T.P. Archie's Blog, page 2
November 10, 2014
The P'Nong
Well on with this now. Novella sized. Hard edged SF with strong emphasis on the science.
In my other life I had a demanding week at an AGM (I do volunteer work for a well known charity). It's easy if you let things roll over you, but the plight of the Third Sector can be improved. It requires business skills sensitively applied.
In the business world, big things are how much money you made, who you made it from, who you've now got more than and what you can do with it to impress others etc, etc... Big things in charity are human lives rescued from the wreckage of modern day living.
The Haslingden Writers book is coming along well. If we're lucky, we might get an introduction from an (award winning) poet. I'm holding my breath (but we're still dithering on the title).
Change is in the air at CWG - a diverse collection of authors who use the blogging platform of the Daily Telegraph for their club.
And yes, I'm still using my online name for my author blog. Really need to sort that out.
In my other life I had a demanding week at an AGM (I do volunteer work for a well known charity). It's easy if you let things roll over you, but the plight of the Third Sector can be improved. It requires business skills sensitively applied.
In the business world, big things are how much money you made, who you made it from, who you've now got more than and what you can do with it to impress others etc, etc... Big things in charity are human lives rescued from the wreckage of modern day living.
The Haslingden Writers book is coming along well. If we're lucky, we might get an introduction from an (award winning) poet. I'm holding my breath (but we're still dithering on the title).
Change is in the air at CWG - a diverse collection of authors who use the blogging platform of the Daily Telegraph for their club.
And yes, I'm still using my online name for my author blog. Really need to sort that out.
October 28, 2014
October 24, 2014
Marvel, DC and Jack Kirby
American comic books of the 60's sold in their millions. Well some of them did. The biggest in terms of circulation was Superman. The comic was widely distributed and could sell up to 1 million copies each issue. In practise it sold between 70% and 80% of that figure. A common theme that irritated more sophisticated comic book buyers was: DC would run a story with life-changing consequences that under the rules of continuity, ought to be evident in future issues. But this didn’t happen; characters were reset at the start of each new issue.
The main rival to DC was Marvel. it had a strong line of heroes. They sold well, each ranking up sales between 200k and 400k per month. Unlike DC, they were every month - many DC titles were bi-monthly, or came out, at best, 8 times per year. Supes was the big DC star. At that time he was in Superman, Action Comics, World's Finest Comics, Justice League of America, Superman's girlfriend - Lois Lane, Superman's pal - Jimmy Olsen.
Oh, bring those memories back. The big problem for the Superman family was that they faired less well, subsisting on circulations of 150k - which at that time was a trigger for cancellation. They were ripe for change. DC knew this but its culture was somnolent. It needed shock treatment to stay on terms with Marvel.
The star in Marvel's armoury was the late, great, Jack King Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg). He worked on titles like The Mighty Thor, The Fantastic Four, Captain America, Sgt Fury's Howling Commandos, and had been instrumental in bringing to life outstanding comic book characters such as Galactus and the Silver Surfer.
Kirby had great vision and was an absolute art monster. He regularly did 3 + comic books per month. that was 60 + pages of art work. Many struggled to put in a full shift of 20.
In 1970, Jack dropped a bombshell onto Stan (the Man) Lee. He was leaving. it wasn't as if Stan didn't know this was coming. Kirby had been taken for granted and Marvel weren't going to change. They had DC on its knees. Marvel comics had heroes with real life problems - a new thing at time, as under the Comics Code Authority, comics had reverted to simplistic pre-teen content, which defined DC. Marvel had found a formula that didn’t cross the Authority and yet appealed to older audiences. DC managed mouldering properties. Superman had a whole family to support - but suddenly, Jack Kirby was available. He had worked at DC in years past - on stuff such as Newsboy Legion, Manhunter, the Sandman.... There were no other real opportunities in the field for Jack - Charlton wouldn’t publish its one bi-monthly superhero title - E-Man - until 1973, Archie comics didn't do superheroes, Dark Horse, Image and other imprints were yet to be formed; Creepy and Eerie (the Horror market) wasn't where Jack was coming from and besides they were only b&w.
Jack went to DC. He was full of ideas.
