Blogs

Our Story of the Week is a two-parter, Kilb50's marvellous 'Something Hard Inside Him'. Beautifully observed and written and, despite my own wish to know what happened next, with a perfectly judged ending. Part One: https://www.abctales.com/story/kilb50/something-hard-inside-him-part-1 Part Two: https://www.abctales.com/story/kilb50/something-hard-inside-him-part-2 Poem of the Week is another of our Inspiration Point entries - the prompts have...

LEGGINGS - A CHANGEABLE DAY The weather is changeable. I wonder if that’s specific or not. It worries me this startling non-statement of the barometer. It’s quite warm today, and I’m not sure what to wear, and I have tasks to do written in my mind. First take down the bed frame, get rid of the extra linen, and really hoover up. I decide I must be conservative about how I dress, given the list. I mean how can you unscrew a double bed frame in a...

I’ve read Morvern Caller, The Sopranos, The Stars in the Bright Sky, and The Deadman’s Pedal . I liked them all, or I wouldn’t have finished reading them. Life’s too short to mess about reading shite. The Deadman’s Pedal , when we take the foot off the gas the train comes to a halt. There’s a metaphor there somewhere. The Deadman’s Pedal is my favourite Warner book of this collection. The other books involved gaggles of young girl narrators from...

I’ve been watching a TV programme with David Attenborough and the Queen talking about trees, because I would watch David Attenborough talking about toilet cleaners or earwax, given the chance. The Queen, meh. I’m not a monarchist and I don’t go for the Nation’s Granny nonsense, but it’s nothing personal. It’s good that she’s interested in preserving trees throughout the Commonwealth and wants to see a ‘Queen’s Canopy’ of forests, second only to...

Keep Off - Private Property

It might still be a little cool for the flowers but there's been a host of beauties blooming on the site. Very hard to choose this week but: Story of the week goes to a stunning read from Canonette: https://www.abctales.com/story/canonette/britanny Poem of the week goes to Parson Thru for a meditation on writing - and other things... https://www.abctales.com/story/parson-thru/sewing-buttons Do give the IP a go this week: https://www.abctales.com...

our first release...

As some of you will know, my first novel, “Gibbous House” began life here on ABCTales many moons ago and was published by Unbound in January of last year. Unbound have agreed to take on the sequel, “No Good Deed”, which was also developed on ABCTales, subject to reaching its crowd-funding target. I know many ABCtalers are not rich - neither am I, if I’m honest – but if any of you do feel able to pre-order/pledge/become a patron of No Good Deed,...

Introducing Sophie Walls, our 6 th grandchild. Born to daughter Karen and her partner Kev on 23 March 2018. Weighing in at 4lbs 2ozs, she was only a little tiddler, though long for a newborn of that weight. She didn’t appear to be putting on much weight over the last couple of months due to complications, so Karen’s pregnancy was closely monitored over this period with twice-weekly scans and suchlike. Sophie arrived a month early after an...

Ten Years Ago