Books
THE END OF THE WORLD Available at Amazon US and UK |
Are you prepared for what comes next?
Accustomed to a life of cosseted seclusion at home with his parents, Valentine is suddenly faced with making his own way in the world. His new life is quickly upended, however, when he's mugged at gunpoint. Finding shelter at a mysterious inn run by the dour Mrs. Anna, he soon encounters a Bosnian woman with a hole where her stomach used to be, an American entrepreneur with a scheme to implant televisions into people's foreheads, and a Catholic priest who attempts to lure him down inside a kitchen sink. Then things start getting strange...
In this story based loosely around the state of Bardo from The Tibetan Book of the Dead - an intermediate state where the dead arrive prior to rebirth - dying is the easy part. Getting out of Bardo and returning to the land of the living is a far more perilous proposition, and unless you know what you're doing...you might never leave.
Accustomed to a life of cosseted seclusion at home with his parents, Valentine is suddenly faced with making his own way in the world. His new life is quickly upended, however, when he's mugged at gunpoint. Finding shelter at a mysterious inn run by the dour Mrs. Anna, he soon encounters a Bosnian woman with a hole where her stomach used to be, an American entrepreneur with a scheme to implant televisions into people's foreheads, and a Catholic priest who attempts to lure him down inside a kitchen sink. Then things start getting strange...
In this story based loosely around the state of Bardo from The Tibetan Book of the Dead - an intermediate state where the dead arrive prior to rebirth - dying is the easy part. Getting out of Bardo and returning to the land of the living is a far more perilous proposition, and unless you know what you're doing...you might never leave.
SCHISM Available at Amazon US and UK |
As a boy, Horatio Higgins was ignored by the other children, but that didn't stop him having lots of friends...friends only he could see and whom he'd regale with tales of his fantastical exploits. Eventually, though, his parents became concerned at the inordinate amount of time their son appeared to spend talking to himself and took him for treatment, which, in time, proved successful...almost. One friend remained. Unfortunately it was the spiteful one.
Years later, living alone in his tiny London flat, Horatio's loneliness is mitigated only by his acid-tongued friend and the company of what he affectionately refers to as "my wife". After losing his job, however, his life begins a rapid downward spiral...that is, until he meets a sweet, impressionable young woman named Nore. As their relationship lurches unsteadily forward, Horatio finds himself struggling against a riptide of conflicting realities he's ill-equipped to cope with. Can Nore save him from himself or will she, too, be dragged into a world where the line between fantasy and reality becomes increasingly and perilously blurred?
Years later, living alone in his tiny London flat, Horatio's loneliness is mitigated only by his acid-tongued friend and the company of what he affectionately refers to as "my wife". After losing his job, however, his life begins a rapid downward spiral...that is, until he meets a sweet, impressionable young woman named Nore. As their relationship lurches unsteadily forward, Horatio finds himself struggling against a riptide of conflicting realities he's ill-equipped to cope with. Can Nore save him from himself or will she, too, be dragged into a world where the line between fantasy and reality becomes increasingly and perilously blurred?
STRANGE TALES OF THE CURIOUSLY UNCOMMON Available at Amazon US and UK |
Strange Tales of the Curiously Uncommon is a collection of darkly humorous short stories, each with a cunning twist in the tail.
When extraordinary events befall some of London's most ordinary of inhabitants, unexpected turns lead to some witty, strange, yet ultimately satisfying results.
An Honest Mistake: Madge has long since surrendered herself to the verbal abuse doled out to her by her belligerent husband, Stan. On this particular evening, however, her fears of a rat beneath the floorboards, combined with her natural absent-mindedness, result in her dishing up Stan not only his evening meal...but perhaps his just deserts!
A Familiar Face: Two elderly Cockney women, old friends, meet up in a London café shortly after one them, Dora, has been widowed. As Dora's grief and anger grows increasingly fervent, her good friend Eydie begins to suspect there may be more to her angst than the loss of a loved one. When Dora calmly removes from her shopping bag a large glass jar containing a human head, discussions over its mysterious identity and how it came to be lodged in the cupboard under her stairs lead to some startling revelations.
A Slip of the Tongue: Miss Perkins, tired of the constant innuendos and sexual insinuations of her employer, Mr. Reams, has decided to hand in her notice. On this particular morning, however, Mr. Reams decides to take things one step further. Unfortunately for him, due to Miss Perkins' natural nervous disposition and a telephone that rings at a shockingly high pitch, he soon discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew...or at least, one of them has.
An Embarrassing Odour: Ethel, a frail, widowed pensioner, sits down one evening to tackle her daily crossword puzzle, when suddenly her tranquil world is turned upside down as a burglar breaks into her home believing it to be unoccupied. While Ethel vainly attempts to forge a relationship with the violent delinquent before her, his concerns lie only in getting his hands on her valuables...that and the unpleasant smell that fills the room. As Ethel shamefully admits, it's an embarrassing odour for a seventy-eight year old to have, but what her intruder doesn't know is quite why...though he's about to find out!
