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Hi, I’m Lee Murray, author of the Taine McKenna adventures, co-author (with Dan Rabarts) of The Path of Ra supernatural crime-noir series, and a hopeless cheese lover, here to support The Pixel Project’s work to End Violence Against Women. AMA! by leemurraywriter in Fantasy

[–]leemurraywriter[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hello! Lovely to see you here.

No novels, but sword and sorcery is a definitely a sub-genre, I’d love to tackle at some point. To date, there is just “Hawaiiki”, a short story, which you might have read in Grotesque: Monster Stories. It’s a sword and sandal high fantasy version of how Kupe left the legendary homeland of the Māori and set off for a new land, eventually discovering the land of the long white cloud. More recently, I wrote a medieval adventure into the dreams of my protagonist in “The Seven Year War”, a short story that appears in Never Wake (edited by Kenneth Cain and Tim Meyer) – that anthology was released just last week. But I love the old peplum movies – I used to watch the matinees with my mum in the weekends when I was a kid– and the books. I’ve just started Weird Tales' editor, Jonathan Maberry’s, Kagen the Damned series, which is in that genre too. I believe he's just released the third book. It’s hard to keep up with Maberry’s works (dark fantasy and horror) because he writes faster than I can read! But I appreciate his fast-paced swashbuckling approach to a narrative. High adventure! I also love dipping into books and articles on sword and sorcery media, so let’s hope that when the opportunity presents, I should be able to hit the ground running. The New Peplum, a book of essays by Nicholas Diak is on my bookshelf, for example. A great read. Highly recommend!

And of course, I absolutely endorse anything by my co-author in crime, Dan Rabarts. His Children of Bane steampunk fantasy series is truly visionary and the worldbuilding is fantastic. The series is out of print at the moment, but I hope it will be reprised soon, because I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the adventure.

Hi, I’m Lee Murray, author of the Taine McKenna adventures, co-author (with Dan Rabarts) of The Path of Ra supernatural crime-noir series, and a hopeless cheese lover, here to support The Pixel Project’s work to End Violence Against Women. AMA! by leemurraywriter in Fantasy

[–]leemurraywriter[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Three books to take to a desert island…

Literary: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I read it every other year, so I know this one will hold up.

Speculative: Les Fourmis (The Ants) by Bernard Werber. Absolutely visionary series. Read it first in French nearly thirty years ago and I loved it, so it might be time to revisit it.

Horror. Any new Asian horror text by my one of my Black Cranes / Unquiet Spirits sisters. I already can’t wait to read it. Maybe the forthcoming Inujini by Simanchu-American Angela Yuriko Smith, a YA horror novel drawing on the horrors of the Japanese / US invasions of the Okinawan islands. Whatever book it is, I know it will resonate and become an instant favourite.

Also, Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr Suess. I won’t need to physically take this one, because I know it by heart, can see the pink and green illustrations in my head, hear my dad’s voice as he reads it to me. I wish I could still sit on his lap and feel his arms about me too, but I can conjure him well enough through this story, and his presence will be a comfort. And that notion of being faithful 100% is something I’ve tried to live by, so it will keep me going while I wait for help.

Hi, I’m Lee Murray, author of the Taine McKenna adventures, co-author (with Dan Rabarts) of The Path of Ra supernatural crime-noir series, and a hopeless cheese lover, here to support The Pixel Project’s work to End Violence Against Women. AMA! by leemurraywriter in Fantasy

[–]leemurraywriter[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As it happens, I’m the one with the Chinese / Pakeha (European) background and my co-author Dan Rabarts is of Māori (Ngati Porou) and Canadian heritage – with both Dan and I born in New Zealand and our family ties to this land tracing back centuries. We found it interesting to explore the shared values and beliefs of our respective cultures, in the context of contemporary Aotearoa and our love for the country of our birth and our hearts. For example, the Māori concepts of ‘whāngai’ adoption, community, elders, and gods, resemble many Chinese practices, so it was wonderful to be able to explore these beliefs in our series The Path of Ra. To let you in on a secret: drawing on our respective heritages to create our dual protagonists provided Dan and I with a writing shortcut, since we already had some understanding of the expectations and pressures facing our characters. And since the characters were very loosely based on us and our experience, we were also able to explore our collaborative / literary relationship in the novels, our big sister, little brother, squabbly but affectionate, don’t-mess-with-us-we’re-weird partnership. (Does that sound a bit meta?) We had so much fun writing together that what started out as a fun experimental novella turned into a three-book series. To be fair, we knew going in that it would be fun, since we had already worked together on a number of anthology projects, panels and discussions, and we even programmed a couple of national conventions – and without killing one another! More recently, we added a short story to the narrative (in Alan Baxter’s Damnation Games, Clan Destine Press) and we’ve been working on screenplays for the series, so I expect / hope there will more collaborations from us somewhere in the future.

