Name: Tim Kane
Age: 40
Author of: “Vanity Mirror”
Current Geographic Location: Chula Vista, California
Twitter: @timkanebooks
Website: timkanebooks.com
Recent publications: “Moth and Rust”, published in September 2011 by Nevermet Press in the Stories in the Ether anthology (buy it here); “Zombie Maker”, published in June 2008 by Bards and Sages in the Legendary Horrors anthology (buy it here).
Which zodiac sign where you born under? Pisces
If a magic fish granted you one wish, what would it be? Probably to eat me. I mean, it’s the fish’s wish.
What inspired your story? Reading about a Chinese legend about a race of creatures that live in mirrors. It came from The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges. In ancient times, there was a war between these creatures and mankind. The Yellow Emperor used magic to enslave these creatures in mirrors, forcing them to mimic our movements. If you stare into the depth of a mirror, you may sometimes see the fish shimmering just at the edges, ready to throw off its shackles and restart the ancient war.
Did you listen to music while writing it? No. I like to concentrate on the writing without distraction. I do, however, drink plenty of coffee.
How many rewrites did you do before submitting? Several, though I don’t really count. I never want to rush the writing, even flash fiction.
What is your favorite bit?
“The face in the mirror showed eyes too large to even be human. A silvery sheen coated his skin. Dotted along it were…Scales?”
