https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kindness_of_Strangers_(film) Sometimes we don’t know what to write. I thought this film would be shite, but it was really good, sums it up. Nobody really cares. The Kindness of Strangers others that. It’s the basis of most religions. We are what we give. Not in the hope of receiving, or as a morality play (although that may be part of that thing we call being truly human) or even the anguished cry of Marlon...

Soulfire77 has posted a puzzle on his blog. He's written a 'frankenplot' mash up of the plots of three novels, all by world famous authors If someone can solve it by February 1st, he's promised to donate $25 to ABCTales If you could all put your thinking caps on it would be much appreciated, and a very big thank you to SoulFire! https://www.abctales.com/blog/soulfire77/frankenplot

Who wants to play " Frankenplot "? This is an excellent game to play with your well-read friends (if you have any). It's also a great way to stumble across new and interesting plot combinations for your own work. Here's how to play: I have mixed up the plots of THREE novels by world famous authors. All you have to do is GUESS which three novels I have used to create this new "Frankenplot". I have tried to make this first one a humorous...

Elvis v Priscilla. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002nzws/elvis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_(2022_film) https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002b8kn/priscilla https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priscilla_(film) Music and me, we don’t talk or do that walk. If the slim-hipped whip of a boy is someone the old dears in The Mountblow watch doing Karaoke turns out to be a bulky and grey haired John Brady, they never let on. I guess mums...

Dr Tony Redmond (2021) Frontline. Saving Lives in War, Disaster and Disease Bertolt Brecht, Life of Galileo (1939) Andrea: “Unhappy the land that has no heroes.” Galileo: “No. Unhappy the land that needs heroes.” Dr Tony Redmond is no fictional hero. But we kind of already know him. Born into poverty. A man that wants to help others—no matter what or where they are. He’s paid the price. Almost a millimetre from total paralysis, the discs in his...

The mind is like a vast ocean with trials and tribulation taking it all, in a state of contiuous flux. To steady it is an hercuelian task but not impossible. In all my short stories ,i write about the mind and its ramificatios .positivily affecting us ,with a peck into its negativity also. Read all my stories, experience it and send a critical assessment, from which i wish to learn more and apply.

Black grandmas in the South are the best. Went to a sub shop to get a veggie sub and there’s this sort of counter thing in front of the toppings bar. Don’t know why. This black grandma came in with her grandson; all this I’m assuming based on appearance, age difference, dig? The kid grabbed the counter thing and pulled himself up, guess to get a look at the toppings, and his grandma said Boy, git yo ass offa dat man’s counter! The man making the...

This past Friday I was operating a crane and my foreman comes on the radio to inform me that when the particular cargo ship I’m unloading is unloaded he wants me to come down and do some “receiving work” - moor incoming ships. I replied “Roger” and he replied “Well, don’t sound so fuckin’ thrilled about it, sweetheart. And don’t think that just because you’re cute I won’t kick your gloomy ass.”

Crowe returns this week. Its been a busy two week run, genrating interest and positioning THE PAYOUT GAME's visbilty for its release next Saturday 01,24.26. The ARC feedback is very positive, before Christmas I made a few adjustments and rewrote several scenes to reduce the occasional 'clunkiness' that slips through. Then you walk away from it. Here are my key takeaways form promotiong your own work 1. Consistency is key - same blurb, same...

Julian Hoffman is trying to find a place in our ponderous world for wonder, or what he terms ‘radical amazement’. The beauty of connection in the age of desolation. ‘When it’s gone, it’s gone,’ he argues. He asks what are those special qualities that make us human? Our sixth sense, writer Rebecca Solnit calls it. Cultural as well as natural meaning. Lived experiences that act as in internal compass mapped by memory and spatial awareness. I think...