Good Reviews on Goodreads For "Where We Land"

My climate fiction (cli-fi) novella Where We Land has been getting good reviews on Goodreads. Here are some excerpts from those reviews:

On Goodreads:

"This novella set in the near future deals with the human impact of the worsening climate crisis.... Amid societal brutality and xenophobia, there are still a few glimmers of compassion.

"This is a beautifully written novella in the cli-fi genre.... The characters are compelling and the story gripping. Highly recommend it!!"


(Read the full reviews here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46028957-where-we-land)


From Tabatha Wood's review for SpecFicNZ:

"Jones talks in depth about human resilience and the determination to survive. The ability to keep going even when all seems lost. He examines our humanity; how we respond to threats and challenges, but ultimately how we, as a global species, behave to one another. The tension is high, the characters relatable, and Jones deftly manoeuvres you into bearing witness to the unfolding plot. He places you squarely in both Nasimul and Donna’s shoes. What would you do if…? he asks."

Read the full review: https://specfic.nz/2019/08/12/book-review-where-we-land-by-tim-jones/

You can read more of Tabatha's reviews and her writing on her blog.

"Where We Land" is a print novella - but you can also buy an earlier version of this story as "Landfall", an ebook from Amazon.

Winter Readings 2019 – The Black Album Readings: Paekakariki, Saturday 17 August, 1.30-3.30pm

It's been a while since I did a poetry reading, what with the launch of my novella Where We Land!

So I'm very happy to be taking part in the Winter Readings 2019, themed around Metallica's Black Album! Happily, my latest chapbook Big Hair Was Everywhere: Music Poems has a poem about Metallica - even though it refers to an earlier Metallica album, ... And Justice for All, their first album after Cliff Burton's tragic death.

I'll bring along copies of Big Hair Was Everywhere, New Sea Land and Where We Land for sale, and other authors will have their books for sale too. It will be a cash-only, nostalgic time!

You are warmly invited to a poetry reading:

Winter Readings 2019 – The Black Album Readings

This year’s Winter Readings will

be held in August in Paekakariki,

continuing a popular event at the City Gallery

and other venues in Wellington

2003-2008. Each event featured a tribute to an

album or group. This year’s readings form

a tribute to the hard rock group Metallica.

Saturday, 17 August 2019

Poets:  Michael O’Leary (Paekakariki), Alex Jeune,

Margaret Jeune, Mark Pirie, Mary Campbell and

Tim Jones (Wellington) and Jeremy Roberts (Hawke’s Bay).

MC: Rob Hack

Venue: St Peter’s Hall, Beach Rd, Paekakariki.

Time: 1.30-3.30pm.

Admission to the reading is by koha. Books for

sale from 1.15pm.

Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop (ESAW) will publish

an anthology of poems (free with koha) by the

readers featured to celebrate the event.

Winter Readings are presented by:

HeadworX Publishers

Paekakariki Community Trust

Poetry Archive Trust

Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop

Metallica, still going strong in the rain in 2019

Where We Launch and Where We Land

"Where We Land" on display

It's been almost a week since the launch of my novella "Where We Land", No. 1 in The Cuba Press Novella Series, at VicBooks Pipitea Campus - and now the book is out there in bookshops, making its own way in the world. Here's news of how to buy a copy, a Radio New Zealand interview, and the launch itself.

How to buy a copy of Where We Land

You can:

- buy it from a local independent bookstore that stocks it - in Wellington, I know that VicBooks and Unity are stocking the book
- order it through your local NZ bookstore. If you need the ISBN, it's 9781988595023
- or if you don't have a local NZ bookstore, order the book here: https://thecubapress.nz/shop/where-we-land/.

 
Radio New Zealand interview with Jesse Mulligan

I talked with Jesse Mulligan of Radio New Zealand Afternoons on Monday 22 July. We discussed what cli-fi (climate change fiction is), the climate emergency we face, the need for climate change fiction to work as fiction rather than polemic, and The Cuba Press Novella Series. Listen here:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018705197/climate-fiction-in-new-zealand

Launch Photos

Photos by Mary McCallum for The Cuba Press:

Some of the audience for the launch

Janis Freegard launches "Where We Land"

Tim Jones reads an excerpt from the novella - as seen in Tom Cardy's Facebook video.

Photos by Constance Talbot: 

Paul, Adam, Bev, Mel, Ellen

Craig, Ryn

?, Leonie

Mark B, Mary, Harvey, Latika, Mark P, Clare

?, Dileepa, Kate, Constance

Tim, Peter, Kate

The name attributions are by me - if your name is missing or mis-spelled, please let me know and I will correct it!

I was very happy with the launch - thanks to the diligent efforts of VicBooks, The Cuba Press, and Janis Freegard who gave an excellent launch speech, plus everyone who came along! Thanks to Constance Talbot and The Cuba Press for taking launch photos.

"Mark B" in the third photo from bottom is Mark Blackham, whose climate fiction novella "A Sea of Wretched Shells" will be published as No. 2 in The Cuba Press Novella Series in December 2019. Mark read an excerpt from his new novella at the launch. I'm looking forwards to reading it.

Invitation: "Where We Land" Book Launch, Tues 16 July, 5.30pm, Wellington

You are warmly invited to the launch of my novella "Where We Land". Here are the launch details:

Date: Tuesday 16 July
Time: 5.30pm
Venue: VicBooks, Pipitea Campus, Ground Floor, Rutherford House, 27 Lambton Quay, Wellington

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/596641077527865/

Can't make it? No worries - "Where We Land" is now available for pre-order from The Cuba Press: https://thecubapress.nz/shop/where-we-land/. Order now and beat the rush :-)

What's it about? Check out the blurb:

"A New Zealand Navy frigate torpedoes a boat full of refugees fleeing a drowning country and Nasimul Rahman is one of the few survivors. First he has to reach the shore alive and then he has to avoid the trigger-happy Shore Patrol, on alert to stop climate change refugees entering the country.