The comics blazed out the news:
KIRBY IS HERE
Marvel ran a monthly Bullpen Bulletin Board in most of their comics. it was the biggest news in comics industry but they said nothing. Jack's output was prodigious and regular pencillers had to be found to replace him. There are various accounts of the inner workings of Marvel’s Bullpen - here isn’t the place for that.
Jack brought his Fourth World Saga with him. This was an interlinked tale ‘AN EPIC FOR OUR TIMES’ of good and evil. New Genesis v Apokolips. It ran in three comic books: The New Gods, The Forever People and Mister Miracle. These ran side by side, along with a re-envisioned pal of Supes - Jimmy Olsen, who got a bunch of side-kicks - the Newsboy Legion. Kirby (& Joe Simon) created the original Newsboy Legion which was based on the child-labour used by the respective newspapers of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst at the start of the Twentieth Century. These weren’t employees but rather purchased the papers from the publishers and sold them as independent agents. Yep. Child-labour. New York then.
DC were protective of the Superman look. Change meant threat and DC baulked at Jack's envisioning of Superman. He drew Supes' face, they redrew it. Jack's art style was dynamic. House artists were static. Jack's Superman looked muscular. If DC's house artists were told to bring Jack's Superman into line - well that's what they did. Re-booting heroes was - well done with care. The debates surrounding owner-creator v hired-hand were still to come.
Change brought opportunities. The insignia; for a long time, a double circle enclosing the letters DC in the top left hand corner, was revamped. For Jack Kirby’s series, the circle grew and now contained a bullet image of the main character(s) in the comic.
Below are the covers from the respective first issues of his Fourth World. Beyond tweaking for ‘color-cast’ I have left them as they are. I could clean up these images - but why? They have character as they are...
The New Gods
Main character: Orion of the New Gods
Earth name: O’Ryan
New Gods #1
Read: Orion Fights for Earth
Mister Miracle
Main character: Scot Free of New Genesis. He decides to become an escape artist - this is both metaphor for his escape from Apokolips and for sublimation of hope into cynicism in attempts to revive an obsolete form of entertainment. In many ways he is diametrically opposed to Orion, who, when the chips are down, resorts to smashing his way out of traps.
Mister-Miracle #1 cover
No Trap can Hold Him
The Forever People
The genesis of this group is quite interesting. Jack was often disturbed by groups of motorbike enthusiasts, tearing up and down the road that his California hangout overlooked. Enthusiasts? Fiends? it depends on which side of the peace and quiet debate you lie. They irritated the life out of him- and became the inspiration for his Forever People
The-Forever-People #1 cover
Big Bonus Beautiful Dreamer
and from page 10 of The New Gods:
Apokolips
Ruled by the enemy of life, Darkseid. Simple but great visuals.
Apokolips from New Gods #1, p10
(looks pretty familiar actually)
Was it good? How can you ask? Re-reading these is a visual feast.
Final thought. Just look at that blurb.
and while I've got your attention, My book is still on offer.
it's free to download until 25/10/2014 click for blurb
.
.
The main rival to DC was Marvel. it had a strong line of heroes. They sold well, each ranking up sales between 200k and 400k per month. Unlike DC, they were every month - many DC titles were bi-monthly, or came out, at best, 8 times per year. Supes was the big DC star. At that time he was in Superman, Action Comics, World's Finest Comics, Justice League of America, Superman's girlfriend - Lois Lane, Superman's pal - Jimmy Olsen.
Oh, bring those memories back. The big problem for the Superman family was that they faired less well, subsisting on circulations of 150k - which at that time was a trigger for cancellation. They were ripe for change. DC knew this but its culture was somnolent. It needed shock treatment to stay on terms with Marvel.
The star in Marvel's armoury was the late, great, Jack King Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg). He worked on titles like The Mighty Thor, The Fantastic Four, Captain America, Sgt Fury's Howling Commandos, and had been instrumental in bringing to life outstanding comic book characters such as Galactus and the Silver Surfer.
Kirby had great vision and was an absolute art monster. He regularly did 3 + comic books per month. that was 60 + pages of art work. Many struggled to put in a full shift of 20.
