Wolf At The Door, reviewed at Good Book Alert

4 stars!

Review

Thank you, Marion and Good Book Alert!

Zenith and nadir

As writers, we know that the process itself is filled with ups and downs. I am going through one of the down periods at the moment – I am busy with the dayjob, with my kids and writing has taken a backseat. At the same time, my nerves have been frayed by current world issues. You can say that I am suffering from fatigue (and that I am still fighting off the virus that brought me low last week).

So, my mind turns to other things, beside writing. I itch to do photography. I pass by strips of wild/forest land everyday on the way to work. Verdant, lush, covered with morning glory vines and other types of creepers. Trees with bi-colored bark, branches bare, some draped in hanging moss and more vines. I can see bulbous Baya Weaver nests hanging on branches. The sight brings me joy… and perhaps, a whisper of writery inspiration.

I also read poetry by women poets. Their words are sign posts, spring water and wake-up calls. I listen to the soul-stirring songs by Adele, the undeniable poetry and strength of her voice.

So, I will ride out this nadir period. And hope to dream/write again.

Interview is up!

Interview is up!

Thank you G. L. Drummond!

This week, in hindsight

I came down with the flu (or viral infection) which kept me away from work for two days. Still feeling wobbly and hard to keep food down.

The cover for book two of my urban fantasy series came out and it is gorgeous! Want to see it again?

I don’t usually do recs, but this I have to signal boost: Puca by Penny Ash.

Cover reveal and LOVE!

And it’s here!

Winged, in print.

Do you know that you can purchase Winged in print?

BUY IT NOW

Women in SF Roundtable

Women in SF Roundtable with with Aliette de Bodard (France), me, Csilla Kleinheincz (Hungary), Kate Elliott (US), Karen Lord (Barbados), Ekaterina Sedia (Russia/US).

Quote:
“I feel that – as what I have ranted – is that the discussion is still very US/UK-centric. It is fine that the POC and minorities are speaking out in – say – the States, but that is still very US-centric/dominated. I also feel that women from places like Southeast Asia might not have the same experiences/common ground to talk about and we end up grappling and confused. There is a lot of intersectionality – what are Southeast Asian women (with different experiences/backgrounds) going to say? What are Southeast Asian women supposed to say? Likewise, when it comes to SFF, what we experience might be similar but vastly different as well. Often as such, we end up trying to conform to foreign-sounding standards and end up feeling confused.

I grew up watching Star Trek and many other American SFF shows. At the same time, I watched wu xia series (Jin Yong, anyone?) and listened to Chinese legends. So in a way, I am straddling in between two worlds. I was not American (because I am not), but I grappled with issues of identity and self-perception. The educational system in Singapore was based on the Anglo-Saxon system, thanks to British colonialism. I think and speak in English… and struggle with my Mandarin Chinese. I speak Cantonese than Hokkien, my mother tongue, simply because my mother was brought up Cantonese by her mother.

How am I going to approach SFF with this skein of experiences?”

News post.

Well, it looks my school is ordering my books in. This is so exciting!

In other news, I went to the Moving Words Open Mike yesterday at 15 Minutes. Awesome food, awesome crowd. Not so sure about the acoustics – but interesting range of poems. The last time I was at an open mic was more than a decade ago, in Perth. Okay, I am showing my age…

So I ranted…

on the World SF blog: a response to the Russ Pledge and the Women in SF debate.

Post-The Pigeonhole Meetup Thoughts…

It was a fantastic meetup at the Pigeonhole. Creative people of all sorts – writers, artists, bloggers, photographers, editors and academics – turned up and talked about the literary and arts scene in Singapore. It was a great opportunity to meet up with like-minded people, especially Louise and Pooja who co-hosted the event.

One of the topics was the literary scene in Singapore. The overall consensus was that it was still growing within a whole plethora of limitations. Writing in Singapore seems stuck on either poetry, “misery lit”, horror or assessment books. Perhaps, it’s high time to include other kinds of writing – like genre fiction, webfiction etc etc. I am writing this post after reading a short letter to the forum page (of the Straits Times) and I think a purposeful examination of how we should encourage writers is overdue. We need to encourage writers. But how are we going to do so? Many of the initiatives by the government seem targeted at the elite or the privileged. Likewise, many aspiring writers meet a wall when it comes to finding avenues – be it publishing, editing or finding the right mentor(s). I want to stress that many give up simply because of the obstacles.

The meetup also reinforced the need for a space for writers and arts/literary people. We all need to meet at a common place and to voice our concerns/brickbats/suggestions. A bimonthly meetup, anyone? 😉

I know that there are lists of publishers and “venues” to go to – but such knowledge should be made obvious. Otherwise, many people will end up groping in the dark. So, a list as I type…

Channels:
1. The National Arts Council: The paperwork and red tape is hideous.
2. Singapore Book Council: Good lists of publishers and publishing houses.
3. The Singapore Writers’ Centre.
4. The Singapore Writers’ Festival.

Venues:
1. Quartery Literary Review Singapore.
2. Ceriph.
3. Two Trees Pte Ltd.

Gatherings:
1. Bimonthly Meetups at the Pigeonhole???

My list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will help aspiring Singaporean authors out there!