Victoria Ray's Blog, page 13

The Story of Harmless Bullet

Day 17 A Dope Party /absurdist comedy/ When I poked out from the intimate saloon of Mrs. WickedBreaker, it was as bright as day – the moon was shining. Then a cool breeze began to blow, and soon enough, the clouds covered the sky. I tried to sit down on the bench under the tree (it was a healthy motion my tired body needed, knowing what was to come), but...

A reader lives a thousand lives

I’m reading two different crime/mystery books this week:  The Big Both Ways by John Straley  Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith These books are very contrasting, not only in volume but also in structure, character description, final delivery of each chapter, and writing style. I have never read anything from these two authors. Of course, I am familiar with the work of J.K. Rowling, but not her criminal fiction published under...

The Story of Harmless Bullet

Day 16 A haircut selection /absurdist comedy/ I woke up with the feeling that everything that had happened in the Death Tower had been only a dream. The images of the visitors swept back and forth in my mind – their seductive voices, their sugary smell, their delightful touch – and slightly opened the window into strange reality, or the truth behind the insane asylum called Screw Quarter, filled with...

Crime & Comedy

After some consideration, I decided that the next book will be Eyebrow Killer – a humorous crime novel. I prepared the blurb and the cover, but the book isn’t ready yet… We – Ray and Aiki – are starting to work on the second draft this August. Yay! I’m planning to publish it in December 2021. Year: 2015 Place: Amsterdam A detective with a phobia and a clever, obsessed killer clash...

Literature – with or without ‘writing style’

#guestpost written by Laolu Ogundele  “So, what’s your style”? Someone once asked me in the middle of a neighborhood writers meetup I attended a decade or so ago. “Straight jeans, dark-colored zip hoodies, and basketball shoes…” I began, but my voice trailed off as I noticed a couple of people try hard and fail to stifle a laugh. “I mean writing style,” the original asker graciously clarified. “Oh, my bad....

Summer Waves

ALMOST FAITHFUL – a tantalizing taste of the true story, with a splash of forbidden romance, fast and spine-chilling, with three murders and three suicides, without gore or horrific descriptions and with a happy ending. As always, the main word is FAST 😉☝️+ engaging, sketchy, trashy, compact, commercial. Pre-order: 0.99  Amazon US  Amazon UK The eBook’s price 0.99 during summer 2021  Paperback (236 pages): 9.99 (USA); 8.99 (EU); 7.99 (UK) from 11th July 2021...

The Story of Harmless Bullet

Day 15 Miss Sedative & Co /absurdist comedy/   The four of us were sitting outside on the pool terrace, with a mojito in hand, desperately trying to find a common topic for conversation.  “Arcadio, where did you learn to create such a high wave of sexual latitudes? It was quite incredible,” Martha asked, testing my reaction or perhaps asking out of idle curiosity.  “Just following the wind, sweetheart,” he...

The Story of Harmless Bullet

Day 14 One percent  /absurdist comedy/ I sat at the maple table and listened to the conversations at the bar. Despite the increasing attention and distrust of the saloon’s regulars, I found out that roughly 1 percent of Gunung Kinabalu owned 92 percent of the Kingdom’s wealth. The gap between the high-tech quarter and the rest of the land widened last year. Constant taxes, erosion of farmers’ rights, cost-cutting, and...

The Story of Harmless Bullet

Screw Quarter Day 13 /absurdist comedy/ I welcomed the first rays of sun with enthusiastic cheer. After a long trip – full of obstacles, spiritual slumber, and excessive heat – I felt like a bear, awake and moving in the direction of the dawning light.  We arrived at the east riverbank of Gunung Kinabalu, closer to the lunch. Three cars, one of which was a beautiful Bentley R-Type Continental from...

The Writer’s Recreation or Making Windows

As you have probably noticed, I decided to turn off the comment field (and likes section) on the blog posts. If there’s something urgent – contact me via email. I don’t check it daily but once/twice a week.  The second part of the title for this post, Making Windows, has been stolen from Michel Foucault, who said: “I am no prophet. My job is making windows where once were walls.”...