In 1970, Jack dropped a bombshell onto Stan (the Man) Lee. He was leaving. it wasn't as if Stan didn't know this was coming. Kirby had been taken for granted and Marvel weren't going to change. They had DC on its knees. Marvel comics had heroes with real life problems - a new thing at time, as under the Comics Code Authority, comics had reverted to simplistic pre-teen content, which defined DC. Marvel had found a formula that didn’t cross the Authority and yet appealed to older audiences. DC managed mouldering properties. Superman had a whole family to support - but suddenly, Jack Kirby was available. He had worked at DC in years past - on stuff such as Newsboy Legion, Manhunter, the Sandman.... There were no other real opportunities in the field for Jack - Charlton wouldn’t publish its one bi-monthly superhero title - E-Man - until 1973, Archie comics didn't do superheroes, Dark Horse, Image and other imprints were yet to be formed; Creepy and Eerie (the Horror market) wasn't where Jack was coming from and besides they were only b&w.
Jack went to DC. He was full of ideas.
The comics blazed out the news:
KIRBY IS HERE
Marvel ran a monthly Bullpen Bulletin Board in most of their comics. it was the biggest news in comics industry but they said nothing. Jack's output was prodigious and regular pencillers had to be found to replace him. There are various accounts of the inner workings of Marvel’s Bullpen - here isn’t the place for that.
Jack brought his Fourth World Saga with him. This was an interlinked tale ‘AN EPIC FOR OUR TIMES’ of good and evil. New Genesis v Apokolips. It ran in three comic books: The New Gods, The Forever People and Mister Miracle. These ran side by side, along with a re-envisioned pal of Supes - Jimmy Olsen, who got a bunch of side-kicks - the Newsboy Legion. Kirby (& Joe Simon) created the original Newsboy Legion which was based on the child-labour used by the respective newspapers of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst at the start of the Twentieth Century. These weren’t employees but rather purchased the papers from the publishers and sold them as independent agents. Yep. Child-labour. New York then.
DC were protective of the Superman look. Change meant threat and DC baulked at Jack's envisioning of Superman. He drew Supes' face, they redrew it. Jack's art style was dynamic. House artists were static. Jack's Superman looked muscular. If DC's house artists were told to bring Jack's Superman into line - well that's what they did. Re-booting heroes was - well done with care. The debates surrounding owner-creator v hired-hand were still to come.
Change brought opportunities. The insignia; for a long time, a double circle enclosing the letters DC in the top left hand corner, was revamped. For Jack Kirby’s series, the circle grew and now contained a bullet image of the main character(s) in the comic.
Below are the covers from the respective first issues of his Fourth World. Beyond tweaking for ‘color-cast’ I have left them as they are. I could clean up these images - but why? They have character as they are...
The New GodsMain character: Orion of the New Gods
Earth name: O’Ryan
New Gods #1
Read: Orion Fights for Earth
...
...
...
Mister MiracleMain character: Scot Free of New Genesis. He decides to become an escape artist - this is both metaphor for his escape from Apokolips and for sublimation of hope into cynicism in attempts to revive an obsolete form of entertainment. In many ways he is diametrically opposed to Orion, who, when the chips are down, resorts to smashing his way out of traps.
Mister-Miracle #1 cover
No Trap can Hold Him
...
...
The Forever PeopleThe genesis of this group is quite interesting. Jack was often disturbed by groups of motorbike enthusiasts, tearing up and down the road that his California hangout overlooked. Enthusiasts? Fiends? it depends on which side of the peace and quiet debate you lie. They irritated the life out of him- and became the inspiration for his Forever People
The-Forever-People #1 cover
Big Bonus Beautiful Dreamer
...
...
and from page 10 of The New Gods: Apokolips
Ruled by the enemy of life, Darkseid. Simple but great visuals.
Apokolips from New Gods #1, p10
(looks pretty familiar actually)
Was it good? How can you ask? Re-reading these is a visual feast.
Final thought. Just look at that blurb.
...
...
and while I've got your attention, My book is still on offer.it's free to download until 25/10/2014 click for blurb
.
.
October 19, 2014
Cover for Guide
Added a cover for my promotion on
Oh. Did I say? I'm running a promotion between October 21st and the 25th, 2014. Have you got it? The UK link is here.
