Here’s a little account of how Fire Over Troubled Water came into existence.
I discovered the Drowned Earth novellas opportunity on Facebook in early 2019. The team at Aussie Speculative Fiction (ASF) had great plans for a series of novellas dealing with a post-apocalyptic flooded Australia. To recruit writers for this task, they set up a process that I had not yet experienced in my young writing career.
The first stage of the recruitment process was to write a short pitch outlining the story I had in mind. The pitch had to be less than 300 words. Mine came to 295 and was designated Pitch #30 on ASF’s records. Not having anything published before this, I admit I didn’t have high hopes. Let’s be honest, what writer doesn’t have hang-ups about their ideas and creations? So, with the pitch sent off, I busied myself with other tasks—editing my novel manuscript and writing some short stories.
Yet, news came that ASF enjoyed my pitch! The recruitment process now moved to a sample piece of the story. I had 1,000 words to spend on a great example of what my story might look like. So, 993 words later, I had my sample, which became a sort of skeleton-draft of the first two chapters in Fire Over Troubled Water. After submitting this, I was apprehensive about its potential outcome. I felt I didn’t leave enough of a hook in the sample, and I was ready to receive a rejection letter. However …
To my astonishment, ASF loved my sample, too! Now I was one of nine authors selected for the series. Unfortunately, one author had to leave the arrangement, but we pressed on as a band of eight, all of us excitedly treading new waters in publishing (pun intended). The authors are:
- Me, Nick Marone
- Sue-Ellen Pashley
- Austin P. Sheehan
- Marcus Turner
- Jo Hart
- S. M. Isaac
- C. A. Clark
- Shel Calopa
Collaboration
A closed Facebook group was created so we could discuss worldbuilding, establish a timeline, and a publishing schedule. Crucial to the smooth workflow of the series across all eight authors was setting out when drafts were due. We decided on a chronological release schedule. Because my story is set six or so years after what we termed the Rise (the global increase in water levels), my novella was going to be released fairly early in the series. My story, and the ones written by Austin P. Sheehan and Sue-Ellen Pashley, would be released first on October 31, 2019. The other novellas were to be released one at a time each month after that date. Austin P. Sheehan’s novella, Submerged City, was later rescheduled for a November release.
My World
Now, I’ll admit, Fire Over Troubled Water is perhaps the least science-fictional story I have written. This is because it deals with the near aftermath of a global apocalyptic event away from the cities and centres of industry. I envisioned a reversion back to older technologies and ways of living, simply because society after an apocalypse would not have the same access to the materials, energy, or labour as it did in the past. The people in the new South Coast region must adapt to survive. Essentially, Fire Over Troubled Water deals with survival by the best available means, and one man’s search for his family. Therefore, I’d classify my novella as post-apocalyptic mundane science fiction (link goes to Subgenres and Themes page).
My Research
The research that went into the story was varied and deep, including:
- sailing terms and techniques
- older building technologies
- farming, including food, stock, and beekeeping
- the environmental effects of a higher sea level
- coastal geography
An interesting part of my research was finding an online flood map tool (though, for the life of me, I cannot remember on what website I found this precious resource!). As seen in the image, much of Australia’s inhabited areas along the New South Wales South Coast would be overwhelmed if sea levels rose by 90 metres. I used this rough flood map as the basis for my story. If you look closely, you may be able see the possible locations for Flat Rock Island, Mogood Bay, Mogood Sound, Narooma Island, and Kiola Island. The hardest location to find might be Claybank Archipelago because it’s a bit more fictionalised.
Here are some of the great resources on rising sea levels and climate change that I read:
- “Sea Level Rise Won’t Just Cause Flooding” by Chelsea Harvey
- “Sea Level Rise: Causes and Consequences”
- CoastAdapt—a great information database on coastal matters in Australia, including the article “Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise in the Australian Region”, which was a great resource for me.
First Draft
After working out locations, the story flowed easily. Sometime later, I had a 25,000-word manuscript. I polished it a bit before sending it to the publisher for editing. I cannot overstate this enough: an editor’s developmental notes are an invaluable resource. They are experienced individuals who have keen, critical eyes and know the industry. I think humility goes a long way in getting a story to be its best. When I saw the three-and-a-half pages of 11-point font developmental notes, I knew they would make my story even better.
Further Drafts
The story you will read/are reading/have read in published form is a little different to what I originally wrote. Sure, all the characters and the overall storyline is the same, but the meat of the story was improved. Drama was intensified, personal and interpersonal conflicts were enhanced, worldbuilding was tightened, dialogue was sharpened, and settings were more deeply explored. Yes, scenes were cut out, but they were replaced by ones that were so much better! I thank the team at Deadset Press for their hard work in helping Fire Over Troubled Water be the best it can be.
A Note on the Title
People who know me think it’s funny that I like music from before my time. One night, I was listening to Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge over Troubled Water”, and it hit me: Fire Over Troubled Water. And in my story, the “waters” are indeed “troubled”.
Publication
As of October 31, 2019, Fire Over Troubled Water has been on the market in print and digital formats online and in physical stores worldwide. I’d love it if you left a review on Goodreads. Also, be sure to sign up to my Newsletter to can keep up-to-date on my current and future projects.
You can purchase a copy of my novella and the others in the series through Books2Read:
Tuckerisation Policy
Before I finish this piece, I’d like to mention my tuckerisation policy. Despite countless proofreads by myself and the editor, being imperfect (and me needing new glasses!), I suppose it is possible that a misspelling has slipped into the finished product. The first reader to find a specific typo in Fire Over Troubled Water will get the opportunity to be tuckerised in one of my future stories. You can visit my tuckerisation policy page for more information.
Books in the Series
