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Publisher of the Niche,
the Oddball,
the Unsettling...

We are a small press publisher operating out of Melbourne, Australia. Our current and forthcoming publications include science fiction and horror titles, management guides, single-author collections, novels and novellas, and funny cat books.

Current Titles

Conversations With My Cat

What does Schrödinger’s Cat have to do with a chewed computer cord? How do you fit work around a cat’s napping schedule? Why do cats change their minds as soon as you open the door for them?
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The Dark Man, By Referral and Less Pleasant Tales

An abused child encounters the local urban legend – the monstrous Dark Man – and finds himself querying the definition of ‘monster’.
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All I Want For Christmas: (Not) A Heartwarming Yuletide Novella

All I Want For Christmas

It’s Christmastime, and retired squadleader Sneet must help claim the primitive planet Earth for the glory of the G’norr Dominion…by masquerading as a shopping mall Santa....
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Daily Grind and Other Astounding Stories of Mundane Matters

Daily Grind and Other Astounding Stories of Mundane Matters

The difference between the everyday and the astounding depends entirely upon your viewpoint... A collection of the complete science fiction works of award-nominated author Chuck McKenzie.
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Time Spent With A Cat

Time Spent With A Cat

The best Hard-SF gonzo-fantasy murder-mystery novella featuring a possibly-imaginary talking cat you'll ever read, probably.
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Latest News

Time Spent With A Cat

New Releases!

New Releases from Daft Notions!
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Asylumfest 2024

Upcoming Event: Asylumfest 2024

Next Event: Metro Comic Con
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Asylumfest 2024

Next Event: Asylumfest

Next Event: Metro Comic Con
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Metro Comic Con

Next Event: Metro Comic Con

Next Event: Metro Comic Con
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Aurealis Award Nomination!

The Dark Man, By Referral nominated for award.
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Recent Events

