...something's gotta happen...
I've just become the editor of the "Firefly & Wisp" monthly magazine! I'm on a trial period but this small publisher is on the way up :-)
I've also picked up a large editing job from my friend Jasper :-)
AND I'm starting to write up the story of Graham Reader and how he became the 'soul collector', or Grim Reaper. Hopefully I can put a 'serial' story in the forementioned magazine :-)
Iron Writer Challenge 125 is coming up at the end of the week...and guess who's in it! Me. Yes. So I'll need your vote...later...if you feel my story is worthy...
...a picture from a month or two ago...the closest I'll get to Shakespeare...!
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Sunday, August 23, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Update August 2015...All For Love...
Back to planet Earth, with many ideas running through my brain but nothing substantial...
..still waiting on "All For Love" to come out...
...and "Alice on the Outside-In" (including the Esperanto version) went over 150 free downloads...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/563002
PLUS "Baby Shoes" will have a 1/2 price day soon...
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Shoes-100-Stories-Authors-ebook/dp/B0110ZA0RG
"Rage" got a FREE advert on Desert Bookshelf (Friends With Books) :-)
http://www.desertbookshelf.com/bookfeature.php?select=i&item=413
(I have a paperback copy in my hand...if you ask nicely, I'll send you it...signed...yes, I know it puts its value down but hey...)
An advert all thanks to James Paddock, a writer and believer in the Indie market!
He has MANY books of his own, which you can see here...
http://www.desertbookshelf.com/store.php
..still waiting on "All For Love" to come out...
...and "Alice on the Outside-In" (including the Esperanto version) went over 150 free downloads...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/563002
PLUS "Baby Shoes" will have a 1/2 price day soon...
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Shoes-100-Stories-Authors-ebook/dp/B0110ZA0RG
"Rage" got a FREE advert on Desert Bookshelf (Friends With Books) :-)
http://www.desertbookshelf.com/bookfeature.php?select=i&item=413
(I have a paperback copy in my hand...if you ask nicely, I'll send you it...signed...yes, I know it puts its value down but hey...)
An advert all thanks to James Paddock, a writer and believer in the Indie market!
He has MANY books of his own, which you can see here...
http://www.desertbookshelf.com/store.php
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Bullying - WQ127
This week's Iron Writer Weekend Quickie brought back some memories.
Bullying...it happened. It still happens. Maybe someone in your social circle, someone at work, one of your neighbours or family, whatever. It's not big, it's not clever, it's a cliche.
Here's my take this week, along with a few others, read them if you wish here....
http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-127/#comment-228511
...or read mine right below :-)
PLUS the Sci-fi Christmas short story (3000 words) is complete! A quick read through and done :-)
Weekend Quickie 127 - (image of bully pushing kid’s head on desk, best friends, gratitude)
"I...I...didn't bring any money," squirmed Kevin, sitting at his desk as Carl, the school bully, and his sidekick Dave loomed over him.
"Well, that's gratitude for ya! I make you my best friend and you can't be bothered to pay for my school lunch when I'm in dire need? Now is that right, I ask you? To leave a friend, a best friend, out in the lurch like that? Eh?"
"I...I..." Kevin looked around the class, hoping someone would come and help, but the others sat, ignoring their little situation.
"I think not! I'm gonna have to give you a reminder of where you an me stand! See that mark scratched in your desk, the one I put there yesterday and you got detention for? That mark means you and me are best buddies! Get it? See?"
"I..." He tried to move but Carl forced him down, to the amusement of Dave.
"I don't think you're looking at it close enough! See it now? Eh? Eh?"
Carl pushed Kevin's face onto his desk, not once, not twice, but three times. As a crack appeared in his glasses he saw on the board that it was only Tuesday.
Bullying...it happened. It still happens. Maybe someone in your social circle, someone at work, one of your neighbours or family, whatever. It's not big, it's not clever, it's a cliche.
Here's my take this week, along with a few others, read them if you wish here....
http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-127/#comment-228511
...or read mine right below :-)
PLUS the Sci-fi Christmas short story (3000 words) is complete! A quick read through and done :-)
Weekend Quickie 127 - (image of bully pushing kid’s head on desk, best friends, gratitude)
"I...I...didn't bring any money," squirmed Kevin, sitting at his desk as Carl, the school bully, and his sidekick Dave loomed over him.
