Tom Flood - Editor
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
A writer, editor, copy editor and proofreader for 36 years, Tom has also judged major literary awards and helped over 75 authors to publish.
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Overview
Tom Flood is the administrator and editor/assessor of his own writers' service. He has been a writer, editor, copy editor and proofreader for many years and has experience in many areas of writing, from picture books to literary fiction and non-fiction. He has been a highly regarded assessor at Driftwood Manuscripts and at Manuscripts Online. He was Chief Fiction Judge for NSW Premiers Awards 2003 (and also judged in 1993) and has judged and been on selection panels for NSW Premiers Writers Fellowship, Sydney University Fiction Award, Harper Collins Manuscript Award, Varuna, A Writers House and the Short and Sweet Theatre Festival 2007. He has edited and proofread for McPhee Gribble and Penguin, launched books for Allen&Unwin, Angus&Robertson and many other publishers, and has read, taught, lectured and spoken on creative writing from Perth to Paris. As a writer, Tom's work has won The Miles Franklin Award, the Victorian Premiers Award, the Australian/Vogel Award and the Orange Banjo Paterson Short Story Award. His writing has been commissioned in collections, journals and newspapers in Australia, UK and USA, for screen, stage and radio, and is also exhibited in the National Museum of Australia. He is also a working musician/singer/songwriter in the acoustic roots group Blues Angels. 'Flood is bringing Australian fiction to a place where it might take ten or twenty years for most other writers to catch up.' Prof. Nicholas Birns, American Assoc. of Australian Lit. Studies, in Review of Contemporary Fiction, Vol. XXVII|Fall 2007, Dalkey Archive, University of Illinois, Ann Arbor, Ill. As an award-winning author, a literary judge, a teacher, editor and assessor, Tom has a knowledge and love of the craft of writing and brings exacting standards and, through his family, a lifetime of experience to the work before him, matching helpful criticism with empathy and respect for the work and its author.
Languages
English (AUS)
English (NZ)
English (SA)
English (UK)
English (US)
Fiction
Action & Adventure
Comics & Graphic Novels
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Horror
Humor & Comedy
LGBTQ (Fiction)
Literary Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Picture Books
Romance
Science Fiction
Thriller & Suspense
Women's Fiction
Young Adult
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
History
Humanities & Social Sciences
Music
New Age
Political Science & Current Affairs
Religion & Spirituality
Self-help & Self-improvement
Sex & Relationships
Travel
Awards
- The Australian/Vogel Award 1988
- The Victorian Premier's Award for Fiction 1990
- The Miles Franklin Award 1990
- The Orange Banjo Patterson Award for Fiction 2003
- Pozieres: shortlisted Manning Clark House Cultural Award 2011.
- Energy Intelligence: Bronze Medal eLit Book Awards 2011.
- Tales from A Mountain City: shortlisted Asher Awards 2011, shortlisted William Saroyan International Prize for Literature 2012.
- Rohallion Dawn: shortlisted Dundee Internation Book Prize 2009, longlisted Amazon Manuscript Award 2009.
- The Last Whale: shortlisted Frank Broeze Memorial Maritime History Book Prize 2009
- Digging at the Crossroads of Time: Silver Medal, Independent Publishing Awards (IPPYs)
- The Pilo Family Circus. Winner ABC Book Awards + 4 more Aussie speculative awards, and shortlisted International Horror Guild Award 2011
- Who We Were. Shortlisted ACT Book of the Year 2014
- Amplify. Shortlisted Ned Kelly 1st Book Award 2016
Work experience
Editor
Reedsy
December, 2015
–
December, 2015
(1 day)
Bryce Fegan 11:25 AM
Hi Tom. Thank you for your work. It looks great - just what I was after. The text is now with an illustrator and I estimate that it will be sent to a designer around mid-March. I have a few more manuscripts to be edited in the new year, so if you're still available, I might contact you again later in the new year. Thanks again.
Editor/Assessor.
