Snapshot 2014: Edwina Harvey

Edwina Harvey has over 30 years experience as a writer, specialising in speculative fiction though also writing children’s stories, articles, and interviews. Her work has been published in a wide range of publications.

Edwina also has 10 years experience as an editor, editing several issues of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight magazine, the Australian SF Bullsheet (2002-2010), Rare Unsigned Copy by Simon Petrie (published by Peggy Bright Books, 2010), Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear (co-edited with Simon Petrie, published by Peggy Bright Books, 2012) as well as editing the double novella, Flight 404/The Hunt for red Leicester for Peggy Bright Books, 2012. 

Her website is edwinaharvey.wordpress.com.

Your collection The Back of the Back of Beyond was shortlisted for a Ditmar Award this year. Do you think you’ll be writing more stories set in the same world, or have you said everything you wanted to say with it?

I've had some great reader feedback about The Back of the Back of Beyond, and it's encouraged me to write more in the universe the collection is set in.

You’ve been on both sides of the editing process, having written many stories and edited anthologies and magazines (as well as manuscript editing). What are some of your favourite aspects of each side of fiction production?

I like the "escaping to different worlds" that writing offers me, and I like sharing those worlds with people that having my fiction published offers me.

As an editor, I get a lot of satisfaction from helping authors tell their stories more succinctly so their readers can better understand and  appreciate what they have to say.

What can you tell us about your current or future projects?

In the past few months, Simon Petrie and I have seen our second collaborative effort, the anthology, Use Only As Directed, published by Peggy Bright Books.  We're both pleased that it's been selling well and receiving such good reviews.
   
I've just finished editing a very good fantasy novel by British author, Terry Jackman for American publisher, Dragonwell Publishing.

I'm looking forward to editing Simon Petrie's forthcoming fiction collection, Difficult Second Album, later this year and I'm also currently on the lookout for publishing projects for Peggy Bright Books.

I'm about half way through writing a children's novel, and wish I could find more time to devote to my writing.

What Australian works have you loved recently?

I've only just started reading LynC's first novel, Nil by Mouth, and it looks like it's going to be good.

I'm really looking forward to reading Guardian, the third instalment of Jo Anderton's Veiled Worlds series. I'm so glad it's been published because it's a great series, and so pleased it's been picked up by an Australian publisher.

Have recent changes in the publishing industry influenced the way you work? What do you think you will be publishing/writing/reading in five years from now?
The emergence of small presses like Peggy Bright Books and Dragonwell Publishing have provided me with the opportunity to work in the publishing industry that I mightn't have otherwise had.

I'm really looking forward to going to Book Expo Australia at Olympic Park, Homebush at the end of August to promote myself as an author and editor as well as sell titles for Peggy Bright Books and Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine.

I hope to have a few more of my own books published in the next five years.

I love editing, specially encouraging emerging writers to find their writing feet, so I hope I'll be more involved in that, and I'm sure I'll still be reading five years from now. But it's interesting — I was given an e-reader for Christmas this year, and think it's great for reading review books, or having a number of titles with me, or for being able to access references on the internet when reading non-fiction books, but I still want to buy paper versions of the books I really want. I think reading e-copies will continue to grow in popularity, and in many ways that's a good thing, particularly from a publisher's point of view, but I secretly hope there's still a place for words on paper. I guess I'm just old-fashioned that way.

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This interview was conducted as part of the 2014 Snapshot of Australian Speculative Fiction. We’ll be blogging interviews from 28 July to 10 August and archiving them at SF Signal. You can read interviews at:

http://tsanasreads.blogspot.se/search/label/2014snapshot (here)
http://fablecroft.com.au/tag/2014snapshot
http://kathrynlinge.livejournal.com/tag/2014snapshot
http://bookonaut.blogspot.com.au/search/label/2014snapshot
http://www.davidmcdonaldspage.com/tag/2014snapshot/
http://tansyrr.com/tansywp/tag/2014snapshot/
http://randomalex.net/tag/2014snapshot/
http://jasonnahrung.com/tag/2014snapshot/
http://stephaniegunn.com/tag/2014snapshot/
http://helenstubbs.wordpress.com/tag/2014snapshot/
http://ventureadlaxre.wordpress.com/tag/2014snapshot/
http://mayakitten.livejournal.com/tag/2014snapshot/
http://benpayne.wordpress.com/tag/2014snapshot/ 
http://www.merwood.com.au/worldsend/tag/2014snapshot
http://crankynick.livejournal.com/tag/2014snapshot