What’s it like publishing a short story collection? Part 3: Joanne Anderton

Welcome to the final part in my blog series on short story collections.

I’ve been interviewing the following three authors of short story collections – one in the UK, one in the US and one in Australia – about what it’s like to publish a short story collection…

US author: David D Levine

UK author: Tim Lebbon

AU author: Joanne Anderton

If you’re a short story writer, as I am, I’m sure you’d love to publish a collection of your stories. A volume of brilliant words containing nothing but your creative genius? Sounds fantastic. Well these three lucky writers are getting to do just that. Congratulations David, Tim and Joanne! David and Tim have already told us about their experience in the US and the UK here and here. Now’s it’s Joanne Anderton‘s turn.

Joanne Anderton

Hello, Joanne. Firstly, some stats. Please could you tell us:

The title of your collection: The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories

Its release date: April 2013

Published through: FableCroft Publishing

One-sentence description: The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories, with an introduction by Australian horror luminary Kaaron Warren, collates Joanne Anderton’s best horror and science fiction themed stories, showcasing her career to date, and includes new stories original to the collection.

Great! Now let’s get stuck in…

1. Congratulations! It’s quite an honour to be asked to put together a short story collection. How did the opportunity arise for you?

Thank you! Well, it kind of came out of the blue for me. It’s something I’ve always thought I’d like to do, you know, some time in the future. When I’m a real author. So I was a little surprised (but really thrilled!) when Tehani contacted me and asked if I’d like to publish a collection through FableCroft.

2. How many reprints and how many originals will be included in your collection, and do you have a favourite story?

It’s looking like eleven reprints and two originals – not quite finalised but almost there. Favourite story? Oh come on now, there’s no way I can choose (and anyway, I don’t like to play favourites, or all my other characters might get wind of it and refuse to cooperate…)

3. Do you have an overall theme or message for the collection?

This collection’s got a horror and science fiction theme to it. I like playing with genre, and lot of the stories are a mixture of the two.

4. To give us an idea of how long this collection has been in the making: which of the stories did you write first, and in which year did you write that story’s first draft?

Oh hello, you’re testing my memory here. I had to look it up, but the oldest story will be Trail of Dead which was written and published in Altair’s Zombie anthology back in 2007. It was the first story I ever wrote with a particular anthology in mind (and the title comes from …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead if anyone cares).

5. You’ve been writing short stories for a long time now. How many years into your writing career did you write that first collection-worthy story?

I’ve been writing stories since I was a kid, and I’ve always wanted to see them published. To me, stories are written to be shared, otherwise they might as well just stay in my head. So, if that’s how long I’ve been working on my writing career… I don’t want to add all those years up! Let’s just say, a few!

6. There are lots of writers out there who would love to publish a short story collection. Do you have any advice for them about (a) the writing of their stories, and (b) publishing them?

It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again: write, rewrite, submit. Rinse and repeat.

Make connections with other writers, share stories, and listen to feedback. You don’t have to do this all on your own.

“The Bone Chime Song”
by Joanne Anderton

7. What do you anticipate will be or has been the hardest part of getting your collection ready for release? What will be/has been the easiest part of the process?

For me, it’s always letting go. Doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a single story, a novel, or a collection of stories, I’m always so nervous about letting a story out of my hot little hands. Is it good enough? Is it ready? Just one more pass through, just let me make one more change! But eventually, you just gotta set them all free.

8. Which short story writer do you admire most and why? How have they influenced your own short story writing?

This is a hard one, there are so many. Can I have two? Margo Lanagan – any one of her short stories is a masterclass in writing. I love her use of language and the way every story has it’s own, unique voice. Kaaron Warren – her stories and her characters are so dark, but you can’t help but be drawn in. These are what I aspire to: beautiful words, strong voice, and dark, dark places.

9. What promotional activities do you have planned for your collection?

We’ll be launching at Conflux in April, so that’s pretty exciting. Come join us if you can!

10. What’s next? Please tell us about your next writing project.

It’s almost time to plunge back into the novel I’m working on, and I’m very much looking forward to that. It’s a (possibly) YA science fantasy, a little bit steampunk, with deserts and giant mecha, genetic modification, and ancient secrets. Currently titled The Bone Gardens (yes, I have a bone thing going) it’s actually based on Flowers in the Shadow of the Garden a short story of mine that was shortlisted for the Aurealis Award for best SF short story in 2011, and will be in this collection! It’s been heaps of fun to write. I hope it’ll fun to read, too!

I’m sure it will be, Joanne. Thank you for joining us here today!

Thank you for having me!

If you’d like to read the other interviews, just click on the links above. If you’ve read all three – what did you think? Were the authors’ experiences similar in the US, the UK and Australia?