Setting trends…
Posted by bencooper | Filed under General, News, Reviews
I’ve always been cynical about the media, and how it tells Joe Public what to like, what to hate and what to think. Believe me I still am…
But, I just received this clipping from a PR company. I’d been asked to write an endorsement of one of their bands for Music Week, an industry magazine for the music world. Who knew I’d be setting trends and tastes from sunny ol’ Devon.
Of course, this doesn’t mean I’m the next Simon Cowell (because I have a modicum of taste and don’t wear my trousers hiked up around my waist), but Chasing Pandora really are quite good if you like acoustic music. So if you feel like following my recommendation, then do. You’ll probably be better off than with the latest X-Factor rejects.
CD Reviews on line
Posted by bencooper | Filed under News
My reviews of albums by BrokeNCYDE, Havok and Zero Illusions are now up on Soundshock’s website, plus my interview of Joel McIver. Enjoy!
New story is up.
Posted by bencooper | Filed under News
My short story ‘Gynoid’ is now up on Aphelion. It’s about a love trinagle between a man and two female sex androids. I quite like it, and I hope you do to. Please go and read it and let me know!
All the best!
Review online
Posted by bencooper | Filed under News
Check out my review of Shadows of The Emerald City over at Innsmouth Free Press.
The site is an H P Lovecraft themed ‘zine that offers reviews, fiction and mock-news from the Lovecraft universe. Hope you enjoy!
Interview online
Posted by bencooper | Filed under News
My interview of heavy metal journalist Joel McIver is now online over at Soundshock .
Joel is a great guy and a wonderful writer, and I’m glad to be able to give him what little exposure I can. If you like heavy metal I’d seriously recommend you check out some of his books, they are great reads and extremely well researched.
Soundshock is an online magazine devoted to heavy metal, and I’ll be doing more work for them in the future. I’ll update you as and when stuff goes online.
I’m Going To Be a Dad!
Posted by bencooper | Filed under General, News
Of course I’ve know this for a while now, but yesterday Kate and I went for the 12 week scan.
Over the last couple of months I’ve been on what I’m told is the normal emotional “rollercoaster” for expectant parents, and I know it’s been a hundred times worse for Kate. I’ve been constantly worrying about how things are going to work out. How will we afford to liev on just my salary? Where are we going to live, we can’t stay in our one bed flat anymore? What about all the expense of a baby? Nappies? Crib? Clothes that are redundant the next morning because they’ve grown out of them? I’ve been struggling to keep these things from my mind.
Then a funny thing happened. As I saw the image of my child, looking so much like the Starchild from 2001: A Space Odyssey, moving around (I never knew they were so active, so young) and heard his/her heart beating strongly I had a startling moment of clarity. Regardless of what happens in my life, whatever I may do in terms of my career, my writing or anything else I will never do anything as important or amazing as having a child.
Of course I may seem sentimental, and I know a whole raft of other worries and stresses are just around the corner, and no doubt there will be times where I’m far from the perfect parent, but I now feel that whatever the future brings I have a whole new purpose in life.
A story acceptance!
Posted by bencooper | Filed under News
That’s right, after a few months of trying I’ve had another story accepted by the folks over at Aphelion. They took my short story ‘Gynoid’ and it will be published in the October issue which should be out in the next few days. Click the link above, or go to my weblinks page to get to the site.
I’ve been floundering with my fiction lately; not enjoying reading much, having no ideas and hardly writing anything SF related. The acceptance has given me a little boost, but I know I have to learn to just keep writing and keep submitting. Easier said than done.
I’ve been quiet for a while, so what have I been up to? Well: more hard work on Acoustic, making some big changes to the magazine which have been well received, with more changes afoot; interviewing one of my favourite musicians, Kip Winger, as well as other musical types; starting interview and review work on Soundshock and Innsmouth Free Press; not doing enough fiction writing and not updating my blog much!
Well, gotta dash and finish off some work.
Ta ta for now.
Finally, some writing
Posted by bencooper | Filed under News
I actually sat down and did some writing today. In fact I did two separate sessions. This is the first time I’ve done any fiction writing since starting work at Acoustic. I’ve been doing copy for the magazine when time allows, but just haven’t had the energy to undertake any fiction, which is always a mentally draining task.
I’ve started work on what I hope will turn into a novel. It’s a post-apocalyptic one, set in the distant future and has something of an odyssey/quest nature to it. I’ve always had a thing for apocalyptic or post-apocalytpic material. Mad Max 2 and Z for Zachariah are what sparked it off in me as a wee nipper. Not sure I should’ve watched The Road Warrior at such young age, but it doesn’t seem to have done any lasting damage.
