Big congratulations this week to Rosa Cruz for 'Forever-Home' and to blackjack-davey for 'Me and My Shadow' - our brilliant Story and Poem of the Week! https://www.abctales.com/story/rosa-cruz/forever-home https://www.abctales.com/story/blackjack-davey/me-and-my-shadow .. and here's this week's Inspiration Point (it's a great one): https://www.abctales.com/inspiration-point-ip

It's really nice to be able to share a bit of good news from one of our lovely poets: Rosa Cruz has won first prize in a poetry competition with 'Last Night I dreamt I became an Emperor Moth' which was posted here on ABCTales.com. Big congratulations to her from all of us! https://www.firstwriter.com/competitions/poetry_competition/winners/15th...

It was wonderful! From Thursday to Sunday I was one of about 50 retreatants at the beautiful Gaia House in West Ogwell (10 miles beyond Newton Abbot in Devon). All new to me and 'first time for everything.' The beauty of the winter oak silhouttes, the chatter and song of the blackbirds, robins and blue tits. The mosaic bordering the little pond. Walking meditation in the grounds was a treat. We all did one hour of 'working meditation', each day...

This is a seriously good book, make no mistake about it. I’ve followed the gestation of Gibbous House on ABCtales and read it in various incarnations over the past three years but this final, published version is another step on. It’s a triumph and I highly recommend it to you. This is a modern gothic novel. It is steeped in the 19 th century tradition and draws heavily on the works of Poe, the Brontes, Thackeray et al but be assured that you do...

This week from airyfairy: As usual, lots of wonderful stuff on the site this week, and really hard to make choices. Poem of the week goes to Hudsonmoon's beautiful, heartwarming celebration of love, Our Feet Don't Run: https://www.abctales.com/story/hudsonmoon/our-feet-dont-run Story of the week is Rosaliekempthorne's Breeder of Black Cats, which manages to be both unsettling and comforting all at the same time: https://www.abctales.com/story/...

As usual, lots of wonderful stuff on the site this week, and really hard to make choices. Poem of the week goes to Hudsonmoon's beautiful, heartwarming celebration of love, Our Feet Don't Run: https://www.abctales.com/story/hudsonmoon/our-feet-dont-run Story of the week is Rosaliekempthorne's Breeder of Black Cats, which manages to be both unsettling and comforting all at the same time: https://www.abctales.com/story/rosaliekempthorne/breeder-...

A year or two ago, I wrote a Christmas story which featured an Anti-Santa (or, at least someone who pretended that was what they were). You can find it here , if you're interested. Writing about an Anti-Santa made me wonder if there was anything else of a negative nature tucked away in the festive season, which made me consider the role of the Anti-Present. Just to clarify, this doesn't mean being against the here and now. Nor is it a poorly...

I love books. I’ve got a stash of books in the toilet, by the side of every chair I’m likely to sit on and that includes the lavvy pan. Under my bed and by the side of my bed. But I don’t read enough and a book has never saved my life in the way it did Ashoke Ganguli after a train crash 209 kilometers from Calcutta he is involved in when going to visit and read to his grandfather, who also loves books and in particular the giants of Russian...

Donald J Trump’s mother, Mary came from the Isle of Lewis. There’s more than one Scottish word for her son. Bawbag is a good Scottish word to start with. Perhaps Robert Burns, our national bard, put it better in The Cotter’s Saturday Night , the kind of dwelling his mother Mary came from: An honest man’s the noblest work of God; And certes in fair virtue’s heavenly road; What is a lording’s pomp? a cumbrous load, Disguising oft the wretch of...

How To Be a Woman has Caitlin Moran on the front cover surrounded by a proscenium arch of accolades. ‘Galaxy Book Awards Book of the Year.’ ‘Funniest Book of the Year,’ Evening Standard. ‘The book EVERY woman should read,’ Grazia. Well, I’m at a disadvantage here because I’ve read it and I’m a guy, or at least like to think so. I’m normal that way, obviously when you’re lying in bed, you’ve had sex with someone you don’t know very well, and she...