This week, I was thrilled (and surprised) to learn I’m a finalist in two categories for the 2021 Australian Shadows Awards.
My novella ‘The Little One’ was shortlisted in the Long Fiction category. ‘The Little One’ first appeared in my short story collection Coralesque and Other Tales to Disturb and Distract (IFWG Publishing Australia) and seems to be a real favourite among readers.
My poem ‘Sonnet for a Scarecrow’ made the cut in the Poetry Category. ‘Sonnet for a Scarecrow’ was published in Issue 1 of Curiouser Magazine, a great new Australian publication showcasing thoughtful and thought-provoking speculative fiction and poetry.
And, in other happy Shadows news, Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, edited by Deborah Sheldon (IFWG Publishing Australia) an anthology featuring one of my stories (‘Beneath the Cliffs of Darknoon Bay’) appears in was shortlisted in the Best Edited Work category.
The competition this year is amazing though, so while the chances of me winning are up there with that idiomatic snowball in hell, it’s an honour to share the shortlist with writers I have the greatest admiration and respect for. You can read the finalists for all categories of the Australian Shadows Awards here.
Winners will be announced at a live Zoom event on the evening of Tuesday April 12th. Keep your fingers crossed for me!