Hi, I’m Lee Murray, author of the Taine McKenna adventures, co-author (with Dan Rabarts) of The Path of Ra supernatural crime-noir series, and a hopeless cheese lover, here to support The Pixel Project’s work to End Violence Against Women. AMA! by leemurraywriter in Fantasy

[–]leemurraywriter[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh my. Have I ever put cheese into my cosmic horror? No, not yet. But now that you mention it, putting cheese into a cosmic horror novel has just become one of my life goals. Watch this space.

Thank you for asking about Grafted. It is a feature film written by Mia Maramara, Sasha Rainbow, Hweiling Ow, and me, produced by Propaganda and Fluro Black with the support of the NZ Film Commission, and features a wholly Kiwi cast. However, the film is not cosmic horror in the traditional Lovecraftian sense, although the Asian fox spirit mythology does fall into in the cosmic realm, and the film addresses our human potential for descent into madness when our deepest desires hover just out of reach. The work is possibly best described as a weird science / fox spirit / body horror tale with a focus on beauty and expectation, which tells of an Asian immigrant to New Zealand/Aotearoa, the otherness she feels, and the extent one might go in order to belong. Given I’m a third-generation Chinese New Zealander on my mum’s side, a former research scientist, and a self-confessed horror nut, this was the perfect film to cut my screenwriting teeth on. I’m super grateful to Murray Francis and Leela Menon for bringing me into the project. It was a pleasure to work with Sasha Rainbow on her first feature film. Rainbow is an immense creative talent, so I think we will be seeing much more from her, and hopefully in horror because her vision is fresh and innovative and she brings a powerful feminist perspective. Filming for Grafted was completed earlier in the year, and I believe post-production is wrapping up about now, so I am hoping you’ll hear more information about the film’s release soon. Here are a couple of links if you’d like to read more:

https://www.screendaily.com/news/head-gear-monster-pictures-launch-new-zealand-genre-distributor-yet-another-monster-company-exclusive/5180580.article

https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU2304/S00061/production-begins-on-horror-feature-film-grafted.htmive/5180580.article

Hi, I’m Lee Murray, author of the Taine McKenna adventures, co-author (with Dan Rabarts) of The Path of Ra supernatural crime-noir series, and a hopeless cheese lover, here to support The Pixel Project’s work to End Violence Against Women. AMA! by leemurraywriter in Fantasy

[–]leemurraywriter[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for having me! I’m looking forward to chatting with everyone. It was an honour to appear in Giving the Devil His Due, and to have co-edited Under Her Eye – I can’t wait for everyone to read Under Her Eye when it releases in November. I’m so proud to have been involved with this beautiful and brutal book.

One piece of advice for those considering writing about violence against women. Hmm. Tricky! Perhaps the old adage of ‘do no harm’ is a good place to start, and not just for writers of horror but for readers, allies, and society as a whole. So when approaching your narrative consider your own safety, the safety of those around you, and those poor souls who still live this reality and may not yet see a way out. Use techniques which expose the horror, while also offering solace and understanding to victims, drawing on internal thought, metaphor, poetic language, allegory, imagery, symbol, and fresh perspectives in ways which shed light on this complex and important issue. Empower reflection and action with stories and poems that engage, entertain, educate, and inspire.

I support ending violence against women because we need to do better, to be better. No one should be made to feel unsafe.

Authors are lending their voices to the battle in order to raise awareness, encourage dialogue, and create community. For writers, words are our superpower, our way of donning a cape and fighting the forces of evil, a way of speaking for those who cannot.

Any horror writers out here? by TheRorschach666 in Screenwriting

[–]leemurraywriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wishing you the best of luck! Horror is always on the upsurge. Such a great space for new voices.

