G’day
This is what you need to know:
I worked in international development for over a decade. That’s where I smashed poverty. Well. Tried my best, anyway. To do this I lived in Mongolia, Laos, and Vietnam, and worked in a bunch of other places in Southeast Asia and East Asia. I was a basic education specialist, designing and managing programs aimed at enabling ethnic minority children in remote areas to attend primary
school (in communities where they would never have set foot in a school otherwise).
I left that career to be a stay-at-home father. I also began to write. I lived in the Old Quarter in Hanoi for several extraordinary years, where all I did was read battered science fiction paperbacks, explore the city with my son, and write, write, write in all the spaces in between.
I’ve sold short stories to Asimov’s, the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, several to the excellent Interzone, and numerous others listed here. My short fiction has been translated into Hebrew, French, German, Russian, and Vietnamese, and has won several awards (which I list below).
No-one in my family had been to uni, and I struggled, to say the least, in high-school, so it was quite surreal many years later to achieve my Doctorate in Creative Writing. This was for my thesis: The Dark Century: 1946 – 2046. Noir, Cyberpunk, and Asian Modernity (that’s right – I’m a Doctor of Cyberpunk). I was awarded the Donald Horne Fellowship (2020) on the strength of my work, and I am now also an Adjunct Professor (which, as far as I can tell, involves no pay, no office, and no benefits, in exchange for acknowledging the university if I ever publish anything).
My debut short story collection, Neon Leviathan, came out to stellar reviews in 2020. My debut novel, Thirty-Six Streets, was published by Titan Books in 2022 (also to stellar reviews), and won both the prestigious Aurealis and Ditmar awards for best novel. I’ve also written a tie-in for the Aliens universe (yet another surreal experience), and have two new works – a novella and a novel – coming out in 2024.
Currently I live in my home country of Australia, where, in addition to my writing, run art therapy programs for people with disability.
My email is: voight0kampff (AT) gmail.com / My twitter handle is: @TheEscherMan, and I’m here on Facebook, and here on Instagram. My agent is John Jarrold.
AWARDS
- Nominated – Ditmar Award (2023), Best Novella. “A Marked Man.”
- Nominated – Ditmar Award (2023), Best Short Story. “Highway Requiem.”
- Nominated – Aurealis Award (2023), Best Science Fiction Novel. “Aliens: Bishop.”
- Nominated – Aurealis Award (2023), Best Fantasy Novella. “A Marked Man.”
- Winner – Aurealis Award (2022), Best Science Fiction Novel. “36 Streets.”
- Winner – Ditmar Award (2022), Best Novel. “36 Streets.“
- Nominated – Aurealis Award (2022), Best Science Fiction Novella. “The Goruden-Mairu Job.”
- Nominated – Aurealis Award (2021), Best Science Fiction Novella. “A Vast Silence.”
- Winner – ACT Notable Awards (2020), Fiction Category. “Neon Leviathan.”
- Winner – Aurealis Award (2020), Best Science Fiction Novella. “The Weight of the Air, the Weight of the World.”
- Nominated – Aurealis Award (2020), Best Science Fiction Short Story. “Jack’s Fine Dining.”
- Nominated – Ditmar Award (2020), Best Collection. “Neon Leviathan.”
- Nominated – Ditmar Award (2020), Best Novella. “The Weight of the Air, the Weight of the World.”
- Winner – Aurealis Award (2016), Best Horror Short Story. “Flame Trees.”
- Nominated – Ditmar Award (2016), Best Short Story. “Flame Trees.”
- Nominated – Ditmar Award (2016 & 2017). Best New Talent.
- Nominated – Writers of the Future (2015). “Twelve Minutes to Vinh Quang.”
Hi there! My name is Aaron, I run Alien vs. Predator Galaxy, the oldest and largest Alien (and Predator) fan community online. I just finished reading and very much enjoyed Aliens: Bishop and I was wondering if I could interest you in joining us on our podcast to discuss your experience working on the novel?
We record via a browser based service so would just be a case of clicking a link and letting your browser access your webcam/mic. We usually record 7pm BST on weekdays but can be more flexible over the weekend. We would also send your our questions in advanced.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks 🙂
G’day Aaron. For sure. Will send you an email.
Similarly, I just finished reading Bishop. Would love to know if there are any plans for a continuation of the story? Also, I’d be interested to learn more about that podcast.
Hi Brandon. Haven’t been able to connect with Aaron yet, but will certainly post details on social media when it happens. I did do an interview with Perfect Organism Podcast about Bishop, and there’s a YouTube interview with Alien Theory, where the host has put a lot of work into editing Bishop scenes into the background. As to a continuation – I certainly have a few ideas, but it’s really in the hands of the publisher and the studio. I suspect they are waiting to see whether Aliens: Bishop is a success. Cheers.
Dear T. R. Napper,
Meeting you and Claire at Supanova was truly inspiring. Both of your thoughtful answers to my questions truly inspired me, and helped me with developing my novel further. The photo of the 3 of us is a pleasant memory for me. Your courteous and curious spirits when engaging with readers is truly an inspiration, in addition to the quality of both of your works and the dedication to your crafts.
I am excited to read Escher Man, and you deserve all of your success. The plot you described to me is fascinating, and I am confident it will change the way I think about the formation of memories. I have experienced amnesia due to a head injury in the past, and had the experience of losing memories and some memories returning to me for almost a decade, and sometimes I am unsure if my memory is accurate. I also have the experience of dealing with unwanted memories. So your book in which you did a great deal of research into the science of memories will be fascinating.
Thanks for your panel on writing, it was truly educational. I am soon to publish my first book, and I have just completed an “About the Author” section. Could I please use the photo of the 3 of us for that page? It would be free publicity for both you and Claire, and a Kudos for the advice, as well as lending a bit of credibility to me.
Both your names and books are present in the photo.
I am inspired by your work smashing poverty. This is a passion of mine, and I do much volunteer work helping people in poverty. I am excited to read more of your work.
Let me know if you are okay with the use of the photo, I will understand and respect your answer.
The novel is speculative Sci-Fi fiction set 200 years in the future after the humans have collapsed.
Best of luck and I wish you a great day full of inspiration.
Have a great day
-Sonder Gerard.
Thank you, Sonder. Great meeting you as well. Yes, you can use my photo (as long as I don’t look too terrible in it). I hope you enjoy the novel. Cheers, T. R. Napper.