Before you go any further I need to tell you this. It’s epic. Let's repeat that.
IT IS
The title is an ironic play on words – however there actually is a guide, which does deal with alien first contact.
The current Kindle edition has an Easter egg – you’ll know it when you find it.
This isn't a book for kids.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Blurb
Brent has a problem. He doesn’t fit. The woman he fancies heads up a research team. They’re busy looking into genetics; the history of man. But the story doesn’t start there; it begins long, long ago; in the Late Pleistocene; just when aliens were planning the next phase in Earth’s development.
Back in the present day, Brent’s long-time buddy, Watcher, bails him out again. Brent’s got a degree in haplessness – from the College of Life. The thing is, Watcher’s into stuff like conspiracies. Be careful Brent or you’ll be sucked in and when you’re spat out, you’ll be hung out to dry.
Forty years later, the West has collapsed and the apocalypse is in full swing. What happened? Earth was contacted by aliens triggering a rapture effect. No one has worked out what to do with the undying flesh of the undead. Xenogens – genetic plagues in all but name – are currently raging out of control. Catch one and you degenerate into a dangerous, sub-human brute. Most cities are abandoned as unsafe; they’re known as former urban areas. The problem with dangerous, sub-human brutes is they’re xenogen carriers. Former Urban Area One (former New York) is crawling with them. Triste prowls its streets. There’s always work for a mercenary
Watch out Triste; something wicked is coming.
The thing is, heroes never listen. Triste meets Shoe. Shoe’s on the run. They stumble upon an abandoned research lab. They find old records – of life before the apocalypse; but will they work out what went wrong? Do they want to? Shoe has got dark secrets; she knows more about xenogens than she lets on. There are other things she can’t tell Triste.
Hot alien women, philosophical musing and a universe with Lovecraftian themes are added for ballast. This is my first novel.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There's a good deal more on my landing page.
http://wp.me/2iw2m
Oh. Did I say? I'm running a promotion between October 21st and the 25th, 2014. Have you got it? The UK link is here.
Before you go any further I need to tell you this. It’s epic. Let's repeat that.
IT IS
The title is an ironic play on words – however there actually is a guide, which does deal with alien first contact.
The current Kindle edition has an Easter egg – you’ll know it when you find it.
This isn't a book for kids.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Blurb
Brent has a problem. He doesn’t fit. The woman he fancies heads up a research team. They’re busy looking into genetics; the history of man. But the story doesn’t start there; it begins long, long ago; in the Late Pleistocene; just when aliens were planning the next phase in Earth’s development.
Back in the present day, Brent’s long-time buddy, Watcher, bails him out again. Brent’s got a degree in haplessness – from the College of Life. The thing is, Watcher’s into stuff like conspiracies. Be careful Brent or you’ll be sucked in and when you’re spat out, you’ll be hung out to dry.
Forty years later, the West has collapsed and the apocalypse is in full swing. What happened? Earth was contacted by aliens triggering a rapture effect. No one has worked out what to do with the undying flesh of the undead. Xenogens – genetic plagues in all but name – are currently raging out of control. Catch one and you degenerate into a dangerous, sub-human brute. Most cities are abandoned as unsafe; they’re known as former urban areas. The problem with dangerous, sub-human brutes is they’re xenogen carriers. Former Urban Area One (former New York) is crawling with them. Triste prowls its streets. There’s always work for a mercenary
Watch out Triste; something wicked is coming.
The thing is, heroes never listen. Triste meets Shoe. Shoe’s on the run. They stumble upon an abandoned research lab. They find old records – of life before the apocalypse; but will they work out what went wrong? Do they want to? Shoe has got dark secrets; she knows more about xenogens than she lets on. There are other things she can’t tell Triste.
Hot alien women, philosophical musing and a universe with Lovecraftian themes are added for ballast. This is my first novel.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There's a good deal more on my landing page.
http://wp.me/2iw2m
June 23, 2014
First World War Perspectives: Fiction v Non-Fiction
On 03/07/2014, The Guardian's literary editor, Claire Armitstead, will host a debate:
First World War Perspectives: Fiction v Non-Fiction
Novelist and poet Helen Dunmore and historian David Reynolds are to debate whether the British public's image of the First World War was shaped by creative writing or by history. In the year that marks the centenary of the outbreak of the "war to end all wars", the Folio Society has invited two prominent experts to discuss the popular image of the war, trace its origins and explore what it means to every person born in Europe ever since.