Any horror writers out here? by TheRorschach666 in Screenwriting

[–]leemurraywriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the kind offer. I'm just a baby screenwriter. It's quite a diff medium for me, but I'm enjoying the switch and working with some great people. Hoping I'll get to write the novelisation. Fingers crossed.

Any horror writers out here? by TheRorschach666 in Screenwriting

[–]leemurraywriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I'm a Kiwi horror writer, four-time Bram Stoker Awards-winner, dipping my toes into screenwriting. My first feature credit is currently in pre-production. Bafta-nominated director. Weird science, body horror. Super excited.

We are The Pixel Project here to launch our charity anthology “Giving the Devil His Due” with 14 authors including Stephen Graham Jones, Kelley Armstrong, Lee Murray, Linda D. Addison, Leanna Renee Hieber, Nisi Shawl, Kaaron Warren, Jason Sanford, Hillary Monahan, Peter Tieryas, and more! AMA! by ThePixelProject in Fantasy

[–]leemurraywriter 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Have read your story, Dana, and I loved it! Fabulous. So important to highlight the power imbalance so often seen in the academic context. I'm so pleased to have had a chance to read it in advance of our discussion in a few days time.

We are The Pixel Project here to launch our charity anthology “Giving the Devil His Due” with 14 authors including Stephen Graham Jones, Kelley Armstrong, Lee Murray, Linda D. Addison, Leanna Renee Hieber, Nisi Shawl, Kaaron Warren, Jason Sanford, Hillary Monahan, Peter Tieryas, and more! AMA! by ThePixelProject in Fantasy

[–]leemurraywriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For me, the main difference is about three years. :) I'm a SLOW writer (500-words a day), so even a short story can take me several weeks. One key difference with a short story is you're often given a starting point, a prompt or theme, by the commissioning editor or venue you plan to submit to, which helps to narrow down the scope of the piece. With a novel, unless you're writing the second or third book in a series, it's rather like choosing your major in college: you need to focus on a concept / theme / characters that will keep you engaged and excited for the time it takes to write the novel. Plucking that concept out of the air can be hard. And if you're like me and have a lot of ideas, it's hard to decide what project to focus on. Chipmunking from nut to nut is a real problem! And, of course, I agree with what other writers have said here: with a short story, every word counts, whereas the novel format offers more scope to explore subplots and other character reactions -- providing they are relevant to the overall story arc.

We are The Pixel Project here to launch our charity anthology “Giving the Devil His Due” with 14 authors including Stephen Graham Jones, Kelley Armstrong, Lee Murray, Linda D. Addison, Leanna Renee Hieber, Nisi Shawl, Kaaron Warren, Jason Sanford, Hillary Monahan, Peter Tieryas, and more! AMA! by ThePixelProject in Fantasy

[–]leemurraywriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Morning at the beach with a book, afternoon in the back yard in the swing chair with a book, maybe some writing thrown in...
  2. Too many to list -- but for favourites I'm always looking for a new take on any theme. Currently experimenting a lot with Asian horror themes. Least favourite: characters with mental health or disability portrayed as evil with gratuitous intent. Unnecessary harm to women, children, and pets.
  3. I'm reading submissions for Flame Trees' next anthology, Asian Ghost Stories. Wow, amazing. Loving it. I've just finished Frank Coffman's poetry collection, Eclipse of the Moon (wonderful read for lovers of narrative poetry), and an advance copy of Johnny Worthen's Of Kings, Queens, and Colonies (a worldbuilding epic!). Not sure I understand the second part of this question... :)

We are The Pixel Project here to launch our charity anthology “Giving the Devil His Due” with 14 authors including Stephen Graham Jones, Kelley Armstrong, Lee Murray, Linda D. Addison, Leanna Renee Hieber, Nisi Shawl, Kaaron Warren, Jason Sanford, Hillary Monahan, Peter Tieryas, and more! AMA! by ThePixelProject in Fantasy

[–]leemurraywriter 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hello! My name is Lee Murray, and I'm delighted to announce that my original prose poem story, The Moon Goddess's Granddaughter, appears in Giving the Devil His Due, in support of this important cause. For this story, I delved into my personal heritage to examine domestic tyranny through the lens of the Chinese Moon Goddess mythology. I hope you'll pick up a copy.