Blogs

Colin Burnett (2021) A Working Class State of Mind.

Posted by celticman on Mon, 31 May 2021

I bought a copy of A Working Class State of Mind because I like Colin Burnett’s writing. I’m an editor on ABCtales and some of his fiction appeared online. Most of the other editors are English. Whisper it, we’ve even got an American. But he recognised the moron’s moron Trump as the narcissistic psychopathic puckered lips organism that he proved to be. I got nudged towards Colin Burnett’s work because as the resident Scot it was my domain. And...

Free Ladies (and their maids)

Posted by philwhiteland on Sun, 30 May 2021

I completely forgot to mention here (and this is why I'll never become a literary colossus!) that 'The Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid)' which started out as a serial here on ABCtales, is FREE as a Kindle e-book this Bank Holiday weekend (29th & 30th May). An entertaining and undemanding read for an unusually pleasant Bank Holiday Here's the blurb: "When a young noble lady's betrothed rides off to battle, she has high hopes of his...

The Investing Game

Posted by OtterMan on Sun, 30 May 2021

$5K - 52 Weeks - 20 Penny Stocks One Winner!! Current Status ( -$2,513.32 ) Week - 13, 14 & 15 Recap! Took a few weeks off.. I have ridden and bent a motorcycle or two in my youth. A semi once turned left from the right lane/shoulder in front of me. There ensued almost 5 seconds of frantic braking and a few expletives.. Ended with me gently laying the bike down on her side as the driver checked his mirror and saw me, apparently for the first...

The Blue Hour by M J Greenwood: Review

Posted by insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Thu, 27 May 2021

I'm delighted to announce the publication of yet another ABCTaler's debut novel: The Blue Hour by M.J. Greenwood, who writes on ABCTales as MJG Here's a review by airyfairy: The Blue Hour by M J Greenwood M J Greenwood’s debut novel contains many elements of a traditional romance, but it isn’t simply a ‘love story’. This is a story about love, and that’s a very different thing. In 1944 Tilly Barwise, a feisty and beautiful working-class teenager...

Aesthetica Magazine Creative Writing Award

Posted by insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Tue, 25 May 2021

Call for Entries: New Talent Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2021 We are looking for new writing talent and we want to make sure as many writers know about the opportunities with the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award as possible. The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is an outlet for expression and just one way to keep connected with the world. We are looking for Poetry and Short Fiction entries. The award is supported by some of the biggest...

Story and Poem of the Week for 21 May 2021

Posted by insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Fri, 21 May 2021

This weeks picks are from Ewan. I find this task gets harder and harder over time. The standard is set ever higher by all of you. That’s what makes it difficult. This week’s Story of the Week is Rosalie Kempthorne’s “Bobby-Joe-George”. Always adept at allowing the reader to fill in the blanks, the spaces between the lines and the story that isn’t on the page or screen, but is in the writer’s mind. If that sounds pretentious, I haven’t expressed...

Dr Richard Taylor (2021) The Mind of a Murderer: What Makes a Killer?

Posted by celticman on Thu, 20 May 2021

Dr Richard Taylor (2021) The Mind of a Murderer: What Makes a Killer? Dr Richard Taylor is a forensic psychiatrist. You know the sort: Wire in the Blood , Cracker , Those That Kill (Scandie noir). No, not that kind. They’re psychologists that tell you what kind of cheese the killer favours, what kind of street he stays in and how he was making humanity pay for his mum not allowing him mint humbugs. Forensic psychiatrists need to complete medical...

Emile Zola (1876 [2003]) The Drinking Den, Penguin Classics, translated by Robin Buss.

Posted by celticman on Wed, 19 May 2021

I tackled Emile Zola’s The Drinking Den before, but gave up after reading the first couple of chapters. I stuck with it this time and finished all thirteen chapters. It wasn’t like War and Peace , where when I finished it I expected a librarian (in pre-Covid times) to rush up and pin a medal to my tracky top. Nor was it like Zola’s Germinal or The Earth which I ripped through. When I turned the final page I felt a sense of relief. Job done, but...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Posted by insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Fri, 14 May 2021

A big thank you to everyone who's posted their work on ABCTales this week and to all the lovely editors who give up their time to wave their cherry wands - and there have been masses of cherries this week! If you have any spare time, just read anything with red fruit next to the title and you won't go wrong. Here are my choices for Story and Poem of the Week: Crow by onemorething - a complex, multi-layered poem about a beautiful bird You're...

100 Quatorzains by John Wilks

Posted by insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Mon, 10 May 2021

100 Quatorzains by John Wilks Review by Ewan Available in paperback from Amazon, priced at £10: 100 Quatorzain: Amazon.co.uk: Wilks, John: 9798746315168: Books or as an ebook downloadable from Cerasus's Ko-fi Shop for £5: https://ko-fi.com/s/d4ec01f463 If I had been presented with this collection anonymously, I would have guessed its author long before reading the last poem in it. John Wilks distinctive voice shines through. By turns bitter,...

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