Te Kōrero Ahi Kā – Darian Smith

10 April 201817 April 2018 Lee Murray Collection, Darian Smith, New Zealand, Speculative Fiction, Te Korero Ah Ka0 comment

Te Kōrero Ahi Kā

By Darian Smith

I’ve been thrilled to be able to participate in the creation of Te Korero Ahi Ka, and am very proud to show this collection of excellent New Zealand speculative fiction to anyone who might be interested in seeing what our country has to offer in the realms of fantasy, science fiction, and horror.

There’s something unique about the voice of this section of the world and I love being part of it.

The story I contributed was a reprint which had won a competition SpecFicNZ in conjunction with www.wilywriters.com a few years ago. It’s one I’m particularly proud of and blends a multi-hued pasifika-style setting with the concept of magic as its own entity. In this story, magic is an almost living thing – the star cloak – that seeks the right person to wield it. The main character is a man who once wore the star cloak and controlled its magic but lost it. I wanted to explore the concept of power corrupting and that many of our best lessons in life are learned from loss and failure. | Read More...

Anthologies Flash Fiction Kiwi Writers SpecFicNZ

Te Kōrero Ahi Kā – Cook Strait News

3 April 201817 April 2018 Lee Murray AJ Ponder, Anthology, community, Eileen Mueller, local, Paul Mannering, Speculative Fiction, Te Korero Ahi Ka0 comment

Te Kōrero Ahi Kā contributors Alicia Ponder, Eileen Mueller, and Paul Mannering appear in the Cook Strait News on Tues 22 March, 2018. Article by Jamie Adams.

Te Kōrero Ahi Kā – Cover Reveal!

12 February 2018 Lee Murray showcase anthology, Speculative Fiction0 comment

SpecFicNZ are delighted to reveal the fabulous cover of our inaugural showcase speculative fiction anthology Te Kōrero Ahi Kā – To Speak of the Home Fires Burning, designed for us by Hawkes Bay artist, member Evelyn Doyle.

Eve is many things: INTJ. Multipotentialite. Graphic Designer. Reader. Writer. Lover of coffee and parataxis. At base, she’s a biological system that turns coffee into blog posts, stories, and visual designs…when she’s not homeschooling her two boys, or thinking about the philosophical complexities of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She lives in Hawke’s Bay with her husband, two small boys, one canary, and a partridge in a pear tree. | Read More...

Author: Door And Stone Wall by George Hodan

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The Sorcery of Building Doors

18 October 201618 October 2016 Paul Mannering Aotaeroa, literature, New Zealand, Speculative Fiction, Writing0 comment

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” ~ Milton Berle

This is a quote that resonates with me, not as a carpenter (I don’t know my slidey-cut-wood-tool from my bang-in-nails-thing) but as a writer.

We are cursed (in the Chinese sense) to live in Interesting Times. Now, more than any period in history, writers are able to communicate with a global audience. We can create stories and share them with anyone, the best part is; they give us money for them!

Wait, what? Money?

What sorcery is this??

Winners – Clawsome Dragon Limericks Contest

23 September 201623 September 2016 Eileen Mueller children, children's fiction, Dragon, drgaon limericks, fantasy, jokes, kids fiction, limericks, NZ books, Speculative Fiction0 comment

Clawsome Dragon Limericks Winners

Phantom Feather Press received a hoard of dragon limericks from all around the world. The verses made them roar and laugh, and on occasion, breathe fire. So many of the limericks were clawsome! Contestants made a fangtastic effort! Some of the finalists are SpecFicNZ authors.

The winners ( 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd places) will soon receive a voucher for the e-book Clawsome Dragon Limericks. All winners, honorable mentions and finalists have their limericks in the e-book and their names in the table of contents. | Read More...

Anthologies E-books Featured Work Kiwi Writers

Weekend Reads For Cold Days

3 July 20162 September 2016 Jean Gilbert Anthology, Australia, fantasy, Fiction, Horror, New Zealand, science fiction, Speculative Fiction0 comment

July in Aotearoa might be more about freezing southerlies than ice-zombies from the North, but honestly, at least the latter has novelty value. Winter has well and truly arrived; time to snuggle up with some reading.

At the Edge, edited by Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray, is now available in bookstores around New Zealand – or, for those of you who would prefer not to get out of bed (or onto a plane) to get your hands on a copy, you can find the ebook at all the usual haunts, and the paperback from Amazon. Want to get your hands on the latest and greatest in Australasian SFF? Click here for links. | Read More...

SpecFicNZ Writers Well-Represented at Recent Sir Julius Vogel Awards

21 June 201622 June 2016 Jane Percival Au Contraire, Au Contraire 3, fantasy, Horror, New Zealand, science fiction, SFFANZ, Sir Julius Vogel Awards, Speculative Fiction0 comment

Sir Julius Vogel Awards

At the recent National Science Fiction Convention (Au Contraire 3) held in Wellington over Queen’s Birthday Weekend, the winners of the Sir Julius Vogel Awards were announced. The Sir Julius Vogel Awards recognise achievements by New Zealanders, both amateur and professional, in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres.

SFFANZ (Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand) President, Norman Cates, prior to announcing the awards, commented that SFFANZ was “delighted with the level of participation and interest in the awards from an impressively wide variety of people.” | Read More...

From Epic Fantasy to Weird Cosmic Horror: A Patreon For Speculative Fiction

3 February 2016 Woelf Dietrich Books, Cosmic Horror, fantasy, Fiction, Patreon, Speculative Fiction, Supernatural Fantasy0 comment

As you probably know, my name is Woelf Dietrich and I’m the author of the dark fantasy novella, The Seals of Abgal and the inspirational short story, Bullies and Soggy Soup Bones. I also have stories in the flash fiction anthology, These Broken Worlds, from Kōsa Press. The collection seems to have been well received and even received a mention on Tor’s Aurora Australis. Kōsa Press is an indie label I co-founded last year and our flagship release “Interspecies” is due in a month’s time. | Read More...

Anthologies Featured Work

Use Only As Directed

6 August 20142 September 2016 Darusha Wehm Anthology, Australia, fantasy, New Zealand, science fiction, Speculative Fiction

Use Only As Directed, edited by Simon Petrie and Edwina Harvey

A varied mix of 14 speculative fiction stories by some of the best Australian and New Zealand authors in the genre in settings that range from the back yard to the depths of space.

Authors: Stephen Dedman, Dirk Flinthart, Dave Freer, Michelle Goldsmith, Alex Isle, Lyn McConchie, Claire McKenna, Charlotte Nash, Ian Nichols, Leife Shallcross, Grant Stone, Douglas A Van Belle, Janeen Webb, M Darusha Wehm.

216 pages.

Also available on Amazon | Read More...