Archive for the ‘ Competition ’ Category

Competition: The Girl Who Was on Fire

There were two writers who absolutely set me on fire in 2011. One of those was Suzanne Collins and her brilliant (and traumatising) trilogy The Hunger Games. The other was the fabulous Mary Borsellino, with The Devil’s Mixtape. Mary Borsellino sets me on fire every year, actually, although her work is much less widely known than Collins’s. (Her series The Wolf House has been rereleased, if you like your vampires and your punk rock simultaneously.)

Where these two wonderful little literary arsonists meet is in The Girl Who Was on Fire, a fabulous set of essays about themes and ideas in The Hunger Games books, including Your Heart is a Weapon the Size of Your Fist, by Borsellino.

I reviewed these essays last year. As I said at the time:

“Everything in this book either brings elements I was aware of into sharp focus or reveals new themes and interpretations to me. With each essay, though, I responded with variations of “Yes! Exactly! YES!”

Now I have (courtesy of Mary Borsellino) two copies of the collection to give away, plus a copy of the first book in the trilogy.

The trick with a Hunger Games-related competition, of course, is to think of a competition that is engaging but not too difficult, but which doesn’t cheapen the themes and ideas which I find so moving and thought-provoking. So – no Hunger Games recipes, no suggestions for what your last meal would be, nothing as obvious as that.

Instead, I would love for people to write to me to tell me who your favourite character was (in any of teh three books) and why. Did you love or hate them? Did they move you? Did a character change the way you thought about something, open your eyes to a new idea, or did they inspire you to try something new (like archery, or baking?)

So that’s it.

THE COMPETITION

Write and tell me in 300 words or less which character from The Hunger Games made the most impact on you and why.

Email your replies to narrelle@iwriter.com.au.

THE PRIZES

The top entry will receive the Movie Edition of The Girl Who Was on Fire, which contains extra essays.

The second best entry will receive teh standard edition of The Girl Who Was on Fire.

The third best entry will get a copy of The Hunger Games

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY IN THE COMMENTS!

Conditions of entry:

It is a condition of entry that I may use your answer or part thereof (quoting you) in my blog, which will be online indefinitely. I’m happy to attach an alias to any quotes, but you need to let me know both your real name and preferred alias in your entry.

  • The competition will be open for two weeks, from Wednesday 4th July to Wednesday 18th July 2012.
  • I will select the winning entry that week and post the result, along with extracts from all entries, on Monday 23rd July 2012.

Narrelle M Harris is a Melbourne-based writer. Find out more about her books, iPhone apps, public speaking and other activities at www.narrellemharris.com.

2012
07/03
CATEGORY
Competition
writing
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Outland Competition: Our Secret Lives

A few blogs ago, I talked about the secrets we have. They’re not necessarily scurrilous or smutty or illegal. They’re just the parts of our lives we keep segregated from other areas, maybe because we think other people will laugh.

In the Outland TV series, the characters are all out and comfortable with their sexuality, but they are very much in the closet about being SF nerds.

The fact is, many nerds working in a more mainstream environment prefer to keep their nerdery to themselves. I used to, but mostly I don’t much care what people think about my nerdery these days. On the other hand, my lovely geek friends can be less than understanding about my enjoyment of shows like Glee.

A friend of mine refuses to use the term ‘guilty pleasure’. Either you like someting or you don’t, and there’s no point in feeling guilty about the things you like. (Well, unless they’re unethical, maybe.)

Or, in the words of Andy in episode 3, “You probably think there’s some grand reason for all this, but the truth is, Rae, people like what they like. Don’t complicate it.”

In the spirit of ‘you like what you like’, thank you to everyone who entered the competition for a copy of the Outland DVD. I hope you continue to like what you like, and can do so openly without fear of scorn or ridicule from people who almost certainly have their own secrets.

Among the entries, Philip admitted that “my secret passion is homoerotic romances, cause I like to be a private person”, and fair enough.

Jason shared: “While at High school I was captain of the Rugby team and Head Boy of my school. Little did most people know my secret… That I was a HUGE science fiction nerd, read scientific journals and all, oh and yea also I am gay… I think I would have got more crap over being a sci fi nerd than gay – lol!”

