Photo by Drais Pereyra on Pexels.com "I've got a ticket!" Sandra bellowed across the crowded platform. "I hear you," muttered Ben. "Everyone hears you." Damn. Hundreds of people vying for tickets, and Ben desperate to get away, but Sandra gets the ticket. Sandra. Why her? Why not someone deserving? That woman - Ben glanced at … Continue reading Short Story: Reflection
Stories
INTERVIEW: DARK FANTASY AUTHOR TRACIE MCBRIDE
Today's guest is dark fantasy author Tracie McBride, renowned for her reality-twisting short stories. What do you enjoy most about writing fantasy fiction? The license to make stuff up! How would you describe the flavour of your fiction in five words? An Amazon reviewer gave me the first three adjectives – disturbing, surreal, otherworldly. I … Continue reading INTERVIEW: DARK FANTASY AUTHOR TRACIE MCBRIDE
Short Story: Cup of Wine
In vino veritas, isn't that what they say? From wine comes truth. From the drunk comes enlightenment. Bullshit, in my view. Absolute bullshit. What I said last night wasn't truth, wasn't enlightenment. Nothing more than sludge emerged from the drunk slug I'd been. Not as bad as that idiot, Jon, though. Jon the Judas, the … Continue reading Short Story: Cup of Wine
A Pitched Effort
A short short story: -It’s 2245 on Monday 4 July 2022. My name is Detective Inspector Jan Bricker, and with me is Sergeant Milnet and George Dulmer. Please state your name and address for the record, George. -Why am I here? -Come on, George. You’re not under arrest. We just want to have a chat. … Continue reading A Pitched Effort
A Farewell, Friend, Until …
Princess Pepsi, farewell, my friend, until we meet again
It’s a Story this Week
Salt Lake Blues Pink lakes are down south. There's a red lake on the south-east coast. Here, in the badlands of salty sands and nothing to hold water on the surface, there's only the blue salts. Like a cloud of colour. Insubstantial drifts of colour. Blue, the type of blue that comes with summer skies, … Continue reading It’s a Story this Week
Flawed Heroes – What’s Their Appeal?
This is a great story, and although I didn’t want to like Dahoud I ended up desperately wanting him to come through as the man he fought to become – and I’ll be doing a short review next week!
This is a guest post by Rayne Hall. You may know Rayne from her successful Writer’s Craft series. And you may remember how we wrote together Copywriting: Get Paid to Write Promotional Texts. Rayne is also the author of Storm Dancer, one of the finest fantasy books I’ve ever read. It features a flawed hero, which is the subject of her post. The book will be on a special 99c offer until April 30, 2022, to celebrate the launch of the new edition.
Flawed Heroes
I like characters with weaknesses, because they’re like real people, and their flaws make the story vivid. What would Charles Dicken’s tale ‘A Christmas Carol’ be without the sour stinginess of Scrooge, or Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ without Mr. Darcy’s arrogance?
Unlike those dull characters who are already perfect at the novel’s start, flawed heroes need to learn lessons, often difficult and…
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One-Sentence Reviews: My 1st Quarter 2022 Reads
Looking for a new read – one sentence reviews to help your decision –
I had a delicious list of books to read this past quarter, everything from classic literature to extreme horror. Well, the extreme horror stories weren’t so “delicious.” I definitely needed a sweet romance palate cleanser after those!
Here are my one-sentence reviews for 1st quarter 2022:
The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood. Seriously, Atwood was ahead of her time as this book proves with its questioning of traditional family makeup, its point-of-view manipulation, and its hugely symbolic storyline. Library.
Flesh Rehearsal by Brian Bowyer. Bowyer’s extreme horror novel is written in his signature style that borders on stream-of-consciousness, and I admit that the book went over my head. KU.
Road Narrows by Brian Bowyer. I’m glad I gave Bowyer’s style of writing another shot because this brutal story with high-brow existentialist and theological themes had me in its grip and would not let go! KU.
Good Liniment by C.S. Boyack…
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How to Make the Most of a Beta Reader
They're going to offer feedback, but if they don't know what you want, it may not be as useful as you'd like. Make it easy on them. Give a list of questions at the end, or at the end of chapters/scenes. Some things are going to be specific about the story, but a lot will … Continue reading How to Make the Most of a Beta Reader
Read an eBook Week
Nearly forgot. Confession - I did forget. Until this morning, when an email reminded me. So, for anyone who needs a good, free read, and maybe would consider doing a review, this is the Smashwords link to my books -
Cage Dunn - Fibber, Fabricator, Teller-of-Tall-Tales 