K. Morris's Blog, page 839

Change for Change’s Sake

Yesterday evening as I browsed through the books on my bookshelves I was struck by the beauty of the hard back titles. The Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) used to provide books either in soft paper covers or, alternatively in what they described as cloth . boards. I am of the view that books are long term friends so purchased the hard back versions. Sadly RNIB no longer offer cloth bound volumes so the blind person wishing to purchase titles has Hobsons choice (they must like or lump the soft cover books sold by the Institute).

The hard cover books feel permanent and possess a wonderful scent wholly lacking in their soft bound alternatives. It is a real pleasure to take down Wuthering Heights in it’s cloth boards not only because it is a marvellous story but also due to the volumes being a pleasure to handle. They feel as though they where made to last and the braille protected as it is by the robust covers remains easy to read unlike some of my paper bound books. Where I to be a sighted person I would purchase hard backs in preference to paperbacks as they exude a sense of permanence and dare one say it stability.

As I browsed my books my mind wandered and I began to ponder the issue of permanence more generally. On occasions it seems as though we are, as a society obsessed with the ephemeral. Next time you are on public transport witness the number of people who are engrossed in madly texting rather than reading a book. Some of these texts are no doubt important, however especially with teenagers one suspects that many are wholly inane and are being sent to people whom the teen has only just left. Again the constant checking of Facebook fosters a view of the world in which nothing is permanent, things change constantly and one must always be moving forward on a roller coaster from one exciting post to another.

To sit down with a book is in contrast an experience to be savoured. With a good book one must concentrate and yes sometimes struggle. However the pleasure to be derived from comprehending a complicated plot or a difficult subject does (in my view) outweigh the shallow pleasures which eminate from the obsessive use of social media. In time (a very short time) most of the posts on Facebook will be forgotten, however Emily Brontae, Charles Dickens and other great writers will remain as proof that there is more to the world than a vapid ever shifting obsession with change for change’s sake.

I hope that I am not turning into an old fogey before my time!

 

Kevin

 

 

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Dylan Thomas

I am not a huge fan of Dylan Thomas. I do, however love his poem Do Not Go Gentle and I was pleased to come across the poet reading his own poem on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2cgcx-GJTQ&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs.

Samantha Part 13

Below is part 13 of my story Samantha. For Part 12 which links back to previous chapters please visit http://newauthoronline.com/2013/02/02/samantha-part-12/.

 

Sam clutched the pack of ibuprofen in her trembling right hand. How easy it would be to mix the pain killers with a glass of the cheap wine in her fridge. What a blessed relief to slip away quietly from the world. She was a whore, who would miss her? Not Barry he could easily find other girls, to him Sam was a mere means to an end. Barry worshiped profit, the god of mammon was his lord. Would Peter miss her? Perhaps he would shed a few tears but he would be grateful deep in the secret recesses of his soul that his entanglement with Samantha Parker-Jones was at an end. Daddy would be devastated when he heard the news of the death of his little girl. “Poor daddy, poor Sam”Samantha thought as she poured a large glass of wine. Feeling detached from reality Sam mechanically opened the pack of pain killers and emptied it into the glass. “Cheers” she said with bitter irony raising the glass to her lips. The doorbell rang. The sound was like an electric shock. The glass slipped from Sam’s hand shattering into fragments on the concrete kitchen floor. “Christ what am I doing?” Sam thought the reality of what she had just been going to do hitting home. Shakily Sam walked the few yards to her front door and opened it.

“Sam darling are you OK? Lisa told me that you aren’t well” Peter said taking Sam into his arms. Sam clung to Peter taking comfort from the familiar scent of his aftershave. There was a gentle cough. “I came with Peter in case you needed”. Lisa trailed off not knowing how to finish the sentence. So intent had Sam been on Peter that she had failed to notice Lisa standing behind him. “Come in” Sam said standing aside allowing Peter and Lisa to enter. “Sorry I dropped a glass on the kitchen floor. I need to clear it up”, Sam said “Where do you keep your dust pan and brush? I’ll sort it out, don’t worry, you sit down with Peter. I’ll make some tea after I’ve cleared up the mess” Lisa said. “But”, “No buts where do you keep your cleaning things?” Lisa said. “In the kitchen cupboard under the sink” Sam replied leading the way into the kitchen. Lisa’s eyes widened in shock as she saw the empty packet of tablets on the work top. “What’s happening Sam? You didn’t take all those tablets. Christ please tell me you haven’t swallowed all those pills” Peter said. “No I”, Sam stopped. “Sam are all the tablets on the floor with the broken glass? Its very important. You must tell me” Lisa said. Sam nodded, “Yes”. “Are you sure Sam?” Lisa asked her eyes searching Sam’s face for any signs of dissembling. “Yes. I dropped the glass with all the pills in it when you rang the doorbell” Sam said. Peter’s normally ruddy face had turned the colour of chalk. “Why Sam, why?” he said taking both her hands in his. “You two go through into the living room. I’ll be through later” Lisa said.

To A Young Asian Girl Brought Up In The West

Asian girl, like some beautiful caged bird, enmeshed in your mother’s world. Your voice never heard, beautiful Asian girl. Caught between two worlds, beautiful Asian girl. No veil covers your long black hair, beautiful Asian girl. Part of the west but constrained by a faith from another land, entangled in a religion which you only dimly understand. Are you happy in this world oh beautiful Asian girl?

Mind Reading App Released

Imagine the chaos which would ensue if a machine with the capability to read minds was released onto the market. I have an idea for a story which I may take further at some point in the future.

