Donna Maree Hanson, Author and PhD Candidate

I have been meaning to update this blog for a while. I know excuses, excuses, that’s all you ever hear from me. The RSI is improving. It probably won’t go away completely but I do feel improved. Work is less stressful but it is there under the layers. However, Easter is coming (coming before Winter!) and well I’ll have some time to do stuff.

I bought a little ginger kitten, called Jaffa (after the Australian orange-coated chocolate balls). The kitten is part of my stress reduction strategy (audit speak) and it’s working. Jaffa is gorgeous and yes I’ll probably be one of those people who puts pictures of their cat up on their blogs. Well if others can get away with it why not me?

I have handed my uni assignment in just now. I am studying English Grammar. I enjoy it but aspects are hard as well as interesting. The assignment was difficult in that there were particular grammatical structures that I had to find in certain places. For example, a modal verb in a children’s book. (a modal is must, can, may etc). Or find the present perfect (has taken etc) on the front page of a newspaper, or passive clause using ‘by’ on line. Well gee, all that is time consuming. The passive construction using ‘by’ on line was the hardest. What is it with the press these days writing in active voice or other passive constructions not using ‘by’. Made my life very difficult. So anyway, there were two elements to the assignment-understanding the question and finding the example. Everything had to be referenced to the university’s standard. More time consuming stuff. But it is handed up.

Recent happenings include Stephanie Smith resigning from Voyager at HarperCollins. That is a sad farewell. She’s a lovely person and a great editor. Her replacement is equally lovely, Deonie Fiford. So some new and interesting things happening there. I know a lot of my published author friends were very sad to say goodbye to Stephanie. However, I hope to keep in touch with her even though she has relocated to Tasmania.

I’ve submitted two manuscripts (slush pile) and non slush pile. I had an invite from a publisher to submit other work. It had been a couple of years since we had corresponded but I thought it worth the effort to email and ask if I could send my new work in. I was very, very happy to get a yes. Better to have a manuscript being read by an editor than sitting in your computer.

I should mention that more Australian publishers have started slush piles, Hachette/Orbit being the latest.

I’ve submitted one short story to a pro market. I’ve got a couple that I should revised and resend out.I’ve just been busy (and not using my arm).

I had edits and proofing to do for ‘Sangue Della Notte’ appearing in Damnation and Dames. This anthology launches over the weekend. I’m very excited. I’m sorry I won’t be at Swancon for the launch. Perth is a long way and my dollars have gone into hiding somewhere.

I have put up an interview with Marc Gascoigne over on the Conflux Natcon Website here

It is worth checking out.