But the winner of the competition is P, who tells the following story.

“My secret isn’t that I’m a nerd and a geek. I’m very open about that – I even have Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica posters over my desk in my classroom (I teach primary school). My secret is that I like to read trashy romance – of many different subgenres. *Really* trashy stuff. I generally hide this from most groups in my life.

I’ve very selective who within my geek circles knows, as Trashy Romance is seen as the lowest of the low by many of the people I know into who are into books. Telling people I enjoy reading the Anita Blake series or the Sookie Stackhouse series ’cause of the sex and romance earns me funny looks from many geeks, who think I should be reading stuff of ‘higher literary value’. Yes, even geeks can be snobs.

And then there’s my geek friends who are also feminist and feel strongly about romance novels. Some of them might has a few issues with the geek-themed stuff, but they can go on for hours about Mills & Boon/Harlequin style romance novels. I consider myself feminist too, but my own brand of it allows to take guilty pleasure in reading trashy romances with many things I shouldn’t be enjoying, but some other people’s standards, again. It’s kind of like eating fast food; you know it’s not terribly good for you, but it tastes so good you’ll do it anyway.

On top of that, there’s me being a teacher. No way can I admit publicly to my passion for word porn at school. We teachers are supposed to be good, pure, straight, monogamous and asexual remember? No way can we admit we might be reading books full of raunchy stuff. Especially since as well as the Geek romance and the Mills & Boon, I like the queer trashy romances as well. Two guys in love, getting it on? Hot. As. Three guys getting it on? Even hotter.

I can’t tell a lot of my family either. I have a lot of Very Uptight Religious family members and it’s just best they don’t know. I can admit to the mystery novels, or the science fiction novels. If I said I liked Twilight people wouldn’t look at me as weird… but if I admit I like romances heavy on the sex? I’m the weirdo.

And that’s my secret.”

Your secret is safe with us, P, and I promise I won’t judge you. I’m not a huge fan of the romance genre usually, but I recently discovered Anne Gracie (recommended to me by smart, feminist geek-type readers) and I love her work.

Perhaps we should all pledge ourselves to the principle that we may not like to read the same things others like to read, but we will defend to the death their right to read it!

Thanks again to those who joined in, and to those with secret lives! If you missed it, you can get Outland from the ABC shop.

Narrelle M Harris is a Melbourne-based writer. Find out more about her books, iPhone apps, public speaking and other activities at www.narrellemharris.com.

2012
05/21
CATEGORY
Competition
Outland
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Competition: Win the Outland Series 1 DVD!

“In the closet, no one can hear you squeal.”

I have a theory that everyone has a secret second life. It’s not necessarily criminal or hideous: it’s just that I think almost all of us have a parts of our life that we like to keep separate.

For example, I was, for a short while, a secret nerd. People at school didn’t know about my fannish proclivities. Then, people at work had no idea about fanfic, conventions, my love of Blake’s 7 or my tendency to costume up for events.

Who am I kidding? I doubtlessly outed myself as a nerd within a week, and the older I get, the less I care what people think of my nerdery. I am out and proud.

But, my own singular lack of ability to separate my life into compartments, I know that other people keep sections of their life discrete.  There are all sorts of reasons for this, not all related to shame, but let’s face it, it’s a choice that most of us can relate to.

In early 2012, the ABC  TV comedy series Outland debuted on Australian television. The show is about people who are out and proud about their sexuality, but rather more in the closet about their nerdiness. The six-part series watches five queer nerds stumbled through life, love and SF references both popular and obscure, trying to find a place to belong.

It’s a story for everyone.

I’ve been part of the Outland story since its first manifestation as a short film, shot for $500 over two weekends in 2006. For this incarnation, I went along for the filming of the final episode to be part of the crowd scene set at the Mardi Gras (you can catch a glimpse of me in my corset during the final scenes!)

I love the result: the wit brought to bear on creating visual, musical and dialogue tributes to SF, fantasy and horror shows and films while maintaining humour, drama and a cast of characters who I actually cared about.

Outland was co-created and primarily written by John Richards, who happens to be my brother-in-law. Still, as I’m fond of saying, just because I’m biased, it doesn’t mean I’m wrong. I’m predisposed to love Outland because I love  John, and because he and I have a similar sense of humour. But I also love Outland because it’s fabulous. It’s warm, funny, smart, cheeky and clever.

