What would you do if you met a businessman in a London coffee shop who made you a ridiculous offer of €500,000...merely for you to participate in a series of interviews? Would you assume the offer to be that of a deranged person, a fraudster or a joker? And irrespective of that, for €100,000 in advance and non-returnable, would you attend an initial meeting? Well.....would you?THE 2084 PRECEPT (A Novel)"Only two things are infinite, the universe and the stupidity of the human race, and I'm not quite sure about the former."Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)"Forgive them, for they know not what they do."Jesus Christ (The Christian Bible, Luke 23-34)What would you do if you met a businessman in a London coffee shop, who made you a ridiculous offer of €500,000...merely for you to participate in a series of interviews? Would you assume the offer to be that of a deranged person, a fraudster or a joker? And irrespective of that, for €100,000 in advance and non-returnable, would you attend an initial meeting? Well.....would you? And if you did attend the initial meeting, and your interviewer claimed not only to be a successful businessman but also a discharged inmate of an institution for the mentally ill? And if he was suffering from the delusion that he was an extraterrestrial student, and that he wanted to interview you for his thesis on the dominant lifeform on this planet? And if the €100,000 advance turned out to be real? Would you report him to the authorities as a deranged person in dire need of care?Or if you postponed reporting him, and the ensuing payments were also real and continued to flow, what then? And would you stop if subsequently questioned by an obscure department of the national security forces?Interesting questions for cynical business consultant Peter O'Donoghue. Would you have done as he did? Views: 706
Part 1 of All The Days of John Mann. Long years after the virus made the leap, Choke survivor John Mann vows to track a taken boy whilst he himself is hunted by those who would use him, either as source for a vaccine, or as weapon.Part 1 of All the Days of John Mann.Long years after the virus made the leap, the people of England live in scattered communities, the threat of slow starvation and swift outbreaks of the choke darken their days. What is left of society teeters always on the brink of collapse and a rag-tag military barely keeps order.John Mann, preacher and healer, travels the byways plying his trade amongst the old and the sick, keeping to the shadows, always watching the road at his back.John Mann is haunted, the only known survivor of exposure to the virus and perhaps the sole source of a vaccine. But he is hunted by many who would use him, not to save lives but to bring a choking end to those who would oppose them.John Mann now finds himself bound by a promise to track a taken boy, a promise that will force him back out of the shadows, onto the grid, and into a fugitive life once more.John Mann is an outlaw, to be feared and betrayed, and when cornered he will visit a terrible justice on anyone who threatens what he holds dear. Views: 703
The third story in the Broken Shores series. Everyone prays for help at one time or another, what happens when those prayers are answered?The world was once a place of plenty and wonders: famine and disease were largely unheard of, cities floated through the sky, everything appeared to be perfect. But it could not last. When the magic called Ve collapsed, society collapsed along with it: millions starved and the floating cities crashed to the ground. In the wreckage the byproducts of Ve use, magical beings called Amekt, went feral. This along with the ensuing wars rendered the mainland uninhabitable.In the last days of the old empire, as things began to fall apart, a small group split off an island-sized piece of rock and seeded it with a plant that would allow it to float. For nearly 500 years, the island of Ansau has drifted in isolation on the ocean currents. Life is more difficult than it was, but the Island’s inhabitants have learned to use the trickle of Ve and stability has been the rule. But things are about to change again.Induction is the second story in the Broken Shores series. On the climb back up the cliffs after harvesting mussels on the beach, Emera slips and falls. As she plummets, she prays for help and wakes up do discover that she has been spared. But the help comes at a price . . . Views: 701
Outlaw Bill Carson and his gang ride into the quiet settlement of Fargo knowing that the Sheriff and his deputies are out of town. Carson has inside information about the bank and banker, which the ruthless killer intends to use to his advantage. What Carson and his equally blood-thirsty gang do not know is that the deputies have arrived back early. Kid Palomino and his fellow lawman Red Rivers notice the strangers in town and decide to find out who they are. All hell erupts as the lawmen confront Carson and his gang. The Kid and Red give chase..... Views: 698
