SF Revue has a fairly lengthy interview with Tim Powers, whom I’ve discussed previously, and who was kind enough to join us in chat a few years ago.
SFRevu: We won’t try to classify exactly which genre your writing falls under, but do you find this actually helps you rather than hinders you? In other words, you’re not bound by the particulars of any one genre.
Tim: I think of the genre I write in as “that stuff that gets reviewed in Locus.” If I had to get more specific I might say I write Urban Fantasy — certainly there always seems to be some supernatural element in my stuff — but also I certainly feel free to put in scientific-sounding scaffolding! (Thank God for Asimov’s science articles!) The only thing I’d insist I’m not doing — not that anyone has said I do it — is mainstream. I can’t imagine writing a story in which somebody’s dead grandfather does not call him up on the phone at some point.
It’s fun to read about his creative process. The fact that he’s co-authored a cookbook with James Blaylock was somewhat surprising.