Reedsy
January, 2014
–
January, 2014
(less than a minute)
I've been meaning to write to you about how I incorporated your "thoughts" into the final manuscript. You had many, but the one that really struck me was that I had not respected my compact with the reader. This was made especially worse by the fact that you were right. I was determined to fix that error. So, I rewrote the end. I do think it interesting that the whole edit took me less than two hours. It was as though the story was waiting for me to find it (with your help!)
I do feel very lucky to have you as my editor, Tom. Thanks for your honesty. I'm getting ready to start my next book (which may very well not be a sequel--I haven't decided yet). It's comforting to know that, whatever I decide, you'll be the one helping me get it right.
Best,
Julia York ('The God Bride') May 2015.
Portfolio (49 selected works)
The Kite Zoo
Raji Fernando
Ben and Oli live on a peaceful farm on the Hawkesbury River, but their idyllic life is about to change. After a flood, their grandfather drowns and there is no money to pay the mortgage. Their mother wants to sell their farm, but the children don’t want to leave, and neither does their father. Oli inspires her Father to build a Kite Zoo. When he makes a magical pelican-kite and gives life to i... read more
The Book of Occult
Simon W. Clark
One man’s search for a mystery author catapults him into a dangerous race to unlock esoteric wisdom that has been hidden and disputed for thousands of years
PRIMAL Unleashed (The PRIMAL Series Book 2)
Jack Silkstone
PRIMAL is a team of elite operatives, hell bent on fighting for the downtrodden and oppressed. A renegade agency waging a secret war against the untouchables; powerful criminals, greed driven corporations, and twisted politicians. With cutting-edge technology and tactics they strike across the globe with impunity, stepping in where governments fail.PRIMAL books are dedicated to those who have ... read more
Cicada
Moira McKinnon
A stunning novel of terror, love and survival in the greatest wilderness on earth. A lyrical, heartbreaking epic debut.An isolated property in the middle of Western Australia, just after the Great War. An English heiress has just given birth and unleashed hell. Weakened and grieving, she realises her life is in danger, and flees into the desert with her Aboriginal maid. One of them is running ... read more
Yellow Tag (Pervideo Series Book 1)
Kep Lagrange
He never liked going outside, it wasn’t safe.But he had no choice.Conroy braves the brutal heat and radiation of a violent star to repair the damaged hull of the space survey ship Pervideo.Outside and alone, the vast unforgiving nature of space turns against him as he struggles to get back inside before time runs out. Inside to safety... but sometimes the greatest danger lies within.A novella ... read more
The Trials of Tiah...Riley
Evelyn DeVere
Follow Tiah in her romantic adventures as she navigates through the pitfalls of her relationships. From spoiled heiresses, to disgruntled divas Tiah has to deal with how to get closer to the incredibly sexy and very remote Riley Lytton. Crafting a careful relationship with his sister Tiah discovers that perhaps she was better off staying with her original friends. At least that might keep the ... read more
Nowhere
Glenn H Mitchell
Nowhere is the name we’ve given to that tempting and frightening uncharted space beyond the planets we mine and the wars we wage. Nobody has jurisdiction in it. Nobody is safe in it. Nowhere is a haven for criminals but even the most defiant won’t venture far into the void. Nowhere is a destination for the spiritual. Some say it’s the closest you’ll come to God. Others say, ‘careful what you w... read more
Eyes of Madness
David Cole
A riveting fusion of fact and fictionWoven into a powerful storyline with great characters from this new authorKathryn Novak is a brilliant Crown Prosecutor who has migrated from Canada to establish a new life in Australia, papering over a troubled childhood, now relegated to the deep recesses of her mind, marked never to be opened.But her born again Aussie lifestyle is ruptured when the death... read more
Sea Dog Hotel
Marlish Glorie
Sea Dog Hotel is a symbolic look into tiny town life in the marginal scrub of Western Australia. It poses the questions, what is happiness, and how is it found by the strange and cursed Ruth and her beautiful but sour seed, Grace, who wash up in the equally cursed Nyacoppin. The town is as far from the ocean as it is from the capital. Ruth, searching for happiness buys the local pub, The Sea D... read more