Donna is new to the Patrol. When word comes through that the Navy has sunk a ship full of infiltrators and survivors might be making their way ashore, it sounds like she might get to see some action.

A tale of desperation and betrayal on a shrinking shore in the not too distant future."

This is the first standalone print edition of this novella, which was first published, titled "Landfall", by Paper Road Press in 2015 as an ebook.

I hope you'll be able to make it! Please share this invitation with your friends and contacts.

"Where We Land": Coming this July from The Cuba Press

Coming this July from The Cuba Press - my novella "Where We Land"! More details soon, but here's the cover.

This is a reprint of my 2015 novella Landfall, published by Paper Road Press as an ebook.

This new print edition is available for preorder here: https://thecubapress.nz/shop/where-we-land/

And here's the blurb!

A New Zealand Navy frigate torpedoes a boat full of refugees fleeing a drowning country and Nasimul Rahman is one of the few survivors. First he has to reach the shore alive and then avoid the trigger-happy Shore Patrol, set up to stop climate change refugees entering the country.

Donna is new to the Patrol. When word comes through that the Navy has sunk a ship full of infiltrators, and survivors might be making their way ashore, it sounds like she might get to see some action. A tale of desperation and betrayal on a shrinking shore in the not too distant future.

Big Hair Will Be Everywhere On Friday 3 May

My hair follicles don't really let me do big hair anymore. But all the same, I've got a new poetry chapbook, Big Hair Was Everywhere: Music Poems.

It will be making its public debut in Wellington on Friday 3 May from 6.30-7.30pm, when I'm reading as part of the Pegasus Poetry Series 2019 with Sam Duckor-Jones, Chris Price, and Chris Tse: distinguished company to read in!

I'll have copies of the chapbook available for $5 - just come and see me before or after the reading. You'll need to pay cash, and I'll have change available.

Big Hair Was Everywhere is No. 34 in the ESAW Mini Series. Here's the cover photo, an alarmingly chirpy picture of me.

And here's the poem from which the title is taken:

The Home Of Country Music

We spent the first day of the Gold Guitar Awards

thrashing …And Justice for All in Andrew’s flat,

taking turns to lift and flip the vinyl.

We mourned Cliff Burton, killed in a bus crash in Sweden,

and pondered the mystery of new kid Jason’s missing bass.

Metallica’s producer knew shit about separation.

We walked down Main Street to the pie cart. Town

thrummed with the energy of competition, musicians

toting pedal steels down Mersey Street.

Big hair was everywhere, bouffants teased

and primped towards infinity. ‘Simple country girls’

and honky-tonk angels vied for the next available chair

as the hairdressers made their annual killing. Men

rechristened Tex for the occasion swaggered in Stetsons,

ordering Jack Daniels instead of their usual DB Draught.

It meant nothing to us, this frenzy of false eyelashes

and fake tans. We returned to Andrew’s upstairs flat,

dropped the needle on “Blackened” again. Jane,

finishing her pie, rested her head on Andrew’s shoulder.

I was too busy with rapidly cooling mince to be jealous.

I fucking hate this town, I said.

Credit note: "The Home of Country Music" was first published, in a slightly different form, in takahē 89 (April 2017).

Poem of the Month for March - "On The One", from my new chapbook of music poems, "Big Hair Was Everywhere"

If not for that ship I’d have been Rod Temperton.

If not for emigration I’d have remained

In Cleethorpes, where I was born,

Worked in Grimsby for Ross Frozen Foods,

Played in dance bands in my spare time.

Learned to write songs. Joined Heatwave,

A funk band formed by a Vietnam War vet.

Written “Boogie Nights”, that impossibly

Inescapable hit of 1976. Watch that vid

And you’d see me off in the corner,

Playing keyboards and adding harmonies,

Immortalised in a scoop-neck ‘70s vest, singing

“Got to keep on dancing, keep on dancing…”

Been recruited by Quincy Jones, a man

With good ears, to write songs for Michael Jackson.

“Rock with You”, some other hits, and then

The big one: “Thriller”. Everything: words, music,

Even that cheesy spoken-word bit that Vincent Price

Perfected on just his second take.

I’d have coasted along after that,

Staying cheerfully obscure, the unknown

Local boy made good in Hollywood

Till the cosmic actuary’s dice came up snake eyes.

I could have been you, Rod, if we hadn’t left,

If I’d had the slightest glimmering of musical ability.

Could have worked in that fish factory till it went bust,

ironed my funky vests, played in a covers band

And waited for that big break to come:

A ghost Tim, strutting the streets of Grimsby,

Suit sharp, still funky, always on the one.

Credit note: "On the One" appears in my new poetry chapbook Big Hair Was Everywhere: music poems, Number 34 in the ESAW mini series, published by Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop (Paekarariki, 2019), ISBN 978-1-86942-163-0. It is previously unpublished, and was written for inclusion in the chapbook. Tim says: Music was important to my parents, and it's important to me - many different genres of music, despite the fact I can't play a note other than Middle C. My new chapbook Big Hair Was Everywhere brings together my recent poems about music into one neat little A6 package - available from me for $5! Chase me up for a copy at forthcoming poetry readings.