The London tube train has just left Hammersmith. The passengers are lost in the daily papers while others beat time to the music playing on their iPods. The only sounds are the rustling of papers and the chug chug of the train. Suddenly the sound of a slap echoes around the crowded carriage, “What the hell was that for. If you weren’t a girl I’d break your f … nose”! a young guy in a suit shouts at a slim brunette who’s hand print can clearly be seen on his reddening right cheek. “You where thinking that you would like to f .. me you filthy perv!” “You should be locked up. You need help lady. I was thinking no such thing and even if I was since when has fantasising been a crime?!”

Incidents such as this had sky rocketed ever since the release of the mind reading app which was earning it’s developers a fortune. Apple had stopped selling it in it’s iStore following a plea from the government, however it could still be downloaded for a few pounds from sites in countries over which the UK government had absolutely no control.

The cells where full of women (and a few men) who had reacted violently when the app picked up the amorous thoughts of persons in the vicinity of the app’s user. Secretaries had been fired for hitting their bosses while young ladies flew into a rage when the app detected the amorous thoughts their partner was directing towards their girlfriend’s best friend. What was to be done? Society tetered on the edge of collapse.

Perhaps I will write my story one day.

Cyborg?

I became blind at 18 months old. My blindness is as a result of a blood clot on the brain (it could have killed me or rendered me severely mentally impaired, however, fortunately the clot only caused the loss of my sight). Although I am registered blind I possess some residual vision. I can see outlines of objects and I put the lights on when it gets dark as light helps me to avoid colliding with objects. As a child I was taught how to use a white cane however, as an adult I rely on my Labrador/retriever cross, Trigger for mobility when travelling outside.

Being blind I was interested to read an article in today’s Daily Mail (9 February) regarding the development of a bionic eye which possesses the potential to enable some visually impaired people to see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2275981/The-blind-soon-science-soon-market-high-tech-cyborg-eye.html#axzz2KOAWg0Do. The article is worth a read despite the terrible typographical errors! However I am not about to put Trigger out to grass (or whatever one does with retired guide dogs)! The causes of blindness are complex and not all of them are amenable to treatment. For those for whom the bionic eye works it is, obviously a wonderful and liberating invention but for many other visually impaired people this invention is of academic interest only. We will continue to live and enjoy our lives as unenhanced humans, no bionic eyes for us.

(Kevin Morris is a writer. For his collection of short stories, The First Time please visit the Kindle store on amazon.com or amazon.co.uk).

Please Like My Author’s Facebook Page

In order to promote my collection of short stories, The First Time and my forthcoming book, Samantha I have an author’s page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/newauthoronline). Please like my page on Facebook. Many thanks, Kevin

Samantha by Kevin Morris – Liverpool and forced prostitution

My forthcoming novel, Samantha is set in the city of Liverpool and tells the story of a young girl, Samantha who is forced into prostitution by her brutal pimp Barry.

Having been born and brought up in the city of Liverpool I can vouch for the fact that Liverpudlians are a warm and friendly lot. Unlike London and other large cities the inhabitants of Liverpool say good morning to strangers a trait which raises eyebrows among visitors who are unfamiliar with the people of the North-West of England. However Samantha is not about the warmth and generosity of the people of Liverpool, it deals with the brutal reality of a young woman compelled to work as a prostitute in that city.

Can Samantha escape the world of sex slavery or will she end her life in the cold and murky waters of Liverpool’s Albert Dock? Perhaps her love for Peter (a teacher she meets in a night club) will save her, perhaps not.

Currently Samantha exists in partial draft form on my blog (http://newauthoronline.com/2013/02/02/samantha-part-12/). Once completed Samantha will be published as an ebook and, possibly in good old fashioned hard copy as well! For part 12 of Samantha which links back to previous chapters please visit the above link.

Pile EM High And Sell Em Cheap

I have been thinking a good deal recently about book marketing and, in particular how best to market my forthcoming book, Samantha. It is often remarked of the English that we are self deprecating, that we have an aversion to blowing our own trumpet. Obviously this is a stereotypical observation, however it does, in the case of myself contain a kernel of truth. I find it incredibly difficult to tell people in a face-to-face context about my published collection of short stories, The First Time and my forthcoming book, Samantha. When I open my mouth to talk about my writing I can feel my face turning red and yours truly suddenly becomes rather reticent. The perception that self-publicising is not the done thing, dies hard in me.

I do not feel the same disinclination to promote my work on the internet. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I have never met any of the people who read my blog. I don’t have to face my blog’s readers, the computer comes between you and I. Distance helps communication. Ironically where I to meet any of my blog’s readers face-to-face the fact that a relationship of sorts (as regards my writing) had developed over the internet would make talking about my books relatively easy (at least I think this would be the case, it hasn’t happened as yet so I have no way of knowing for sure)!

Still on the subject of marketing, I have read a number of posts which suggest that authors should listen to their readers to ascertain what they like about their work and then go on to employ this knowledge to improve their craft. Obviously it is good to learn what one’s readers think of one’s writing and writers can learn from constructive criticism. However I can’t agree with the view that authors should ascertain what readers appreciate in order to provide them with more of the same. As a writer I write about those issues which interest me and about which I feel strongly. If readers disagree with my perspective then, of course I respect their views, however I am not prepared to tailor my writing in order to gain fans and/or sell more books. Naturally I hope that people will buy (and more importantly like) my books, however there is no value in selling books in large quantities only to sacrifice one’s integrity.

Sorry for a somewhat rambling post.

 

Kevin

Editors Wanted

I’m considering employing the services of an editor/proof reader to go through my forthcoming book, Samantha which is currently in draft (unfinished) form on my blog. Once finished I will make further changes to the manuscript and then (very possibly) use the services of an editor. I’d be grateful for any suggestions regarding editors and/or proof readers. Please either comment on this post or, if you prefer send an email to newauthoronline@gmail.com.

Many thanks,

Kevin