Insertponceyfrenchnamehere's blog

Happy Christmas all. May you be safe, warm and well-fed. Wonderful writing as always to make choices from. And though neither of my choices are at all seasonal, they are both excellent pieces of writing. Story of the Week is Leander42’s Jordan Gravette. This is Part 1, but Part 2 is also up on the site now too. https://www.abctales.com/story/leander42/jordan-gravette-part-1-6 Poem of the Week must be Ewan’s deeply moving poem, ‘Hereafter’. https...

Posted by airyfairy on Fri, 16 Dec 2022 Reading the week's new work on ABC is always a cheering antidote to the current 'cold snap' we're having in the UK. Thanks to all those who have posted such wonderful stuff over the last seven days. Story of the Week goes to ethancrane's brilliantly surreal and funny 'Your Mutual Aid Hourly Pay Insults My Intelligence'. Like all the best surreal writing, it has at least one toe firmly planted in reality,...

I am more than delighted to announce the publication of ABCTales' very own Mark Burrow's first novella, Coo. Here's a review from Airyfairy: Anyone anxious that Mark Burrow’s highly inventive ‘Pigeon Variations’ might have lost something in its restructuring to novella length for publication need not worry. The new version, ‘Coo’, is sharper, funnier and more insightful than ever. The book’s nameless narrator is trapped in several cycles of...

A very big thank you to everyone who came to our Christmas Zoom Reading. I think it was one of our best so far, with people joining in from all over the world. I do love our regular events in Soho, but at our online readings we get the chance to see and hear people who'd otherwise not be able to come. An especially big thank you to Mark Burrow and onemorething for organising so brilliantly (it's not easy!)

Our Story and Poem of the Month for November has very kindly been chosen by Sean McNulty There was so much intense, moving, hilarious and brilliant writing this month that it was quite a task to choose. But here goes. Poem of the Month is The Woman on the Other Side of the Screen by Ewan, an extremely moving, powerfully written poem. Playful with language, but heartbreaking, and with a final metaphor that is tender and unforced. https://www...

Posted by Ewan on Fri, 02 Dec 2022 Goodness these seem to come around very quickly. Still, no complaints here: some very good writing this week. Story of the Week In the prose department, I should name check monodemo’s Imagine , Charlie 77’s Behind 1 & 2, Mark Say’s Ghost Village and CSquirrel’s hilarious The Community Water Officer 1 & 2. However, I do have a particular fondness for Maddan’s sequence of monthly horror stories and so...

Two wonderful picks for you today, but firstly, please have a look at our Virtual Reading Event announcement: https://www.abctales.com/blog/insertponceyfrenchnamehere/virtual-reading-night-sunday-december-11th With huge thanks to oonemorething for organising and Mark Burrow for offering to MC, this is going to be a brilliant event and we would love to see you there - do come! Our Story of the Week is The Pregnant Waitress by csquirrel which is...

I'm very very pleased to announce that we will be having another of our spectacular virtual reading events on Sunday December 11th Timings not yet firmed up but we usually start around 7pm and go on until around 9pm. Everybody is very welcome and we're speciifically doing this at the weekend so our friends across the pond can come Please get in touch EARLY if you want to read as the list always fills up fast, and you are more than welcome to...

Available right now on Amazon, At the Back of the North Wind by ABCTales' very own Ewan Lawrie: https://tinyurl.com/5x6x829t At The Back Of The North Wind is the third instalment of Moffat's adventures. He returns to the land of his birth to seek out answers to questions surrounding his origins. Meetings with old friends and foes ensue, before a final denouement that is both shocking and gruesome. If a ripping yarn is your thing this is for you...

Posted by airyfairy on Fri, 11 Nov 2022 Poem of the Week goes to 'Legacy' by Ciadish. This beautiful meditation on loss has both warmth and hope and has struck a chord with a number of readers, including me. I'm sure it will continue to resonate with many more: Legacy | ABCtales Story of the Week is the start of another of Mac Ashton's hugely enjoyable romps, 'One Night At Kedasi'. We're also promised a return visit by some of the characters...