K. Morris's Blog, page 800
December 3, 2013
The Silence Is Deafening Revisited
On 24 November I wrote about my frustration at the failure of some authors and publishers to enable the text to speech facility on Kindle e-books thereby preventing blind people (and others who are not able to read print) from accessing them, (see http://newauthoronline.com/2013/11/24/the-silence-is-deafening/. I subsequently made contact with the author however, having heard nothing I have, today contacted the publishers to request that the text to speech facility is enabled. I will update you if/when I receive a response from either the author or publisher. Many thanks to all of you who commented or reblogged my post. Your support is very much appreciated.
December 2, 2013
The Free Promotion Of Samantha Ends Today
The free promotion of my short story, Samantha ends at approximately 12 pm (UK time) today. To download Samantha or any of my other books please visit my Amazon author’s page which can be found here, http://www.amazon.co.uk/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0.
December 1, 2013
The Promotion Starts Today
My collection of short stories, Sting In The Tail And Other Stories, is free to download from Monday 2 December until Friday 6 December. To download Sting In The Tail please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sting-tail-other-stories-Morris-ebook/dp/B00DFK6R54 (for the UK) and http://www.amazon.com/Sting-tail-other-stories-Morris-ebook/dp/B00DFK6R54 (for the US). The promotion is scheduled to begin at approximately 12 pm on 2 December.
My short story, Samantha remains free to download until 3 December. To obtain your free copy please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samantha-K-Morris-ebook/dp/B00BL3CNHI (for the UK) or http://www.amazon.com/Samantha-K-Morris-ebook/dp/B00BL3CNHI (for the US). One reviewer has the following to say about Samantha
“In this short but powerful story, the reality of life smacks the reader in the face and makes you wonder if this is how many of today’s so called “Ladies
of the night” also started? Hopefully, it will also make female readers think twice before accepting a drink from that seemingly charming stranger”.
Juliette
Marcus Fielding gazed fixedly at the kitchen knife.
“Look old chap why don’t you put that thing down and we can chat over a whisky like civilised human beings”.
The visitor made no answer save for the sickly smile which slowly spread across his sallow face.
“Look here old man if you leave now we will say no more about it. You where never here. A nods as good as a wink to a blind horse and all that”.
The stranger’s smile broadened. He shook with silent laughter.
Marcus wondered if he could reach the panic button on his key ring. If he could do so then the private security firm who guarded the house would be there in a matter of minutes. Why the bloody hell had they not stopped his unwelcome guest from reaching him in the first place?! Marcus casually reached towards his pocket.
“I wouldn’t do that if I where you”. The stranger’s voice was flat and expressionless but the coldness in his eyes caused Marcus to shiver involuntarily.
“As you like. I was only retrieving my handkerchief” Marcus said placing his hands on the desk. “Is it about a girl?”
“Ah Mr Fielding we all know your reputation with the ladies don’t we? I bet there is a queue of irate husbands wanting to punch that smug face of yours, not to mention the angry fathers baying for your blood. You like them young I understand, anything over 16 and, preferably below 30”
“Was it Jenny” Marcus asked thinking back to the leggy blonde he had picked up on Friday evening. God she had been as thick as two short planks but Marcus didn’t care. It was whether they where good in bed which interested him.
“Who is Jenny?”
“You haven’t come about Jenny. Then who have you come about?”
“Juliette”.
A look of puzzlement flitted across Marcus’s face. His position as a leading literary critic enabled him to bed more or less any girl of his choosing. A few well chosen words about how he could create a best selling author had the ladies eating out of his hand. It was lies of course and it never ceased to amaze Marcus that so many girls fell for the yarn, hook, line and sinker. He couldn’t remember the name of every lady he had had the pleasure of sharing his bed with, however he was almost positive that none of his conquests where called Juliette.
“No, sorry I don’t believe that I have had the pleasure of meeting Juliette”.
“I can assure you that you are intimately acquainted with Juliette”.
“I honestly can’t recollect having met the lady in question”.
“She is my dearest possession and you destroyed both me and her”.
