Callum McLaughlin's Blog, page 62

11-11-11

A world held its breath –

The beauty of a silence

That welcomed the end.

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Guns fell from tired hands –

The birth of second chances

To mend Earth’s lifeblood.

False Awakening by Callum McLaughlin

callummclaughlin:

Here’s a lovely and insightful review of my novel, False Awakening. Huge thanks to Lisa for her kind words.

Originally posted on Underground Energy:

I found myself in the land of illness again this week so I reached for my trusty Kindle to find a good book to curl up with in my weakened state. Upon opening the Kindle, the book False Awakening by Callum McLaughlin was staring me in the face. “Ooohhh,” I thought to myself, “What is a false awakening?”

I opened the book and began to read about a girl named Abigail Watson who woke up in the hospital with amnesia! “How interesting is this?!” I thought to myself again. “I, too, woke up in the hospital with amnesia, Miss Abigail. Sorry, Abi. I know you prefer to be called Abi. Well, of course I will help you find your memories, Abi!” I began a journey through Callum’s pen of a mystery that had to be solved.

Abi’s fragmented memory is needed to solve the mystery of events surrounding a dark…

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Nature Needs a Helping Hand

It’s a different and random little post today but I think it’s important to share the things we care about, and having visited Iceland earlier this year, I can tell you that it makes me incredibly sad to hear that much of its iconic wild habitat and rugged beauty is under threat of destruction.

There are government plans to lay roads and construct power plants in the Icelandic Highlands, which is currently one of the largest uncultivated and uninhabited territories in Europe. These lands have remained untouched throughout all of time and it would be such a tragedy if money hungry politicians spoiled that now.

There’s a site that explains it all better than I ever could, as well as a petition that aims to show that people from around the world are against this sad waste of natural splendour, so if you want to take a look that would be great.

I thought I’d share a few snaps from my time in The Land of Fire and Ice, which in spite of my seriously lacking photography skills, hopefully show a little glimpse of just how special a place it really is.

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A natural fissure where the volcanic earth has been pulled apart.

A lovely view of the ocean, right from the banks of the capital city.

Gullfoss, Iceland

Gullfoss, Iceland

The flow of water that feeds into Gullfoss.

A geyser erupting.

Þingvellir, a National Park and World Heritage Site near the capital city that includes the country’s largest natural lake.

The view over Reykjavik and the mountains beyond from the top of the stunning church, Hallgrimskirkja.

Forget Him Not

I remember, remember the 5th of November

as amongst the sparkle of fireworks

a true star was born.

He brought me porridge, sandbags,

cheese on toast and lullabies

all at just the right time

and taught me why they coined

the term ‘a gentle-man’.

Yet even the brightest of stars must fade –

called for by the hungry ground below;

turned on by a parasitic mind;

taken by the stench of white corridors

where he didn’t belong.

We clung to shadows and empty shells

until the sweet release

of a dreaded phone call,

final farewells and black car processions.

But when a heart burns so bright

it leaves behind a legacy

that lives beyond the salty tang of tears

and the bitter glow from ashes:

I feel it in my veins

as I search for it in dreams

so that I may keep it safe,

eternal in its radiance.

October in Books

books, books, books!

Another month is coming to an end and that means it’s time for a reading wrap up. October has been a good month book wise, as I managed to get through 11 in total (7 novels, 2 short story collections, a graphic novel and a poetry collection).

There were a few great reads in amongst them, notably The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce and George by Alex Gino, but the standout read for me was probably All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, a wartime tale following the split-perspectives of a young blind French girl who is forced to flee her home, and a young German boy pushed into Nazi service. The prose and imagery are haunting and though a tale with much darkness, to me it was really about the goodness that lives in all of us even in the face of humanity’s worst realities.

My yearly total is now sitting at 100 books, which was a lovely milestone to hit, and I’m excited to see what November has in store for me in terms of reading.

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What was your favourite read from October?

Rainfall

image source

Soothing with its song

The hush of a million friends –

Raindrops joined as one.

Mind Maps

The moon begins its reign

and the stars come out to play;

I begin my search of mind maps,

lost on never-ending rivers

in a chaos of the self.

Let’s Recommend | Creepy Books

creepy reads

I’ve been hoping to start something of a series here on my blog where I recommend a certain type of book and encourage you all to recommend some in return. Seeing as we are fast approaching Halloween, it seemed the perfect opportunity to kick things off by recommending some creepy books to get us all in the spooky spirit.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline follows a young girl who, upon going through a mysterious door in her home that has always remained locked, discovers a bizarre and disturbing alternate version of her own life. There are lots of great characters in this book, notably the cat, the ‘other mother’ and of course the plucky and resourceful Coraline herself.

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy by Tim Burton

This is a series of abstract poems and sparse short stories accompanied by beautifully weird illustrations. It felt to me like getting to steal a glance inside Burton’s sketch book or journal and if you know his work, you will know to expect the unexpected with a good dash of creepiness.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

This is a graphic novel comprised of several short stories. The artwork is vivid, bold and immersive. It wasn’t so much the stories themselves that stuck with me as it was the fantastic atmosphere that Carroll created throughout.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

This is a short story often cited as a feminist text that follows the disturbing mental decline of an intelligent woman confined to a single room by her husband and doctor, who feel it is inappropriate that a woman should wish to write. It has an important message about supressing creativity but is also just unsettling in its own right.

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I’ll leave it there for now but as I said, I’d love to make this a collaborative feature so by all means recommend some of your favourite creepy reads in the comments. Happy reading!

Loss of Landscape

I try to catch the fears

that creep beyond my skin,

but my hands are just too small.

Instead I feel them flowing

gently through my fingers

and falling where I stand,

landing like warm blood

on freshly fallen snow,

melting my conviction.

With this loss of landscape

I must welcome barren lands,

yet every thriving forest

was born of humble beginnings

and all has not been lost,

for beneath its cage of skin and bone

a weary heart beats on

like the meekest of buried seeds,

destined to be a mighty oak.

Outlook

image source

You could mourn the loss of sun

or dance beneath the stars –

The choice is yours.