Outland’s six episode run is over, but now it’s out on DVD with interviews, deleted scenes and other special features.

To celebrate Outland’s release, and the very fact it was made in the first place, I have a copy of the DVD, signed by John Richards, for someone to win! To win the DVD, tell me what your secret passion is. Do your friends know about your secret knitting habit? Does anyone at work know you collect commemorative plates about the monarchy? Do your SF nerd friends know you have a passion for football? Or Glee?

Email me at narrelle@iwriter.com.au to tell me your secret, and why it’s secret, to be in the running. Note that I would like to use your answers for a future blog, so tell me if you’d like me to use an alias to keep your secret safe!

Note, too, that Outland is a region 4 DVD, which plays on Australian or multi-region players. This means that people from outside Australia are very welcome to enter, but if you win, you may not be able to play the DVD.

If you just can’t wait, you can get Outland from the ABC shop.

The competition is open for two weeks until Wednesday 9 May 2012!

Narrelle M Harris is a Melbourne-based writer. Find out more about her books, iPhone apps, public speaking and other activities at www.narrellemharris.com.

2012
04/25
CATEGORY
Competition
Outland
1 comment

April news: Supanova, GoodReads competition, May talks

I’m a busy little chickadee over the next few months. Well, I’ve been a busy little chickadee all year, but I frequently forget to let anyone know what I’m doing. So, for the novelty of it, I thought I might post about what I’m up to!

Supanova Melbourne

I will be appearing with my Clan Destine peeps at Supanova on Saturday 14th April. We will be holding a panel, Fangs, Felines and Fantasy at 11:20am, but I’ll be hanging about the Clan Destine booth a lot of the day too. (For the Outland fans, John Richards and Adam Richard will be there, talking about their show at 1:40pm, and signing copies of the DVD, now on sale.)

Get the Supanova event guide.

Showtime competition on GoodReads

Australians: You have until 16 April (Monday) to enter the GoodReads competition to win a copy of Showtime!

Canadians, Americans and Brits: You have until May 16 to win a copy of Showtime from GoodReads!

May talks

Well, it doesn’t really, but I will be speaking at various events during the month of May.

Tuesday 22 May 2012: Coburg Library – Growing Up Reading, 7pm

Cnr Victoria and Louisa Streets, Coburg 3058

“Author Narrelle Harris, a passionate and voracious reader, is an enthusiastic Friend of the National Year of Reading. Narrelle will share what reading meant to her as a child growing up in a house full of books and how it shaped her love of reading as an adult. Come and share your experience of reading, your favourite books and what they have meant to you. Be prepared for an inspirational celebration of the joy of reading.

Bookings: (03) 9353 4000

31 May 2012, 9pm: Emerging Writers Festival

I’ll be doing a Ghost Story reading at the Emerging Writers Festival this May. Stay tuned for confirmation of date, time and venue. And I’d better write something…

Other things are happening in June, July and August, so check out my Events page for details.

 

Narrelle M Harris is a Melbourne-based writer. Find out more about her books, iPhone apps, public speaking and other activities at www.narrellemharris.com.

2012
04/13
CATEGORY
Competition
Events
public speaking
writing
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What Doctor Who means to me: Part One

My collection of Doctor Who figures: because what's the point in being an adult if you can't behave childishly once in a while?

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition to tell me what Doctor Who meant to them. Everything people said resonated with me on some level, and several moved me very deeply.

In fact, I had reached a stage where I was lamenting that I had only one prize to give, as two of the entries really stood out for me, when the lovely Sally Edwards told me that she, too, had received awesome customer service from RedBubble.

A friend had sent Sally a TARDIS case for her iPhone, but Sally has the previous model, and the iPhone 4 case would not fit the phone. Sally contacted RedBubble, who promptly arranged for her to get a replacement case and told her to ‘find a good home’ for the original. Sally has kindly donated the second case to this competition. Hurrah!

So today I would like to announce the joint winner of this competition: Radioman and Melissa.

