Tim Pratt (genderfluid, any pronouns) is the author of more than 30 novels, most recently multiverse/space opera adventure The Knife and the Serpent. She’s a Hugo Award winner for short fiction, and has been a finalist for Nebula, World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Philip K. Dick, Mythopoeic, Stoker, and other awards. He posts a lot at Bluesky and publishes a new story every month for patrons at www.patreon.com/timpratt. Their BNW-winning story, “The Liminal Space Dating Agency,” is one of them.
BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror + More, Vol. 3, is out June 24th.
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Give us the elevator pitch of “The Liminal Space Dating Agency”.
Dating apps? Speed dating? These are hopelessly outdated. What if there was a better way? A way to find true love in our immersive slow-dating program? What if finding true love was your ONLY OPTION
This world is friggin' Weird in a lot of ways right now, and many of those ways are not the fun kind. What secret tips can you share to help others navigate this mess on a daily basis?
I wear cute clothes, send money to trans people (and organizations that support them), and hide from reality in fictional worlds, both written and read (and watched and played).
Do you take naps?
I love naps. I'd take them every day if I could. I usually wake up confused about what's happening for a little while, which these days is a bit of a relief.
On the Tenebrous Discord board, we ask everyone to introduce themselves as a Film-meets-Music Artist (Citizen Kane x Metallica, f’rinstance). It doesn’t have to be your favorite, and don’t spend too much time overthinking it; now GO.
Gonjiam Haunted Asylum x Sidney Gish
What's the capital-W Weirdest thing that's ever happened to you (that you're comfortable sharing)?
One time I was at home with my then-girlfriend, in bed, middle of the night, when the window was suddenly flooded with blindingly bright light, the entire room illuminated like a sports stadium during a night game. We're not talking about a guy with a flashlight here. The lights stayed on for a minute or so and then went off. The thing is, there was nothing outside that window but trees, and no place for a lifted truck with extra lights or anything of the sort to set up. I thought it was aliens. She (being of a more folkloric bent) thought it was fairies. We went out back the next day and found no indentations in the ground, no tire marks, no clear explanation.
I've also seen a couple of ghosts but I think they were just instances of sleep paralysis.
Aliens, without doubt.
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BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror + More, Vol. 3, is out June 24th.