Recent events attended by Daft Notions...
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PRE-SURGERY / CHRISTMAS SALE! As some of you may know, I'm scheduled to undergo a quadruple+ heart bypass on Nov 11. Which of course means that it's the perfect time to grab signed copies of my books - just in case! So, from now until Nov 7, I'm offering the following deals: Buy a copy of any of the collections, Daily Grind, The Dark Man, By Referral, or Conversations With My Cat for AU$25, and get a copy of either of my current novellas, All I Want For Christmas or Time Spent With A Cat, for just $5 ($15 each if purchased individually - be aware that both novellas are included in the Daily Grind collection). Buy any TWO collections, and receive a novella of your choice FREE. Postage anywhere within Australia AU$10, US AU$20, UK AU$25. DM orders to me with autograph specifications, postal address, and payment preference (PayPal or direct bank transfer). And remember: if you're lucky, these signed copies could be worth a lot soon! If I'M lucky, it'll be a few years more... #daftnotions #chuckmckenzie #conversationswithmycat #macreadymckenzie #ripleymckenzie #thedarkmanbyreferral #alliwantforchristmas #timespentwithacat #dailygrind #horrorstories #sciencefiction #humor #authorgram #writergram #horror #horrorstories #cattitude #catsofinstagram #catsofday
Asylumfest Day 2: more traders! Quueter than Day 1, but still bustling along nicely 🙂 @asylumfest #asylumfest #chuckmckenzie #macreadymckenzie #ripleymckenzie #conversationswithmycat #thedarkmanbyreferral #alliwantforchristmas #timespentwithacat #dailygrind #horrorstories #horrorfan #cat #catsofinstagram #sciencefiction #santa #aliensanta #beechworthasylum #beechworth #ghosttour #author #writergram #allintheedit @its.allintheedit #horrorcon #horrorconvention
Day 1 of Asylumfest. I'd hoped to post trader pics earlier in the day, but things got so astoundingly busy as soon as the doors opened that I was flat out serving attendees for the first three hours, after which it 'slowed' (ha!) to a more manageable pace. Busiest single day of any convention I've ever traded at, and there's still one day to go! #beechworthasylum #beechworth @asylumfest #asylumfest #horror #horrorconvention #horrorconventions #horrorcon #aussiehorror #australianhorror #horrorfan #ghosttour #beechworthasylum
UPCOMING EVENT! Asylumfest, Oct 25-27, Mayday Hills Asylum, 22 Kurrajong Way, Beechworth VIC 3747. FREE event, but registration essential (via the link below). https://www.asylumfest.com.au/ Along with copies of the horror collection, The Dark Man, By Referral and Less Pleasant Tales, author Chuck McKenzie will be selling and signing copies of his cat-related titles, Conversations With My Cat, and the new hard-SF gonzo-fantasy murder-mystery novella, Time Spent With A Cat, as well as the SF/comedy novella, All I Want For Christmas, and the brand new SF collection, Daily Grind and Other Astounding Stories of Mundane Matters. Sarah from All In The Edit will also be attending to discuss her range of author services. We hope to see you there this weekend! #daftnotions #chuckmckenzie @conversations.with.my.cat #conversationswithmycat #macreadymckenzie #ripleymckenzie #dailygrind #alliwantforchristmas #thedarkmanbyreferral #timespentwithacat @asylumghosttours #asylumfest @asylumfest #horrorcon #horrorconvention #horrorconventions #cat #christmas #murdermystery #crimefiction #sciencefiction #ghost #ghosttour
WOOT! Brand new titles from Daft Notions just landed! Daily Grind and Other Astounding Stories of Mundane Matters: A conversation between two aliens reveals that some aspects of working life are universal. A daring hero defiantly battles Alien Space Nazis for the fate of the galaxy—but doesn’t it all seem just little bit…unlikely? In this collection, comprising the complete science fiction stories of author Chuck McKenzie, you’ll find tales of time-travellers, interstellar scam artists, and interdimensional expeditions; of alien invaders masquerading as Santa, and others offering services that sound too good to be true; of bushrangers battling H.G. Wells’ Martians, and the unthinkable results of doubling the average human lifespan. And other astounding stories of relatively mundane matters… Time Spent With A Cat: My name's Jim Carpenter. I'm a private eye. And business has been in the toilet since everyone found themselves saddled with an ethereal entity that floats beside them. Mine is a wiseass talking cat. I hate cats. But's that's not my biggest problem, because a cashed-up frenemy from my military days has just given me six hours to solve the murder of a scientist who was working on something very special for the Special Weapons Division. Shot in the head, only one possible killer, witnesses on the scene within seconds. Should be an easy case, right? Except that, impossibly, the weapon and bullet have both vanished. And the clock is ticking. Copies of both titles will be available at @asylumfest this coming weekend (Oct 25-27), along with copies of Conversations With My Cat, The Dark Man, By Referral and Less Pleasant Tales, and All I Want For Christmas. Be sure to register to attend this FREE event! https://www.asylumfest.com.au/ #asylumfest #horrorconvention #horrorcon #beechworth #beechworthasylum #ghosttour #author #authorsofinstagram #authorgram @its.allintheedit #allintheedit #dailygrind #timespentwithacat #alliwantforchristmas #thedarkmanbyreferral #conversationswithmycat #horrorstories #horror #sciencefiction #humour #humor #cats #australianhorror #macreadymckenzie #ripleymckenzie #macabre #whimsical
'The Thing Under the Bed wasn't real. He knew that. But he also knew that if he kept his feet safely on top of his mattress, The Thing Under the Bed would never get the opportunity to reach out and grab his ankles...' From my free Flash Fiction piece, 'Tenant', now up on Antipodean SF (Issue 312). https://www.antisf.com/the-stories/tenant #horror #horrorstories #horrorshortstories #flashfiction #antipodeansf #aussiehorror #thethingunderthebed #underthebed #childhoodhorror #chuckmckenzie #creepy
So my quadruple-bypass surgery has been scheduled for Nov 11th, and I'm prepping for it by releasing two new titles for Asylumfest (October 25-27). Daily Grind and Other Astounding Stories of Mundane Matters is a collection of my (mostly humorous) science fiction tales from the past 25 years. Time Spent With A Cat (with cover art by @gregschapman76 ) is a hard SF, gonzo-fantasy murder mystery novella - expanded from my short story of the same name published in Who Sleuthed It? (Clan Destine Press, 2021) - that features a talking cat. I'll be selling and signing copies of both titles, along with copies of all my existing books, at Asylumfest, and will post additional ordering details soon! #chuckmckenzie #macreadymckenzie #ripleymckenzie #conversationswithmycat #alliwantforchristmas #thedarkmanbyreferral #dailygrind #timespentwithacat #daftnotions #sciencefiction #horror #humour #aliensanta #slenderman #gregchapman #australianauthor #indieauthor #indiepress
It's mah birthday, and my lovely fiance (who is a massive Swayze fan) gifted me this book WHICH SHE SWEARS IS NOT AN INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE I NEED TO READ BEFORE GETTING MARRIED. #chuckmckenzie #australianauthor #author #authorsofinstagram #sarahlemcke #allintheedit @its.allintheedit #editor #australianeditor #editingservices #engaged #gonnagetmarried #patrickswayze #dirtydancing
As an author I've hugely valued the amazing work my editor, Sarah, has done in whipping my manuscripts into publishable shape over the past couple of years. In fact, I value her so much that tonight I decided to ask her to be my Editor For Life...which is, of course, rhyming slang. Reader, she said Yes! @its.allintheedit #allintheedit #chuckmckenzie #engaged #proposal #gonnagetmarried #editingservices #editing #authorgram
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