The festive season is nearly over, which will be a matter of regret for some and considerable relief for others! I've always enjoyed what I gather we now call Twixmas - the decorations are still up but the pressure is over. And as ever, ABC writers have considerably enhanced my week. Story of the Week is Simon Barget's complex, entertaining and thought-provoking 'Lenny'. I can't go better than one commenter who described it as 'remarkable...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_(2022_film) Amsterdam screenplay claims to be based ‘mostly on true events’. What it means by that is there was a first world war and a second world war and there is a place called Amsterdam. Hokum stretched thinly over two-and-a-quarter hours. Anyone that watched Scooby Doo knows how this film will end with those industrialists plotting against American democracy unmasked. It had me thinking there may be...

I’m blessed enough to have a roof over my head. Blessed enough to have light and warmth on Christmas Eve. Blessed enough to be able to sit and read The Psychic Fairy Queen from start to finish without interruption, other than the necessary gallons of tea. I used to love books like this. I was brought up in a big Catholic family. There’s a joke in there about a small Catholic family not being Catholic enough. Not much call for Gwyneth Paltrow’s...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0B8SRF16V/ref=atv_hm_mys_c_cm9Ytn_1_16 Blurb: Witchcraft is mainstream. The rise of Witchcraft has been steadily rising and for good reason. Hear from practicing Witches on how being a modern day Witch is not what your parents warned you about. For better or worse, Witchcraft is here to stay. Reading is what I do. I’m reading (and enjoying) Jan Murphy (2023) The Psychic Fairy Queen . I’d guess she would...

I never was that interested in using writing as an income. In these days of so many people writing and self-publishing, that is ever more an unlikely thing anyway. So, just to say, my books are free on Smashwords They are on Amazon as ebooks and print books but you can't do free on Amazon and I'm not in the Kindle Unlimited club as my books aren't exclusive to Amazon.

Story of the Week As always there are difficult choices to make. I enjoyed Justin Tuijl’s The Others , it read like silver age sci-fi, and if the lone inhabitant of a planet is a trope, well there are reasons for that: it’s a good way to create suspense or to explore what it is to be human. This story does that. Others I enjoyed included: Celticman’s Hellish Heaven Pts 1 & 2 SeanMcNulty (ABC’s own worthy successor to Flann O’Brien )‘s...

It’s Beginning to Look… The truth is, I just love Christmas. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but, for me, it’s one of the things my parents did well. I am the eldest of four boys and…man….we were a pain on Christmas Day. We would only make it to 5.30am and then barrel down the stairs. Our Christmas tree was always awash with presents and we would open them in a jumble of arms and legs, wrapping paper flying in all directions. Mum and dad...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001tkyf/disco-soundtrack-of-a-revolution-series-1-1-rock-the-boat https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001tkyp/disco-soundtrack-of-a-revolution-series-1-2-aint-no-stoppin-us-now https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001tmjk/disco-soundtrack-of-a-revolution-series-1-3-stayin-alive ‘It’s so important people know this. This is history .’ Here is the music test. What do you listen to when driving? I grew up...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0B8MWYS6Q/ref=atv_me_inc_c_nPGsgV_brws_1_33?jic=8%7CEgRzdm9k https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Burial_(film) This is Erin Brokovitch in the undertaking industry. Black and white. Good versus bad. A story of triumph we expect when the little guy fights corporate corruption that so rarely happens in real life (as this is purported to be) it becomes memorable. The Set up. Calvary of Love Baptist Church,...

Rick Rien (a pseudonym) sent me a copy of his book, Viva Nothing . The title comes from a virtual race. He fancied the name, placed a bet, and won. Usually, he loses. It’s in the title. Rick’s addiction is gambling. Most of us know someone that is addicted to something. ‘Some of my best mates are drunk drivers,’ is a line I used in one of my longer stories, Ugly Puggly. Smoking and drinking used to be the big-hitters. Drugs (legal, illegal or...