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Sunsets, Sunrises & Prizes To Be Won.

Dec 04 2020

The moon made an appearance a little after 15:30 the other day. It’s that time of year.

This was a spectacular sunrise to wake up to on Wednesday morning.

Are you interested in winning a bundle of crime fiction and a new Ereader? If you are a member of BookBub, you are eligible to enter. The books include one of mine. Here is the link:

Win a Bundle of Crime Fiction & Thrillers!

2020 might be the second hottest year ever on record, but it’s pretty chilly here at the moment. Perfect weather to enjoy a latte in front of a twenty quid electric faux fire from Amazon.

Don’t know about you, but I am big fan of pigeon breast salad. Few virtually no carb meals taste as good. Here’s one I prepared earlier.

It had been a while since I ate pancakes.

The dog’s had a few treats too. Here he is poised to tuck into a pig’s ear.

This is the time of year to be merry. It is also the time of year to do pruning. I have pruned my trees by hand which has been incredibly taxing on the forearms.

The leaves have since been swept-up. Have a good weekend.

5 Transgressive Fiction Reading Recommendations

Nov 27 2020

It is back to books this week. Of late I have been immersed in Transgressive Fiction. Here are five transgressive books that I have read recently. Click on the links to read my reviews.

The Devil All The Time

This gothicesque novel is replete with reprehensible rednecks, depraved content and frequent shifts in points of view.

My Review: Willard’s wife has cancer, so he turns to God for help. As her condition worsens, his invocations become increasingly extreme. There are …(more)

Black Hole Town

This aptly named novelette boasts memorable characters, visceral prose and an abundance of effectively employed adjectives.

My Review: Friends Fortz and Goose are degenerate drinkers and drug users. Goose is fed up with his psychotic, pill-popping girlfriend Miley, so he hatches a …(more)

A Decent Ride

This is one of Welsh’s lighter books. Its seediness, humour and bawdy Leith vernacular dialogue will appeal to many.

My Review: Terry ‘Juice’ Lawson is an Edinburgh taxi driver who moonlights as a porn actor and drug fixer. Since losing his virginity at the age of eleven, he has …(more)

Blood Meridian

Set in the 1800’s, Blood Meridian is an episodic book, which is almost unparalleled in its misanthropy and repugnant content.

My Review: ‘The Kid’ is a fourteen-year-old hailing from a Tennessean backwater. Following an ill-fated stint as a conscript in a Mexico-bound militia, he is …(more)

The Rules of Attraction

Published in 1987, this transgressive work adroitly captures the era’s zeitgeist with regards to drugs, music, and above all relationships.

My Review: The book is written in the first person from the perspective primarily of three students – Lauren, Sean and Paul. All are pupils of Camden College, an …(more)

Click here to sign up to my monthly book-related newsletter and to claim your FREE book.

Food, Feasting, Fire & Free Fiction.

Nov 20 2020

We are in the midst of Lockdown #2 here in the UK and fun is in short supply. It’s wet, miserable and gets dark really early. Fortunately, there is still pleasure to be found. It had been a long time since I had scampi and chips.

Here is a Tesco-originating, Italian-themed antipasto I assembled earlier.

News of the birdfeeder has spread like wildfire. There are often multiple tits on the feeder at any given time with more waiting in the wings.

I’ll probably only fill it once a week. Otherwise it is going to become a financial burden.

After weeks of mild weather, there has been a cold spell. It was 1°C this morning.

The first fire of the season.

Presently, there is a KDP free day promotion running for my satirical offering – Tomorrow’s World: Darkly Humorous Tales From The Future. It is the only one of my books exclusive to Amazon. The five day campaign ends tomorrow (Saturday).

1,302 Amazon users downloaded Tomorrow’s World yesterday and it reached #37 Free in Kindle Store in Canada this lunchtime. Whether any of this means anything, only time will tell. Regardless, I am pleased that the book appeals enough for people to download despite the fact that it hasn’t got many reviews. Now I need them to read it.

Links: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU

Have a good weekend.

Writing, Lockdown, Stuff Breaking & A Surprise Visitor.

Nov 13 2020

We’re just over a week into Lockdown here in the UK. Everything is uncertain at the moment.

‘When did the future shift from being a promise to a threat’ – Chuck Palahniuk

As for me, I have penned an initial draft of a dark fiction book similar in format to my latest release, The Gazebo. We’ll see what the beta readers have to say about it, but regardless it (name pending) won’t be released for quite some time yet.

The bicycle is out of action until new parts arrive.

So the dog is making do solely with walks.

When it is not dark and/or raining, this can be a pleasant time of year.

You know how when one thing breaks, everything seems to. The TV remote for the bathroom has packed in. I was familiar with limescale in kettles, but did not know until now that water-based TV remotes suffer from the same affliction. A new one is on the way.

The first mince pies of the season. They won’t be the last.

Anyone else a fan of Moretti?

The surprise visitor frequented my new birdfeeder earlier this week.

It is a great spotted woodpecker.

Fauna, Fireworks, Fiction & Flu.

Nov 06 2020

I finally got around to getting a bird-feeder. Its first visitor was this blue tit.

Everyone likes a free lunch. News has spread quickly and the feeder is now being frequented by coal tits and great tits, in addition to an abundance of blue tits. Photos to follow. I will relish the additional company during Lockdown. The flu’s back and our once great nation is in Lockdown for four weeks.

After a period of ghastly weather, Lockdown has coincided with some sunshine.

A ray of light in a bleak world.

I did manage to get a few fireworks in on Thursday.

This work of Transgressive Fiction is going down a treat.

Have a good weekend.