When a flood sweeps through the valley, the Moomins must find a new house. And with typical Moomin good luck, one just happens to be floating by. It looks normal enough, but there are curtains where one wall should be, strange rows of lights, and other odd amenities. Then Moomintroll and the Snork Maiden disappear, and the family realize that the house may hold the answers to more than they ever dreamed. Views: 695
Bad girl gone good! Good girl needs help! Approached by the handsome rogue demon Claudius, E'steem is asked to speak at Demons Anonymous, his support group for demons who have left Lucifer's Legion. But when Lucifer and D'lilah learn about her plans to speak to his demons about Christ they plan to crash the party and crucify Claudius. Can Hell's former harbinger save Claudius' soul from the wrathBad girl gone good! Good girl needs help! Approached by the handsome rogue demon Claudius, E'steem is asked to speak at Demons Anonymous, his support group for demons who have left Lucifer's Legion. But when Lucifer and D'lilah learn about her plans to speak to his demons about Christ they plan to crash the party and crucify Claudius. Can Hell's former harbinger save Claudius' soul from the wrath of their former lord? Views: 688
"Taken Back" is a short story from the perspective of a young man who suddenly finds himself drafted into the Vietnam War. He finds himself struggling to come to terms with his fears and discovering what "home" really is."When a politician spends a million on himself, we rally and call him a thief. But when a cardinal spends the same amount on his wardrobe, we kneel down and kiss his hand."Atheism: Is it simply a new fad, or the natural path to enlightenment? Have you heard of Honor Killing? Did you know the Bible promotes sexism, gay intolerance and glorifies slavery? And if God truly is omniscient and omnipotent, then why does He allow the Devil to exist? Was it just a mistake? Or does God have a deeper plot set out for Lucifer, once the best and brightest of the angels?These are just a few of the topics discussed and explored, all the while telling the epic tale of a fallen angel on his path to redemption. Views: 684
TRAVELLER WEDDING is narrated by a nomadic woman called Christine who is furious at the release of a violent videogame about a traveller wedding for the Christmas market.Simon Eady and his mother have been on the run for many years. He lost his father at an early age and he has no other family or close friends. His most prized possessions are three old photographs and a series of postcards.Simon is a very talented and resourceful teenager who is continuously developing and refining his skills: learning new languages, and excelling in sports and studies. Unbeknown to Simon, his life is about to change.Within the span of a few hours, he will find himself involved in a kidnap attempt, discover that his mother is terminally ill, be targeted by the secretive British spy agency MI6, being hunted by a cold-hearted assassin, and be informed that his father is in fact alive and hiding somewhere on the opposite side of the world. Triggered by his mother’s dying wish of seeing her husband one last time, shaken by a botched kidnapping attack, Simon is suddenly confronted by the insurmountable task of finding his father. Simon will be drawn into a world where survival depends on one’s ability to master espionage, resort to deceit, commit crime, and be willing to kill without hesitation. Simon will be required to use all of his skills and knowledge to stay alive whilst frantically racing around the world looking for his father. Along his transcontinental race, Simon will become friends with an old retired Italian spymaster, who will equip him for a life in a world that few have survived. His quest will lead him to discover dangerous secrets about his family’s past whilst sinking into a world from which there is no escape. Views: 682
Poems 2016After Dr Trevor Guzmán had packed his meagre belongings into the boot of his dark blue Ford Capri he bid farewell to Potchefstroom. On the road to Johannesburg he picked up a hitchhiker. Little did he know that his life was going to change in the most unimaginable way.Three Days in Phoenix seems to be on the surface a simple fictional narrative. It embodies a number of themes which have intrinsic poetic value. It involves a journey in which the destination changes, it involve identity formation and identity plasticity in which the possibility of identity transformation reaches the realm of the unanticipated. It deals with the religion and the magic of religion and it deals with religious conversion and the probabilities and uncertainties associated with conversion. But it also deals with the work of contingency in shaping lives in unexpected and unanticipated ways. It invites us to entertain possibilities which are life changing and liberating . It states that we are free or we can find kinds of meaningful freedom in our unfreedom.Three Days in Phoenix, like Jonah in the belly of the fish, Phoenix transformedTrevor into new person. Three Days in Phoenix is an unforgettable experience in the world of Magic Realism. Views: 679