Angel's Harp
Philip Newey
"The bonds in molecules vibrate too, making endless symphonies. Each molecule is a little angel's harp." Thus writes the young Alan to Beth. Beth whom he has never met, but who lived in the house next door fifteen years earlier. Alan and Melanie growing up in an Australian suburb in the 1960s/70s; Beth growing up in the same suburb in the 1940s/50s. What strange orchestration weaves their live... read more
Butchers Parade: revised edition
David Morisset
This revised edition of 'Butchers Parade' includes some new material and minor corrections. Like the original version it adopts a perspective sometimes described as nostalgic realism. It unfolds like a series of black and white photographs depicting a patchwork past. Set in the third quarter of the twentieth century, most of the stories of 'Butchers Parade' take place in Redgate, a meatworks t... read more
PRIMAL Vengeance (The PRIMAL Series)
Jack Silkstone
The native Dinka tribe of South Sudan is waging a war of wills for a better future—against a ruthless Chinese magnate determined to possess the impoverished nation’s only asset: its oil-rich land. It’s a David-and-Goliath struggle in danger of ending brutally in the giant’s favor thanks to the murderous forces of the Janjaweed, the dreaded Arab militia that outnumbers and outguns the Dinka’s r... read more
Digging at the Crossroads of Time
Christos Morris
While exhuming human remains within a collapsed Minoan temple, a respected archaeologist senses a need to look beyond the bones and shards of his discovery. When he digs deeper into the mysteries of the mountain, there are unexpected consequences for himself and the small Greek fishing village below. When death descends, supersititious villagers cry out to bury the discovery and "let the dead ... read more
Lavender Skies
Tony Ivers
‘Lavender skies displays a love of Australian history and a good yarn. The author has clearly immersed himself in the local history of this region and the nation,’ Brian Cook, The Manuscript Appraisal Agency.AUSTRALIAN FOLKLORE IS STILL ALIVEFollowing the premature death of his father Jack bares a heavy burden to keep the hopes and aspirations of his small town alive by finding the elusive ric... read more
PRIMAL Fury (The PRIMAL Series)
Jack Silkstone
Beautiful young women are being kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery by a ruthless crime syndicate that the law can’t—or won’t—touch. But after years of terror and abuse, one victim manages to strike back…with the help of PRIMAL. Now, the covert vigilante team lays siege to a medieval-era castle where the barbarism of bygone ages is alive and well. Once PRIMAL’s deadly operatives bring high-... read more
The Okapi Promise
Paula Boer
A new drug that promises a cure for rabies is discovered in the heart of Africa in 1990. Two adversaries, unknown to each other, join a small tour group to gain the serum. One wants to use the cure for the good of all mankind; the other for personal glory and profit. Amidst dramatic scenery, the nine travellers are threatened by wild animals, civil unrest and appalling conditions. The physical... read more
The Antarctic Code
Deo De Wit
Scientists discover an unusual influenza virus in an Adélie penguin colony in Antarctica and attempt to unravel the genetic code responsible for its unusual properties. The story then tracks the lives and interpersonal relationships of three Californian siblings - a female detective, a male research scientist and a male infectious diseases specialist - across four continents as they follow clu... read more
Elements of Nature
Jerry Cayzer
In this story set in Turkey in the Cold War days of the 1970s, Englishman Garry Spencer is tasked by the United Nations with investigating industrial environment problems. The illicit use of a new energy-rich mineral intervenes, together with vindictive disposal of toxic residues. Two brutal murders with sectarian overtones complicate matters. Eastern and Western morals clash in this story, an... read more
Even before Cyclone Amora hit, Annie Terter was in trouble. Her yacht charter business on the brink. Her daughter facing suspension. Her yachtmaster lusting after her. And the Baron's gorgeous marina manager, Jack Pallant, her business foe by day, would-be lover by night. Out in the Whitsunday Islands, Annie narrowly avoids rape and wipe-out by Amora only to succumb to a man she had loved to hate.
