05
Aug
Aug
Who is “they” anyway?
Author Archives: Derek Thompson
15
Apr
Apr
Derek of Penzance counting the number of spy thrillers he has written, mesmerizing the crew
Derek Thompson gets to grips with the title of his fifth spy thriller. Back in the day, I wrote a blog post about the challenges of naming novels. A few books on and it seems I am no wiser. A book’s title in a precious thing and still takes me a great deal of consideration. […]
02
Nov
Nov
Every decision, so they say, creates a parallel dimension, setting up another ‘self’ who goes on to make different choices, ad infinitum. Well, they say that in this dimension, anyway. Here’s a tale from Kristy Webster that takes place in the here-and-now and the way-back-then – an impressive feat for a tidy little tale. The […]
01
Nov
Nov
Not being a man of Catholic persuasions, I’m not big on confession, but I must confess this should have been posted yesterday for Halloween. So a huge apology to our very own Madame Parisianne Michelle Modert. My feeble British constitution (do we even have one of those, I hear you ask) kept me waylaid and, […]
31
Oct
Oct
Well, hello there. Back in the day, the Stoics were a bunch of philosophers who believed in suffering in silence. They were, you might say, not big on Emotional Intelligence. Or, you could say, they were idiots. Either way, Gary Clark is a wise man indeed, because he knows both the value of a good […]
Hi y’all, Every now and again I come across a post, somewhere on the web, that stops me in my tracks and takes my breath away. This is one of those times, so, if you have a coffee break, pull up a pew and take a look at this: http://www.strictlywriting.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/thetime-hunters-authour-carl-ashmore.html Essentially it’s a tale about […]
They seek him here… Well, actually, it’s Thorn who’s been doing the seeking. While I thought he was playing his own version of Where’s Waldo (Emerson), he assures me, by the magic of email, that he’s been chomping at the bit to get back on the website. Only the techno-gremlins are keeping him out. […]
17
Dec
Dec
There are few guarantees in life (apart from my Mac’s irrational approach to uploading images – this is my third attempt). However, when an opening line includes the words “dead” and “cluttering”, we can pretty much guarantee that you’ll want to read on. After all, a story is a body of work. UNDER THE […]
16
Dec
Dec
Every first sentence suggests a plethora (I know, smart huh?!) of possibilities. Sometimes – like Terrie does here – the art lies in not showing your hand. The inner landscape she shares will drive the story, and some things are worth waiting for. Vacation Points by Terrie Leigh Relf It wasn’t that Sylvie didn’t appreciate […]
14
Dec
Dec
Those opening syllables are subtle clues of what’s to follow. They are breadcrumbs on the trail of a literary adventure. We may not know exactly where we’re going, but we’re eager to buy a ticket for the ride. When it’s done well, it’s all there – like here! Rhyme nor Reason By Michael Stang Vanessa […]
It’s the shape of the thing, we’re so often told. No, not THAT! Well, not always that. Every piece of writing has a form – an author’s Rorschach, if you will. Only sometimes, Like Julie Mark Cohen’s entry here, the lines have minds of their own. ASYMMETRICALLY, SEYFERT. Simply, Seyfert. “Two of your three […]
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