Blogs

the world doesn't need another novel

"Publishing is a business, not a charity." went Kenneth (not his real name) on a phone call recently. Through lockdown 2020, I completed my latest novel. And I decided after six years of independent publishing to try my hand at pitching it via the conventional route. Carefully selecting the agents who handle this genre (crime), I began to follow the submissions process and track each submission on a spreadsheet. The first thing that became...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Posted by Ewan Some wonderful work on the site this week. Everyone should pat themselves on the back. Story of the Week is bhi’s ‘The Anatomy of a Death’ -as intriguing a beginning of something as I’ve ever seen. https://www.abctales.com/story/bhi/anatomy-death Poem of the Week is #Peel Park, New Year’s Eve# by Ralph. Evocative, memorable and not a word wasted, it’s an affecting read. https://tinyurl.com/PeelParkNYE Many congratulations both. I...

Craig Robertson (2018) The Photographer.

Craig Robertson publishes a novel every year, and the setting is Glasgow. Full of places I know and people that speak and think like me, it’s therefore much easier for me to like his work. Random , his debut novel, established him as a writer worth following. This is the second of his novels I’ve read and, like its predecessor, it’s a page turner. The setup is simple. There’s a bad guy out there. The Glasgow equivalent of John Worboys, the ‘...

Sad News

Two sad pieces of news for you today. We've lost two very dear members of our community - Denzella and Coolhermit. They will both be greatly missed. I'm afraid I didn't know Denzella well but she was talented, kind and very funny and hugely supportive to other ABCTalers. If you want to look back at her work you can find it here: https://www.abctales.com/user/denzella We have been trying to find a family member to let them know of her body of...

How the world laughed when the moron’s morons’ foot-soldiers stormed the Congress buildings.

Captain America. 'But the price of freedom is high, it always has been. And it’s one I’m willing to pay. And if I’m the only one, so be it. But I’m willing to bet I’m not.' I was scared the moron’s moron would, inadvertently, take us into the Third World War (delayed). I’ve got a roof over my head, enough to eat, and quite like being alive. As Malcolm X said before he was murdered ‘the chickens have come home to roost’. The 45 th American...

A Teacher, BBC 2, BBC iPlayer, written by Hannah Fidell and based on her novel.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08xc504/a-teacher-series-1-episode-1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08xc59p/a-teacher-series-1-episode-2 We all know about the meet-cute, when the main characters collide, and we know they’ll later have a romance. In Norah Ephron’s When Harry Met Sally , for example, Sally Albright (Meg Ryan’s character) is sitting waiting in a beaten-up Beatle car filled with junk to give a lift to Harry Burns (...

Traces, BBC 1 Scotland, BBC iPlayer, based on an idea by Val McDermid, written by Amelia Bullmore, director Rebecca Gatward.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08zhgmb/traces-series-1-episode-1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08zhgs6/traces-series-1-episode-2 ‘You’re unbelievably beautiful, you are.’ Daniel (Martin Compston) tells Emma Hedges (Molly Windsor). It must be dispiriting for a young actor thinking if any series is set in Scotland, I must have a chance, but only if Martin Compston is busy and doesn’t want the part. She’s got baggage. He’s got...

but, yes to writing 2021

Don’t wait for God to put his hand on your shoulder—unless you’re the Virgin Mary—that’s not going to happen any time soon. Start writing now. All you need is you. Yes, I procrastinate, which sounds like masturbate, or maybe only to my sick mind. Do something you enjoy with yourself without the need for paper hankies. Having a sick mind is an advantage, because you’re going to have to tell lots of lies. That’s what fiction is, without having to...

Story and Poem of the Month

Our Story and Poem for the month of December, very kindly chosen by Lavadis: Poem of the month is: MJG - The Goodbye - ever more moving each time I read it. Special mention for these two superb poems which could easily have won on any other month Angusfolklore - Past Dwellers (The Lost) Skinner_Jennifer - Langdale Pikes in Winter https://www.abctales.com/story/mjg/goodbye https://www.abctales.com/story/angusfolklore/past-dwellers-lost https://...

Happiness is a warm keyboard=I live to and love to write

1/1/2021, 12:02am...I sit on my porch watching the fireworks bursting in the night sky over the rooftops of celebratory neighbors, reflecting on those drizzling, dazzling colors of isolated celebrations and it takes me back in time. All the New Year day celebrations I've partied through with bright eyes filled with the promise of a new year, celebrating that hope with friends and family...and yes, that look back is very clear to me…as turning...

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