# Paul Alex Gray

## Summary

Paul Alex Gray is a speculative fiction author and creative technologist based in Canada. His work explores how technology reshapes identity, power, and what it means to be human — probing the tension between who we are, who we perform, and what remains underneath.

His fiction has been published in Nature Futures, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Andromeda Spaceways, PodCastle, Aurealis, On Spec, Suburban Witchcraft Magazine, Starship Sofa, Spelk, The Arcanist, and multiple science fiction and fantasy anthologies. He writes both linear and interactive fiction.

## A Working Definition

Paul writes speculative fiction about sentient black holes, wayward sea monsters, vampires made of smoke, and other strange, unruly phenomena. His stories focus on characters navigating forces far larger — and stranger — than themselves.

## Fiction

Paul's work spans science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and literary speculative fiction. Recurring themes include:

- Consciousness, identity, and transformation
- Artificial intelligence and posthuman futures
- The uncanny intersection of the ordinary and the cosmic
- Power, systems, and strange possibility

His stories blend imaginative, often uncanny concepts with a grounded sense of character and place.

### Published Work

- **Just Breathe** — Urban Fantasy / Science Fiction. Themes: Transformation, Superheroes, Identity. Published in Suburban Witchcraft Magazine, 2024.
- **Full Metal Grandma** — Science Fiction. Themes: Alien Invasion, Gig Economy, Gun-For-Hire. Published in Starship Sofa Podcast / Mythaxis Magazine, 2021.
- **Left Over Life to Kill** — Science Fiction / Flash Fiction. Themes: Post-Apocalyptic, Cyborg, Lost Humanity. Published in Nature Futures, 2020.
- **What Little Remains** — Slipstream / Horror / Romance. Themes: Skin-Stealers, Identity, Body Horror. Published in On Spec, 2019.
- **Battle Borne Dreams Never Die** — Science Fiction. Themes: Mecha, Kaiju, Tragic Romance. Published in Broadswords and Blasters / Starship Sofa, 2019.
- **The Last Monster You Shall Slay** — Science Fiction. Themes: Family Legacy, Monster Hunter, End of Days. Published in Andromeda Spaceways Magazine, 2018.
- **Club Fiends** — Slipstream / Fantasy. Themes: Faerie Folk, Nightlife, The Wild Hunt. Published in Aurealis Magazine, 2018.
- **Giant Death Bees** — Science Fiction / Comedy / Flash Fiction. Themes: Satirical, Evil Genius, Bio-Horror. Published in Mad Scientist Journal, 2018.
- **As Dreams Take Flight** — Fantasy / Young Adult. Themes: Bird People, Coming of Age, Sibling Bonds. Published in Empyreome, 2018.
- **Memories to Come** — Science Fiction. Themes: Artificial Intelligence, Tragedy, Virtual Reality. Published in Nature Futures, 2017.
- **Mamma Essie's Drive Thru Elysium** — Slipstream / Urban Fantasy / Flash Fiction. Themes: Mythic Creatures, Afterlife, Small Town Magic. Published in The Arcanist, 2017.
- **A Wild Thing Shall Never Be Broken** — Urban Fantasy. Themes: Parenthood, Feral Child, Bittersweet. Published in Asymmetry Magazine, 2017.
- **All That's Left Behind** — Slipstream / Flash Fiction. Themes: Grief, Black Holes, Letting Go. Published in Asymmetry Magazine, 2017.
- **Trace Amounts** — Slipstream / Flash Fiction. Themes: Road Trip, Ghosts, Haunted Friends. Published in Spelk, 2017.
- **Celebrity Brand Management and Representation Proposal for Medusa** — Urban Fantasy / Flash Fiction / Comedy. Themes: Greek Mythology, Celebrity Satire, Medusa. Published in McSweeney's Internet Tendency, 2017.

### Publications

Nature Futures, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Andromeda Spaceways Magazine, Aurealis Magazine, On Spec, Suburban Witchcraft Magazine, Starship Sofa, Mythaxis Magazine, Broadswords and Blasters, Mad Scientist Journal, Empyreome, The Arcanist, Asymmetry Magazine, Spelk.

## Interactive Fiction

Paul designs and builds interactive narrative works — digital experiences that have reached and been played by millions. He has designed, developed, and launched products spanning expression, community, gaming, messaging, and developer tools.

## Background

Paul grew up along the beaches of Australia, traveled widely, and settled in Canada. Across his career he has been a startup founder, game designer, and mentor to entrepreneurs — experiences that inform his sense of systems, consequence, and strange possibility.

He is drawn to the intersection of imagination and infrastructure, where the stories we tell and the systems we build quietly define the future.

## Keywords

Speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, urban fantasy, flash fiction, interactive fiction, creative technologist, short fiction, literary SF, Nature Futures, McSweeney's, Australian author, Canadian author, sentient black holes, uncanny fiction, imaginative fiction, near-future fiction, posthuman, AI fiction, kaiju, mythology, body horror, ghost stories.

## Contact

Website: https://www.paulalexgray.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbypaulalexgray/

## Related Resources

- https://www.paulalexgray.com/writing
- https://www.paulalexgray.com/interactive
- https://www.paulalexgray.com/about