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Alternate History Australia collection - call for stories!

Thande

Thank you for the cross, my friend
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Sea Lion Press staff
Published by SLP
Dear all writers, established and aspiring,

You may have seen our recent call for stories (now closed) for a WW1 themed anthology, and that collection will be published soon. But in the meantime, we issue a call for stories for a new anthology with a different theme...


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Australia: the youngest continent in terms of recorded history, the smallest in population unless one counts Antarctica, yet still packed full of What If? possibilities. From Aboriginal civilisation to Gallipoli, from Cook and La Pérouse to Maintain Your Rage, the Land Down Under is begging to be the subject of more alternate history tales.

Now's your chance to write one.

This anthology will be edited by none other than @Jared Kavanagh, author of the greatly ambitious and justly popular Australian timeline Lands of Red and Gold (whose first volume was recently published by SLP). His submission guidelines are listed below.

- Alternate history set in (or mostly in) Australia, or otherwise which has a very strong link to Australia.
- Aiming for around 10-12 stories with a total length of 60-70,000 words
- Average story length should be 3000-8000 words, but flexible
- Focus is on realism rather than supernatural aspects, but contact me if unsure
- Closing date for submissions is 30 June 2020.

If you're interested in submitting an entry, first contact Jared Kavanagh at jaredkavanaghaustralia@gmail.com to discuss.

Will consider all entries, but lodging a submission does not guarantee inclusion in the final anthology.

Please make sure you use the email address jaredkavanaghaustralia@gmail.com to submit stories or make queries (rather than PMs or social media messages), as we want to limit the number of avenues of discussion to make sure no-one is overlooked by accident.

Come on over and give AH writing a go, we'll throw another shrimp on the barbie for you.
 
Any particular time period you are looking for ?
Ideally I'd prefer to have a range of time periods. I've received quite a range in the expressions of interest so far, though of course an expression of interest is not a submission. The 3 completed submissions so far are pretty much set in the twentieth century (one just crosses over into this century).

The only periods I'd really suggest avoiding at the moment are future history (this is about alternate history, not future history) and stories which focus on contemporary politics. So if the story is political, it probably shouldn't be more recent than, say, the electoral defeat of John Howard. If it's non-political then it can be more recent. As always, though, if you have a particular idea I'd suggest emailing me to discuss.
 
I have written one alternate history short story and one piece of analysis (about Australian inland seas which were believed to exist in the 19th Century). I was a little dissatisfied with the short story but I put out the inspiration for it, in case anyone is interested in using that PoD. This was if the supposed plans of Napoleon to take over the western half of Australia had come to fruition and there was a dividing line between Anglophone and Francophone Australia roughly on the longitude of Darwin. I envisaged the 2000 Olympics being split between the cities [Darwin and Leclerc] either side of the line. Perhaps that was too modern for this anthology.
 
I remember Kelly . Country by A.Bertram Chandler.What if Western Australia had been
allowed to secede in 1934? Or the White Australia policy had been.kept?
 
I have written one alternate history short story and one piece of analysis (about Australian inland seas which were believed to exist in the 19th Century). I was a little dissatisfied with the short story but I put out the inspiration for it, in case anyone is interested in using that PoD. This was if the supposed plans of Napoleon to take over the western half of Australia had come to fruition and there was a dividing line between Anglophone and Francophone Australia roughly on the longitude of Darwin. I envisaged the 2000 Olympics being split between the cities [Darwin and Leclerc] either side of the line. Perhaps that was too modern for this anthology.
The timeframe of 2000 isn't too recent (even for contemporary politics, I'd still say up to 2007 or thereabouts is fine), although I have received a surprisingly large percentage of expressions of interest which are linked to Western Australia being different in same way or another, and not very much on the eastern seaboard.
 
I remember Kelly . Country by A.Bertram Chandler.What if Western Australia had been
allowed to secede in 1934? Or the White Australia policy had been.kept?
Haven't read Kelly Country, although I'd note that so far I haven't received any Ned Kelly-related expressions of interest, so there may be some potential there. WA secession has been mentioned in EOIs, although not in any actual submissions yet. Keeping the White Australia policy would be a dark but potentially very interesting theme to explore.
 
I keep looking at the Japanese proposals to invade Australia. So trying to figure out how Japan and Australia come to blows... the fate of German New Guinea goes hot in 1920? Japan decides to keep its territory and Australia makes a show of force (both as it was clear Billy Hughes thought little of the Japanese and "hey we got the UK backing us up) which results in Japan increasing defenses. Not just defenses but they put Kamio Mitsuomi (commanded forces at the Siege of Tsingtao) in charge of regional defenses while shifting naval assets to newly gained islands and holdings in the pacific.

Now the big question is... who sides with who here? Most would side with Australia as in the Paris Peace Conference Australia was clearly given the land, but here Australia fired first. If it is backing Australia then we see Japan in a militant stance almost instantly and not waiting to the 1930s to go nuts. BUT I think it is more interesting if the Japanese are supported here (a mixture of annoyance at the Australians by the UK and the US having an election in 1920 which is much more anti-British and anti-globalist) resulting in a political downfall of Billy Hughes and his nationalist party.
 
I keep looking at the Japanese proposals to invade Australia. So trying to figure out how Japan and Australia come to blows... the fate of German New Guinea goes hot in 1920? Japan decides to keep its territory and Australia makes a show of force (both as it was clear Billy Hughes thought little of the Japanese and "hey we got the UK backing us up) which results in Japan increasing defenses. Not just defenses but they put Kamio Mitsuomi (commanded forces at the Siege of Tsingtao) in charge of regional defenses while shifting naval assets to newly gained islands and holdings in the pacific.

