http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog the blog of author jennifer mills Wed, 16 May 2012 04:59:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Copyright © jennifer mills, 2010 jenjen@jenjen.com.au (Jennifer Mills) jenjen@jenjen.com.au (Jennifer Mills) fiction 1440 http://www.jenjen.com.au/images/hs2011.jpg http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog 144 144 Fresh short fiction from Jennifer Mills Fresh short fiction podcasts from Jennifer Mills, Australian author of Gone, The Diamond Anchor, and the short story collection The Rest is Weight (out in July 2012). Updated bimonthly. Short, story, fiction, writing, literature, australian, stories Jennifer Mills Jennifer Mills jenjen@jenjen.com.au no no http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2012/03/march-fiction-podcast-moth.html http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2012/03/march-fiction-podcast-moth.html#comments Wed, 07 Mar 2012 01:02:51 +0000 jenjen http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/?p=540 http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2012/03/march-fiction-podcast-moth.html/feed 0 0:14:52 The edits are finished for The Rest is Weight and I’m just about to get proofs and covers sorted out. Will post the cover here when it is ready. I am thrilled to be getting another book out so soon, partly because it’s helping me avoid s[...] The edits are finished for The Rest is Weight and I’m just about to get proofs and covers sorted out. Will post the cover here when it is ready. I am thrilled to be getting another book out so soon, partly because it’s helping me avoid suffering in the form of the second draft of a novel, but mostly because I love short stories and everyone tells me it’s quite hard to get a collection published. Editing the stories was enjoyable, far easier than a novel, since there were no big structural thoughts to carry around in my head. But the stories span about seven years, so there was a bit of sadness and nostalgia involved too. Being able to go back and alter old work felt quite cheeky – the temptation is there to rewrite history and change them into the kind of stories I would write now (a temptation I mostly avoided). It also took a few tries to get the order right. It is just like trying to make a perfect mixtape – an impossible feat, no doubt, but you work at it because it matters. I hope I have created something you’ll like when it comes out in July. Today is apparently World Read Aloud Day, and a new podcast is overdue, so I thought I’d read you a story from the book. This is Moth, which originally appeared in New Australian Stories 2. If you’re interested in more short stories you should check out this post from Paddy O’Reilly, and buy one or all of those books she lists, as well as her own amazing collection, The End of the World. And definitely check out (by which i mean subscribe to) the new magazine Review of Australian Fiction, which will be publishing a new story of mine towards the end of the year – so new I haven’t written it yet! books, podcasts, writing Jennifer Mills no no http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2012/02/national-year-of-reading.html http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2012/02/national-year-of-reading.html#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:53:59 +0000 jenjen http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/?p=531 http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2012/02/national-year-of-reading.html/feed 0 http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/11/taxi_driver.html http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/11/taxi_driver.html#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 03:22:56 +0000 jenjen http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/?p=500 http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/11/taxi_driver.html/feed 0 0:09:24 With apologies for the pause between broadcasts, here’s a new fiction podcast for you. This story began on pure observation, sitting in a gay bar in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, back in 2008. It’s going to be in a collection of m[...] With apologies for the pause between broadcasts, here’s a new fiction podcast for you. This story began on pure observation, sitting in a gay bar in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, back in 2008. It’s going to be in a collection of my stories which I am happy to announce will be published by UQP in mid-2012! Hurrah. UQP have been working hard at conversion and Gone has just been released in all the ebook formats, so it should be popping up in various places over the next few weeks (i’m told with the exception of North America, but maybe there’s a workaround). It is definitely available at indie bookshop Readings already. Go and give Frank a lift! Now for the story: I think the few Spanish words in this story are pretty self-explanatory, but leave a comment if you have any questions. One more thing: as a courtesy to my publisher, and to save