Topiary, Tidbits & A Treasure Trove

Oct 30 2020

Let’s start with the topiary. This bonsaiesque tree resides outside my front door. It has been looking magnificent this autumn.

The rain has been incessant of late and the garden is saturated. This photo was taken during a brief respite.

Yesterday I got really close to deer. If they knew how much I liked venison, they would probably keep their distance.

The dog isn’t allowed to chase them, much to his chagrin. Here he is enjoying a siesta.

The French might be hapless when it comes to cultural harmony, but when it comes to food … Anyone else like croissants?

Now for the treasure trove. The ‘Scary Fun Books’ bonanza ends tomorrow (Sat 31st). You’ll find one of mine here at the discounted price of 99p/99c.

Scary Fun Books Link

Have a good weekend.

A Scary Fun Book Bonanza

Oct 23 2020

Before I get into the details of the book bonanza, here is a photograph taken in my home office stroke summerhouse. I finally moved in on Monday. So far it is proving to be a new lease of life. The only problem, or benefit, depending on how you look at it, is that there is presently no internet.

Now for the book bonanza. I have teamed up with twenty of my fellow humour authors for a promotion. Scary Fun Books runs from Oct. 19th-31st. The books encompass a number of genres and all tastes are catered for. My title is Tomorrow’s World: Darkly Humorous Tales From The Future. It is presently on offer for the tantalising price of 99c/99p from Amazon only.

SCARY FUN BOOKS LINK

Time to get back to the office. I am hard at work on my latest book (#8). The plan is to finish it in record time.

Have a good weekend.

Postponing, Feasting & Netflixing

Oct 16 2020

It’s that time of year again. Few things are as pleasurable as a fire.

Here are some more deer that I saw on my morning walk the other day. There is an abundance of roe here at the moment and a fair few muntjac about too.

Few combinations are better than tea and Maltesers.

Another day; another snack.

Don’t know about you, but I’ve been doing a lot of postponing of late. While I’ve been writing a lot, I have put off a load of other things.

The last week or so has entailed a Netflix frenzy.

Dirty Money has proven to be particularly intriguing and disturbing. The episode about the Kushners will live long in my memory. Bad Boy Billionaires: India is also interesting.

The Netflix splurge is due to end. I need to concentrate on finding new readers and getting reviews for my books amongst other things. Have a good weekend.

5 Satires Worth Reading

Oct 09 2020

It’s back to books this week. Here are five satires worth reading. They are presented in chronological order. Click on the links to read my reviews

Candide by Voltaire (1759)

Candide is an eighteenth-century satirical classic that evaluates optimism; the prevailing philosophical ideology of The Enlightenment.

My Review: Brought up in the household of a German baron, cheerful protagonist Candide has been instilled with the philosophy of Leibniz, notably – That all is for the best in this, the best of …(more)

Subjects Satirised: The Church & The Enlightenment.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)

This satirical book’s motif is a warning about the threat posed by state censorship.

My Review: Books are banned in this dystopian world, where firemen are employed to burn them. Guy Montag is a fireman, who lives an unfulfilling existence with Mildred, his sedentary, parlour-consuming …(more)

Subjects Satirised: Social Problems.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)

American Psycho is a satire of the yuppies culture of the 1980s. It has become a cult classic.

My Review: American Psycho is a highly controversial novel that brought its young author Bret Easton Ellis instant fame. The book is written from the perspective of a young Wall Street financier, Patrick Bateman …(more)

Subjects Satirised: 1980s yuppies culture.

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (2001)

Choke is in essence a social commentary about our innate craving for attention and the fundamental nature of addiction.

My Review: The protagonist, Victor Mancini, is a sex addict employed at an eighteenth-century historical re-enactment park. Victor attends various sexual addiction support groups, where he …(more)

Subjects Satirised: Sex addition & dependence.

I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe (2004)

This is a humorous satire about campus life. Themes include materialism, social class, race and America’s obsession with college sport.

My Review: Appalachian wunderkind Charlotte Simmons has been awarded a scholarship to Dupont, an elite fictional university, steeped in tradition. Living amongst the cream of America’s youth is …(more)

Subjects Satirised: Campus life & society.

Torrential Rain, Transgressive Fiction & Culinary Delights.

Oct 02 2020

It’s absolutely pouring out there. On a day like this, one just wants to lie around in a hot bath, or watch Netflix. Not sure this photo in any way captures the severity of the current downpour, but for better or worse here it is.

The dog is also feeling lethargic today.

I am an avid consumer of fish fingers. However, it’d been a long time since I had fishcakes.

Prior to the weather turning horrendous, I came across these pheasants near my house feasting on birdseed.

Anyone a fan of carrot cake? For some reason I was under the impression that I couldn’t stand the stuff; so it was a pleasant surprise last weekend to discover I was sorely mistaken.

This week I purged my mailing list. It had a lot of dead weight. Now it’s time to start building it up again.

I have also been reading. Not sure how it took me so long to get around to reading this, as I am something of an Easton Ellis fan. So far, so good.

Currently, I am seeking reviews for my books, especially the latest one. If you have read any of my books, a short review on Amazon or elsewhere would be much appreciated. Reviews are vital to us authors for finding new readers.

Have a good weekend.

Sunsets, Sunrises & Prizes To Be Won.

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5 Transgressive Fiction Reading Recommendations

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Food, Feasting, Fire & Free Fiction.

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Writing, Lockdown, Stuff Breaking & A Surprise Visitor.

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Fauna, Fireworks, Fiction & Flu.

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Topiary, Tidbits & A Treasure Trove

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A Scary Fun Book Bonanza

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Postponing, Feasting & Netflixing

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5 Satires Worth Reading

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Torrential Rain, Transgressive Fiction & Culinary Delights.

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