Helen Dunmore's latest novel, The Lie, begins in 1920 and explores what its author has called "the long shadows of war". Its central character, Daniel, returns to England from the front to begin a new life, haunted by the friends he left behind.
David Reynolds is a professor of international history and a fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge. His last book, The Long Shadow: The Great War and the Twentieth Century, contends that the popular view of the war as a world of gloomy trenches, antiwar poets and wasted lives is both inaccurate and unfair.
This debate will take place at the Guardian's offices in King's Cross, London, on 3 July 2014, 6.30pm-9:30pm.
I plan to be there.
First World War Perspectives: Fiction v Non-Fiction
Novelist and poet Helen Dunmore and historian David Reynolds are to debate whether the British public's image of the First World War was shaped by creative writing or by history. In the year that marks the centenary of the outbreak of the "war to end all wars", the Folio Society has invited two prominent experts to discuss the popular image of the war, trace its origins and explore what it means to every person born in Europe ever since.
Helen Dunmore's latest novel, The Lie, begins in 1920 and explores what its author has called "the long shadows of war". Its central character, Daniel, returns to England from the front to begin a new life, haunted by the friends he left behind.
David Reynolds is a professor of international history and a fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge. His last book, The Long Shadow: The Great War and the Twentieth Century, contends that the popular view of the war as a world of gloomy trenches, antiwar poets and wasted lives is both inaccurate and unfair.
This debate will take place at the Guardian's offices in King's Cross, London, on 3 July 2014, 6.30pm-9:30pm.
I plan to be there.
June 7, 2014
June 2014 (interim)
Withdrew fantasy shorts from My Writing. https://www.goodreads.com/story/list/... for editing. They are due to appear in Unfinished Tales:
vol 2 (Brant and other fantasies)
vol 3 (The Wrong Lane and other detours)
Stories pulled include:
Erisse of the Illyany
A Sending
All in Time
Cherie (former title: Sandie)
Faery
Urban Decay
Author visit - Manchester Central Library on the horizon.
vol 2 (Brant and other fantasies)
vol 3 (The Wrong Lane and other detours)
Stories pulled include:
Erisse of the Illyany
A Sending
All in Time
Cherie (former title: Sandie)
Faery
Urban Decay
Author visit - Manchester Central Library on the horizon.
June 2, 2014
May 2014 Update
The editing of the Hasiwriters anthology continues apace. I've given some thought to the book launch (which is still several months off). A number of options are possible but the most desirable - a local bookshop - is off the cards. No bookshops in Rossendale.
Economic / Business side note on 'no bookshops'
This isn't due to ebooks, rather the fact is that book chains and the retail stores hollowed out the market many years back. A book selling business in the valley can't exist on scraps.
Back to Hasiwriters Anthology
Thinking laterally the options are an out of area book store or piggy-backing on a local event. The former would probably end up being probably Waterstones in Manchester. As far as the latter is concerned, I'm going to recommend the monthly Helmshore Farmers Market.
The contents list isn't entirely settled yet; I'm waiting for those doing copy-edit to give me final product.
Final page count? Unknown. If I had the text, I would know. If I had the word counts I could guess.
Format? Unknown. I know the ropes but I'm disinclined to force the committee's hand. I've recommended taking a serious look at Lulu Crown-Quarto and on that basis approaching local printers.
Cover? Unknown. We have a fine artist but getting a commitment is tricky.
Ever herded cats?
Onto Unfinished Tales
I'm busy self-editing my early stuff. There's well over 50 pieces, to be turned into 5 volumes of Unfinished Tales. In some cases I’m changing the writing style; I’m making notes as I go along; e.g. I have a ghost story done (experimentally) as an anecdote plus pulp horror references. It's more direct now. Does it work better? Dunno.