"Well, that's gratitude for ya! I make you my best friend and you can't be bothered to pay for my school lunch when I'm in dire need? Now is that right, I ask you? To leave a friend, a best friend, out in the lurch like that? Eh?"
"I...I..." Kevin looked around the class, hoping someone would come and help, but the others sat, ignoring their little situation.
"I think not! I'm gonna have to give you a reminder of where you an me stand! See that mark scratched in your desk, the one I put there yesterday and you got detention for? That mark means you and me are best buddies! Get it? See?"
"I..." He tried to move but Carl forced him down, to the amusement of Dave.
"I don't think you're looking at it close enough! See it now? Eh? Eh?"
Carl pushed Kevin's face onto his desk, not once, not twice, but three times. As a crack appeared in his glasses he saw on the board that it was only Tuesday.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Ideas, ideas, ideas
Still working on the Sci-fi Charity anthology story. Ideas keep popping up, so it'll soon be ready.
I also spotted a great place to submit stories, so I'd better get moving on other little projects, too.
But, there is, of course, my older work to check out...
And, of course, "Baby Shoes"!!! 100 authors, 100 stories!
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Shoes-100-Stories-Authors-ebook/dp/B0110ZA0RG
I also spotted a great place to submit stories, so I'd better get moving on other little projects, too.
But, there is, of course, my older work to check out...
And, of course, "Baby Shoes"!!! 100 authors, 100 stories!
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Shoes-100-Stories-Authors-ebook/dp/B0110ZA0RG
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Sci-fi Christmas story for Charity...
If you didn't know, there's 'Alice on the Outside-In' for FREE over here...(trying to get 100 downloads)...https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/563002
And yes, I'm trying to write a Sci-fi short story for a Christmas anthology (for charity).
Here's the beginning. What d'ya think?
And yes, I'm trying to write a Sci-fi short story for a Christmas anthology (for charity).
Here's the beginning. What d'ya think?
“Ho ho ho!”
The vibrations moved through the ship as the Drive kicked
in, sending the plastic dancing Santa I’d stuck to the side of the
Communication panel into a frenzy. I sat, strapped in my seat, waiting for the
stabilizers to take over. Time ticked on, my eyeballs were coming lose.
“Sands! Where are those stabilizers?” I screamed over to the
co-pilot. Thiesmanne, our pilot, was down in the bay, secured in the loading
cabin, watching the consignment. Myself and the others were here in Ulysses’ command
centre, being shaken to death.
“Keep your hair on! They’ll be on in a second!” Sands
flashed across the propulsion settings, flicking switches, pushing flashing
lights.
“That’s all I’ll have left if this keeps on much…!” retorted
Brink, the Science officer, being cut short by the quietness and smoothness of
the stabilisers working. “That’s better.” He went to undo his belt but Sands
held up her palm.
“Not until this light goes out.” There was a ‘bing’ as the
offending icon disappeared. “Okay, you’re fine now.”
Sighs of relief filled the centre as we unbuckled and
checked to see if we were all in one piece. A-okay. The dancing Santa slowed to
a halt, his little bell giving one last ring, leaving nothing more to disturb
the peace of the crew, now engrossed in their work panels. As Communications
officer, I had nothing to do until we reached our destination Ayos IV the next
day. The Comm from the loading bay started to flash, so I opened a channel.
“Thiesmanne, are you okay?”
“Of course, Dayne. The consignment is secure. I’m coming
back up now.”
“Copy that.” I turned in my seat to find Sands literally
hovering over me dressed only in her standard jumpsuit, making her weightless. “Sands!
Warn people when you do that!”
“So? Thiesmanne?”
I sat there, waiting, saying nothing. She finally tutted and
begrudgingly put her boots back on, setting her firmly back on the deck.
“That better?”
“He’s coming back up. Everything’s A-okay.”
“Good. Tell him to bring up some ration packs, I’m dying for
a snack.” She gave her control panel a glance and went over to the Restroom at
the back of the centre. Like myself, she was only needed later. Thankfully. Out
of the whole crew, of which there were twelve, she was the hardest to get along
with. Most of the others were quiet, nice, hard-working professionals in their
own specialised fields, but her? A complete contrast to Thiesmanne her
superior.
By the time he’d appeared back in the command centre, she
was fast asleep and many of the others had settled back for a few winks.
