Guy Portman's Blog, page 21
March 9, 2018
The History of Transgressive Fiction
I am a big fan of Transgressive Fiction. Numerous Transgressive book reviews can be found in the ‘My Reviews’ section of my blog. I have written two Transgressive novels to date – Necropolis & Sepultura. Their protagonist is the darkly humorous sociopath Dyson Devereux.
This week’s blog post is devoted to the history of Transgressive Fiction. For those not familiar with the genre:
March 2, 2018
10 Transgressive Novels
I am an avid writer and reader of Transgressive Fiction. Last November I devoted a blog post to 10 works of Transgressive Fiction. This week we return to the subject with 10 more Transgressive novels, none of which featured in the previous post. Click on the links to read my reviews.
The followin...
February 23, 2018
20 More Quotes About Writing
This week’s post is dedicated to 20 writing-related quotes that have not previously been featured on my blog.
To write, or to Netflix. That is the question – Kat Myley
Saturday night is perfect for writers because other people have “plans” – Mike Birbiglia
History will be kind to me for I intend to write it – Winston Churchill
The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering – Tom Waits
The dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he’s given the freed...
February 16, 2018
8 Dark Humour Books
As followers of this blog know I am a big fan of dark humour. This week’s post is dedicated to 8 books that contain dark humour – six that I have read and two that I have written. They are presented in no particular order. Click on the links to read my reviews.
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
[image error]
Choke is in essence a social commentary about our innate craving for attention and the fundamental nature of addiction. The episodic narrative is rife with humour of the darkest sort.
My Review: The protago...
February 9, 2018
15 Banned Books
‘Few things in life seem more sexy than a banned book.’ — Chuck Palahniuk
Back when this blog was in its infancy I dedicated a post to 10 banned books. Today, we revisit this fascinating topic with this expanded post.
In chronological order here are 15 famous books that have been banned:
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (1877)
[image error]
This best-selling didactic story is narrated by its protagonist, the horse Black Beauty. The book emphasises the importance of animal welfare, in addition to lessons pert...
February 2, 2018
20 Quotes About Writing
Here are 20 writing-related quotes. I hope these will amuse and/or inspire my fellow writers.
You know you should be writing. Get off Twitter – Yvette Kate Willemse
Grammar, you’re the pickiest noun I know – Buffy Andrews
Writers, like teeth, are divided into incisors and grinders – Walter Bagehot
Pen-bereavement is a serious matter – Anne Fadiman
Discipline is the bridge between a great idea and a completed novel – T. N. Suarez
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. I say its closer to 67...
January 26, 2018
If Authors Were Desserts
This week’s post is devoted to what I deem to be the highlights of my ‘If Authors Were Desserts’ series, which began back in mid 2016.
Here are twelve authors and the desserts that in my opinion they/their writing corresponds to.
Norman Mailer
[image error]
Cultural criticism, controversy and obscenity were hallmarks of this volatile and violent author.
Corresponding dessert: Fruitcake
[image error]
Rationale: Self-explanatory
Stephanie Meyer
[image error]
Meyer is a young-adult fiction writer responsible for the vampire roman...
January 19, 2018
A Personal Update
It has been over a week since I released my fourth novel, the black comedy Sepultura. The early reviews have been very positive, and there are now a fair few up on Goodreads. I particularly like these comments, all of which are taken from Goodreads reviews.
[image error]
A superb addition to Portman’s eclectic, wonderful corpus — Sean
… I already need the sequel! — lexlooksatbooks
I couldn’t help but observe with relish Dyson’s latest interactions with the philistines who haunt his waking hours — Wendy
Cl...
January 12, 2018
Sepultura Publication Day
My black comedy Sepultura was released yesterday. Click on the links to see the first reviews of Sepultura on Amazon UK and Goodreads. Sepultura is available as a paperback (£6.99/$10.99) and eBook (£2.39/$3.22) from all major retailers.
[image error]
A sociopath can only keep up a façade for so long.
Dyson Devereux is a busy man, with a challenging new job at Paleham Council and a young son. He would be coping just fine were it not for crass colleagues, banal bureaucracy and contemptible clothes. He is n...
January 5, 2018
Sepultura Countdown
I am looking forward to the imminent release of my new book, Sepultura (Thursday, January 11th).
A sociopath can only keep up a façade for so long.
Dyson Devereux is a busy man, with a challenging new job at Paleham Council and a young son. He would be coping just fine were it not for crass colleagues, banal bureaucracy and contemptible clothes. He is not going to take it lying down.
Because beneath Dyson’s charming, Italian delicacy-consuming veneer lurks something sinister. As his personal...