Marcus was convinced that he was dealing with a mad man.
“What does she look like? If you describe her then perhaps I may remember her”.
“She is the love of my life. We spent many happy years together. She began as a tiny thing and grew into a beautiful creation. But you destroyed her!”
“She is your daughter? How can a night of passion ruin the life of a young lady? You are upset but young ladies have the right to choose who they date. Painful as it no doubt is there comes a time when a father must let his little girl go out into the big bad world and explore”.
“She is here with me, my Juliette”.
Christ he really was dealing with a lunatic Marcus thought.
“Here she is” the visitor said extracting a crumpled manuscript from his breast pocket. “You trashed my labour of love, my Juliette. Do you know how long it took me to write Juliette? 2 years. Yes 2 years of burning the midnight oil. It cost me my marriage and you, you go and wreck my literary career with half a page of newsprint. Half a bloody page is all it took to destroy my life. I’ve come here to finish it. To let you know what you have done before the grim reaper strikes”. The visitor raised the knife. Marcus closed his eyes preying that it would be quick. There was a gurgling sound followed by a thud. Marcus opened his eyes to see his visitor sprawled across the floor blood soaking into the expensive carpet.
The Libertine By Louis Macneice
A wonderful reading of Louis Macneice’s poem, The Libertine. The poem explores the feelings of a man who has explored the pleasures of the flesh to the fullest extent possible and now, in middle age feels, to borrow a line from Keats, “half in love with easeful death”. All the libertine now desires is “leave me alone”. Profoundly sad and moving, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru3q1LZOAw8&feature=em-subs_digest
Alone
“We only smoke when bored, so we do two packs a day and we’ve lost the difference between bored and lonely anyway”. A commentary on modern life? http://www.lyricstime.com/beautiful-south-alone-lyrics.html
Book Review: Kevin Cooper’s The Devils Apology (Kindle Edition)
The Satan we meet in Kevin Cooper’s “The Devils Apology” is very different from the being portrayed in Milton’s Paradise Lost, or is he? Cooper’s Devil describes a vengeful god who, not content with ruling his own realm forceably encroaches on Lucifer’s kingdom. The devil is forced to defend his kingdom and it is only through bad luck that god (rather than Satan) is victorious. In an amusing passage Lucifer describes how he punched God in the face rendering him ugly. This is, he informs us why God will never show himself to humanity.
Throughout Satan is persuasive and the reader, as with the Rolling Stones Sympathy for the Devil, begins to warm to him. However we ought to remember that it is the devil with whom we are dealing. The silver tongued serpent, described by Milton, who will say or do anything to obtain his ends. Can we believe a word he says? Alternatively is it God who has been hood winking us into believing his version of events and is the devil a much maligned creature? You decide. For “The Devils Apology” please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Devils-Apology-Kevin-Cooper-ebook/dp/B00ELN2EK6
November 30, 2013
Review Of Sting In The Tail
I was delighted to receive the following 4 star review of my collection of short stories, Sting In The Tail And Other Stories, on Amazon
“Several short, gritty tales from the dark side – no, not horror or star wars type dark side, but the dark side of humanity where self interest holds sway”. For the review please visit http://www.amazon.com/review/RT7UWA5FCFNM4/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00DFK6R54&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text.
Sting In The Tail will be available free in the Kindle store from Monday 2 December until Friday 6 December.
Published!
My blogger friends, I would like to share with you a piece of great news: I got published!
It had been a long journey for me trying, then giving up, then trying again, leading to this moment. I always felt inferior somehow - that I am incompetent. I felt that not being a native English speaker was disadvantageous for my writing ambitions; so having my English-written story published is major for me.
A good short story with an unexpected twist in the tale. Well worth a read.
Word of the Day
Today's word is a little bit on the dark side.
Erotomania: the false belief that one is loved by a stranger.
Example:
Engulfed by his erotomania, John could not bear the vision of Elizabeth in the arms of another man. "She cheated on me," he thought, "and now she has to pay."
I was unaware of the existence of this word, let alone it's meaning until today.
