Narrelle M Harris: writer | editor | songwriter | crafter
Words are like oxygen
Once more, I am travelling! On the fifth attempt! Postponed several times due to pandemic restrictions and most recently by flooding, Tim and I finally managed to fly to Darwin to begin our long-awaited journey down the middle of Australia via the Ghan. Darwin’s tropical heat has taught me to never again travel here in the wet season. The rigours […]
» Read moreIn a world where wings give everyone the freedom to fly, an artist born wingless uses her art to show the winged world the wonder of the ground. But when she meets a recently injured police officer who finds himself grounded, they will both learn that there is more than one way to soar. From 1 to 30 September, Escape […]
» Read moreWhile the Branch and Root anthology has been delayed for various reasons, other anthologies are still being produced and I’m absolutely delighted to announce that I have a story in another new anthology: Oz is Burning. I don’t have a cover to reveal for it yet, but I can reveal the table of contents. It’s always flattering and marvellous to […]
» Read moreLeigh Straw, who has previously written about infamous Razor Gang crime boss Kate Leigh, has picked up the threads of the first female detective, Lillian Armfield, who played a significant role in policing the 1920s ‘Razor Wars’ between Leigh and Tilly Devine, in Lillian Armfield. There was a lot more to Lillian Armfield’s trailblazing policing work than those infamous and […]
» Read moreIn my research about Victorian-era society in the UK and Australia, I sometimes pick up 19th century fiction. Such Is Life – an Australian classic, I’m told – is set in the 1880s, was written in 1897 and not published till 1903. The title comes from what were reputedly Ned Kelly’s last words before he was hanged in 1880, and […]
» Read moreIt’s always fabulous to have new zombie fiction set in Australia, and it’s ten times as grand when the zombie fiction in question has as much personality, drama and heart as Alison Evans’ new YA book, Highway Bodies. The story is divided into three-chapter sections: the first from the point of view of a teen near the epicentre of the […]
» Read moreClan Destine Press’s new release, All Our Secrets, is set in the fictional small town of Coongahoola in NSW. Set in 1984, the town is steeped in the consequences of a wild party on the banks of the Bagooli River in 1975 and the rush of children born nine months later. The fathers of the River Children are not necessarily […]
» Read moreIn November, I’m presenting a workshop on building believable fantasy worlds as part of Stonnington’s [Untitled] Literary Festival, here in Melbourne. In this workshop you will learn the different sub-genres of fantasy fiction; brainstorming techniques to spark writing; the elements of building a believable fantasy world and how to grab the reader from the first line. Participants should bring their […]
» Read moreIt’s finally here! The official release day of Baker Street Irregulars: The Game Is Afoot, the second volume of alternative universe stories reworking Sherlock Holmes and John Watson as everything from computer programs to mythical characters. Some stories are fantasy, some historical, some SF, some contemporary. One or other (or both) may be alien, artificial, genderswapped or anthropomorphised. The stories […]
» Read moreBaker Street Irregulars: The Game is Afoot is the second volume of an anthology series that places Sherlock Holmes (and often John Watson) in various alternative realities. The first volume included versions where Holmes was a nun, a dog-like alien and even a parrot! My story in this new volume, ‘The Problem of the Three Journals’, recasts Holmes and Watson […]
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