Anyhow this collection of Unfinished Tales is beginning to look like this:
Volume 1: Lucky and other stories
Volume 2: Brant and other fantasies
Volume 3: The Wrong Lane and other detours
Volume 4: Real Fiction
Volume 5: Starmount (tentative title)
Vol. 1 is finished; Vol. 2 apart from artwork is getting close; I’m 80% of the way through Vol. 3. Vols 4 and 5 are still in draft. I'm expecting each book to be around 140 pages. I’ll POD them but I’ve no plans for eformats.
Economic / Business side note on 'no bookshops'
This isn't due to ebooks, rather the fact is that book chains and the retail stores hollowed out the market many years back. A book selling business in the valley can't exist on scraps.
Back to Hasiwriters Anthology
Thinking laterally the options are an out of area book store or piggy-backing on a local event. The former would probably end up being probably Waterstones in Manchester. As far as the latter is concerned, I'm going to recommend the monthly Helmshore Farmers Market.
The contents list isn't entirely settled yet; I'm waiting for those doing copy-edit to give me final product.
Final page count? Unknown. If I had the text, I would know. If I had the word counts I could guess.
Format? Unknown. I know the ropes but I'm disinclined to force the committee's hand. I've recommended taking a serious look at Lulu Crown-Quarto and on that basis approaching local printers.
Cover? Unknown. We have a fine artist but getting a commitment is tricky.
Ever herded cats?
Onto Unfinished Tales
I'm busy self-editing my early stuff. There's well over 50 pieces, to be turned into 5 volumes of Unfinished Tales. In some cases I’m changing the writing style; I’m making notes as I go along; e.g. I have a ghost story done (experimentally) as an anecdote plus pulp horror references. It's more direct now. Does it work better? Dunno.
Anyhow this collection of Unfinished Tales is beginning to look like this:
Volume 1: Lucky and other stories
Volume 2: Brant and other fantasies
Volume 3: The Wrong Lane and other detours
Volume 4: Real Fiction
Volume 5: Starmount (tentative title)
Vol. 1 is finished; Vol. 2 apart from artwork is getting close; I’m 80% of the way through Vol. 3. Vols 4 and 5 are still in draft. I'm expecting each book to be around 140 pages. I’ll POD them but I’ve no plans for eformats.
May 1, 2014
April 2014
Publishing update.
Troglodyte will be appearing in the next edition of Never Bury Poetry.
Never Bury Poetry is published by Irwell Writers.
An abridged version of Writing Day will be appearing in Hasiwriters Writings. This is a new collection of work by Hasiwriter authors, past and present.
The first edition of Lucky and other stories has sold out.
----||----
I am currently working through a 120,000 word 'Caster' epic that one of our younger members has created. This is viewable as a web novel at:
http://yuutfa.tumblr.com/Caster
Troglodyte will be appearing in the next edition of Never Bury Poetry.
Never Bury Poetry is published by Irwell Writers.
An abridged version of Writing Day will be appearing in Hasiwriters Writings. This is a new collection of work by Hasiwriter authors, past and present.
The first edition of Lucky and other stories has sold out.
----||----
I am currently working through a 120,000 word 'Caster' epic that one of our younger members has created. This is viewable as a web novel at:
http://yuutfa.tumblr.com/Caster
April 22, 2014
Burnley are back
Burnley are a town team with a chequered history. Like other small clubs, they struggled after the wages cap was lifted in the 60s. Although long awaited, without bottomless pits of money, the best they can hope for in this return to the big time is a season or two in the top flight.
Come on you Clarets!
The lowest in society inhabit a the harsh world. It’s a closed claustrophobic world where you second guess what won’t offend those higher up the pecking order. If you do, you cut yourself adrift from everything. With no money and no skills you have literally nowhere to run. Everyday language is crude and raw. Those who make money do it from the misery of others. Everyone knows this yet there’s no proof. The noises made by politicians show how little experience the well-to-do have of the coal-face. Authorities are best avoided. I lived it for twenty years in Burnley, it’s a life I know too well.
I decided to feed real-life experience into Lucky and other stories.
Lucky is novella sized and is Space Opera, with thick strands of Alienation and Realism. Realism means some content that, depending on your imagination, could be considered explicit. It hints at sex and violence, but barring a couple of cuss words, the language is no different to what can be heard on a news programme. My alien heroine settles in a sink estate; even in civilised societies, a woman’s life can be hell. Themes for the other stories include Dystopia, Horror and Alienation.
