Auckland SpecFic meet up - August

The Auckland SpecFicNZ August get together will be this Sunday, 18th August, at –

The Columbus Cafe, Westfield Shopping Centre, Albany.

from 1pm onwards

The cafe overlooks the lake – or more precisely, proto-lake ( it’s still very new) on the eastern side of the mall. Take the exit doors between the cinemas and foodcourt, and go to the bottom of the steps. It’s just to the left of there.

Transport:

Car:  If coming from the south, take the Greville Rd off ramp. From the west, either cross the bridge, or go via the Upper Harbour Highway to Albany.
Bus: from town, either take the Northern express to Albany station and walk from there ( takes about 20 mins) or catch bus 895 (midtown to Waiwera) which stops 400 metres from the shopping centre.

I Iook forward to seeing as many as possible this Sunday. As usual,  I will have the SpecFicNZ logo on the table. Non-members are very welcome to attend.

Selkie's

I found a fascinating blog post by Christchurch writer, Joel le Blanc here about Selkie's - those mythical sea/human creatures of the Scottish coast. For some reason, the Selkie has always fascinated me - and I'm not alone. There seems to be something about these  creatures that draws writers and film makers repeatedly. There is a pathos to the selkie tale, of lost freedom for the (usually) woman who tries to live as a human, but inevitably returns to the freedom of the sea.

Films using the Selkie myth include the hauntingly entrancing  The Secret of Roan Inish  and Colin Farrell's Ondine -   both set in Ireland, although the Selkie myth belongs more to Scotland and the Orkneys. In books, the selkie is found in both SciFi and fantasy: Ann McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough's Petaybee  series, A.E. van Vogt's The Silkie, some of Juliet Marillier's novels, Beside the Ocean of Time by George MacKay Brown and Seaward  by Susan Cooper.

But why is that we are drawn to this myth; what is it about tales of tragedy and pathos that call to us, and this one in particular?

My own theory is that it is the intensity and drama of the story, layered with emotion and yearnings, plus the longing for freedom in all of us that free-swimming Selkie represents. Or maybe for specfic readers in particular, it is the sense of otherness, of being part of a world unimaginable to their neighbours that appeals.

What ever it is that draw us, the Selkie legend is unique and enduring.

Regeneration :New Zealand Speculative Fiction II - interview

Ann Caro, editor of  the short story anthology "Regeneration" New Zealand Speculative Fiction II" interviews me on her blog about my story "Hunting Ythan" and my writing in general including my two historical romances. 

Read it at this link:  http://bit.ly/16L7VTq .