Spineless Wonders Ask Will Elliott
1. Who are the short fiction authors you admire (Australian or otherwise, alive or dead)?
George Saunders is at the top of the pack, not far behind him are David Foster Wallace and Kelly Link. Karen Hitchcock would be my pick of Australian short story writers.
2. What is the most memorable short story you have read? And why does it stand out for you?
Probably “Adams” by George Saunders. It’s a comic masterpiece. [You can listen to a podcast of this story here.]
3. What do you like about the short story form?
I like the opportunity it gives writers to mix around with different styles they may not normally try. If I discover a good novelist, I’m very anxious to get hold of whatever short stories they’ve written.
4. How would you describe your own writing?
These days I’d call it dark fantasy. I’ve written in several genres, with short stories I guess my better ones could be called “quirky mainstream”, which probably describes a lot of the authors mentioned above (except Kelly Link, who writes horror.)
5. Which of your stories are you most fond of right at this moment and why?
I’d say my best short stories are: “Ain’t no ordinary ham” because it’s nice and weird, as well as “Mrs Claus’s Christmas”, because it presents a side of Santa we don’t always see (ie, an elf-exploiting fatass.) I also rate a horror story I wrote last year, soon to be published in a UK collection, called “Hungry Man”. It’s probably the most disturbing fiction I’ve written… I was actually a little shaken afterward for a day or two.
6. Where do the ideas for your stories come from? (Take us through an example)
Sometimes from the ether – as in, you just start at some random point and find they lead somewhere (“Ham” was like that.) It could be anything from real life – you see a man frantically fumbling through a pocket for his keys, and you begin to wonder why he was in such a hurry, what was really in his briefcase, etc etc etc… Next thing you know your imagination fills in some blanks and there’s a story there.
7. What is your writing process – from idea to publication? (Do you go it alone or are others involved?)
Others are seldom involved, I don’t even have proof readers these days. The process differs with each project and very much depends on the nature of the project. Rough drafts come out relatively quickly, then it’s best to let the story sit for a while before rewriting. Many times I’ve submitted something too quickly, and found later it wasn’t ready to go out in public.
8. Do you feel the short story form is valued in Australia? What makes you say this?
Not at all, except by writers. There’s no market for it. It’s a dying art form, as is written fiction in general. People no longer have the attention span for books and our schools are designed to worsen this trend.
9. How do you feel about your work being published in non-print forms such as digital and audio?
Slightly curious to see if this makes writing less or more economically viable for authors to continue with what they are doing. There is an opportunity if it works to bypass publishers altogether, to hell with a 10% royalty rate, how about 100%. That aspect of it intrigues me.
10. What advice would you like to offer Spineless Wonders?
Get your kicks before the shithouse goes up in flames.
Will Elliott is the 32 year old author of four books. His debut, Pilo Family Circus, won five national literary awards and was short-listed for the international horror guild award. His memoir, Strange Places: a memoir of mental illness, was short-listed for the 2010 Prime Minister’s literary prize. He has just completed a fantasy trilogy called Pendulum. His other novel, Nightfall, will be published in 2012.
This entertaining collection includes a romp of a novella called The Rattler, as well as short stories and micro fictions all set in and around contemporary Melbourne. Sometimes serious, sometimes seriously playful –always written in breathtakingly beautiful prose – these stories uncover the heartbreaking tragedies, slow-burning emotions and serendipity of ordinary lives.
Cover image by Miles Allinson, illustrated by Miles Allinson & Maxine Beneba Clarke
Praise for The Rattler & other stories:
“Spare and taut, sometimes tricky, sometimes shocking, yet always deeply and satisfyingly tender. A great collection.”
Paddy O’Reilly.
“An explosive mix of muscular prose and sharp originality. In this collection, A. S. Patric proves himself to be a writer who must be taken very seriously.” Vanessa Gebbie, author of Short Circuit, A Guide to the Art of the Short Story.
“A.S. Patric is that rarest of writers- he is absolutely fearless. His stories take risks, his characters soar and his prose sings. Be careful. These stories might cut you.” Ryan O’Neill.
In Permission to Lie, Julie Chevalier casts a curious eye into many different worlds. Her characters ride the citybound bus route, spend the night in a nudist colony and wait tables. Quirky and beautifully-written, these stories provide insights that ring with integrity and compassion.
‘A new voice in Australian fiction, wry, gritty, knowing and true.’
Fiona McGregor, Indelible Ink
Read an interview with the author, here.
What makes a man?
In this collection of short stories, Pierz Newton John moves through the full range of masculine experience, with an openness not afraid to show men at their most lonely, sexual, loving, sometimes vulnerable, sometimes abusive. First touch of a woman’s body in a cold and foreign land, tender moments between father and son, the deep love of a father separated from his child, treachery and opportunism mixed up with loneliness and internet dating, the casual violence of young boys exploring the world, rites of passage from young rebels to comfortable suburbanites, and what men feel and think about women. In Pierz Newton John’s stories it always come back to emotion?tenderness with children, warmth with wives after dreams of alienation, the pain of treacherous girlfriends, the loneliness of men. Plus ça change plus c’est la même chose…….the reader is lulled by the seamless prose, undercurrents of contemporary music, the urbane writing, the suburban settings, but it is all happening behind closed doors.
Read an interview with the author, here
Purchase a copy, here.
In these seventeen stories, Melbourne writer, Mary Manning, looks at the ways people are shaped, or damaged, by their circumstances. The results may sometimes be humorous, sometimes tragic. Whether set on a tram, along a highway or on an outback road?it is the journey, the characters and the telling of the tale that will capture your attention.
Cover and illustrations by Paden Hunter
‘Mary Manning takes her stories to places few writers would dare to go. She ranges across different styles with ease in a unique voice that is tart, tight and compulsively readable.’ PADDY O’REILLY
Read our interview with the author, Mary Manning here
To purchase, click here
If you like your genres with a bit of edge, you’ll love this diverse collection of stories from Spineless Wonders.
Features award-winning writers such as Ryan O’Neill, Jen Mills, Andy Kissane, Louise Swinn, Julie Chevalier, A.S. Patric and Kim Westwood as well as stories chosen by Sophie Cunningham in the inaugural Carmel Bird Short Fiction Award.
Contains illustrations by talented young artist, Paden Hunter.
‘Quality short fiction, packed with surprises. Prepare to be transported.’ Marion Halligan
Purchase here
Read interviews with our contributors, here.
Listen to audio samples here.
An anthology of prose poems and microfiction from 30 Australian writers.
- Includes award-winning writers Michael Farrell, Keri Glastonbury, Judith Beveridge and Peter Boyle.
- Features prose poems and microfiction selected by competition judge, joanne burns.
- Cover and evocative sketches by talented artist, Paden Hunter.
- Read interviews with our contributors here
- Click here to here audio
To purchase, click here
Escape audio stories Vol. 2
Playlist
Those Gauls Must Be Crazy – Claire Aman 14:36
The End of the Beginning – Meredyth Cilento 25:50
Poioumenon – John Steiner 8:22
The Gardener – Susan McCreery 21:50
For more details about these stories and their authors and to hear audio samples from this CD click here. Also available as mp3.
Escape – audio stories Vol. 1
Playlist
Paper Anniversary – SJ Finn/JR Davidson 19:35
Under the Skin – Sue Booker 21:39
Unnameable – M. Giacometti 20:14
Home – Yin Lin 13:36
For more details about these stories and their authors and to hear audio samples from this CD, click here. Also available as mp3.
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