Read 2020 - 9 - Crimewave

I bought CRIMEWAVE 12: HURTS from Roy Gray (at the TTA Press table) at a convention - I think it was Edge Lit, year unknown. It's definitely lingered on the to-read-shelf for a handful of years. Crimewave is a sister publication to Black Static and Interzone, but published infrequently.

Favourite stories this issue were Melanie Tem's Singularity, a gentle tale of vicious things. Joel Lane's excellent By Night He Could Not See, a story about the past coming back to haunt. The unnerving Unfinished Business by Christopher Priest,where a naked man watches and a debt is to be paid. For me, the best of this issue was Anthony Mann's The Simpson Frames a humorous tale and a quirky, disturbing character that I would love to read more about.

Somewhere in the dark depths of the Bestwick's study lurks Crimewave 13.

TTA Press are offering free electronic copies of Black Static issue 19, which includes fiction by Ray Cluley, Simon Clark, Steve Rasmic Tem, Joel Lane and Lavie Tidhar. Take my word for it, those stories are worth reading.

You can download the magazine at Smashwords.

Attended another Twisted Tales event last night (I blogged about the last one here) at Waterstones in Liverpool One. This time the guys at Waterstones were celebrating the release of the PS Publishing anthology Gutshot.

First off there was an introduction by anthology editor, Conrad Williams followed by readings from Gary McMahon, Joel Lane and Amanda Hemingway. After the readings there was a question and answer session which my pal Simon Bestwick joined because he's also in the anthology.

How cool is my city?

Before the event I met Simon Bestwick, Gary McMahon and Joel Lane in the cafe opposite Waterstones. Never mind my city, how cool am I? I've met Joel before (briefly), but it's the first time I've met Gary and as expected he's super awesome as well as being super talented. Picked up Gary's The Concrete Grove and of course Gutshot. The anthology is available from PS Publishing.

The next Twisted Tales event has readings by Ramsey Campbell and Pete Crowther. Again, how cool is my city?

I'm So Last Century

Way back in the late 1990s the British small press was thriving and Kimota was an important part of the scene. I was lucky enough to have three short stories published in the magazine and when I say lucky, I mean lucky. My stories appeared alongside Joel Lane, Paul Finch, Peter Tennant, Jenny Barber, Steve Lockley and countless others.

The British small press of the 1990s birthed many of today's major stars.

Now, in the bright-dizzy age of the internet, Kimota has been rebirthed as an anthology and appropriately, as it's e-book week, as an ebook (available from Amazon).

When the editor, Graeme Hurry, contacted me late last year asking if he could republish my old stories in the anthology (which is a collection of stories that originally appeared in the magazine) I had a mini panic attack. Nooooooooo. I feel my writing has moved on and, hopefully, improved. So I asked if Graeme would be willing to accept a recent reprint instead. Which he did. And thus, 'Treading the Regolith' (originally published in M-Brane SF) found a new home.

The anthology features stories from Neal Asher, Peter Crowther, Paul Finch, Stephen Laws, Mark Chadbourn, Nicholas Royle, Mark Morris, William Miekle, D.F. Lewis, Suzanne J Barbieri, Stuart Young and others. Of course, that means I just got lucky again.

Graeme is hoping to launch a new 21st century magazine Kzine later this year. Keep an eye out for it and don't forget to submit.

Space, Time and Open Mouthed

The planned writing break ended before it began. I have no problem with that. In fact, I think I'll threaten the muse every week and get it to kick its ass in gear. Worked on a short story this morning that has so much running under the surface, I think I may have to dredge a canal.

Spent this afternoon in the company of esteemed writers (Simon Beswick, Ally Bird and Joel Lane). I think I looked like a mannequin set to 'awe' and maybe a nodding dog. I felt like a pretend writer. Heck, with the time I spend on twitter even my laptop thinks I'm a pretend writer. Oops! I have to say Allyson Bird is one of the loveliest people ever. Not that Simon and Joel aren't of course.

Then, I arrive home and yay, the new issue of Space and Time is out in the world (and should be in bookstores in Canada) and my name is on the cover. Or rather my old name. I think this is the last story out in the wild that will appear under the name Catherine J Gardner. I should mark the name's passing with a moments silence or a biscuit.