I couldn’t ask for a lovelier thing to have happen on a dreary Monday morning – my fantasy story Clean Hands, Dirty Hands is now available in Aurealis #71! You can purchase a copy through Smashwords here.

And look at the pretty cover! Allow me to gush.

I’m really excited that this story is out in the world. It was originally written a couple of years ago with the applications for Clarion Writers’ Workshop and Clarion West in mind. I haven’t managed to sneak into a workshop yet, but I’m very happy that this story managed to find a home regardless.

I set Clean Hands, Dirty Hands in and around my home town, Castlemaine, albeit at a time when there were more tents than solid buildings. At its heart, it’s a story of loss and grief. Charmingly, Aurealis called my story ‘Australian Gothic writ large’. I must admit that I’m quite stoked with that.

Aurealis is also looking for subscribers to enable them to pay pro rates for their stories. They’re gunning for SFWA status as a pro market, so consider a subscription if you like what you read. It’s only $20 for a year of great fiction, and will go a long way to supporting the Australian speculative fiction community.

Edited to add: I forgot to put up a shout-out to my issue-buddy, Michael Grey. Congratulations, Michael!