Blogs

Good evening everyone, That I've said this before doesn't make it any less true, the number and quality of the submissions that have been posted this week has once again been amazing. That's wonderful and long may it continue but it makes the weeky responsibility of picking the two stand-out poem and prose pieces very very difficult indeed. But decisions have to be made so here we go... This week's winning poem is from new member mackatoof for...

This is a short book, with some lovely illustrations, but you’d expect that, Will Gompertz is BBC’s Art’s Editor. If I was thinking like an economist more than an artist I’d be thinking ten quid for a couple of wee pages and a couple of illustrations isn’t that great a deal. If I was thinking like a boozer that was an economist I’d be thinking that the opportunity cost of reading this book is four pints of heavy out of the Dropp Inn. If I was...

I'll plunge straight into this week's picks with Bee's stand-out poem Breasts which we've already featured on our front page as it forms part of her Journey sequence, detailing her cancer from diagnosis through treatment. If you haven't already been there, please do pay it a visit. Story of the Week goes to Matthew Hughes for Something Borrowed - a cleverly constructed short with a really unexpected twist. http://www.abctales.com/story/bee/...

Following on from the roaring success in Nottingham (tha nks, VeraClark) the next ABCtales R eading E vent has been organised. Here are the details: Date: Wednesday 11th November, 2015 Venue: The Wheatsheaf Address: 25, Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, London, W1T 1JB Time: 18:30 for a 19:00 start Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road Link to the venue: The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, London ... The Wheatsheaf is a wonderfully atmospheric...

There seems to be a small glitch happening at the moment with our email system. Until it's sorted out, if you need to get in touch please email either claudine@abctales.com or peter@abctales.com (or both if you like!) If you emailed us recently and didn't get a reply, then please accept our apologies and write again to above addresses. Thank you!

I find it hard in todays to stay focused on what we truly want, and not because we cant but because there are so many different facets of entertainment and distraction. In essesence do we not all basically know where we would like to be in the future. I for one have a pretty good idea, but more times than not I find myself wasting my precious time on things that have no return on investment. I believe that just like myself more people need to be...

Well, for a welcome change there was a little less agonising to do in order to select this week's winners. Two stand-out pieces. First the winning story, it's noo's wonderfully rich and deep Game : Game and the winning poem is Vladislas32's astonishing Homage to Mr Ginsberg which was a pick of the day but now gets a thoroughly deserved promotion: Homage to Mr. Ginsberg The list of honourable mentions that I'd compiled for this week's process is...

For those Talers who currently have submissions out to agents or plan to have in the future: Rejection: Live! Is it fair? Is there any objectivity? Does it bring confidence to the process?

There was a place I loved to go as a child… that place held a myriad of stories- in worn pages bound in leather and cloth covers-- it beckoned me to come and play. It promised adventure, laughter, exploration and amazing magic…and it was all a child could imagine. The building was made of large stone blocks…a refuge from the world …It protected, it taught and it comforted. An outlet to all things imagination could conjure. In those pages I found...

Our latest ABCtales book to be published by Unbound is the truly excellent 'Ex' by Laurie Avadis, known on here as 'lavadis'. It's the extraordinary tale of a 30 stone policeman who is intent on murdering his young son. It makes you laugh - a lot - and then suddenly take in a sharp breath and realise just what it is that you are laughing at. This is a shocking and thought provoking book that comes from the heart of Laurie's experience as a...