I received the email from Radioman first, and was deeply moved. This is his response:

Doctor Who has become a way for me to say to my 10 year old daughter things that I haven’t been able to tell her.  My job has required me to move our family several times, and it has forced her to leave schools, friends and family more times than a young child should.  It fills me with more pain than you can imagine to tear her away from friends she thought she would grow and graduate with. 

The book Radioman wrote for his daughter.

Bailey and I began watching Doctor Who together with season six.  She loves River and Amy and imagines riding in the TARDIS.  So for this last Christmas, I spent four months writing my daughter a short book called “Bailey and The Doctor”.  I had it printed in hardcover and gave it to her on Christmas night.  We read the first two chapters together before I had to stop. 

In it, the TARDIS appears in her room one night, and she and The Doctor go on a wonderful adventure.  She meets her first alien race and defeats a Weeping Angel! At the end, The Doctor sees that she’s sad when he announces he has to leave.  He then shares his sadness in leaving his home so long ago, and losing friends along the way.  But, he tells her how rich her life will be for the people she meets and the experiences she’ll have and that she and he are very much alike.  They are both travellers who make people’s lives better, wherever they go. 

This was a lesson I couldn’t teach her, but The Doctor could.

I, too, grew up moving from town to town, as my father was in the RAAF. Every three years I had to leave everyone behind, settle into a new neighbourhood and a new school, and make new friends. When I was a teenager that was particularly hard. Still, I think I benefited more than I lost from the life I had. Perhaps it’s one of the things I recognise and love about the Doctor, too.

Then I heard from 13-year-old Melissa. I think basically, Melissa reminds me a little of myself at that age, from the sneaky TV watching to the acting out of stories in my room. My Dad also introduced me to science fiction, so her description of her relationship with him reminded me of my own father as well. This is Melissa’s response  (edited slightly for brevity):

Since I was very little I was known as a “special Child” because I wasn’t very interested in all those baby shows like Hi5 or the Wiggles. Therefore, every night, I would act like I was asleep behind my mum on the couch and look at the TV when there were no ads showing. I would end up watching all sorts of these horror or murder mystery movies and series.

Then one day, when I was five, my dad was watching Doctor Who. He told me something like, “Doctor Who’s going to start. You can watch it as well, if you want!” So I sat with him, watching my first ever Dr Who episode ever, The Empty Child, staring Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper and John Barrowman, and I loved every second of it, from start to end.

Normally, I would go back to my room after watching something I really liked and re-enact the scenes I remembered, but by far Doctor Who had my favorite scenes to re-enact and I would draw pictures of my favorite scenes only with me instead of Rose.

I’m twelve now turning thirteen in July, and I’m still as lovestruck with it as I was seven years ago. I’ve started drawing the main Doctor Who characters and I’ve also been putting together Doctor Who cubees. Our ‘father-daughter’ project is to make a full-sized Tardis out of the left over wood from our new veranda (only not bigger on the inside,) and put all my Doctor Who art and collectables in.

The real reason I entered this competition is to show my dad how much I appreciate him and everything he did to make me how I am today. I think I don’t give him as much credit as I should. Winning this would prove to him, in every way possible, what he means to me.

What Doctor Who means to me? That’s an easy one: Doctor Who means, almost my life. A piece of me or simply a second father to me.

The TARDIS iPhone case in its box, and on my own phone

So, congratulations Radioman and Melissa – I’ll contact you shortly to get your postal addresses.

My thanks, too, to everyone who entered.  In my next blog, I’ll share some of the other thoughts that were sent my way: other wonderful moments of parent/child bonding and entries about friendships, a love of imagination and creativity, and ideas on how to be human and ways to live your life.

If you are not Radioman or Melissa and would still really like a TARDIS or Doctor Who iPhone case, visit RedBubble and see what they have on offer!

Narrelle M Harris is a Melbourne-based writer. Find out more about her books, iPhone apps, public speaking and other activities at www.narrellemharris.com.

2012
01/30
CATEGORY
Competition
6 comments

Competition: What Doctor Who means to me (Competition Closed!)

The TARDIS iPhone case in its box, and on my own phone

For new readers, please note that this competition was held and closed in January 2012!

