Neil Ayres
Encyclopedia
Neil George Ayres is an English short fiction writer, born in east London
in 1979. He grew up in Tower Hamlets, Essex
and Spain
.
His fiction includes the literary novel, Nicolo's Gifts, and short speculative fiction
published in many international small and independent press publications, including Apex Digest
, Electric Velocipede (his story Sundew received an honorable mention in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
2004), Trunk Stories and online at Infinity Plus, Cabinet des Fees, The Future Fire
and Simulacrum.
His non-fiction has appeared in Aesthetica magazine
and on LauraHird.com.
Neil has worked for Battersea Dogs' Home, Nature
, Time Magazine, The Economist
and Design Week
.
He lives in Surrey
with his partner and their dog.
In 2005 he project managed and helped launch Book of Voices: a short story anthology for Sierra Leone
PEN, for Flame Books. The collection included stories by award-winning authors such as Patrick Neate
, Gregory Norminton
, Tanith Lee
, and Jeffrey Ford
. (Ford's story was reprinted by Ellen Datlow
in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
2005. Ayres' story What's in the Box, Fox? received an honorable mention from Kelly Link
and Gavin J Grant.)
His story, Twenty-One Again, was included in The Elastic Book of Numbers, which won the British Fantasy Society
award for best anthology.
The same year he also edited The Minotaur
in Pamplona
for D-Press, two chapbooks including work by Lavie Tidhar
, Rhys Hughes
, Brian Aldiss
and Catherynne M Valente. Steve Redwood's story, Circe
's Choice also received an honorable mention.
In summer 2007 his novelette, Skipping Stones, written with E. Sedia, is to be published as the follow-up to Hal Duncan
's premiere chapbook from Jessup Publishing.
Neil maintains a blog with Cambridge-based writer and Macmillan New Writing
author Aliya Whiteley.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1979. He grew up in Tower Hamlets, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
His fiction includes the literary novel, Nicolo's Gifts, and short speculative fiction
Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as...
published in many international small and independent press publications, including Apex Digest
Apex Digest
Apex Magazine, also previously known as Apex Digest, is an American horror and science fiction magazine which began publishing in 2005 out of Lexington, Kentucky. In 2008, Apex Digest ceased printing the American digest size print version and opted to move the magazine online. This free webzine,...
, Electric Velocipede (his story Sundew received an honorable mention in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is a reprint anthology published annually by St. Martin's Press. In addition to the short stories, supplemented by a list of honorable mentions, each edition includes a number of retrospective essays by the editors and others....
2004), Trunk Stories and online at Infinity Plus, Cabinet des Fees, The Future Fire
The Future Fire
The Future Fire is a small press, online science fiction magazine , run by a joint British-US team of editors. The magazine was launched in January 2005 and releases issues four times a year, with stories, articles, and reviews in both HTML and PDF formats...
and Simulacrum.
His non-fiction has appeared in Aesthetica magazine
Aesthetica magazine
Aesthetica is a British arts and culture magazine. Founded in 2002, Aesthetica Magazine covers literature, visual arts, music, film and theatre. It has 60,000 readers and national and international distribution...
and on LauraHird.com.
Neil has worked for Battersea Dogs' Home, Nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
, Time Magazine, The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
and Design Week
Design Week
Design Week is a UK-based magazine launched in 1986 for the design industry. The publication was first published in October 1986 by Centaur Communications and currently [2011] published by Centaur Media plc...
.
He lives in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
with his partner and their dog.
In 2005 he project managed and helped launch Book of Voices: a short story anthology for Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
PEN, for Flame Books. The collection included stories by award-winning authors such as Patrick Neate
Patrick Neate
Patrick Neate is an award-winning British novelist, journalist, poet, screenwriter and podcaster.-Early life:Born and raised as a Roman Catholic in South London, he was educated at St. Paul's School and Cambridge University. He spent a gap year in Zimbabwe and has since returned to Africa on many...
