For those of you who are interested I have now written and published on my blog two short stories. I intend following them up with a few others.
Having finished my trilogy and had it published by http://www.feedaread.com/ I now find myself at a loose end until I receive the promised funds for the advertizing of my novels.
I hope you like the stories I am attempting to write in different genres just to see which I am most comfortable with.
Thank you for your interest.
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I’ve done it at last! My third book, “I CANNOT KILL!”, of the trilogy, “The Search”, is now published and will be available on-line in three weeks at the usual sites – Amazon, Waterstones, W H Smith and Barnes&Noble.
For those of you who have read my last post you will notice that I have changed the title. I think this one catches the eye more and adds a bit of mystery.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Amazon, barnes, trilogy, W H Smith, Waterstones | Leave a Comment »
Sorry, I haven’t been around for a while as I’ve been too busy writing the third and final story of my trilogy, The Search.
I have now completed the penultimate draft of “The Shadow’s Bane”. My mortal fear is that I might disappoint my readers though I have a lovely twist at the end. One more quick read through and I’ll submit it to my publisher.
I can’t add my usual quips to the end of this as my mind is now a blank and my fingers are no longer on the end of my hands.
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This is a photograph obviously taken from the front cover of a BBC dvd. I own the complete series of this story of nutters. It is absolutely hilarious. But why am I showing you this? I want you to look at the character in the middle. Dear old Uncle Albert, an ex-merchant seaman with the finest beard on television.
My friends in work call me Uncle Albert because I spent a very short time on the ocean’s waves. I was in the Royal Navy as a radio operator for all of two and a half years. So, being on holiday for all of nine days I thought I’d surprise them when I returned.
I tried to grow a beard…and failed!
The continual itching drove me mad. The reflection in my mirror gave me palpitations. God, I was scruffy! Grey mottled with dirty brown, or was it black. I never looked long enough to ascertain the true colour. And then one day, six days into it, I realized I had a dental appointment. I couldn’t face a very attractive dentist looking as if I’d crawled out of the nearest drainpipe – she’d have keeled over (notice the nautical pun).
So I shaved! And what a blessed relief. My complexion looks heaps better but I won’t say anything about the wrinkles I uncovered.
Now, some of you may be wondering why I bothered. I did many a time over those last days. It was the simple fact that I have been using a photograph of myself as a gravatar that is twenty years old. That was also pointed out in work; I hadn’t noticed (being a very observant security guard). So a change of image was called for…but sorry…not yet.
I have to find a decent updated photograph that won’t frighten anyone who accidentally comes across this page.
Now to a bit of the serious c/o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/29_September
On this day in:
61 BC – Pompey the Great celebrates his third triumph for victories over the pirates and the end of the Mithridatic Wars - now ain’t that a real sailor’s name!
1911 – Italy declares war on the Ottoman Empire. – did they win?
1962 – Alouette 1, the first Canadian satellite, is launched. – didn’t know they had one.
Born this day:
106 BC – Pompey the Great, consul of Rome (d. 48 BC) – here he is again!
1758 – Horatio Nelson, British admiral (d. 1805) – what can I say!
1907 – Gene Autry, American actor, singer, and businessman (d. 1998) – he’d have looked good in a sailor suit riding his horse!
Died this day:
1804 – Michael Hillegas, first Treasurer of the United States (b. 1728) – blame him, I dare you!
1913 – Rudolf Diesel, Inventor of Diesel Engine (b. 1858) – I bet he’s turning in his grave the price on his fuel these days.
2002 – Edmund Trebus, English compulsive hoarder (b. 1918) – we’ve all got them.
And now the not so serious c/o http://www.cloverquotes.com/about/funny?feature=popular_topics
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged dental appointment, Edmund Trebus, Jack Handey, merchant seaman, Michael Hillegas, ottoman empire, Pompey, Royal Navy, Rudolf Diesel, Uncle Albert | 1 Comment »
I lied earlier this week when I said I wouldn’t be posting much in these coming weeks. I couldn’t resist this article from the Huffington Post. I wonder how many indie authors will take heart from this. I did! The mainstream publishers have no-one to blame but themselves…them and their slush pile. I wonder how many good and decent writers have lost heart because of the arrogant attitude of these big publishing houses.
