I don’t know what’s going on at the moment but I keep seeing calls for submissions for ghost stories. I often write in this genre but I simply don’t have enough pieces to submit to all these wonderful markets, so I thought I’d share them around!
Learning Chinese
15 April 2013 By 2 Comments
I’ve been learning Mandarin Chinese for a little over a year now (not counting the handful of mangled phrases I’d picked up from various martial arts over the years or watching too much Firefly). So I thought I’d share a little of the experience.
First of all, why?
Because it’s fun, it’s a challenge and getting started isn’t nearly as impossible as a lot of people think.
Yes, I find the tones difficult – measure words as well — but I’d counter this by saying that the lack of verb tense modification and a simple numbering system makes for a balanced learning experience. Here are three quick tips for getting started . . .
Eastercon 2013
1 April 2013 By 1 Comment
Eastercon is the UK’s premier convention for science fiction writers, this year held in Bradford and as the 64th Eastercon it was badged ‘Eight Squared Con‘.
The convention is winding down about now, and I got back late last night, completely knackered after a minimal amount of sleep on Saturday night. I guess the TL;DR summary would be something like: ‘conference center easy to find, great parking, lots of fun, informative and thought-provoking, great opportunity to network with other writers.’
Anamesa
9 February 2013 By Leave a Comment
I’m in a great mood this week because I’ve just received my contributor copies of Anamesa and they look simply amazing! Anamesa is an interdisciplinary literary journal produced at New York University and the Fall 2012 issue includes my short story Dirty Little Freaks. This is very much a personal high point.
Arcane II
21 January 2013 By Leave a Comment
Arcane II is now available, featuring one of my short stories, His City, a strange tale of contemporary urban mysticism meets traditional fairy tale.
Arcane II includes twenty-one unsettling stories, designed to sit in the back of your brain and chew at things! And it’s available right now via Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Print edition coming soon.
Grab a copy and feel free to leave some feedback in the comments below. Happy reading!
Nexus 7
11 October 2012 By Leave a Comment
It seems like everyone has a tablet nowadays and I’ve been wondering about buying one for a while, except that I’m not a fan of a certain manufacturer and my budget was a measly £200 plus a few quid for a case.
I didn’t need bells and whistles. And I really don’t give a rat’s about branding. I think I probably suffer from a mild case of Pollardian brand aversion.
Goodreads
4 October 2012 By Leave a Comment
So I’m completely hooked on Goodreads, scanning books with my droid app to add them to a shelf, nosing around to see what other folks are up to and updating my status whenever I finish a book (which isn’t actually very often given how slowly I read).
What I wasn’t expecting was to find an author profile on there for me. So I asked the nice webgoblins to pull the profiles together and hey-presto I’m now an official Goodreads author with three publications listed: Rocket Science, Daily Science Fiction and (as editor) Cutaway Magazine.
Just click on the Big Button to see my Goodreads profile. Feel free to add me as a friend. I also need some fans. And an agent for my novel. That would be rather nice…
Interzone #241
18 July 2012 By Leave a Comment
Interzone #241 has just hit the shelves and I’m chuffed to say that I have a mention in the review section with my short story ‘Incarnate’ (as featured in the Rocket Science Anthology edited by Ian Sales). The reviewer has these kind words to say:
“…the saddest tale was probably Craig Pay’s ‘Incarnate’, telling the story from one parent’s perspective of what happens when the other parent won’t let go and tries to put right the untimely death of their teenage daughter.”
This is the same story that received a favourable mention in the Guardian back in April. And this is a setting that I’ll be exploring later this summer once I’ve finished up with my current projects. With a novel.
Cutaway Magazine Now On Sale!
11 May 2012 By 4 Comments
Today is a very special day! After seven months of hard graft in partnership with co-editor Dave Schofield I’m pleased to say that Cutaway Magazine is now available for sale.
From the shiny colour cover to the slightly experimental, sometimes genre, often literary content, I can’t describe how chuffed I am at how the magazine has turned out!
Rocket Science Anthology
10 April 2012 By 4 Comments
This week sees the launch of ‘Rocket Science: Science Fiction and Non-Fiction’ a collection of hard science fiction stories and non-fiction essays on near-future space exploration. I have a short story featured in the anthology and I’m still reeling from the positive review we received on Friday in the Guardian with my story being picked out for a mention . . .
The strength of the collection is that the best of the stories – and the standard is very high – are about the human condition. Standouts include Craig Pay’s “Incarnate”, a harrowing account of a mother and father’s response to their cloned daughter’s desire for suicide on Titan …
