Karl’s hand landed solidly onto Lola’s cheek.
She woke up abruptly.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. There was a fly on you. I wanted to get it before it bit you.” Lola sat up in her chair and rubbed her face.
“There aren’t any bugs in space, Karl. They can’t survive out here. Nothing can survive out here.”
I pulled into the parking lot and chose a spot near the rear door where a stencilled sign on the window read Eee-Zee-Sudz-It 24 ho rs. Very funny. Not.
On Friday night, as usual, Mike Duchamps appeared at the back door with a few typed pages rolled up in one hand and a six pack dangling from the other. “I told you I have plenty of beer,” I said.
“Come on, Stan. I never arrive empty-handed,” he shot back, which was true. Mike is a fiction writer from Pawtucketville, which is a section of Lowell named after the Pawtucket Indians, who lived here for millennia and are no more. I live in the Highlands, which is another section of the city, and not a part of Scotland. I’m Mike’s only close friend who reads a lot, and so the only one whose opinion of his craft he values. He’s been reading me his stuff over beers on Friday nights for years. In return, he never comes empty-handed.
Well here we are at Week 124, which followed our highly successful Week 123!
My inspiration for this post actually came from one of my fellow authors. No we were not having a heated debate about anything Literally related. Tobias mentioned growing up this week and that got me thinking whether or not I considered myself as a grown up.
My advancing years suggest that I am. My childish humour, pettiness and hating most things begs to differ.
Continue reading “Week 124 – Maturity, Lubricant And Adult Babies”
The window is half open. Pleasant Fruge can taste rain. His tongue is a tuning fork for weather. Footsteps send a flowery signal. Their echo bounces against monastery walls, but the old monk doesn’t hear. Dreams grow thick in him.
Some see the aging face as an ongoing story; others see it as a palimpsest from which the original pretty story has been scraped and is continuously replaced by increasingly derivative tales culled from the same source. Here, I find myself thinking Hamlet compared to Hamlet Versus Predator: To Bleed or Not to Bleed. Sadly, as you may plainly see, no metaphor holds up after you have looked at it long enough.
Word of Bisbee’s Dad’s funeral got passed around through friends via emails.
Good ol’ Bisbee.
Stanley Schlumperdink thought to himself of the times that he and the Diabolical Bis would hit on chicks together at Trader Vic’s at The Plaza in High School. Bisbee preferred the Tiki Puka Puka to the Spider Bowls. Either way. The girls back then had candy flavored pussies and a real love of high fashion.
From the first thing of recorded history, that is, the first thing he could remember, Evelyn Jones wanted to be a writer. He didn’t know what he wanted to write and, at not quite two years old, that was to be expected. But he’d seen people writing things. Adults, his older siblings and anyone else that happened to hold a pencil or pen and place it against paper was fascinating. The mere act of passing a writing instrument across paper seemed so extraordinary that he felt he somehow had to try it.
Continue reading “The Precipitous Writing Career of Evelyn Jones by Bruce Levine”
Olivia and her boyfriend broke up on a Sunday morning. It wasn’t a surprise, really. Olivia had offered her boyfriend an amicable break up twice before by yelling, “Do you just want to split up?” two times. Although he had asked to stay together then, he had behaved otherwise by disappearing for hours and returning drunk without any explanation. As a last attempt at repair, Olivia had called his parents for help. His father had assured her that he would force his “idiot son” to propose if he only could.
Well it’s Week 123
…It’s easy as ABC
…Wait a minute, that may be around the wrong way…Or should that be ’round the wrong way’?
I think that was recorded when it was legal for Michael Jackson to play with little boys.
Anyhow, I was on the site commenting when I began to wonder how many of our authors have a look at the related stories that come up? They are listed below the ‘Share This’ icon which is just under the authors name at the end of the story.
Are you too insecure to read a common theme? Well it may be a common tag…I’m not really sure. No matter what, I think it’s quite interesting. For you to have a related theme or style, surely you would take a peek into that person’s work simply for curiosity.
Go on…Look back, compare and give the author a comment. It’s always wonderful to read what someone takes out of your work especially if the site has decided that you are of the same ilk!
The site is all wise and knowing. It works by recognising data and common themes, it changes all these into clogarithms and cross references them with input / output / colour of eyes and what star signs you are.
I need to thank Nik for his professionalism and his knowledge of these technical points. Or as he refers to it, ‘magical shit!’. His firm is lucky to have him!!
Back in the day, (I thought that may have been a more interesting reference but it isn’t…I checked) when I was young, idealistic and stupid, I sent a book to an independent reviewer. Surprisingly, it was returned with a report. I was thrilled. I was brilliant!! It cost me seventy five pounds for someone to tell me that. It was worth every penny. My self-esteem rose to heights that they’ve never reached again. That was actually my first ever experience of feedback.
OK, I now know that it was a pile of shit. No con-women worth anything would piss you off with a bad review. However, this person was either very perceptive or very lucky as she did compare me to an author I loved. She stated that my work reminded her of James Herbert. I was in cloud nine. I still am. Not because of any success or me becoming the new James Herbert but simply because someone I paid mentioned me in the same sentence as one of my favourite authors.
When I think on it, that was the equivalent of a ninety five pound lady of the night screaming that you are the best she has ever had. It’s shallow, I will admit but leave me with my moment, the same moment I would have given the lady of the night.
What I am getting at in my usual cack handed manner is that we’ve given you a platform for some peer comment and input. There is no cost and if there is a common theme or style, surely it would be mutually beneficial.
Our older stories still need to be loved and read. Please have a look back. It keeps them alive.
Onto this weeks stories.
Our subjects include torment, a light-bulb injury, a realistic romance, a hair straightener injury and some observational writing.
We have three new writers, one multi-talented author and one of our delightful editors. You’ve probably guessed that means it wasn’t me!
As always our initial comments follow.
On Monday Mr Adam Kluger added to his extensive back-catalogue with, ‘What Would Breslin Have Thought?‘.
‘I don’t think many could take such a simple story on infatuation and get so much character out of it.’
‘Pretty clever!’
‘Multi-layered with a real character.’
We had our first new author published on Tuesday. We welcome Shelby Leet as well as all our débutantes. ‘Proper Hygiene‘ was next up.
‘This made me grin.’
‘Bonkers and I like it!’
‘This worked even though it made no sense.’
Aaron Kaplan was our next first time author. As well as a welcome, we hope that they all have fun on the site.
‘Two Is The Loneliest Number‘ was Wednesdays offering.
‘This was wry and amusing.’
‘Accomplished, with some really good lines.’
‘A good piece of writing.’
On Thursday we had the lovely Diane dusting off the cob-webs. It has been far too long!! And I am happy to let you all into a secret, Diane did this only for fun. But it was read and we thought that it had a lot more merit than a simple piece of fun!
Even when Mrs Dickson is being playful, there is quality!!
‘Brush Off’ was our penultimate story of the week.
Our last author is also a newbie to the site. Neil James finished off the week. As with all writers, new or old hands we ask you to please send us more of your work!!
‘Our House Has No Windows.’ was published on Friday.
‘Romance turning to shit! That’s more like it!’
‘Full of pathos and longing.’
‘So much emotion very compactly done.’
That’s us for another week folks.
Before I go, there are a few points I need to address:
Insecurity and writers go together like cheese and jam.
I would appeal to Nik’s gaffers to give him a raise!
Please don’t send for a report.
And regarding the ladies of the night, well you get what you pay for!
Hugh
Banner Image: Pixabay.com
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