Published!!!

I've had two short stories accepted for publication by 'Be Which Magazine' this summer. I really like the premise of the publication:

"This high-quality format journal is structured to present multiple perspectives by authors and artists on their chosen subject. With that in mind, we ask that each submission be a pair: of poems, of stories, of essays, of visual works of art. Each dual-submission should bring out the complexity of an idea or emotion by showing individuals, objects, situations, or landscapes in two distinctly different lights. The number two - as opposed to three, four, or a hundred - is preferred only because of the practical consideration of space; the number two is not meant to imply duality, merely serve as a means to show different perspectives. The concept is purposefully left open to the artists' and writers' interpretations."

'Monumental Words' was a joy to write and research... I can't speak Latin so it was good fun and I know very little about tombstones! The story is about a guy who moves to a cottage, which overlooks an old graveyard. One day as he takes a shortcut through the cemetary, he notices that all of the stones have the same engraved initials and it isn't R.I.P.

'The Medium is the Message' was also great fun to write and is in part, inspired by a real incident that happened to me. I was crossing the road one lunchtime and was suddenly struck on the back of the head, so hard it almost knocked me over... it was a dead pigeon! The story explores how the main character tries to find the 'meaning' or 'message' in the incident.

**Here is my blog entry on the pigeon incident**

NEWS FLASH!!!

WHEN GOD ATTACKS

So I'm crossing the street after buying some fresh fruit, when something heavy hits me on the back of my head, almost knocking me over!!! I thought at the time that one of my friends had thrown something at me and I remember being angry thinking it was a bit of a hard throw... Not to mention accurate. So I look around the floor to find whatever it was that had hit me and do you know what it was?

The carcass of a bloody great pigeon!!! Yep, bleeding and quite dead, probably attacked by some of our local giant seagulls!!! I'm not sure if it fell from a roof or from the sky itself but the thing twatted me on the back of my head!!! A passer by came over to check I was okay and pulled some of the thingss feathers from my hair and informed me that I had its blood on my shirt... And how was your day!?!

I also have a strange little tale called 'Dotted Line', appearing in 'Nocturne Magazine' issue 5.5 in October. This is my take on the whole 'selling your soul' concept and was interesting to write as I decide the scenes should occur backwards, much like the movie Memento and/or Irreversable. It was fun because in the first few scenes the main characters are using first names and are familiar and as the scenes progress they become more formal. It was also a challenge suspending disbelief and delivering the plot forwards, when the scenes are going backwards.

Last month, my quantum physics, alternate universe tale 'Choices' appeared in 'Here & Now Magazine' issue 5&6 and it looked great! If you want to read a sample of an old story, click on issue 2 and there I am with 'The Only Constant'.

I have one more story out there waiting for a decision, a fantasy tale called 'The Talk', which is my favorite story so far and I am thinking of creating a novel for the main character... just as soon as I finish my current novel project 'Distant Breeze, Falling Hair' and edit my completed novel 'Bastards'. Both are fantasy projects, my true passion (after music and my beautiful girlfriend of course!).