Logical Unsanity: Brisbane's 24/7 Bookshop

Time to go insane!

Logical Unsanity Books & Miscellaneous Phantasmagoria is a growing network of bookshops and art galleries specialising in curious and collectable books, and strange and beautiful art. Last week, they opened what is believed to be Brisbane's only 24/7 bookshop! So, if you wake up at three o'clock in the morning and have a pressing need to grab a good preloved book, all you have to do is make your way through the sleepy streets of Bardon, while flying foxes and possums frolic in the branches overhead, and visit the shed at 3 Morgan Terrace. The books are mostly from $2 to $6 and can be bought by depositing the correct amount (or a little extra if you want to support this great new business) in the honesty box.

As if this wasn't exciting enough, Logical Unsanity have even grander schemes in the works. They are currently planning the development of an arts hub/school containing studios, rehearsal, performance and exhibition spaces, creative industries workshops (picture framing, bookbinding, printing, restoration, leather, wood, metal, etc.), library services, accessible future technologies, education, food and health programs.

This morning, I braved the rain and strolled down there to buy a couple of books. I also donated a couple, including a copy of my short story collection, Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales.

Click here to stay up to date on their journey!

 

 Logical Unsanity, Kobblers
3 Morgan Tce, Bardon
Outdoor Shed Open 24×7
Indoor Bookshop & Gallery by appointment only until 2015

 

Movember News

It has been a hectic month for this writer (although the writing itself has been rather slow) with a move from Australia to France. However, one task in my busy schedule has more or less taken care of itself... yes, I'm talking about growing my new moustache as part of the Movember challenge! Apart from a snip here and there, my facial hair has been doing its thing autonomously. At just over halfway through the month, here is how my mo is looking. It is admittedly a long way from convincingly imitating Guy de Maupassant's lip plumage but I'm quite pleased with the progress all the same.

If you want to support men's health and get yourself a free copy of Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales, it's not too late. I still need more sponsors.

The Month of the Moustache

Ladies and gentlemen,

As part of my ongoing commitment to supporting charitable causes, I'm participating in this year's Movember challenge.

The aims are to raise funds and awareness for men's health and to grow a finer mo than I have ever grown before. This year, to coincide with my return to France, I'm using Guy de Maupassant as my mo growing reference.

I'll keep you updated with my progress as the month (and the facial hair) progresses.

If you would like to help me, just click here: mobro.co/camerontrost             

Everybody who donates to this worthy cause will also receive a free ebook copy of "Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales".   

Books at Stones

Nowadays it takes no more than the click of a button or two to download an ebook or order a paperback with cheap international delivery. That's great news for relatively unknown authors such as myself because it provides a means of getting our work to readers all around the world. All the same, I find that it's far more pleasurable to head down to your local independent bookshop for a browse of the shelves and a chat with like-minded souls. As anybody who has read my short fiction will know, Brisbane is my hometown and features heavily in my work. That's why I've organised to have Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales stocked at two of Brisbane's finest independent bookshops.

Do you live on the north side?
Then Black Cat Books in Paddington is the place to go.

Is the south side your haunt?
Then Books at Stones in Stones Corner now stocks my collection.

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there! Twenty-three dark and twisted tales are just begging to be read.

                                                             Books at Stones, 1/360 Logan Rd in Stones Corner

Associations and Anthologies

As an "emerging" writer, and one who hopes to outgrow that tag one day, being a member of writers' associations is an important way of building a network. Interaction with fellow scribes, as well as editors, librarians, bookshop owners, bloggers and journalists, is invaluable. I am a member of several writers' associations and groups, including the Australian Horror Writers' Association, the Queensland Writers' Centre, and the Short Fiction Writers' Guild... and all three have just launched new projects to promote members' writing.

AHWA:
The Australian Horror Writers' Association is in the process of setting up state communities to encourage the association's members to be more active all around the nation. Queensland is the first state to set one up and I have volunteered for the role of State Leader. With the Brisbane Writers' Festival and GenreCon coming up later in the year, I'm working on getting us involved in activities and promotions to coincide with these events. A horror tour of Brisbane and a membership drive are a couple of ideas that we're working on right now. If you're attending either of these events, stay tuned!

QWC:
On Tuesday the 2nd of July, the Queensland Writers' Centre is going to launch a catalogue of books by writers from the sunshine state. It's aptly called "Books from our Backyard" and will be available in print and as a pdf file. You'll have it thrust at you wherever you go; online, at the State Library of Queensland, at council libraries, and at independent bookshops all around Brisbane. Naturally, Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales will be included. This is a wonderful initiative from the QWC that will give all of the writers whose work is featured a great deal of publicity. Thanks to Sharon Phillips and the crew!

SFWG:
Lastly, the Short Fiction Writers' Guild will launch an anthology of tales written by its members in July. I love anthologies and the variety of style and subject matter they offer the reader, so I am really looking forward to the launch of this publication. It will include a haunting piece by yours truly called, "The House of Shattered Lives". More on that coming soon.

If you want any further information about any of these associations or projects, just leave me a message.    

