stephen faulds writer. a writer in search of an agent and a publisher
TRANSCRIPT
Stephen Faulds
Writer
A Writer in search of an Agent and a Publisher
I would like to introduce myself and my work.
I work full time as an English teacher
in a suburban high school.
I have been writing since I wrote my first poem
at the age of twelve
Over the years I have published poems, short stories and articles; I co-wrote a series of children’s reading books and many of my scripts have been performed by my students but I have had no major manuscripts published.
I spend a minimum of one hour a day, seven days a week, 364 days a year writing fiction. On week days
I rise at five am to do my hour of writing before going to work. I have done this for the past ten years in my effort to make the transition from
teaching to full time writing.
I write in a variety of genres and I have concept outlines to develop further titles in whatever genre
I am first published.
Now I would like to present some samples of my work
Copyright Stephen Faulds 2007
SINKRONISITY
A satirical fantasy novel 69,000 words approx. “Sinkronisity” parodies time travel and new age concepts such as synchronicity, personal destiny and self realisation.
The setting is everywhere at any time in history.The pivotal location is a cave in a fractured time warp. An inscrutableseer lives in the cave, where he is visited by all manner of beings from every historical period and every galaxy in
the universe. Other central characters include the inhabitants of a nearby village, a wandering time traveller, an Australian
itinerant, a Florentine inventor and God. Their adventures involve several holy men, characters from an unfinished fantasy novel, their writer, a lawnmower and the
citizens of a modern medieval city.
“I read this MS with an initial sense of excitement
at the obvious facility with which the author can write. The style is reminiscent of the racy paciness of
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and has just as much ability to carry a joke.”
Janet Blagg Fremantle Arts Centre Press
THE OLD BLACK STUMP
The Old Black Stump is a nature fantasy in the same
genre as Watership Down and Duncton Wood. It is
illustrated with over seventy drawings by the Author.
Length: 138,000 words
The lizard tribes of the Canning River Wetlands, worship Thuwun the creator of all life. They practise their faith through the moon rituals and the making of mandalas.
Where the Canning River sweeps around the eastern edge of Ferndale Flats, there stands a giant Flooded Gum called Raven Tree. On the swamp ground between the tree and
the river stands a burnt tree stump. The Wril tribe of Raven Tree are the custodians of the Old Black Stump where the moon rituals are practised. Jik is a young skink of the tribe who seeks truth beyond religion and ritual. He journeys through the wetlands, where he
encounters tribes of different faiths and creeds. He discovers love, hatred, ignorance and wisdom. Jik travels to a Big (human) nest in suburban Ferndale to rescue his friend Rin
who has been captured by the Big and held captive in a glass box. There he meets Ky who becomes the first real love of his life. He introduces her to the Faith. They are separated for most of the story as Jik’s quest for truth takes him over the Canning River to visit various tribes with religious practices as varied as Big worship and magic mushroom
eating. When the Old Black Stump is destroyed by the Big, the faith of the tribes is shaken. Fanatical religious leaders and feral tribes arise to threaten peace and safety.Jik finally finds the truth he is seeking when he meets the White Lizard in the garden of
Peace and the Four Holy Secrets are revealed to him.
“The illustrations are beautifully fine and detailed.”
Fran Bryson Bryson Agency Australia Pty Ltd
CCAY
Ccay is a modern fable about a boy who leaves a small
town in the north west to travel to the City where
he becomes an Artist. The story is illustrated with over
fifty drawings by the Author. The drawings represent
the work of the main character Ccay.
Length: 48,500 words
One of Ccay’s drawings
LANDSCAPE
“Landscape” is a linear novel in a simple modern style, set in Western Australia, Nepal and India. An easy to read story that will appeal to the baby boomer interest
in personal identity, lost innocence and aging.
Length: 117,500 words
“Landscape” is the story of a middle aged Artist whose atrophied marriage ends when his wife redefines her sexual orientation and insists on dividing their assets. He finds that a passionate affair with a younger woman does not heal his lassitude. He quits his job and travels to the north-west in order to rediscover his identity through
landscape painting. His search for a time, becomes linked to the plight of Aboriginal people in a small country town. After a successful exhibition he travels to Nepal to
trek in the Himalaya mountains. Here he meets with personal misfortune and tragedy but learns to come to terms with a different landscape. The landscape and his artistic
relationship to it become the metaphor for his life and the environment in which he encounters his own mortality and sense of purpose.
SEATOWN
“Seatown is a magical-realist dramatic narrative. The play is
written in two forms: for stage and radio. In a small seaside town, Laura Manson, a married woman, charges Elton Crisp, the town bank manager, with sexual assault. The conflicts, tensions and secrets of the townspeople are revealed as debts
of various kinds, are called upon to compensate for personal weaknesses and transgressions. The play is narrated by two
of the main characters, Paula Crisp and Cess Painter.
Drafts of “Seatown” have been developed in consultation with Humphrey Bower, Sally Richardson and Heather Nimmo,
Dramaturgs at STAGES the Western Australian playwriting forum.
MADNESS OF THE HEART
A screenplay about the life of Henry Lawson.
Currently at the third draft in consultation with SCREENWEST
Focusses on the life of Henry Lawson from about the age of thirty three, just prior to his departure for London. From the highpoint in his career as Australia’s ‘Poet of the People’ he travels to London with great promise of literary success. In
London, after some initial progress with publishers, he lapses into bohemian excesses, his wife has a nervous breakdown and they return to Australia. Following the death of his sweetheart, Hannah Thornburn and the break-up of his marriage, Lawson begins a decline into alcoholism. His decline is contrasted with
flashbacks to high points and critical events in his life, revealing
the fabric of his character.
These are some of my major manuscripts. Further work
includes novels and scripts in progress, children’s stories
and collections of poetry. Other genres I am working on include
epic fantasy, detective mystery, epistle, postmodern exploratory
prose and travel. Several of these manuscripts are illustrated with
drawings or digital media images
“We think your work shows real promise and we would
be pleased to consider any manuscripts that you may care
to submit in the future.”
Clare Rubera Penguin Books Australia Ltd
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