Dave Higgins's Blog, page 127

A Helping Hand Not a Slap on the Wrist

Several months ago, I wrote about my belief rehabilitation was the highest aim of penal sanction. Yesterday I discovered that the potential benefit extends further than I thought: even psychopaths, those least inclined to value the good of whole, might … Continue reading →

Million Word Challenge – July

As usual the first post of the month is an update on the Million Words Challenge. And, as predicted, I fell behind. However, I had a pleasant holiday and Una became even more socialised. My target for July was 53,100 … Continue reading →

Nightblade: Episode One by Garrett Robinson

Possessing both a complex female protagonist and mentions of abuse without either homily or glossing, this work demonstrates that high fantasy and gritty realism are not incompatible. Loren has lived her entire life in a small village in Selvan Forest. … Continue reading →

Any Gender Is a Drag

Amazon have decided I am not an agent of the patriarchy. As anyone who has tried to list their book in particular categories on Amazon knows, it is not a simple matter of telling them which to use. I have … Continue reading →

Three Things Anent Which I Do Not Write, and the Converse Thereof

Neil Murton, long-time friend, author, and cultist of Magpie, tagged me in the Three Things I Don’t Write About and Three Things I Do Blog Hop. Which I thought rather convenient, because after a week’s holiday I hadn’t done anything … Continue reading →

The Killing Wage by Nicholas Gagnier

Filled neither with rage nor idealism, Gagnier provides an insight into the bitter ennui the socio-economic imbalances in Western society can raise in the enlightened underdog. Refusing to force an alternative on the reader, the collection nevertheless incites the reader … Continue reading →

The Author Hot Seat with David Higgins: We didn’t have genre when I was young

Originally posted on Jane Dougherty Writes:
David Higgins is my guest today, a short story writer who has found that the problem of fitting into the category straight-jacket is amplified when your short stories aren’t all in the same style.…

What Garlic is to Salad, Insanity is to Art.

The very talented Neil Murton’s Magpie Tales come out in paperback next week; to celebrate (and because I am on holiday, so didn’t want to think too hard), today’s post is about his latest 100-word story, ‘Salad Days’. Which was … Continue reading →

That’s Magic!

This week, my wife and I are taking a stay-cation. Today we went to the Jeremy Deller: English Magic exhibition at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. As with many art exhibitions with a political message, some of the works stood … Continue reading →

Smart Girl, Dumb Love by Kelsye Nelson

Disdaining both the exceptional circumstances and people of traditional romance, and their mostly happy endings, Nelson draws interest from tales of average people facing entirely mundane issues. This collection, the first volume of the Breakup Girl series, contains three short … Continue reading →