The Who, What, When, Why of RedBubble’s first ever Short Story Competition (Unleashed07) which resulted in a book called Unleashed … and even more important:

Where are the 13 finalists now?

If you own the book, entered the comp, were shortlisted, went to the launch (and can help us identify people in the photo below) or just love a short story, hang out in the Limelight Lounge for the next 24 hours.

It’s BYO virtual cocktails, though.

I have ice cream. I’ll share. =)

Tasty. Now, the Launch was held May 12, 2007 at Readings Lygon St, Carlton. Which happened to be a rather cool Tuesday night and clashed with my favourite archaeology program on TV so I decided in favour of watching Tony Robinson rather than attend.

I’ve been creating rather a lovely wake of my own – building up my international credit list; signed that contract for paid-print-america, my goal for 2007; closing in on 2 print books by my next birthday; continuing to ignore my novel in favour of serial anthologies…

And look at that, I’m still here and I’m a Host . Someone must have gone crazy.

If there was an Unleashed wake I missed it. Something else I’m missing: where have those other photos from the launch gone?

copy from relevant journal entry re people spotting

Looks like Alice a third of the way in LHS, looking down at a book, black hair, black top, glasses.
Aaron, dead centre with his head in line with a pole far at the back.
I’m thinking Martin, his back to us, centre, talking to Aaron.
Peter, RB bossco, RHS in front of Danny’s pick for Helen { Helen Kippert rHS against the book case only she has a fringe like that }, with his back to us and the blue shoulder bag.
Although, are you sure that’s Helen and not Annie?
Way at the centre back, in front of the RB banners, with red hair and black top, is Melody.

out of 240 entries, narrowed to a shortlist of 30 by the public, Louse Swinn of Sleepers Publishing picked the final 15. Laura aka pinkelephant opens the book with Little Fish
and closes it with The Creeping Sea

Hopefully Laura will be along later.

How’s this for freaky continuity … the 2nd big Bubble fiction comp (In the Moment) and Kerry Hudson’s Fish and Chip Goodbye is a finalist.

WOW! Joanne, come talk to us about the differences 1st and 2nd time around.

1st time – we only had the journal which is why if you search for unleashed07 you need to look at journals and writing. Being able to “favorite” things came along partway through; I always wondered how much that affected the votes.

Elaine? Oh. She’ll always be Whirligig to me.

Those experimental days…

General question:
why do we enter writing competitions?

to win… validate ourselves as writers … write through an idea … for fun … as part of some bigger scheme…

Yep, so those lucky people with copies of the book can still read Kate’s Route 666, and Annie’s The Psychiatrist’s Son, but everyone else will have to take our word for it that they’re excellent :)

Can’t really talk about Unleashed without mentioning Anneli who put so much effort into making it work and coordinating all us writers and then seemed to vanish directly after .. off into the desert to write a novel.

I have a very vagure recollection – and possibly an email way down in the archives – of copies being available through Readings, any profits to be split between the contributors. Did I say “vague”? Maybe “translucent” is more appropriate. But we were only in it for the bubble voucher and the free drinks. Cloud Nine red vodka, very tasty stuff!

Okay, okay. Perhaps the pass to the Emerging Writer’s Festival too. I also passed on that but three of the others met up there; i remember the journal entry, might have been by Annie though so sadly gone.