The best 24 authors from the 12 volumes of Australasian speculative fiction in The Zodiac Series feature in a single anthology Wandering Stars: The Best of the Zodiac Series published by Deadset Press on 12th November 2022.
Wandering Stars features my apocalyptic story “The Bull of Heaven” inspired by Mesopotamian mythology and representing the Taurus zodiac sign.
You can find more details on how to purchase ebook and paperback copies of Wandering Stars: The Best of the Zodiac Series here
I am excited to announce the release of Scorpio (The Zodiac Series, #11) from Deadset Press that launched on 28th March, 2021. I had the great pleasure of co-editing this zodiac- themed anthology featuring short stories inspired by the Scorpio zodiac including my Gaslamp fantasy story “Serket’s Curse”. You can read more about my research into Egyptology and the creation of an alternate Victorian era Dublin here.
If you are interested in purchasing an ebook or paperback copy of Scorpio (The Zodiac Series, #11) you can find more details here.
I am pleased to announce my Gaslamp Fantasy story “The Golden Lion-Monkey” will be published in the forthcoming speculative fiction anthology Leo (Zodiac Series, #8) inspired by the Zodiac and published by Deadset Press from Aussie Speculative Fiction.
Leo (Zodiac Series, #8) is available now for preorder and will be released as an ebook from 25th July featuring many other great speculative fiction stories and poems from Australian and New Zealand authors.
I have been interested by several different stories recently in the Alternate History subgenres of Steampunk and Gaslamp Fantasy. My latest short story draws on my academic knowledge of the Victorian era expansion in science and natural history. Gaslamp Fantasy is a subgenre I really enjoy and was inspired to write an alternate history exploring Victorian London society, the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, emergence of modern sciences and the continuation of Fae creatures amid an expanding British Empire and colonisation. The Victorian era saw the beginning of Industrialisation, women’s liberation movements but also technological advancement, interest in the natural sciences and geological age of the planet. This is only some of the context for a story exploring social expectations and a female heiress who moonlights as a male scientist and a purported new species of tree-dwelling, cat-sized Fae lion.
Very recently I finished writing a story inspired by the Zodiac sign Sagittarius. I was intrigued when learning the the astrological sign, of Sagittarius is representative of prophecy and fate, among other things. The story is a historical fantasy but set in a hypothetical Renaissance-style Italian city similar to Venice. In this world which is similar to the historical version of how our own might have been, some differences do occur. There are Twelve temples to different deities, each with a distinct purpose to fulfil for the citizens of the sprawling city. The Twelve temples are organised in a hierarchical manner with each deity served by religious devotees. The main character is a priestess in the Order Sagittarius where she begins to realise her perception of religious involvement in the functioning and fortune of the city inhabitants is corrupted. I explored these social tensions and realisations from research into ancient Roman religion where the religion was used as a propaganda tool and for social control.
I am excited to have a work in the upcoming Taurus Anthology in the Zodiac Series by Aussie Speculative Fiction. There are a great collection of Australian and New Zealand speculative fiction authors who have contributed works to the fifth instalment in this 12 Zodiac themed Anthologies.
My story “The Bull of Heaven” is modern dystopian tale inspired by my own interest in ancient history and the Mesopotamian mythology featuring the Bull of Heaven in the Epic of Gilgamesh which was originally written on cuneiform tablets. You can read more about the archeology of what cuneiform tablets are here.
Taurus will be released in ebook format on April 18 but you can pre-order a copy now from leading ebook retailers. Use this link to your preferred ebook store!
I’m currently reading the second volume in a 12 part series, a Zodiac themed anthology produced by Aussie Speculative Fiction. Each month, a new anthology featuring that month’s zodiac sign will be released. This January-February, I’m reading Aquarius and because it’s also my own star sign. The Aquarius anthology features many unique interpretations of the water-carrier star sign by Australian and New Zealand speculative fiction writers. You can read more about the Aquarius volume here.
I have also contributed a short story to the Taurus Anthology which will be released in a few months. I also wrote a brief post on my inspiration and research behind the short story.
If you’re interested in reading the Aussie Speculative Fiction Zodiac Anthologies, you can find copies the Aquarius and Capricorn Anthologies through Books2Read with direct links to your preferred bookstore.
Ancient history and mythology have always been favorite topics for me. Recently, I found an interesting article on newly discovered sections of ancient Mesopotamian poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh, detailing the legendary feats of a historical king. The Epic of Gilgamesh was inscribed on cuneiform tablets which continue to baffle scholars as to the purpose of why these clay tablets are so small.I was interested in the mythology behind the zodiac, the legends behind creation of constellations rather than modern interpretations of astrology and divination. The constellation we know as Taurus, existed in the ancient Mesopotamian cultures and was also represented and embodied by a bull. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the formation of the constellation the ancient Greeks later called Taurus, is described as a battle between the hero Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven, a destructive bull sent to avenge the goddess Ishtar after the wrongs committed by Gilgamesh. I wrote a speculative fiction story in a contemporary setting incorporating the Bull of Heaven based on Ishtar’s vengeance against Gilgamesh. I have added the destructive environmental effects caused by the Bull of Heaven and alluded to in The Epic of Gilgamesh.
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