Now, any book with an apocalyptic theme will guarantee a read through. The Genocides by Thomas Disch, Day of the Triffids, Hothouse and Greybeard by Aldiss. There’s just something about it that strikes a chord in me, and other people I think.
I’ve made a decision recently, spurred on by Kate, to write for myself. Write what I want to write, and not worry about whether I can sell it or not. So if the novel ends up being a slim 150 pager that no publishing house will buy, who cares. Kate always tries to drum into me that I should write for the pleasure of writing, and selling or placing my work should be a separate pursuit. Obviously I want to be published and see a book with my name on it – sci-fi or otherwise, but perhaps that shouldn’t be the be all and end all of writing.
I’ve also made a commitment now to write at least two pages a day. If I feel on a role and manage more, great, if not then each day I’ll rack up approx. 500-600 words and it all adds up. Although two pages a day seems like a low target, it’s definitely an achievable one and should spur me on as I manage it each day.
Here’s to the two-a-day plan!
Am I going off sci fi?
Posted by bencooper | Filed under General
Blasphemy!
I don’t really think I’m going off sci-fi, but I have to say that of late I’m finding it very hard to become enthused about the genre.
Whenever I pick up a novel by one of the new(er) generation of SF, and by that I mean from the 80s onwards, I’m left cold. I read a hundred pages and struggle hard to get through what is often pretentious, self-consciously literary prose. Then I take a break. I leave it for a few days, maybe a week and nothing makes me want to finish said novel.
One of the criticisms leveled at SF (and many genres of fiction/music etc.) is that it hasn’t moved on, indeed that due to the inherent restrictions of genre conventions it cannot. That maybe (though I happen to disagree, and have good reasons for defending genre conventions and their use) but why doesn’t any of the new stuff I read grab me in the way Philip K. Dick’s work does. Dick was no stylist when it came to his writing, in fact he tended to write novels on amphetamine binges in a matter of weeks, but his books (even the lesser ones) are compulsively readable.
Authors like Dick, Clarke and Asimov were all story tellers with ideas. Their prose is generally plain, Dick’s verges on hard-boiled at times, and the narrative pushes forward. I feel it’s this narrative drive that is missing from a lot of modern SF. Who cares if the plot is a little cliché, the characters not quite three dimensional if it rattles along and entertains you? I’m not saying authors shouldn’t strive for the best quality prose, and wonderful characters…but sometimes it seems they get a little bit lost in their literariness.
Another thing that seems to have disappeared with narrative drive, and perhaps is intrinsically intertwined, is the concision of those “classic era” novels. When I look in the SF section of Waterstones or Smith’s all I see are brick sized books, 600 pages long or more, and quite often one of several in a series. Again, I’m not against length – a story is as long as you need to tell it, no? But I very rarely see those 200-300 page novels, unless they are re-prints of classics. Some would argue it’s the scope of the long novels, it requires so many pages. So are the novels of Dick, Clarke et al lacking in scope? I think not.
All this has been sparked by my flick through the latest copy of Interzone (223). Since subscribing to the magazine I’ve read very little short fiction that did it for me. There’s been a few but not much. And I’m in no way criticising the authors from a writers perspective, as I’m hardly a writer with a fine pedigree of published work. I’m simply stating that most of the fiction Interzone publishes leaves me cold, as a reader. I really wish it didn’t.
Anyway, that’s all for now. I’m just crabby because DHL still haven’t delivered my new notebook!
Later.
Update
Posted by bencooper | Filed under News
So I’ve been on my new job as Assistant Editor for Acoustic for over a month now. I’m starting to settle in to the roll but it’s a really full on job – I’m really the engine room of the magazine, editorially speaking. The upcoming issue will be the first one to bear my name on the editorial staff list, and I’m hoping it will be an issue I can be proud of. I’ve got a couple of small pieces in the issue, and interview with Brett Dennen and a DVD review, I’d like to have had more but I just haven’t had the time.
I’ve submitted another story this week and am waiting for a response, hopefully I can build up the short fiction in the background.
Over the coming months I’ll be getting more copy in the mag, and I’ve also got plans for a non-fiction book that I’m kicking around at the moment, about boxing.
I’m increasingly leaning towards non-fiction writing at this stage, as it seems to be a viable way to get published and earn some money. It’s in no way easier than fiction, but you don’t need a finished product, just a proposal, outline and a few draft chapters. If the publisher likes it you get commissioned, given a deadline and an advance, then the ball’s in your court. But I need to do more planning and some initial research and writing before that can get underway.
Now I just need to find the energy and determination to get it out there…