Babes in the Water: Barging In Europe - The Perfect Baby Boomer Adventure
Stephanie Kalesh, Ric Kalesh
What should you do when you’ve never even been in a rowboat, but discover one boring Saturday morning, as you were reading two inches in a travel column, an instant but hitherto totally unknown passion to live and cruise on a barge in Europe? Should you give your Australian life the flick, pack your midlife crisis in two suitcases, kiss family and friends goodbye and grab a plane to the other ... read more
The Scent of Murder
Felicity Young
The third Dr Dody McCleland mystery ... Agatha Christie meets Phryne Fisher. 'If a black dog appears along the old corpse way, the route a funeral procession takes to the churchyard, it is thought to be escorting the dead soul to the afterlife. A black dog sighting without a funeral procession, however, is supposed to foreshadow death.' For Doctor Dody McCleland, the unearthing of an ancient s... read more
Who We Were
Lucy Neave
Triangle Trade
Geoff Woodland
In 1804, Liverpool was the largest slave trading port in Great Britain, yet her influential traders felt threatened by the success, in Parliament, of the anti-slavery movement. Few, in Liverpool, condemned the 'Trade'. William King, son of a Liverpool slave trader, sickened by what he experienced aboard a Spanish slaver, was one of the few who did speak out. This epic, set during the dying day... read more
Elsewhere in Success
Iris Lavell
In a suburb called Success, failure is not an option.Harry and Louisa look like an ordinary couple. They live in an ordinary house in an ordinary street in a suburb called Success. Harry says it is better to let sleeping dogs lie. But Buster their dog isn’t one for lying still, and even Harry can’t resist digging up the lawnmower he finds buried in the yard. Louisa, too, wishes things would ju... read more
Bollywood Extras
Dr D. Bruno Starrs
"Bollywood Extras" is an exercise in literary post-modernism and has been described as a bit like Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" (1955) meets Nathanael West's "Day of the Locust" (1939). Unlike those two classics, however, this new novel by Dr D. Bruno Starrs is set in 21st Century India's Hindi-language film industry epicenter otherwise known as 'Bollywood', Mumbai's answer to America's 'Hollywo... read more
A powerful, surprisingly funny, and ultimately uplifting account of life on the medical frontline, and a moving testimony of the work done by Medecins Sans Frontieres Damien Brown, a young doctor, thinks he's ready when he arrives for his first posting with Medecins Sans Frontieres in Africa. But the town he's sent to is an isolated outpost of mud huts, surrounded by landmines; the hospital, f... read more
Pozières: The Anzac Story
Scott Bennett
The capture of Pozières in 1916 was heralded as a stunning tactical victory for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, yet, for the exhausted survivors, the war-weary public, and the families of the dead and maimed, victory came at such terrible cost it seemed indistinguishable from defeat. Via letters and diaries, this account tells the stories of those men who fought at Pozières, reveali... read more
Lithgow
Chris Craig
Hamish McCallum fought in the battle of Waterloo; one of the Gordon Highlanders. Wounded, he survived, only to fall victim to the economic and social upheavals sweeping Scotland in the nineteenth century. His son, Dougal, takes his young family to seek a life in the new world.Lithgow is a portrait of free settlers coming to Australia in the mid nineteenth century. It brings to life the turmoil... read more
The Father (The House of Thunder Book 1)
Chris Craig
264BC. Rome has completed her conquest of the Italian Peninsula and stands eyeball to eyeball with the ancient trading empire of Carthage across the Strait of Messena. One man stands between Rome and her goal of world domination: Hamilcar Barca, father of the most famous Carthaginian General, Hannibal. This is the story of the Barca family’s pivotal role in the First Punic War and the events w... read more
The Great Kieranski and the Bardbuy
Cate Mara
If you or your child enjoy reading MG chapter books, Cate Mara's new book The Great Kieranski and the Bardbuy will certainly provide hours of enjoyment! Meet "Great Kieranski". On his last day of the summer holiday before school starts again, he is determined to have an adventure, even if it means inventing one! Joined by his crew of best mates, he uses recent events as a reason to save their ... read more
Energy Intelligence
Aleksandra Zaric
'Energy Intelligence' is a unique and refreshing approach to success and happiness in personal development. It addresses the way our minds work and how it impacts on the emotions we feel; the words we say and our actions. By reprogramming our minds with spiritual understanding, we can re-map and change our reality through gentle, practical techniques that can be implemented immediately. By lis... read more