, Gregory Norminton
Gregory Norminton
Gregory Norminton is a novelist born in Berkshire, England, in 1976.Educated at Wellington College, he read English at Regent's Park College, Oxford and studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art...
, Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee is a British writer of science fiction, horror and fantasy. She is the author of over 70 novels and 250 short stories, a children's picture book and many poems. She also wrote two episodes of BBC science fiction series Blake's 7...
, and Jeffrey Ford
Jeffrey Ford
Jeffrey Ford is an American writer in the Fantastic genre tradition, although his works have spanned genres including Fantasy, Science Fiction and Mystery. His work is characterized by a sweeping imaginative power, humor, literary allusion, and a fascination with tales told within tales...
. (Ford's story was reprinted by Ellen Datlow
Ellen Datlow
Ellen Datlow is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist.-Biography:Datlow was the fiction editor of Omni magazine and Omni Online from 1981 through 1998, and edited the ten associated Omni anthologies...
in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is a reprint anthology published annually by St. Martin's Press. In addition to the short stories, supplemented by a list of honorable mentions, each edition includes a number of retrospective essays by the editors and others....
2005. Ayres' story What's in the Box, Fox? received an honorable mention from Kelly Link
Kelly Link
Kelly Link is an American editor and author of short stories. While some of her fiction falls more clearly within genre categories, many of her stories might be described as slipstream or magic realism: a combination of science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and realism...
and Gavin J Grant.)
His story, Twenty-One Again, was included in The Elastic Book of Numbers, which won the British Fantasy Society
British Fantasy Society
The British Fantasy Society began in 1971 as the British Weird Fantasy Society, an offshoot of the British Science Fiction Association. The society is dedicated to promoting the best in the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres....
award for best anthology.
The same year he also edited The Minotaur
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur , as the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull"...
in Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
for D-Press, two chapbooks including work by Lavie Tidhar
Lavie Tidhar
Lavie Tidhar is an Israeli born writer. He lived in the United Kingdom and South Africa for long periods of time. He had also lived in Vanuatu and Laos.-Early life:Tidhar grew up in the communal atmosphere of an Israeli Kibbutz...
, Rhys Hughes
Rhys Hughes
Rhys Henry Hughes , is a Welsh writer and essayist.Born in Cardiff, Hughes is a prolific short story writer with an eclectic mix of influences, which include Italo Calvino, Milorad Pavić, Jorge Luis Borges, Stanisław Lem, Flann O'Brien, Felipe Alfau, Donald Barthelme and Jack Vance...
, Brian Aldiss
Brian Aldiss
Brian Wilson Aldiss, OBE is an English author of both general fiction and science fiction. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss. Greatly influenced by science fiction pioneer H. G. Wells, Aldiss is a vice-president of the international H. G. Wells Society...
and Catherynne M Valente. Steve Redwood's story, Circe
Circe
In Greek mythology, Circe is a minor goddess of magic , described in Homer's Odyssey as "The loveliest of all immortals", living on the island of Aeaea, famous for her part in the adventures of Odysseus.By most accounts, Circe was the daughter of Helios, the god of the sun, and Perse, an Oceanid...
's Choice also received an honorable mention.
In summer 2007 his novelette, Skipping Stones, written with E. Sedia, is to be published as the follow-up to Hal Duncan
Hal Duncan
Hal Duncan is a Scottish science fiction and fantasy writer who published two novels, one novella, three poetry collections and several short stories.His works have been listed in the New Weird genre but he denies that such genre was even known to him at the time...
's premiere chapbook from Jessup Publishing.
Neil maintains a blog with Cambridge-based writer and Macmillan New Writing
Macmillan New Writing
Macmillan New Writing is an imprint of the British publishing company Pan Macmillan. Designed to attract previously unpublished authors, it offers aspiring novelists 20% of royalties from the sale of their book but no advance on signing...
author Aliya Whiteley.