Monthly Archives: April 2013

April 25, 2013 · 8:00 AM

New Who in Conversation: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead S04E09/E10

David is coming to New Who for the first time, having loved Classic Who as a kid. Tehani is a recent convert, and ploughed through Seasons 1 to 6 (so far) in just a few weeks after becoming addicted thanks to Matt Smith – she’s rewatching to keep up with David! Tansy is the expert in the team, with a history in Doctor Who fandom that goes WAY back, and a passion for Doctor Who that inspires us all.

We are working our way through New Who, using season openers and closers, and Hugo shortlisted episodes, and sometimes a couple of extra episodes we love as our blogging points. Just for fun!

We would like to thank everyone who nominated our “New Who in Conversation” series for the William Atheling Jr Award again this year – it’s a great honour to be on the ballot! Voting for the annual Ditmar Awards (which the Atheling is included in) is open to all members of  Craftinomicon (2012 Natcon – Melbourne) and Conflux 9 (2013 Natcon – Canberra), and can be done online.

Spoilers “Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead” – Season four, episodes nine and ten 

The Doctor – David Tennant

Donna Noble – Catherine Tate

River Song – Alex Kingston

TEHANI:

We skip ahead again to the first Hugo nomination for the fourth season (there were only two Doctor Who episodes shortlisted that year – well, three, but this counts as a single nomination). This is interesting to me, as the fourth season – Donna’s season – is definitely one of my favourites. More competition in that year?

The two episodes between our last post and this one were “The Doctor’s Daughter” and “The Unicorn and the Wasp”. Although “The Doctor’s Daughter” is a bit off in pacing and emotional points for me, I do think it’s a fascinating episode, particularly in hindsight! I think Moffat has well and truly riffed off this episode in recent times, but I can’t say more than that until David catches up! I like that we get a bit more Martha/Donna/Doctor, and watching this again after our recent viewing of “Genesis of the Daleks” made me laugh because it felt like there are a lot of similarities there! Just me?

the_doctors_daughterTANSY:

I think “The Doctor’s Daughter” is a bit of a mess but can’t really pinpoint why – there are so many bits that are individually good, but somehow it never quite reaches cohesion for me. But yes seeing Martha back in the crew is pretty awesome.

DAVID:

I quite enjoyed “The Doctor’s Daughter”, but I agree – it did have a bit of a “Genesis of the Daleks” feel! I could watch a whole season of Martha/Doctor/Donna, I really could.

TANSY:
Two companions in the TARDIS is the best thing! And it happens so rarely with two women. Martha and Donna together were just plain love. (We almost didn’t need the Doctor!)

The-Unicorn-and-the-WaspTEHANI:

“The Unicorn and the Wasp” is a lot of fun, another historical based on a literary figure (Agatha Christie) – written by the same person as “The Shakespeare Code”! I love that the fact Agatha disappeared for 10 days with no explanation is a REAL THING and could be used by the show like that. Not sure the humour of the episode always worked for me, but it was fun.

TANSY:

I really like that one – especially for the Doctor and Donna comedy team, but also I enjoy Agatha Christie stuff generally and Fenella Woolgar is spectacular in the role. Plus Felicity Kendall in Doctor Who for the first time. The plot resolution is silly but I still have a fondness.

DAVID:

I had to jump on Wikipedia to see whether the disappearance was for real! It’s one of those incredible historical facts that authors love – so many story ideas. I enjoyed this episode a great deal, it was a nice little play on all those British shows I watch with the family. From Miss Marple to Midsomer Murders, it riffed beautifully on the genre, while still managing to add a few little twists. And, David Tennant had way too much fun playing the detective! The byplay between the Doctor and Donna in this is absolutely wonderful, and we see Catherine Tate’s vast comedic talent given room to shine. Just love her when they go to the party!

TANSY:
I would take Donna time travelling with me any day of the week.

LibraryTEHANI:

And now, “Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead”. Where to start?! RIVER SONG! BIG PLANET LIBRARY! HORRIBLE SCARY SHADOWS!

TANSY:
Everything I say about River Song will be a spoiler for David. I don’t know how to handle this at all. Continue reading →

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April 20, 2013 · 9:27 PM

Aurealis Awards: call for judges

Screen shot 2011-07-12 at 9.48.42 AMApplications are now open for the 2013 Aurealis Awards judging panels.