Old Shemiran Road
David Morisset
A beautiful Persian woman and a naïve Western man are drawn together by love and desire in the rapidly changing Iran of the 1970s. But their romance is cut short when Manijeh and Ben are cruelly separated by family ties and cultural clashes. Just when all seems lost, violent revolution and political betrayal provide the incentive for them to start again, if they have the courage. In 2010 David... read more
* Shortlisted for the Asher Literary Award in 2011 * * Shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing in 2012 *What happens to a Vietnamese family when a change of government turns their whole world upside down? How would you feel if your money lost its value overnight? If a group of soldiers moved into your house? If your books were thrown on a bonfire in your yard? If yo... read more
Published by CUSTOM BOOK PUBLICATIONS ALL THE CARDINAL'S MEN . The young boys had nowhere to go, no one to trust. Victims at twelve, they could not comprehend the systematic abuse and excruciating pain. They cried until there were no more tears left – then they escaped! An engrossing story of priests, paedophilia and murder could be anywhere where institutions have ignored or covered up for th... read more
The Last Whale
Chris Pash
At the end of the 1970s, one young reporter bears witness to the final days of Australia’s whaling industry. Thirty years after the last whale was captured and slaughtered in Australia, this incisive account tells the very human story of the characters and events that brought whaling to an end. This fair and balanced account portrays the raw adventure of going to sea, the perils of being a wha... read more
Parable of the Two Sons
Christopher Bevan
This is a story of a search for the truth about a father's love for his wife, for his two young sons and for a man who alleges he is the father's lover after his friend's wife is tragically killed in a car accident. It is about one son's search for the truth for the sake of his peace of mind and that of his older brother. It is the story of Ken Wainwright and his sons, Augie and Fabe, a story ... read more
Vampiris Sancti: The Elf (Volume 1)
Katri Cardew
Elves have mastered four elements that ensure their survival in the harshest of environments; they lie exceptionally well, their preference for the unexpected is constant, they can often hide in plain sight, and if worse comes to worse they can seduce their way into safety. Zyre is no exception as she uses all her magical abilities to escape being stalked by a dangerous demon prince. The unive... read more
Vampiris Sancti: The Vampire (Volume 2)
Katri Cardew
My name was Bethany Trent and at age twenty three years, six months, four days and ten minutes I ceased to exist. Don’t misunderstand, I didn’t die, I won’t die for an eternity by human standards, instead I was removed from everything that used to be my life. Created as a tool for revenge, Bethany Trent discovered herself Unveiled as a Vampire for no more reason that she resembled a long dead ... read more
Sly, seductive, selfish, the immaculate creature known as Florian Ribeni prized being a Vampire for he was vain enough to choose beauty and youth over wisdom and wise enough to appreciate a life without the boundaries of death, illness, or poverty. Not quite tied to gender preference Florian spent his nights lusting after the unattainable or engaging in sexual misadventures while shirking anyt... read more
Vampiris Sancti: The Demon Prince (Volume 3)
Katri Cardew
If the worlds of the Reveal were to be viewed from the outside, it would seem that humans wished to be Vampires, Vampires wished to be demons, demons wished to be magical, and the magical wished for peace of mind. It had taken many years for the demon prince of the human world to organise a betrothal with a magical Elf as well as orchestrate her arrival on world. Then there were the problems o... read more
The Ugly Daughter: A thrilling real life journey to self discovery, riches and spirituality
Julia Legian, Dawn Burke
The Ugly Daughter is a thrilling memoir, the gripping true story of a young girl who witnessed horrific murders and who overcame cruel abuse and unimaginable tragedies to find love and happiness.Julia Legian's emotionally, harrowing and fascinating memoir reveals how she endured a series of unbelievable tragedies and heartbreaking abuse from the hands of her parents and great aunty, and how sh... read more
Mudlark
Chris Matthews