Australian forces occupied German New Guinea in 1914 in OTL. I don't remember Japan having any military presence there during WW1 to speak of, though of course they occupied some other German Pacific colonies such as the Marianas and Carolines.

Did Japan ever seek to occupy German New Guinea post-war? As far as I know, they only sought the former German colonies north of the equator, which didn't include much if any of German New Guinea (maybe a couple of northernmost islands?)
 
Australian forces occupied German New Guinea in 1914 in OTL. I don't remember Japan having any military presence there during WW1 to speak of, though of course they occupied some other German Pacific colonies such as the Marianas and Carolines.

Did Japan ever seek to occupy German New Guinea post-war? As far as I know, they only sought the former German colonies north of the equator, which didn't include much if any of German New Guinea (maybe a couple of northernmost islands?)

I see now. The 1919 Peace Conference had the Japanese delegation make remarks that the territory was promised to them by the British. This was a spoken word offer which, at least in the book I read, was not explicitly denied but focused on "British forces took it." So no Japan did not take it but Australia did. I was wrong.

So I guess it would need to be Japanese actions in 1920... which is kind of silly. So maybe Japan was a little more successful in 1914-15? They got a port or something in the north...
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So Japan holds lands and thus something to be attacked.

As I think it is more interesting where Australia is the "bad" guy.
 
I see now. The 1919 Peace Conference had the Japanese delegation make remarks that the territory was promised to them by the British. This was a spoken word offer which, at least in the book I read, was not explicitly denied but focused on "British forces took it." So no Japan did not take it but Australia did. I was wrong.

So I guess it would need to be Japanese actions in 1920... which is kind of silly. So maybe Japan was a little more successful in 1914-15? They got a port or something in the north...
View attachment 20029

So Japan holds lands and thus something to be attacked.

As I think it is more interesting where Australia is the "bad" guy.
There's the bones of a good setting there, but it needs some refinement. The Australian forces which occupied German areas of New Guinea all moved by sea anyway - no-one other than the New Guineans themselves knew how to move through the interior of New Guinea in enough numbers to project power, so things went by boat. The main military targets were the radio stations (since they were giving intelligence to the German naval Far East Squadron), and these things are also relatively close together navally, so would probably all fall to whoever got there first. It's honestly hard to sea Japan getting there first, since Japan only entered the war due to the British alliance, and Australian troops began their preparations pretty much as soon as war was declared.

But there is another alternative: Nauru. Valuable at the time due to phosphate mining, but further from Australia and closer to islands which Japan occupied in OTL. Maybe due to (reasons) Japan gets there first and takes it here, but Australia claims it due to being (just) south of the equator?
 
There's the bones of a good setting there, but it needs some refinement. The Australian forces which occupied German areas of New Guinea all moved by sea anyway - no-one other than the New Guineans themselves knew how to move through the interior of New Guinea in enough numbers to project power, so things went by boat. The main military targets were the radio stations (since they were giving intelligence to the German naval Far East Squadron), and these things are also relatively close together navally, so would probably all fall to whoever got there first. It's honestly hard to sea Japan getting there first, since Japan only entered the war due to the British alliance, and Australian troops began their preparations pretty much as soon as war was declared.

But there is another alternative: Nauru. Valuable at the time due to phosphate mining, but further from Australia and closer to islands which Japan occupied in OTL. Maybe due to (reasons) Japan gets there first and takes it here, but Australia claims it due to being (just) south of the equator?

Maybe... I lean towards New Guinea only as it allows Australia direct access to the Japanese without needing a navy. As Nauru is quite distant from Australia.

Maybe the Germans themselves have more ATL colonial holdings?

Maybe this does it:
"The Dutch monarch, Queen Wilhelmina, was known for her fierce patriotism and strong-willed nature. Wilhelmina leaned towards sympathy for France and Belgium, but only in private. She evinced a neutral stance in public. Her German husband, the prince-consort Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, was openly pro-German. His nephew, Frederick Francis IV, served in the German army."

For whatever reason Netherlands is in WWI as a german ally. Thus all her colonies are open to attack. The Japanese took a few islands from Indonesia, as did ANZAC and British forces in Asia. Japan in 1919 was "allowed" to have Sulawesi and they were to "give up" West Papua. Japan does not leave. So Australian "nationalist" have a few "exercises" over the border.

This gets me the skirmish I want but also keeps it low key enough to be an "incident" on a global scale. As before my focus, and the utter dog shit outline I have, needs Australia as the bad guy. It lets me bring up the Japanese "Racial Equality" clause in the league of nations charter and Billy Hughes own "white australia" speeches.
 
For whatever reason Netherlands is in WWI as a german ally. Thus all her colonies are open to attack. The Japanese took a few islands from Indonesia, as did ANZAC and British forces in Asia. Japan in 1919 was "allowed" to have Sulawesi and they were to "give up" West Papua. Japan does not leave. So Australian "nationalist" have a few "exercises" over the border.

This gets me the skirmish I want but also keeps it low key enough to be an "incident" on a global scale. As before my focus, and the utter dog shit outline I have, needs Australia as the bad guy. It lets me bring up the Japanese "Racial Equality" clause in the league of nations charter and Billy Hughes own "white australia" speeches.
I think that does it as a setting. The details of how the Netherlands ended up in WW1 can certainly be left vague since it's not relevant to an Australian-themed story. Once you have a more detailed outline, would you like to send it to me at the collection email (jaredkavanaghaustralia (at) gmail (dot) com)?
 
I think that does it as a setting. The details of how the Netherlands ended up in WW1 can certainly be left vague since it's not relevant to an Australian-themed story. Once you have a more detailed outline, would you like to send it to me at the collection email (jaredkavanaghaustralia (at) gmail (dot) com)?

Will do.
 
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