I don’t really remember who my first Doctor was. I wasn’t really into Doctor Who as a kid, though I watched it when my brothers did. I liked stories about ponies back then. But later, when I discovered science fiction through Star Wars, Star Trek and Blake’s 7, I rediscovered Doctor Who and took a shine to Patrick Troughton. I’ve loved all of the Doctors to varying degrees since then, even if it did take me a while to warm to Colin Baker.

So, after 30-odd years of regular viewing, what do I see in that show? What does the Doctor mean to me?

Doctor Who means a lot of different things to me. I’ve learned that adventures are more fun when they are shared; that new things and new places are not always safe, but are often exciting and an opportunity to learn; and that it’s important to stand up for what you believe.

As flawed as individual stories are – which is inevitable over such a long history and the constraints of it being a TV series, after all, and not a philosophy – I find that, for me, the themes of courage and valuing intelligence were consistent and influential.

You need courage to choose the unknown, to trust someone to have your back and to stand up for your beliefs. You also need courage to allow your beliefs to be challenged and to see things from another perspective. Stories with the Silurians have shown three incarnations of the Doctor urging the competing sides to attempt to share and understand, with the earliest ones making an impact on me, as did Tom Baker’s contemplation on whether he had the right to destroy the Daleks, even with all the evil they had done.

I also love how the Doctor respects intellect. He encourages people who can think under pressure and, particularly in new Who, delights in people solving things before he does. It was always great seeing female characters who were active and intelligent, including many scientists. In fact, I saw a lot of strong, smart women of all ages in this series, particularly when I was younger and I didn’t see a lot of them in other TV shows. Not just Barbara, Zoe, Liz and Sarah Jane, but among the supporting cast as well. Amelia Ducat in The Seeds of Doom is still a pretty good template for the kind of old lady I’d like to be. In new Who, there is the exquisite Donna Noble, and how I loved the fact that the Doctor thought her take-no-prisoners mouthiness was “brilliant!”.

Despite the science often being terribly wobbly (or non-existant), Doctor Who taught me the value of seeking empirical answers. Even with the advent of a lot of mystical clouds in the current series, I have always enjoyed even the most nominal attempts to say ‘It’s not magic, it’s science.’ Science can be understood, and so you should at least try to do so, rather than falling down in superstitious awe or taking things on face value.

On more personal terms, Doctor Who has other meanings for me. It’s through a Doctor Who fan club that I met Tim, my partner of 25 years. We’ve been having adventures together ever since, and that’s a darned wonderful thing.

I still love Doctor Who. I love it when the Doctor is enabling others to use their intellect and skills, and to find their own courage to be activists in their own lives. Even in the silliest episodes, where the science stinks and the women are squealing and tripping over tufts of grass: the encouragement to use your brains and find your courage remains as powerful and empowering for me now as it always has done.

THE COMPETITION

Naturally, being a fan, when I was looking for a case for my new iPhone 4s, I was delighted to find a wonderful TARDIS case at Redbubble.com. I ordered one, and when it didn’t show up and I contacted Redbubble, they immediately replaced it. Then, wouldn’t you know it, the first one escaped from its time loop and arrived three days later. I asked Redbubble if they wanted me to post it back and they said ‘Don’t worry about it: just give it to a good home.”

So in the spirit of their good customer service, I’ve decided to have a competition to find the TARDIS case (pictured) a good home. It fits an iPhone 4 or 4s and is valued at around $40.

All you need to do is email me at narrelle@iwriter.com.au with the subject heading ‘Dr Who Competition’ to tell me in 100-300 words what Doctor Who means to you.

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY IN THE COMMENTS!

Conditions of entry:

It is a condition of entry that I may use your answer or part thereof (quoting you) in my blog, which will be online indefinitely. I’m happy to attach an alias to any quotes, but you need to let me know both your real name and preferred alias in your entry.

  • The competition will be open for two weeks, from Monday 9th January to Monday 23rd January 2012.
  • I will select the winning entry that week and post the result, along with extracts from all entries, on Monday 30 January 2012.

If you miss out on winning this case, you can find it at Redbubble – “The TARDIS” by mechantefille. RedBubble has a huge range of geek  iPhone 4/4S cases, including Dr Who and Firefly. It was hard not to buy a case for every week of the year! If I’d seen Keep Calm and Call Buffy first I might well have bought that one.