"One person alone can wield the magic of the box, Lark. What we need to find out is if that person is you." "Why didn't you let me bring the box with me?" asked Lark. The earthwitch laughed. "You're sharp, boy. The truth? We didn't dare. We are not about to put the most precious vessel of our combined magical traditions in the hands of a young boy who has not been tested." "Are you prepared to... read more
Diamonds are forever... A tale of love, intrigue and lust! From the shadow she heard a booming voice. His lip curled spitting out the words with venom. 'He’s dead; I’ll take his share of the diamonds too.' A greedy look appeared in the tall shadow’s eyes. Her own words echoed back to her. 'The diamonds are yours anyway...' 'Well, then...' the booming voice paused for effect, 'I’ll take them no... read more
The Scientist: A Short Essay and Two Stories
Alex Pucci
What typifies a scientist? In a brief essay that is a bird's eye view of the character of scientists over time, specialty and method, we find that only one common denominator persists: their curiosity and passion for science. What happens then to this drive in the cutthroat biotech industry or in the ravines of bioethical issues like those relating to IVF? The two themes are developed in ficti... read more
The Pilo Family Circus
Will Elliott
You have two days to pass your audition. You better pass it, feller. You’re joining the circus. Ain’t that the best news you ever got?” Delivered by a trio of psychotic clowns, this ultimatum plunges Jamie into the horrific alternate universe that is the centuries-old Pilo Family Circus, a borderline world between Hell and Earth from which humankind’s greatest tragedies have been perpetrated.... read more
Sunstone
Inara Strungs
Jinx Farber is a beautiful, young portrait painter who is pregnant with her second child - and dying of melanoma. Felix Morton is the doctor who misdiagnosed her case and denied her the chance to be treated. Jinx is consumed with anger and spends her last months suing Felix. We experience the battle from both sides until finally Jinx gives birth to her daughter. And then everything changes.Thi... read more
Lucas Locke and The Vile Shadow Beasts
Cate Mara
Maybe spoiled, maybe selfish, and maybe not as human as he looks, Lucas Locke could be any boy from anywhere, except he isn’t. Lucas is the boy stolen from the only world he remembers by a magic book that could be a spell or curse, no one knows for certain.So what would happen if you fell into a magical world that had no magic, but everyone expects it of you?Transported into a cursed prison ca... read more
King Edward the Last
Graeme Ratcliffe
In December 1936 King Edward VIII is forced to make a choice between the crown and the love of his life, Wallis Simpson. If he chooses to marry Wallis, a divorcee, he must abdicate. History says he will throw away his crown for love, but what if he did not?The government is happy for Edward to keep seeing Wallis. It only refuses to accept any thought of marriage. What if he stays on the throne... read more
Flank Street (The Sydney Quartet Book 1)
A.J. Sendall
Awarded the AIA Seal of Excellence for Outstanding Fiction, and the prestigious B.R.A.G. Medallion, Flank street is an unforgettable novel from “One of the most distinct and exciting new voices in crime writing.”A woman with a lust for money and danger…A man with a hunger for risk and adrenaline…Can they con the Sydney underworld and get away with murder?Or will they both end up dumped in a da... read more
Tom has 8 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Editorial Assessment was prompt and provided clear insights that guided subsequent drafts. Tom's direction was decisive in regards to the elements of the novel that needed help, yet simultaneously provided supportive insights regarding the stronger aspects.
Cline Martin, July 2020
Working with Tom was made easy by his approachable manner, professional input, and prompt communication. There's no doubt my book was better for having worked with him.
A.J. Sendall, November 2017
Tom's comments were exceptionally thoughtful.
Woodlief Thomas, July 2017
Tom is a busy man but his product, whatever it is he's doing for you, is well worth the wait. You will get an honest, straight forward opinion or critique of your work. He's also not afraid to tell you what you're doing right. He made suggestions on my assessment that made perfect sense and allowed me to really add some substance to my work where it was lacking. He is tuned into the markets tha...
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Timothy Gabriel, July 2017
Tom uncapped his red pen and fought his way through the slurry of material that I provided him. I learned so much about how I write from his critique. The man knows his craft. Many thanks are owed to him to beat my manuscript into shape.
Neil Mosspark, May 2017
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