Feedback from the first printing suggests it has touched a raw nerve.
Come on you Clarets!
The lowest in society inhabit a the harsh world. It’s a closed claustrophobic world where you second guess what won’t offend those higher up the pecking order. If you do, you cut yourself adrift from everything. With no money and no skills you have literally nowhere to run. Everyday language is crude and raw. Those who make money do it from the misery of others. Everyone knows this yet there’s no proof. The noises made by politicians show how little experience the well-to-do have of the coal-face. Authorities are best avoided. I lived it for twenty years in Burnley, it’s a life I know too well.
I decided to feed real-life experience into Lucky and other stories.
Lucky is novella sized and is Space Opera, with thick strands of Alienation and Realism. Realism means some content that, depending on your imagination, could be considered explicit. It hints at sex and violence, but barring a couple of cuss words, the language is no different to what can be heard on a news programme. My alien heroine settles in a sink estate; even in civilised societies, a woman’s life can be hell. Themes for the other stories include Dystopia, Horror and Alienation.
Feedback from the first printing suggests it has touched a raw nerve.
March 21, 2014
Library tour
I've just received POD copies of Lucky and other stories. Lucky is realistic SF. Here's a taster:
Long, long ago, there was war in the heart of the galaxy. The core stars were ripped apart by the fury of that conflict. Lucky is a survivor from it.
Her ship charts a careful course, ploughing its lonely furrow between the stars, always away from what she once knew. She'd stop running but it's now all she knows. Eventually she comes upon a back-water of the Milky Way, known locally as Orion’s Belt.
Also in this collection:
After School – civilisation is collapsing, even in the UK.
Writing Day – a tale of the last library on Earth.
Flower to Tree – all SF nightmares have a beginning.
Joe and the Xenophids – humanity are next up on the extinction list.
The reception I've had to the look of my book is exceptional. The Burnley Express have a copy and will be hopefully running an article. Over the next few weeks I'll be visiting local bookshops and Waterstones in Manchester to gauge interest.
In the meantime, I'm keen to do author readings at libraries. So far I've plans for Haslingden Library and Hebden Bridge Library, which respectively come under Lancashire, and Calderdale. (I live in Lancashire and come from Yorkshire -Jorvik Realm - so that's good). By next month (April 2014) I'll hopefully be able to report progress, on Rawtenstall, Burnley, Bury, Accrington, Blackburn - whom I've yet to contact. I like libraries and if what do helps engage local communities, that's a win-win.
The collection Lucky and other stories is only available via http://www.lulu.com/content/9139356
The lead story Lucky is available as a stand alone story in Kindle format at Lucky
Long, long ago, there was war in the heart of the galaxy. The core stars were ripped apart by the fury of that conflict. Lucky is a survivor from it.
Her ship charts a careful course, ploughing its lonely furrow between the stars, always away from what she once knew. She'd stop running but it's now all she knows. Eventually she comes upon a back-water of the Milky Way, known locally as Orion’s Belt.
Also in this collection:
After School – civilisation is collapsing, even in the UK.
Writing Day – a tale of the last library on Earth.
Flower to Tree – all SF nightmares have a beginning.
Joe and the Xenophids – humanity are next up on the extinction list.
The reception I've had to the look of my book is exceptional. The Burnley Express have a copy and will be hopefully running an article. Over the next few weeks I'll be visiting local bookshops and Waterstones in Manchester to gauge interest.
In the meantime, I'm keen to do author readings at libraries. So far I've plans for Haslingden Library and Hebden Bridge Library, which respectively come under Lancashire, and Calderdale. (I live in Lancashire and come from Yorkshire -Jorvik Realm - so that's good). By next month (April 2014) I'll hopefully be able to report progress, on Rawtenstall, Burnley, Bury, Accrington, Blackburn - whom I've yet to contact. I like libraries and if what do helps engage local communities, that's a win-win.
The collection Lucky and other stories is only available via http://www.lulu.com/content/9139356
The lead story Lucky is available as a stand alone story in Kindle format at Lucky
