#RockstarAuthor Weekend: Sydney’s #AFearsomeEngine & Adelaide’s #IntoTordon

Books, books, books! This weekend has been a busy one, in a fabulously #RockstarAuthor way! On Friday night I launched “A Fearsome Engine” in Manly, Sydney; then I caught a plane to launch “Into Tordon” in Adelaide. Woo hoo – jetsetting! Lucky, lucky me.

Of course I thought of you guys the whole time – readers who couldn’t make it, supporters watching from afar. So I took you with me on my iPhone and snapped some piccies to share with you…

A Fearsome Engine

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Who is the master and who the machine?

This collection of twenty stories by the incredible Northern Beaches Writers’ Group explores this question with horror, humour, pathos and philosophy. Whether it be in our own place and time, far in the future, the past, or in a universe of their own making, the stories grapple with the interface between humanity and its machines.

Are the things we make ours to command? Will they always be?

And who, exactly, is making whom?

I was so proud to help create this anthology with my co-editor, the talented Chris Lake. Here’s me thanking him during my launch speech:

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And here’s us launching the book, along with some piccies of the crowd, and Carl Holm reading from his story, “Water Torture”.

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Carl Holm

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Time to sell books!

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If you’d like to read the anthology yourself, just search for “A Fearsome Engine” in your preferred online bookstore, such as Amazon. It’s about $20, which means the stories are $1 each – what a bargain! My story in the anthology is called “Like the Web of a Swamp Spider”…

Friendship is about forgiving each others’ mistakes, and accepting others for who they are… only in some conditions that’s easier said than done. On a distant planet, with limited technology, her hillstead surrounded by swamp – Salee must face her worst fears.

I hope you enjoy the read. It was a really fun night!

I was up early the next morning though to get to the airport and fly to Adelaide with some of my co-authors of “Into Tordon”…

Into Tordon

zena-shapter-into-tordon-3d-cover-rgb-2Only Champions Dare To Enter!

This fantasy adventure story for middle grade readers is certainly getting around!

A big thank you to the amazing Anna Solding of MidnightSun Publishing and the lovely Allayne Webster, author of Paper Planes, for launching “Into Tordon” at Shakespeare’s Bookshop in Blackwood, run by the very bubbly Mike and Becky. Four of my fellow co-authors made the journey too, and of course the others were with us in spirit, and we had such a fun time…

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Arriving at Sydney Airport

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My first view of Adelaide

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Look what we found en route to the launch!

Look what we found in a comic store en route to the launch!

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Great customer service in this bookstore!

Great customer service in this bookstore!

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A young reader thought he’d read the first page…

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Allayne Webster

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Allayne Webster & me.

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Publisher extraordinaire Anna Solding & me.

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…that same young reader couldn’t put “Into Tordon” down!!

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Tony signing books.

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Mijmark, Tony, me, Zoya, Allayne, Anna, Kris

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Merchandising!

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The Adelaide Z.F. Kingbolt crew!

Heading out for dinner & drinks, then to the hotel!

Heading out for dinner & drinks, then to the hotel!

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The end of a long but amazing day!

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Time for… sleep!

“Into Tordon” can be found in all good Australian bookstores, both on the high street and online. Kids are really enjoying the fast-paced ride, and as a parent I love it when my kids can’t put down a book… if you do too, try “Into Tordon” out on them!

Thank you as always for your support!

I’ve had an amazing weekend, though of course can’t wait to get back home to my little family… and my current writing project! Books, books, books!

Zena Shapter

Zena Shapter writes from a castle in a flying city hidden by a thundercloud, reaching across age and genre into the heart of storytelling. A multi-award-winning author of speculative and contemporary fiction, she teaches writing at festivals, libraries and schools, judges various literary awards, mentors and edits other writers, and encourages everyone to value the importance of creativity. She loves movies, frogs, chocolate, and potatoes, though not at the same time!

2 Comments:

  1. Congrats Zena, what a fab weekend. Your hard work is paying off! PJ

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