I’ve recently agreed to be a CD reviewer for Acoustic Magazine, and I received the first batch of CDs in the post a few days ago. As it takes me 40 minutes to drive to work in the morning, this gives me time to listen to most of an album in the car, then make some quick notes before starting my working day. So far, I’ve done three albums in three days. It’s a pleasant and productive way to spend the morning commute – time which would be wasted otherwise.

Get Your Cyborg Name

The reason shows like Star Trek were so loved in their day is that when they first appeared, they were new and exciting and they epitomised the zeitgiest of their time. Where are the shows that do that for our time? Where are the films our kids will look back on with nostalgia? When my daughters go to the cinema, they’re going to want something more than tired retellings of shows that first aired before their father was born.

After all, what’s going to happen when they run out of old movies and shows to remake?

Maybe it’s time Hollywood stopped spending all its money on CGI and started investing in a few decent writers, and some new ideas?

As I leave the house with briefcase in hand, the Moon’s still low and bright and there’s frost on the grass. I’m wearing a scarf and gloves. Overhead, a jet crawls eastwards through the clear, empty vault of the sky, its fuselage glowing like a coal in the orange light of the unrisen sun.

When the bus arrives, it’s running late, caught behind a street sweeper. It’s a single-decker instead of a double, so everyone’s packed and crowded and I have to stand in the aisle, earphones wedged in, listening to music downloads on my mobile headset.

When I get off, a cold wind’s blowing through the city centre and the traders are setting up their stalls on Corn Street, sharpening the air with the mixed smells of coffee and ice and fresh fish. The shops are opening their blinds; yesterday’s confetti blows around the Registry Office steps; a Spanish girl stops me to ask directions; the church clock strikes; and up ahead, my office tower squats, the sun catching the steam venting from the ducts in its side and roof, making it look like a missile that’s about to hurl itself at the morning sky.

I’ve managed to avoid making any resolutions this year. Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of things I want to get done in 2009, I’ve just decided to try to stay flexible instead of tying myself to a set of arbitary goals. However, if forced, I’ll admit the following items are on my task list:

1. Complete enough material for a second short story collection
2. Complete at least the first two chapters of each of the three novels I currently have outlines for
3. Research and compile a viable proposal for the non-fiction book I want to write

I’m already nearly halfway towards achieving the first item on the list, and the other two are within reach, if I can find the necessary time and discipline over the next twelve months…

This morning is one of those bright, clear autumn mornings when everything looks like you’re viewing it through the wrong end of a telescope. A few hundred yards from the house stands the village church. I can see it from the bathroom window while I’m shaving and cleaning my teeth. It was built in the 1950s to replace the original building that was destroyed by German incendiary bombs during WWII – something that seems almost unimaginable on a morning like this.

Welcome to my website.

I’m a novelist and short story writer based in Bristol, England.

My fiction has been published in magazines all over the world, including: Interzone, Hub, Best SF, Concept Sci-fi, Infinity Plus, Fiction, Ennea, Nowa Fantastyka, Aphelion, Quantum Muse, Byzarium, Phantastes, Bli Panika, Tank, Outshine, and Efimero. I have also had stories included in a number of anthologies, and translated into Polish, Greek, Hebrew, Portuguese, Korean, and Spanish.

In 2007, I won the Interzone Readers’ Poll for best short story of the year.

My first fiction collection, The Last Reef and Other Stories, was published by Elastic Press in August 2008, and my first novel, Silversands, will be released by Pendragon Press in April 2010.

In addition to writing science fiction, I have also written an unpublished children’s book; released two poetry collections and a book of photographs;  and become a practised public speaker, having participated in a number of live and broadcast events including podcasts, panel discussions at conventions, conferences, workshops, and the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme.

I’ve written nonfiction articles for Futurismic, Matrix, SF Signal, Sci-Fi Songs and Focus, and have a regular spot writing interviews and reviews for Acoustic, a national UK music magazine.

When not writing, I am a copywriter and marketing professional, with a decade of hands-on experience across all aspects of marketing, PR and communications. I’ve delivered freelance projects for software companies; print magazines; websites; conferences; PR and advertising agencies; restaurant chains; and charities.

I live near Bristol with my wife and two daughters. I am currently working on my next novel, and writing stories towards a second short fiction collection.

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“Powell is a bloody good writer.” – Muskets and Monsters

“Profound and unforgettable” – SF Reader.com

“Highly recommended… An author to watch” – The Fix

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For personal reasons, I’ve decided to change my pen name from Gareth Lyn Powell to Gareth L. Powell.

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