“Well, Dayne, looks like we’ll be home for Christmas,” said
Thiesmanne, taking his seat. He looked over the display panel and nodded. I
slapped the dancing Santa.
“Ho ho ho!”
“Yes. You know, after all these centuries of growth,
exploration, first contact, you’d have thought Christmas would be a thing of
the past.”
“It is. But tradition is tradition, Thiesmanne. The colony
on Ayos IV are expecting a tree, and a tree is what they’ll get.”
He shook his head, noticing Sands snoring away in the
Restroom.
“Some people, eh?”
“Oh, Sands? Tell me, how the hell did she get to be your
co-pilot? She’s a disaster.”
“Oh, that’s easy. We were in the same squadron in the War.
We made it through together.”
“Was she help or hindrance?”
“Both!”
We laughed. The War had been short but brutal. I’d been
assigned on one of three Destroyer class ships brought into service, though
after the initial skirmishes they were mostly redundant, our enemy the Krogans
moving over to guerrilla tactics early on. Fighter squadrons like Thiesmanne,
and apparently Sands, took the brunt of the action. Many good people lost their
lives.
“I’ll tell you a story,” smiled Thiesmanne. “When we started
the Academy, she and…” The lights went out and we were thrown from our seats.
Sirens and screams filled the air. Emergency backup power turned on, leaving us
mainly in the dark but essential systems switched back on. Sands was up and out
before we made it back up on our feet.
“What the hell was that?” shouted Sands, running over to the
Drive panel.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Another fantastic little story! WQ126
Yes! Another completely pointless 200 word story!
I do them every week, they bring out the best in me :-)
http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-126/#comment-227414
And here it is here...just in case you didn't feel like clicking over and seeing a few others. You should, but hey...
Weekend Quickie 126 (image of a stainless steel tank and ‘machinery’, a prototype invention, An unanticipated by-product, Incredulity)
"Impressive," nodded the CEO, watching as Davis, his Head of Research ran around pressing switches, pushing knobs and pulling levers on the machine.
"It's only a prototype at the moment but as you will see, sir, it'll bring us success like we've never had before!" Davis held his pose and with one last press, the invention went into action. "By adding all the hippest beats, the sounds of the most recent Top 10 hits, the best of fashion, the 'happenist' moves of the moment from the dance floor, we can, with this, create the greatest 'Boy Band' ever!"
"This, I'd like to believe," said the CEO, fiddling his thumbs.
After a great hiss, out popped an all-singing, all-dancing 4 piece Boy Band.
"Aren't they great?" screamed Davis.
"What the hell is that?" pointed the CEO. From behind the boys came a sight which brought terror. Bill Cosby.
"No, I...I don't understand. How can this...?"
"Looks like your machine created a little 'unanticipated by-product'."
Davis fell to his knees in utter incredulity and stared at the egotistical, womanising hedonist puffing out jazz melodies from his whiskered cheeks.
"So close, yet so far," smiled the CEO, closing the door behind him.
I do them every week, they bring out the best in me :-)
http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-126/#comment-227414
And here it is here...just in case you didn't feel like clicking over and seeing a few others. You should, but hey...
Weekend Quickie 126 (image of a stainless steel tank and ‘machinery’, a prototype invention, An unanticipated by-product, Incredulity)
"Impressive," nodded the CEO, watching as Davis, his Head of Research ran around pressing switches, pushing knobs and pulling levers on the machine.
"It's only a prototype at the moment but as you will see, sir, it'll bring us success like we've never had before!" Davis held his pose and with one last press, the invention went into action. "By adding all the hippest beats, the sounds of the most recent Top 10 hits, the best of fashion, the 'happenist' moves of the moment from the dance floor, we can, with this, create the greatest 'Boy Band' ever!"
"This, I'd like to believe," said the CEO, fiddling his thumbs.
After a great hiss, out popped an all-singing, all-dancing 4 piece Boy Band.
"Aren't they great?" screamed Davis.
"What the hell is that?" pointed the CEO. From behind the boys came a sight which brought terror. Bill Cosby.
"No, I...I don't understand. How can this...?"
"Looks like your machine created a little 'unanticipated by-product'."
Davis fell to his knees in utter incredulity and stared at the egotistical, womanising hedonist puffing out jazz melodies from his whiskered cheeks.
"So close, yet so far," smiled the CEO, closing the door behind him.
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