Traveller Inceptio, by Rob Shackleford: #BookReview.

432 pages Science Fiction and Fantasy/Time Travel I read the sample offered by Amazon, as I often do before deciding whether to read a book. In this case, it seemed promising, so I went ahead, having been offered a review copy by the author. Unfortunately, although the premise sounds fascinating and the first couple of …

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The #Write #Words? Post 7

Word cloud created through wordart.com Looking at Onomatopoeia and Metaphor, Simile, Collective Nouns, and my Delusional Dictionary. For definitions of those, click here to read the introductory post to the series. This week’s words: Clap, Like ice, Covey, Conservative. Onomatopoeia: Clap – the sound made by palms brought together quickly, usually as a way of …

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We Are the Filthy: a #Poem

This cyclist is made of rubbish discarded close to fishing ponds in the Forest of Dean, in the hope of reminding folk to take their litter home. In despair at humanity’s disgusting insistence at soiling our shared nest, I penned this short piece of free verse. “When plastic comes of age it shall clog the …

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Echoes of Olympus Mons, by Eric Malikyte: #BookReview.

270 Pages Horror/Science Fiction It takes imagination and sound scientific knowledge to invent an entirely new form of monstrous antagonist in a science fiction novel, and Eric Malikyte has both in quantity. This is a book that manages to engage the reader despite the self-imposed social isolation of the main protagonist and narrator. Other characters …

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The #Write #Words? Post 6

Word cloud created via wordart.com Looking at Onomatopoeia and Metaphor, Simile, Collective Nouns, and my Delusional Dictionary. For definitions of those, click here to read the introductory post to the series. This week’s words: Bleat, Big, Band, Book. Onomatopoeia: Bleat: Sheep bleat, but the word can also be used to describe moaning, with some synonyms …

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Judge Me Not; a #Poem

Picture courtesy of Pixabay I was recently involved in an online discussion that highlighted the tendency of some correspondents to make judgments about others from the biased point of view that is their own. It’s tempting for all of us to judge others using our own standards. It’s a mistake, of course. One I try …

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The #Write #Words? Post 5

Word cloud created through wordart.com Looking at Onomatopoeia, Simile, and Collective Nouns, and my Delusional Dictionary. For definitions of those, click here to read the introductory post to the series. This week’s words: Murmuring, Like over-ripe camembert, Bed of daffodils, Newspaper. Onomatopoeia: ‘…and murmuring of innumerable bees.’ ‘The moan of doves in immemorial elms And …

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A Walk in the Spring Forest: #Poem

On my doorstep. The world has gone mad, so I thought I'd celebrate something natural. Enjoy. A Walk in the Spring Forest Life begins as those sleepers wake and green the air with fresh flutters And in the boughs birds build for new flocks to grace the skies The trees bow with floral promise and …

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Creative #Writing #Contests Table Updated

St Nicholas Tower in Florence The time has come around again! Here’s your monthly reminder that the writing contest table has been updated. It lives on the ‘Resources’ page. Many contests are free to enter (around 35 at present) and offer great cash prizes (best prize is £16,000.00; you could buy a LOT of books …

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The #Write #Words? Post 4

Word cloud created via wordart.comhttp://www.wordart.com Looking at Onomatopoeia, Simile, and Collective Nouns, and my Delusional Dictionary. For definitions of those, click here to read the introductory post to the series. This week’s words: Gulp, Silent and still as bone, Pack, Incompetence Onomatopoeia: Gulp ‘Already the foul stench filled his nostrils, making breathing difficult. He gulped …

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A Political #Poem

Apologies to all my apolitical readers. Here in UK we’re going through a traumatic self-immolation created by a Government that cares more for a political party than for the good of the nation. As a writer, I feel it’s my role to make a point. I’ve done that here in the form of a poem, …

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Kill Code, by Clive Fleury: #BookReview.

220 pages Dystopian Science fiction This is action-packed dystopian scifi populated with great characters. The story moves quickly and most of it is character driven. There’s plenty of tension throughout, and many challenging situations for the protagonists to face. One or two sequences I thought bordered on the incredible, but, as a whole, the book …

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The #Write #Words? Post 3

Word cloud created through wordart.com Looking at Onomatopoeia, Simile, and Collective Nouns, and my Delusional Dictionary. For definitions of those, click here to read the introductory post to the series. This week’s words: Creak, Croak, Blind as a bat, Deaf as a post, Equivocation of politicians, Photographer. Onomatopoeia: creak, croak ‘Here in the UK we …

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A #Poem for the Spring Equinox

Morning Sunshine Morning Sunlight Shines the promised life lighting on what will be what soon will rise from seed sown wild In boughs that bear buds green in sheer and pure exuberance last season’s flyers sprinkle shadows And announce their joy in procreating their conjoined spirals wrapped in rigid coats From earth well wet with …

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As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner: #BookReview.

400 pages Literary Classics When a book is as well-known as this classic, it’s difficult to know whether anything new can be said about it. But a review is a personal opinion and may help other readers yet to try the work, so here goes. The edition I bought (as part of a package bought …

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