrounded by wonderful costumes and fellow writers trying desperately to talk. I have my voice back, but I’m still suffering with the ‘flu. Can’t hear properly and it’s been almost a week since I flew home. Here I am with my amazing pull-up behind me. Clint Langley‘s artwork came up really well. Made people stop and take a second look

Was wonderful to catch up with Marianne de Pierres, Alison Goodman, Kate Forsyth and Jennifer Fallon. Also met up with Kevin J Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, who I’d met at the Brisbane Writers Festival a couple of years ago. It is nice to get away with fellow writers and talk shop, everything from career moves and publishing industry to writing craft. Although I didn’t do much talking. Very frustrating. Here we are all lined up for the obligatory photo with the storm troopers!

You couldn’t be bored. There were comic artists, manga artists and lots of amazing costumes. People who’d bought the KRK trilogy at other Supanovas came by to chat.

One girl told me, I bought your books in Melbourne. You said they’d keep me up all night and I thought you were just saying that, but they did. I finished all three in three days!

I wonder if she got any sleep.

The nice thing about Supanova is that when I was growing up there were hardly any TV shows with a spec fic theme, Lost in Space, I Dream of Jeanie and Bewitched spring to mind. It wasn’t until Star Wars in 1977 that the genre I loved started to become mainstream. Back in those days there was definitely a sense of them and us. We were the fans and everyone else thought we were crazy. Now, every second TV show has elements of paranormal/SF and no one thinks anything of it. So a pop culture event like Supanova can attract crowds of between 10 to 25 thousand. People turn up in costume and they feel like they fit right in.

Thinking of wearing a costume to Supanova? Here’s some inspiration.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_VxCLbHiJM&feature=related]

Had to miss the Perth Supanova, my work load, the ‘flu and the cost made it impossible, but I’m looking forward to the more Supanovas in future. Maybe I’ll see you there.

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Filed under Australian Writers, Comics/Graphic Novels, Conventions, Female Fantasy Authors, Fun Stuff, Genre, Inspiring Art, Nourish the Writer, Readers, The World in all its Absurdity, The Writing Fraternity

Winner of Jennifer Fallon’s Give-away!

While at Supanova in Sydney on the weekend I was seated next to Jennifer and I managed to pin her down about the give-away. (She’s had the last couple of months from hell with earthquakes and a deadline).

So Jennifer said to announce Mark Yannalunas as the winner. Mark, if you email me  <rowena(at)corydaniells(dot)come> I’ll pass your email along to Jennifer and she can organise your book for you.

Meanwhile, I happen to know that Jennifer’s next book will contain Ninja Fairies! So there’s a thought to conjure with!

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Meet Jennifer Fallon …

As the next of my series featuring fantastic female fantasy authors (see disclaimer) I’ve invited the best selling, multi-talented and amazingly prolific Jennifer Fallon to drop by.

Watch out for the give-away question at the end of the interview.

Q: The Undivided is the first book of your new series, Rift Runners. Can you tell us a little about this series?

It’s set across alternate realities and involves psychically linked twins separated went there were toddlers. One world is similar to ours, the other is a world where magic permeates everything and the druids rule the world.

I am having an illegal amount of fun writing it.

Q: I see Voyager, Harper Collins are releasing your Second Sons series with new covers. This must be exciting. Did you have any say in the covers?

I had quite a bit of say, actually. I’m very pleased with the result.

Q: When I look at the volume of work you’ve produced in the fantasy genre, (as well as the Rift Runners and the Second Sons series, there is the Demon Child, the Tide Lords and the Hythrun Chronicles), I’m impressed by your productivity. Do you find yourself exploring similar themes in the different series, or do you explore completely new concepts?

I like to explore new themes with every series. Some lend themselves better than others to particular themes, so that sometimes influences the type of world I build.

Q: I remember when we were doing our Masters together you were saying that if someone is immortal, then they are immortal and they can’t die, otherwise they aren’t immortal. You had one character who was an Immortal Virgin, (her hymen kept growing back). LOL. Are you ever tempted to write satire?

To be fair, it was Valerie Parv who suggested that, and I thought it was an awesome complication so I ran with it. I’d love to write satire, but I fear I wouldn’t do it well enough to warrant it. There are much better satirists out there than me. I believe I am descended from an Irish satirist, however, who was executed in the 18th century for saying rude things about the English.

Q: I see your best selling fantasy books have been shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards, the David Gemmell Legends of Fantasy Award and the Romantic Times Best Fantasy award. That must have been a real buzz. Do you think these awards help bring your books to the attention of new readers?

