I’ve been a bit negligent of this poor website recently, so I’m taking a moment to plug some new stories that are out now or due out in the near future.
First of all, and because it has a wonderful Richard Wagner illustration, there’s “Vermin Control” in IZ Digital:
IZ Digital is the online spin-off of Interzone, Britain’s longest-running SF mag, now edited by Gareth Jelley — check out https://interzone.press/iz/ for details. Meanwhile, “Vermin Control” can be read for free at https://interzone.digital/vermin-control/. I was really impressed with the illustration for this, which captures the spirit of the piece perfectly.
Andrew Hook published my first story collection, The Life to Come, and he’s back with a new crime-oriented imprint, Headshot Press https://headshotpress.com/. Bang! is an anthology of modern noir, opening with my piece, “Out of Town”. Get your cynicism, fatalism and moral ambiguity right here, folks:
https://headshotpress.com/store/
Andy Cox is another editor who’s played a significant part in my life. Andy published my first story in The Third Alternative, and went on to publish a fair quantity of my work in both Interzone and Black Static. Sadly, all good things must end, and he’s now retiring from the fray, leaving behind a legacy of extraordinary fiction and criticism. The final Black Static, a double issue comprising 82/83, includes my story, “Summer of Love”, a kind of meta-horror piece that… well, you can find it yourself here:
https://shop.ttapress.com/collections/black-static
I had a few stories in PS Publishing’s excellent Postscripts some years ago, and now I’m in their anthology of Lovecraftian tales, Shadows Out of Time, edited by Darrell Schweitzer. PS has really grown in the last few years and is well worth checking out. My story here is a short one — “Genghis at the Gate of Dreams” — but the good news is, there’s going to be a sequel, Cold War Cthulhu, featuring a very odd Lovecraft/William Burroughs mash-up… of which more news later.
Then we’ve got a reprint. “Soldier’s Things” appeared in Interzone, got some kind reviews, and even a little Hollywood interest (which came to nothing, as these things do). Still, it was nice to be noticed — it doesn’t happen often. Now Shacklebound Books have reprinted it for Eric Fomley’s SFF Excursion series. If you like military SF, this is the one for you. You can find it on Amazon — type “War Pawns Fomley” and it should show up.
All the above anthologies contain stories by other authors, most of them far more illustrious than I am. Aside from the sheer entertainment value, it’s worth checking them out to see what’s happening in the field as a whole. Personally, I’m delighted to be included in these publications, and share shelf-space with so many great writers. Thanks to all the editors involved.
There’s more to come, but for now I’ll just plug Sophie Essex’s upcoming anthology At the Lighthouse, due from Eibonvale Press https://www.eibonvalepress.co.uk/index.htm. Also, take a look at Incunabula Media https://incunabulamedia.com/. If your taste runs to the weird, the off-beat and the just plain odd, you should find something here you’ll love. I’ll tell you more later…
Thanks for reading, and take care of yourselves — it’s a rough old world out there.
Tim Lees 