I am setting out my own marketing strategy. It’s going to cost me a bit, but what the hell I know I’ve a good story to tell. However, if this article is true – and I believe it is – then I’d have to do my own marketing even if I was with a mainstream publisher. So what have I lost? Nothing. Take a look: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bernard-starr/the-new-vanity-publishing_b_1821945.html
Today’s trivia c/o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_August
On this day in:
1768 – James Cook begins his first voyage – good name that!
1916 – The United States National Park Service is created – it’s only a little bit bigger than the UK’s!
1939 – The United Kingdom and Poland form a military alliance in which the UK promises to defend Poland in case of invasion by a foreign power – now it’s the other way around – Poland have invaded the UK!
Born this day:
1719 – Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo, French painter (d. 1795) – was it named after him?
1796 – James Lick, American land baron (d. 1876) – see, I knew you had aristocracy besides the Kennedys.
1893 – Henry Trendley Dean, American dental researcher (d. 1962) – I hate dentists!
Died this day:
1227 – Genghis Khan, Khagan of Mongol Empire (b. 1162) – I’m sure my wife is a descendent of his.
1900 – Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (b. 1844) – does anyone understand what he wrote?
2001 – Philippe Léotard, French actor and singer (b. 1940) – did he invent the tights?
And now for something completely different c/o http://www.funnyquotescollection.com/quotes/topics/funny_jokes.html
The fellow who thinks he knows it all is especially annoying to those of us who do. Harold Coffin
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Friedrich Nietzsche, Genghis Khan, Henry Trendley Dean, James Cook, James Lick, mainstream publishers, Mongolia, Philippe Léotard, United States | 3 Comments »
For those of you who are wondering where I’ve gone. I’m still here but up to my eyes in work! I won’t be posting much in the next couple of months or so. I’m well into book three of fantasy trilogy “The Search”. I daren’t stop the roll. Thank you for your interest and your patience.
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How’s about this for a postcard! At the moment I’ve posted around the UK and USA about 150 of these. So if you come across someone screaming with ecstasy it isn’t because of this. Mind you there are some daft people out there. You’ll be pleased to know I’ve a load more to send out but I hope you notice that my spam is sent out by snail mail. I should imagine that most people are fed up to the back teeth of their email and/or blogs being filled with spam. And Twitter’s just as bad, every other tweet is advertising something, begging you to buy this or that and, of course, their product is the bee’s knees.
But, to return to the postcard. I only need one to fall lucky. I may have to send out a further thousand and more, but one day…
Let’s get to today’s trivia c/o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_July
This day in:
1148 Louis VII of France lays siege to Damascus during the Second Crusade. - I don’t mean to trivialize the situation but life does come around again and again.
1901 – O. Henry is released from prison in Austin, Texas after serving three years for embezzlement from a bank. – What did I say?
2001 – Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the last Tsar of Bulgaria when he was a child, is sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, becoming the first monarch in history to regain political power through democratic election to a different office. – I wonder if that will ever happen in this country.
Fun time c/o http://celticcountries.com/magazine/humour/jokes-about-the-welsh/
Old Jones’ nickname
A man moves to a village in Wales and gets talking to an old man from the village.
He asks the old man what his name is, but the old man gets very irate at this point and says:
- See that line of houses over there? I built them all, but do they call me Jones the house builder? Do they hell!
- See those railway lines over there? I laid them all, but do they call me Jones the engineer? Do they hell!
- See those bridges over that river? I built them all, but do they call me Jones the bridge builder? Do they hell!
- But, a long long time ago, I f….d ONE sheep…
Ain’t life grand?
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged humour jokes, Israel, List of Bulgarian monarchs, O. Henry, Second Crusade, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, twitter, United States | 1 Comment »