New Interview

My most recent interview is up now on Lindsey B. Goddard's website, Author Interview Corner. I really enjoyed answering this set of questions because several of them gave me cause to think about my writing in a way that I tend not to do of my own initiative.

If you are a fiction reviewer or interviewer and would like to read some of my work, just send me a message at ctrost(at)hotmail.com with "Review/Interview Request" in the subject line. 

Tasty Morsels of Meat

Today has been the kind of day a wordsmith just loves. I attended the final events of the Emerging Writers' Festival at the Abbotsford Convent where the subject of discussion was how to be a healthy writer. The gist of it was that too much sitting and scotch was bad and a bit of yoga and jogging good... I couldn't disagree with that.

However, the most satisfying part was coming home to find that "Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales" had been reviewed on Amazon by American writer and fiction reviewer, Lindsey Beth Goddard. It's the first (but I trust not the last) review of my collection and to put it simply, it's a touching one.

 

Here it is:     

 

Definitely worth your while, June 2, 2013

This review is from: Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales (Paperback)

Cameron Trost understands the most important thing about writing, something that is often forgotten by rising authors as they struggle to perfect technique and style. The bottom line is: A story should make the reader want to keep reading. It should entice them. The ending should be a tasty morsel of meat dangled before a hungry predator who wants nothing more than to devour it. Why the intense metaphor, you ask? Because that is what stood out about Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales. The common thread between all these stories was not the characters, the settings, or even the genre... It was simply that they all possessed the same powerful ability to keep you turning the pages.

I could gripe if I wanted to. There were moments when the text wasn't as polished as it could be. Phrases like "all of a sudden" make an appearance too often. Sometimes there is "showing" instead of "telling". That is the only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five. I give an enthusiastic five stars to the ideas behind these engaging tales. Had the author written them five years into the future when he is bound to have an even firmer grasp on language and technique, I'm certain he'd be winning awards. Watch for this guy. Rarely do I read a collection of shorts and come away saying that I enjoyed every single story. Hoffman's Creeper is most definitely worth your while!

 

Australian customers can now purchase my short story collection with FREE postage for just $15.95

 

Congratulations!

Yes, the answer is Appleyard College!

The Australian winner is: Michael Kitto of Townsville QLD
The Non-Australian winner is: Dita Skarste who lives in Latvia - I'd love to go there one day!

Congratulations to you both! A print copy of "Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales" is heading your way.

I'd like to thank you all (18 in total) for participating in the giveaway and sharing your thoughts and experiences concerning this classic Australian novel by Joan Lindsay and the equally enchanting film by Peter Weir. For those of you who didn't win a copy - don't despair! Just wait until the next giveaway or, even better, just buy a copy! I would really appreciate it and I feel confident that you would enjoy the tales.

And here's just a little taste of the film version of "Picnic at Hanging Rock"...

News for the New Year

Let me start the year with a thank you or two. Thank you, dear reader, for having travelled into the imaginary with me throughout 2012. Whether you bought one of my books, or won a copy (congratulations!), or borrowed one from a friend, or read one of my short stories in a magazine or anthology like FEAR: A Modern Anthology of Horror and Terror, I trust that you enjoyed the tales and that they will continue to inspire or perhaps haunt you well into the new year. I would also like to thank the publishers, reviewers, interviewers and literary webmasters who have supported me throughout 2012. My previous posts tell you who they are.

I had a quiet New Year's Eve with my wife, we wanted it that way. While millions of Australians were having a drink and watching fireworks and an unfortunate few were undoubtedly glassing each other in pub fights or speeding around idiotically in their V8 cars, we sat together and talked about ourselves, our families, and the state of the world as a whole. However, as you have noticed, I use this blog to keep you up-to-date with my writing news, not details of my personal life or observations of current affairs. So, here's the news.

OZ HORROR CON '13
I haven't made a public appearance since the launch of Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales in Brisbane but I'm happy to announce that I will be attending the Australian Horror Convention for 2013 which will be held in Melbourne on January the 19th and 20th. This is the first time I have ever participated in a horror convention so I'll probably be the one being scared rather than doing the scaring! Come along if you'd like to have a chat or get a signed copy of my short story collection. I'll be there on Saturday the 19th.

WRITING NEWS
I'm working on a number of stories at the moment. My main focus is on a series of novellas about a private investigator of strange happenings from my home town, Brisbane. The mysteries are not murders or any area of crime that would fall into the realm of police work, they are all unusual and perplexing mysteries that require the attention of a private detective with remarkable cognitive abilities and a talent for such sneaky activities as wearing impeccable disguises, shadowing suspects and picking locks. I've written the first draft of the first three stories featuring this character and will be reworking them in preparation for submission later this year.

I am also completing the first draft of my second novel and hope to have it ready for submission later this year. More news about that later.

In the meantime, I have a handful of short stories that need polishing off in time for submission to the AHWA Short Story Competition and various magazines and anthologies.

So... with all this on my plate, I had better post this blog and get to it.

Happy reading in 2013!