myself from becoming a one-woman audio archive, I’m going to be leaving this and future podcasts up for three months or so and then taking them down. Which means the back catalogue will vanish soon, if you want to make use of it… podcasts, writing Jennifer Mills no no http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/07/may-june-fiction-podcast-the-world-muscles-in-part-3.html http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/07/may-june-fiction-podcast-the-world-muscles-in-part-3.html#comments Wed, 13 Jul 2011 01:00:17 +0000 jenjen http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/?p=452 http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/07/may-june-fiction-podcast-the-world-muscles-in-part-3.html/feed 1 0:11:25 “this is something: a map of the dark.” Here is the third, final and mooniest part of The World Muscles In. This odd little story was written for a sketchbook. It’s interesting for me to see how things translate from a handwritten[...] “this is something: a map of the dark.” Here is the third, final and mooniest part of The World Muscles In. This odd little story was written for a sketchbook. It’s interesting for me to see how things translate from a handwritten, illustrated zine with all its enhanced imagery, to a naked, typed manuscript, and then to audio. The book was lost at sea for a few months, forgot its name and address, fell asleep in a basket and woke up in a cardboard costume in a pile of boxes in Brooklyn. It is traveling round the USA at the moment as part of the ArtHouse Co-op’s Fiction project. I think. I was holding off on posting this because I was hoping to link to the book’s profile, but there seems to be an Impossibility Field around their website. Oh well. Mail is always an act of faith, and code… well, code is a special kind of optimism. In case you missed them, you can find part one here and part two over here. Thanks again for listening and sharing. “nothing but hair and beetles.” podcasts Jennifer Mills no no http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/06/may-june-fiction-podcast-the-world-muscles-in-part-2.html http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/06/may-june-fiction-podcast-the-world-muscles-in-part-2.html#comments Wed, 22 Jun 2011 03:05:06 +0000 jenjen http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/?p=450 http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/06/may-june-fiction-podcast-the-world-muscles-in-part-2.html/feed 0 0:10:03 “I’m going to be sawn in half…” Into three parts actually. Here is part 2 of The World Muscles In: Thanks for listening/sharing. I should have part 3 up late next week. go to part one go to part three “I’m going to be sawn in half…” Into three parts actually. Here is part 2 of The World Muscles In: Thanks for listening/sharing. I should have part 3 up late next week. go to part one go to part three podcasts, writing, zines Jennifer Mills no no http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/05/may-june-fiction-podcast-the-world-muscles-in.html http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/05/may-june-fiction-podcast-the-world-muscles-in.html#comments Mon, 30 May 2011 04:03:16 +0000 jenjen http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/?p=438 http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/05/may-june-fiction-podcast-the-world-muscles-in.html/feed 0 0:10:32 For the first time, I present you with a blog-exclusive podcast! It is not going to be published anywhere because it is only available in a single, hand-illustrated sketchbook/zine I made. There is one copy of this zine and (fool that i am) i truste[...] For the first time, I present you with a blog-exclusive podcast! It is not going to be published anywhere because it is only available in a single, hand-illustrated sketchbook/zine I made. There is one copy of this zine and (fool that i am) i trusted international mail with it. It is now floating around somewhere in the Americas as part of the Arthouse Co-op’s fiction project. You can’t find it online there because their website and my contact details have been undergoing some serious tweaking, but hopefully before the third instalment of this podcast is out i will be able to provide a link. A few things about this story. It is long, so this podcast is coming in three separate instalments. The idea at the heart of it, of mapping one’s dreams, is one which I almost abandoned as a story, but came back to recently when I was purging myself of some old idea baggage. I actually tried mapping my dreams for a year in case i wanted to write the story – i still have the result, a patchwork atlas of my subconscious. (it’s personal.) The World Muscles In is also an experiment in that it uses a circular narrative structure, which involved more confusing mapping and something i can only describe as mental origami. It is not autobiographical but it carries the weight of some recent preoccupations, as stories tend to; in this case, ideas about gender, authorship, authenticity, and ownership. Something else new: at the end of it I ask for money. Please don’t feel that you can’t keep listening and downloading these podcasts for free. But if you enjoy them and you can afford it, why not use that ‘support’ button in the sidebar? It will make you feel very, very good. go to part two go to part three podcasts Jennifer Mills no no http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/03/march-short-story-podcast-plain-indians.html http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/03/march-short-story-podcast-plain-indians.html#comments Mon, 28 Mar 2011 02:30:05 +0000 jenjen http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/?p=411 http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/03/march-short-story-podcast-plain-indians.html/feed 0 0:08:32 this is what happens when you realise no-one has written a western about bush regeneration, and dare yourself to be the first: this is what happens when you realise no-one has written a western about bush regeneration, and dare yourself to be the first: podcasts, writing Jennifer Mills no no http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/01/january-short-story-podcast-prospect.html http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/01/january-short-story-podcast-prospect.html#comments Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:26:01 +0000 jenjen http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/?p=381 http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2011/01/january-short-story-podcast-prospect.html/feed 1 0:16:09 here’s a new short fiction podcast for you. flood-related and arizona-related. don’t say i’m never topical: oh, and this story first appeared in meanjin #69.3. share and enjoy. here’s a new short fiction podcast for you. flood-related and arizona-related. don’t say i’m never topical: oh, and this story first appeared in meanjin #69.3. share and enjoy. podcasts, writing Jennifer Mills no no http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2010/11/september-fiction-podcast-the-lap.html http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2010/11/september-fiction-podcast-the-lap.html#comments Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:15:31 +0000 jenjen http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/?p=322 http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2010/11/september-fiction-podcast-the-lap.html/feed 0 0:12:51 hey! you! don’t forget to support new matilda and overland this week! yes, i know it is actually november. and i promised six stories in six presumably consecutive months. but my dictaphone AND my laptop broke while i was o/s, and i am still d[...] hey! you! don’t forget to support new matilda and overland this week! yes, i know it is actually november. and i promised six stories in six presumably consecutive months. but my dictaphone AND my laptop broke while i was o/s, and i am still doing better than paperradio… anyway, here is the lap, a recording which first appeared on 2ser’s final draft in a more innocent time, back before i had a book out. the lap engages my default theme of roadtrips and has traces of a magical realism which might be becoming more pronounced these days, if i ever finish the half-dozen stories i am working on right now. hope you enjoy it. podcasts, writing Jennifer Mills no no http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2010/08/august-short-story-podcast-roadhouse.html http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2010/08/august-short-story-podcast-roadhouse.html#comments Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:00:04 +0000 jenjen http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/?p=212 http://www.jenjen.com.au/blog/2010/08/august-short-story-podcast-roadhouse.html/feed 0 0:10:52 This is a truck driving story called ‘Roadhouse’ – an oldie but a bit of a favourite. I’m putting it up because this journey started with a hitch from Alice to Darwin. After two days, only just over halfway, with a flight to catch, we were res[...] This is a truck driving story called ‘Roadhouse’ – an oldie but a bit of a favourite. I’m putting it up because this journey started with a hitch from Alice to Darwin. After two days, only just over halfway, with a flight to catch, we were rescued by a truck driver named Keith who was a wonderful conversationalist and an all-round lovely person. Keith is a sucker for audio books. He confessed to sometimes having to pull over to hear the end of a good Radio National reading before he went out of range. I hope you like my stories Keith! Thanks for saving us from the Hi Way. When I wrote this i was hitchhiking a lot more, before I owned a car (or a licence). Four years on I am traveling more like a grownup, thanks to a couple of arts residencies. I’m writing from the Rostock-Helsinki ferry right now. the dining room reminds me of a CWA house. the music reminds me of Eurovision. Nineties Eurovision. actually i am not that much of a grownup. still sleeping on the floor of the conference room with the other cheapskates… podcasts Jennifer Mills no no