Here’s my thing about awards – who won the World Fantasy Award last year? The Aurealis in 2005? I bet you can’t say.

Do I think they’re useful? Maybe. They are certainly a boost to the ego, but in my experience, getting your books in the shops in large displays by the door is more useful than an award, when it comes to expanding your reading base, unless winning the award makes the booksellers buy more of them, and put the large display bin out the front.

Q: You also write for Stargate. Does this mean you are a dedicated Stargate Fan? I’m sure people would be interested to hear how you started writing for Stargate and a little about the process.

To be fair, I co-wrote one tie-in novel. I’m not sure if I can claim the moniker “writes for Stargate”. I am a fan, which was why I was asked, and the process involved my co-author sending me the manuscript, me changing all the things I didn’t like, adding the snappy dialogue, and it going back and her changing the changes I made. I believe most of the snappy dialogue survived.

I was an interesting project, though and I have now written a Zorro story for Moonstone, too, which was fun. I do find tie-ins to be quite limiting, because you are playing in someone else’s sand pit and you can’t always build the sandcastles you’d like.

Q: In the last couple of years you’ve moved to New Zealand’s South Island and renovated the historic Reynox House, which you’ve established as a residential writers’ retreat. (Honestly, running away to write sounds heavenly to me).  Is this a dream you’ve always had, to run a writers’ retreat?

I’m not sure I’ve always had it, but certainly for the past few years I’ve wanted to do it. It has all come to a grinding halt at present because of the Christchurch earthquakes. The house sustained some damage in the first quake and the repair bills have been quoted as ranging from $375K to $3m. We are currently at the mercy of insurance assessors and quantity surveyors. Last I heard we were 65th on the insurance company’s priority list and it’s taking them months to settle each claim. Do the math…

 Q: I see you have also started a mentorship program. How do you get the time to do all this?

I limit the number of mentorees so that I don’t have more than I can handle at any one time. Right now, because I am working to a very tight deadline, I don’t have any. I should be picking up the program again in a couple of months.

Q: I was prompted to start this series of interviews because there is a perception in the US and the UK that fantasy is a bit of a boy’s club. Do you think there’s a difference in the way males and females write fantasy?

More swear words?

To be honest, I’m not sure. I think female writers tend to be a little more character driven, but there are great male character-driven fantasies out there too. I think it’s up to the individual writers. Remember, there’s a large number of people out there who don’t realise Robin Hobb is a woman, so I guess, in many cases, if the reader doesn’t know the gender of the writer, they can’t necessarily pick it, so I’d have to so no.

Q: Following on from that, does the gender of the writer change your expectations when you pick up their book?

Not at all.

Q: And here’s the fun question. If you could book a trip on a time machine, where and when would you go, and why?


I’d go to the past, just before I was first published and change my name from Jennifer Fallon to John Fallon. Then all the boys out there who assume that all female fantasy writers write soppy romance fantasies would pick up my books and read them and I’d be much, much richer.

Jennifer will give-away a copy of her new book Undivided. Here’s the question: One of Jen’s series revovles around a number of immortals. How would you kill an immortal?

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Filed under Australian Writers, Book Giveaway, Covers, creativity, Fantasy books, Female Fantasy Authors, Genre, Movies & TV Shows, Publishing Industry, The Writing Fraternity

The Writing Fraternity

The wonderful thing about being a writer (apart from doing something you love) is meeting fellow writers.  Sometimes you read their books before you get to meet them. I met George RR Martin at the Glasgow World Con and suffered one of those embarrassing ‘fan girl’ moments where I gushed madly about how I loved his books.  And other times you meet them, then read their books. This creates a strange dissonance because you can hear  their ‘voice’ in your head as you read. This happened with Maxine McArthur for me. I met her at Aussie Con 3.

Today I want to thank three writers. When Solaris emailed me asking if there was someone who could do a testimonial on book one of King Rolen’s Kin, I madly emailed a couple of writing colleagues. Trudi Canavan (knitter, manga fan  and writer) was able to squeeze mybook in her crazy schedule.

Jennifer Fallon was scrambling to pack all her belongings and move from Australia to New Zealand, but she was such a trooper, she agreed to read the book and give me a quote.

I ‘d never met Gail Z Martin but I had read her books. When Solaris bought my trilogy I ordered all their fantasy books and read them to familiarise myself with the publisher. (I’m such a  girly swot!). So, when Solaris said they were asking Gail to read my book I was thrilled.

So there you have it, 3 great writers,supporting a fellow writer!

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