A prequel to a new book coming out in March 2013 called Dreamweaver. The tree introduces you to the town of Stale and a character called David.Recently single and depressingly lonely, Sylvain Jones finds himself spying on his best friend, whose wife suspects him of cheating. But a seemingly simple task has shocking results, and leads Sylvain to question whether the person he has known for thirty years is hiding a horrific secret behind his façade as a boring, middle class lawyer. As he tries to find the truth, he starts to realise that he is in the middle of a conspiracy so huge it threatens everything he has ever understood and believed in. Can he find the courage and the will to fight it, or will he allow it to destroy his loved ones, his sanity, and ultimately, take to a truth that is far more sinister than he could have imagined? Views: 674
A short story. Paul is curious when a new family moves in next door. The Grubbs have a boy his own age, and he hopes he can make a new friend. But the Grubbs have a terrible secret.A man professing to have stronger willpower than anyone on earth searches the world over for an addiction he cannot overcome. A billionaire without heirs uses an amnesia drug to see who is worthy to inherit his fortune, by seeing how people behave when they have forgotten who they are. An inventor creates a can of instant 'love spray,' but is shocked at the unexpected results when he starts to use it. In eight bizarre fables the reader is taken on a journey through the valley of stupidity, to see what love really is (and isn’t), why addictions and pride are so deadly, the need for moral values, and how judging ourselves positively may be the best judgment we ever make.Come along on an adventure in stupidity, if you dare … Views: 673
Captain Avery needs to get out of piracy. There have been too many close calls and time spent in jail (which was for gambling and not piracy). Nevertheless, he has to make it good. A change of career is required, a Bounty Hunter would seem more reputable. This was his chosen career path, until a chance meeting with an old friend, Captain Phillips in the notorious bar Bariki, in Diso City.Captain Avery is looking forward to his retirement from the space lanes of the Milky Way Galaxy, when a chance meeting with on old friends sends his life spinning off in a new direct. A fast paced adventure story set in the distant but technologically advanced past sees the Solar System and the galaxy in a new and interesting perspective, with rival factions vying for control and influence, when in reality The Council of Intelligence is controlling everyone in the background.This is a time when man existed, but not on Earth, when dinosaurs still ruled. Spies for The Council are everywhere, mankind feels threatened by the existence of robots and of course pirate. Of course, The Council want to get rid of these pests to development and trade, but could their abilities be put to better use for the Council ends? Threats from the Empire have always bothered them, and their seems no other option than to employ pirates in the job of keeping their ambitions at bay. And then, there is the small issue of what to do with Project Earth, how can that planet be set up so it benefits the whole Universe? Views: 666
She thinks it's her world. Unfortunately, we have to live with her.Sixteen-year-old Nikki Desmond is the product of too many, too much, and too little. Too many boarding schools, too much money, and too little discipline. After being expelled from a fourth prestigious New York boarding school, her mother sends her to Los Angeles to live with her father.In the screenplays for the fabulous first season of this teen sitcom, Nikki adjusts to life on the west coast while her father works towards correcting her surly, racist, and rude behavior with a combination of tough love, humor, and life lessons.Along with the first three episodes from the internationally popular sneak preview eBook, The Fabulous First Season includes:13 complete episodes from the fabulous first season in the proper screenplay format.Extras Including:Screenplay BasicsTV Episode BasicsCharacter descriptionsAuthor notesPresented like a DVD box set with pages, All about Nikki- The Fabulous First Season is a book designed to show Young Adult and independent readers who watch cable sitcoms on Disney and Nickelodeon how to write their own screenplays. Views: 662
A Winter Book
Selected Stories by Tove Jansson_
Translated from the Swedish by Kingsley Hart, Silvester Mazzarella and David McDuff.
INTRODUCED BY ALI SMITH
Following the widely acclaimed and bestselling The Summer Book, here is a Winter Book collection of some of Tove Jansson's best loved and most famous stories. Drawn from youth and older age, and spanning most of the twentieth century, this newly translated selection provides a thrilling showcase of the great Finnish writer's prose, scattered with insights and home truths. It has been selected and is introduced by Ali Smith.
The Winter Book features 13 stories from Tove Jansson's first book for adults, The Sculptor's Daughter (1968) plus 7 of her most cherished later stories (from 1971 to 1996), translated into English and published here for the first time. With afterwords by Philip Pullman, Frank Cottrell Boyce and Esther Freud. Views: 659
