Tim Major's Blog, page 25

Favourite albums of 2014

Meshes of Voice by Jenny Hval & Susanna

Plotting a course between pretension and striking beauty, this album features more exquisite moments than any other this year. Jenny Hval���s impossibly high falsetto weaves in and out of Susanna���s warmer tones. Contrasting hummable melodies, the most unexpected elements are the unsettling drones, reaching a pinnacle in ���I Have Walked This Body.���

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Nothing Important by Richard Dawson

The title track is the single most exciting song I���ve heard all y...

Favourite books read in 2014

I���m ashamed to say that I didn���t read much this year (22 books, with two still unfinished). Blame my one-year-old son and my recent tendency to fall asleep after reading two or three pages in bed. (Having said that, I may have read Where The Wild Things Are more than 100 times.)

My absolute favourite this year was Stoner by John Williams, a story so familiar and everyday that each of the protagonist���s disappointments felt like a friend injured. Couples by John Updike didn���t let me down...

Favourite TV shows of 2014

My favourite TV show this year was Fargo (FX/Channel 4), an unexpected treat featuring a plot more convoluted and characters more relatable than anyone had any right to expect. Like HBO���s True Detective, the anthology format gives high hopes for keeping things fresh in later seasons.

BoJack Horseman (Netflix) was another show that oughtn���t to have been so good. The Netflix binge-watching approach worked in its favour, with a central storyline and the ability for single episodes to take div...

Phobos story acceptance

More publishing news! I’ve been told that my short story, ‘The Sleeper’, will be published in the third issue of Phobos, the weird fiction magazine based in Philadelphia. I’m really looking forward to reading the magazine!

SQ Mag contest win

I’ve just been told that my story, ‘Like Clockwork’ has won second place in SQ Mag’s current Story Quest contest. The theme of the contest was ‘Punkin’ the Train’ ��� though my story isn’t specifically steampunk or dieselpunk etc and I’m not sure which classification might include a Martian sand-sculpted steam train… This nostalgic version of Mars features in several of my stories, but this is the first that’ll be published. I’ve always liked the idea of threading a story/world across several...

‘Finding Waltzer-Three’ Interzone illustration

The Interzone team have revealed the illustration for my story, ‘Finding Waltzer-Three’, which appears in issue 255. It’s by Wayne Haag, the same artist who created the terrific cover.

I love it. It’s the first time that any of my stories has been illustrated. I couldn’t be prouder.

Review: Agent Hunter website

Disclosure: I received a free 6-month subscription to Agent Hunter in exchange for writing this review. However, all opinions are mine and The Writers’ Workshop didn’t see the article prior to posting.

The Agent Hunter website, launched in September 2014 by The Writers’ Workshop, is a subscription service that allows writers to search for UK literary agents and publishers. In theory, it’s a one-stop-shop that dispenses of the need for writers to trawl the internet in search of suitable agents....

Interzone story acceptance

I received some good news a couple of days ago…

My ghostly SF story, ‘Finding Waltzer-Three’, has been accepted by Interzone and will be included in the November issue. That’s a bit of an ambition fulfilled, right there!

‘Infinite Science Fiction One’ anthology released

Infinite Acacia’s anthology, ‘Infinite Science Fiction One’ is released today! If you buy direct from the publisher you can currently get the ebook for the ridiculous price of $0.82.

Inclusion of my story, ‘By the Numbers’, means that I’m hugely biased, but I’d still plump for the printed version (USA/UK)– it’s a beauty.

Infinite Science Fiction cover reveal

Infinite Acacia have revealed the cover for their upcoming anthology, ‘Infinite Science Fiction One’, which will include my story, ‘By the Numbers’.

That is one beautiful cover!