A Stunning Confession: As Ron and Jan made themselves comfortable on their sofa, they thought they were settling in for just another quiet night in front of the television. But beneath the surface of this seemingly benign evening of domestic routine, each was withholding a guilty secret from the other, and on this particular evening one of them found they could contain themselves no longer.
When extraordinary events befall some of London's most ordinary of inhabitants, unexpected turns lead to some witty, strange, yet ultimately satisfying results.
An Honest Mistake: Madge has long since surrendered herself to the verbal abuse doled out to her by her belligerent husband, Stan. On this particular evening, however, her fears of a rat beneath the floorboards, combined with her natural absent-mindedness, result in her dishing up Stan not only his evening meal...but perhaps his just deserts!
A Familiar Face: Two elderly Cockney women, old friends, meet up in a London café shortly after one them, Dora, has been widowed. As Dora's grief and anger grows increasingly fervent, her good friend Eydie begins to suspect there may be more to her angst than the loss of a loved one. When Dora calmly removes from her shopping bag a large glass jar containing a human head, discussions over its mysterious identity and how it came to be lodged in the cupboard under her stairs lead to some startling revelations.
A Slip of the Tongue: Miss Perkins, tired of the constant innuendos and sexual insinuations of her employer, Mr. Reams, has decided to hand in her notice. On this particular morning, however, Mr. Reams decides to take things one step further. Unfortunately for him, due to Miss Perkins' natural nervous disposition and a telephone that rings at a shockingly high pitch, he soon discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew...or at least, one of them has.
An Embarrassing Odour: Ethel, a frail, widowed pensioner, sits down one evening to tackle her daily crossword puzzle, when suddenly her tranquil world is turned upside down as a burglar breaks into her home believing it to be unoccupied. While Ethel vainly attempts to forge a relationship with the violent delinquent before her, his concerns lie only in getting his hands on her valuables...that and the unpleasant smell that fills the room. As Ethel shamefully admits, it's an embarrassing odour for a seventy-eight year old to have, but what her intruder doesn't know is quite why...though he's about to find out!
A Stunning Confession: As Ron and Jan made themselves comfortable on their sofa, they thought they were settling in for just another quiet night in front of the television. But beneath the surface of this seemingly benign evening of domestic routine, each was withholding a guilty secret from the other, and on this particular evening one of them found they could contain themselves no longer.
Available at Amazon US and Amazon UK
A collection of six poignant, sometimes heart-wrenching, sometimes heart-warming and frequently witty first person short stories, each juxtaposing the public face with the private, conflicted person behind it.
Big Girl: An overweight young woman named Peggy appraises her recently purchased self-help book, "The Bigger the Better".
The Replica: An abused wife reflects on her past and deconstructs the emergence of the replica that now haunts her present.
A Small Act of Vandalism: Malcolm, a gentle, middle-aged soul with a troubled mind, keeps his mother's remains sealed in a small porcelain box. What he keeps hidden among his memories, however, isn't so easily contained.
One Night Only: Denny, a prisoner on death row in an Alabama State Penitentiary, spends his final moments reviewing his career as a serial killer in an interview with himself.
Organ Failure: A woman in the viewing room of a funeral home addresses the body of her lover in the coffin before her.
WYWH: Eileen, a reclusive, middle-aged divorcee, still haunted by the loss of her son, discovers a new life in the virtual world.
Big Girl: An overweight young woman named Peggy appraises her recently purchased self-help book, "The Bigger the Better".
The Replica: An abused wife reflects on her past and deconstructs the emergence of the replica that now haunts her present.
A Small Act of Vandalism: Malcolm, a gentle, middle-aged soul with a troubled mind, keeps his mother's remains sealed in a small porcelain box. What he keeps hidden among his memories, however, isn't so easily contained.
One Night Only: Denny, a prisoner on death row in an Alabama State Penitentiary, spends his final moments reviewing his career as a serial killer in an interview with himself.
Organ Failure: A woman in the viewing room of a funeral home addresses the body of her lover in the coffin before her.
WYWH: Eileen, a reclusive, middle-aged divorcee, still haunted by the loss of her son, discovers a new life in the virtual world.
A Mystery Novelette
Rachel has failed to return home at her usual time. Her husband, Jack, is left to the vagaries of his imagination. When she does finally appear - as much animated as apologetic - Jack's limited forbearance and inherent cynicism are put to the test as Rachel begins to elaborate on her time spent in the company of a mysterious, enigmatic stranger.
Was this person really in possession of profound intuitive powers and spiritual insight, as Rachel claims, or were there other forces at play?
One thing was for certain: what he revealed to her that day was about to change everything.
Was this person really in possession of profound intuitive powers and spiritual insight, as Rachel claims, or were there other forces at play?
One thing was for certain: what he revealed to her that day was about to change everything.
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