We are seeking expressions of interest from people who would like to judge for the 2013 Aurealis Awards. Judges are volunteers and are drawn from the Australian speculative fiction community, from diverse professions and backgrounds, including academics, booksellers, librarians, published authors, publishing industry professionals, reviewers and enthusiasts. The only qualification necessary is a demonstrated knowledge of and interest in their chosen category. In 2013, all judges must be willing and able to read electronic entries, which we will accept in all categories.

Panel sizes may vary among categories – and from year to year – depending on the perceived workload required and the availability of judges for a particular category. However, each panel will consist of at least three judges, one of which will be the panel convenor. Being an Aurealis Awards judge involves reading entries in a single category, which may comprise several dozen novels and/or more than a hundred short stories in the process of evaluating the year’s entries. Judges may keep their reading copies of entries.

Categories are: Science Fiction Novel, Science Fiction Short Story, Fantasy Novel, Fantasy Short Story, Horror Novel and Horror Short Story, Young Adult Novel and Young Adult Short Story, Children’s Fiction, Collection, Anthology, Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel. Because fantasy and science fiction are the largest categories, they have been split into two separate judging panels, one for novels and one for short stories. In 2013, all Children’s entries will be judged in a single category, to maintain the integrity of the award.

As of 2013, the Aurealis Awards accepts electronic entries in all categories. Judges of short fiction must be willing to accept and read entries in this format.  Willingness and ability to read electronically is an essential aspect of the judging role.

It is vital that judges be able to work as part of a team and meet stringent deadlines. Most of the judges’ discussions are conducted via a private online forum or email.

Entries to the awards close in December, with all work published between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013 eligible for entry. Shortlists from each panel will be required by early February 2014 (firm dates will be advised), and prospective judges should be aware that this may be an intensive process.

Dates for Judging (to be confirmed):

June 2013 – entries open

December 15 2013 – entries close

December 31 2013 – final entries must be received by judges

Early February 2014 – shortlists and finalists must be decided

March 2014 – Awards ceremony (details to be advised)

All discussions are confidential between the judges in each panel and the judging co-ordinator and/or the Aurealis Awards management team, as required. The Aurealis Awards judging co-ordinator will have no input into these decisions unless a panel of judges is unable to reach a consensus.

Judges from previous Aurealis Awards processes are welcome – indeed encouraged – to re-apply. But, in the interests of transparency and impartiality, no one may judge the same category for more than two consecutive years, and a break of two consecutive years is required before a judge can reapply to be a judge in that particular category again.

The winner of the Peter McNamara Convenors’ Award for Excellence will be reached by a consensus of the convenors of each of the judging panels.

Each judge receives one complimentary ticket (non-transferable) to the Aurealis Awards ceremony.

Please provide the following information to Judging Co-ordinator Tehani Wessely at aajudges@gmail.com, by 17 May, 2013. 

1. Name.

2. Postal Address.

3. Email Address and telephone number.

4. Preferred judging categories (please provide at least three options, in order of preference).

5. A paragraph or two detailing relevant experience and reasons you would like to be a judge for the Awards.

6. Preferred e-file format (ie: mobi for Kindle, epub, PDF, rtf)

The judging positions are open to Australian residents only.

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April 10, 2013 · 11:02 PM

In search of a nice cup of tea

Two in two days! Yesterday, I finally managed to catch up with the lovely Kate Gordon and her Tiger, along with Monissa, at Swamp (Invermay). It was a noisy and boisterous visit, with Master Three not so sure he liked sharing the spotlight with two babies, but fun, nonetheless. We had completely forgotten that the CBCA Shortlists would be announced that day, so spent a little time checking out the Notables and wondering what might make the grade. And I delivered Kate her author copies of One Small Step, which was great! The tea though, I’m still not sure I can comment on, as ratbag kids meant I didn’t get to enjoy mine at its best. It was looseleaf in a teapot though, with cute little milk bottles! Master Three was impressed with the choccies served on the side as well. I’ll have to give it yet another shot at some point!

Today saw an impromptu catch up with Susan to check out Blue, at the Tramshed at Inveresk. It felt much posher than any of the others I’ve tried in Launceston (and the prices certainly reflected that). The service was good, though the delivery of food was surprisingly slow. And it was really noisy! The tea was just delightful though – I think they use T2 tea (as did Swamp, I think), and the water was super hot! We asked for a hot water top up when we’d finished our first pots and received these quickly, which was great. A really nice one, for sure, though as I said, quite expensive (especially the food). We got a comfy couch though, which was great with Bubs, and even though we were there for nearly two hours, I didn’t feel like they were evil-eying us to move on.

 

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