________________________

The competition has closed and the winners have been drawn.

Narrelle M Harris is a Melbourne-based writer. Find out more about her books, iPhone apps, public speaking and other activities at www.narrellemharris.com.

2012
01/09
CATEGORY
Competition
writing
3 comments

A new competition! Help support Japan!

Art by Cagle Cartoons, allvoices.com

Some of you may know, from my recent tweets and Facebook updates, that my brother Bryce and his wife Megumi (and her parents) live in Japan. Their home in Saitama province, north of Tokyo, was not directly affected by the quake, tsunami or the ongoing worries with the nuclear power plant, but that does not mean they or their community are unaffected. A disaster of this magnitude naturally affects everyone profoundly.

Bryce works at a local school and I have already sent him some gifts for the kids and some black and white artwork provided by Yvon Hintz for the kids to colour in.

Bryce and I discussed how else I might support him, his family and his adopted countrymen and women, and we thought a competition that also aimed to encourage donation to organisations that would help with the relief and reconstruction effort.

The competition part.

In keeping with our shared black humour, Bryce has suggested that everyone should post their favourite post-apocalyptic film, with a link to something about the film – a youtube link, a picture, a funny essay, fanart, whatever you like. Bryce and I will judge the results based on… whim, I suspect.

Bryce is looking for a suitable prize around his area in Saitama. Whatever the prize ends up being, it will involve things from Japan and something Godzilla-related. This is another element of the coping-with-disaster through black humour, I guess. Stay tuned for more detail, but it will be something cool!

Part the second

Here is a selection of organisations and groups who are raising funds for Japan. If you like the sound of one, please consider donatingn something, however large or small. Or pick another fund raiser you know and like.

I have made a donation to Red Cross International. There is no need to let me know whether or not you have donated, though we would of course be delighted to hear if you want to share that with us.

2011
03/28
CATEGORY
Competition
writing
1 comment

New competition! Win a vampire necklace!

I have started a new competition on my Facebook page! Just match a character from The Opposite of Life with a suitable Christmas song. Characters can include leads, supporting characters, goths, vampires, librarians, family members living or dead or someone you read about in passing who caught your fancy.

If you’re not familiar with the book, you can download the first six chapters here as a PDF to get an idea! The competition closes on 31 January 2011.

If you’ve already entered the competition, you can always check out this article from The Age about the top 10 apps about Melbourne – including my own app, Melbourne Literary!

2011
01/11
CATEGORY
apps
Competition
Gary and Lissa
The Opposite of Life
vampires
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Competition 8: The (untrue) origins of Halloween

Best New Zombie Tales vol 2Halloween draws nigh. So do copies of Best New Zombie Tales Vol 2 containing my story The Truth About Brains.

In honour of these two events I have a copy of Best New Zombie Tales Vol 2 to give away as first prize! Other prizes may follow, depending on the number of entries. One entry per person!

The comp? Invent a history of Halloween for me! Long or short, it doesn’t matter. Post your answers here, at my Facebook page (under Discussions) or send them by email to narrelle (at) iwriter.com.au. Entries close November 3rd 2010!

2010
10/14
CATEGORY
Competition
zombies
Leave a comment

2 announcements!

The first is that I am holding a new competition on my Facebook page! In honour of the current Federal election in Australia, I want people to post pictures of politicans who have been turned into vampires! Here is a vamped up pic of Liberal leader, Tony Abbott, made using the Vampire Transformer iPhone app.

You can also just draw on a newspaper image, photograph it and submit the pic (or email it to me for submission)

Prizes consist of a copy of The Opposite of Life and Buffy the Vampire Slayer graphic novels. More prizes may be added if I get enough entries!

The second news is that the first novella from my crime novel, Fly By Night, is now available as an e-book on Kindle! Read about Frank and Milo’s adventures in Fremantle, fighting smugglers, homophobes and cold blooded killers!  Fly By Night (Frank and Milo)

Fly By Night was nominated for a Ned Kelly award in 2004 for ‘Best First Crime Novel’.

It’s the first time I’ve created an e-book, so any feedback on the formatting or presentation would be terrific too.

2010
08/05
CATEGORY
Competition
e-books
Fly By Night
vampires
writing
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