Steve’s Comments (group member since Sep 26, 2010)

Steve’s comments from the Q&A with Steve Morris group.

Well, thank you. I wonder if there will be a resurgence in short stories now. Life for all of us is being run at such a hectic pace. If we take ten minutes out to have a rest, we all start fiddling with our phones and gadgets. Children's attention spans are seemingly shorter than ever and breaking news is "yesterday's" next in an hour or so. Reading (and especially writing) a novel requires huge stamina and concentration.
However, many people are unwilling to invest emotion into the characters in a short story in the same way as they would readily into those of a novel.

Well there are links between just a few of the stories but they can all be read seperately. I think that is important with short stories, the idea being that they are designed to be read when not so much time is available

Another interesting boundary that books for sale internationally breaks down is language. With the internet , the principle is the same whether we are talking to someone in the house next door or on the other side of the world. So, until we all begin to use the same international internet "language" we have to be careful that words are not lost in translation.
In All Probability had a UK slang word for a cigarette which has entirely a different meaning for our American cousins!

Sandy,
Good morning and Hello. My name is Steve Morris. I wrote a book of stories called "In All Probability" in 2009, which had some good Press.
In a few weeks time the second book of stories called "Jumble Tales" will be released.
I'm not sure if the pun around "Jumble Tales" works with my friends outside of the UK. Are we the only country that has Jumble sales?

Thanks Nicolle.
Yes, Dead Eye is my favourite. The name itself came from a story an elderly aunt once told me about a miner. Editor Vivian has cautioned me against writing stories with negative endings in the current climate. She's right and I've mixed up stories in Jumble Tales as best I could.
There are lots of ideas for new stories from things I hear in the press or people I meet on my travels. Everyday life is sometimes stranger than fiction!

Hello Nicolle. Thank you. Yes, I was chuffed when they came up with that. A load of bookmarks of that design are coming out this week so I hope they can reproduce that deep-blue colour.

Hi Nicolle, and thank you for that review.
Yes, Jumble Tales is also short stories, with about half as many stories but twice as long and also a longer version of Dead-Eye.
Other reviewers have said the same as you about putting together a novel. If Jumble Tales is well received then I'll do that.
Thanks again.

Don't be shy and please say "Hello".
I've met some great people on Goodreads.
Let there be many more.

Steve Morris
"...often disturbing imagination...."
("Probability" review 2009)

Well, Jumble Tales will be released on 28th October, (which coincidentally is the half-term vacation week in the UK and also the week with Hallowe'en.)
Jumble Tales will be featured in some UK magazines between then and Christmas.

I am hoping that two new short stories will be included in magazines before the new year.

A novel might well be next as I've got bucketfulls of ideas ready, but we'll see how Jumble Tales goes first.

A few people have written asking about the cover of "In All Probability". Well it was designed by Vivian and staff at Pneuma Springs. I was chuffed with what they came up with and the picture mixes images from about three of the stories.

Jumble Tales cover is a vortex design. That signifies the mixed up world we live in and how lives inter-twine to create these probability coincidences.