Another Bloody Christmas

Get your fix for the macabre and thrilling right here in this wonderful Christmas anthology! Laugh out loud before you hide under your duvet!

A mere 99c

Another Bloody Christmas

The Artist

A new short story for you!

Alyria is sleepless in humidity, her thoughts in turmoil. Going to her studio to paint, she discovers that someone has broken in and stolen her art, and the thief may still be in the house. Brandishing a paintbrush as weapon, she prepares to defend herself …

The Artist - Amazon

Review: The Experience Machine by Jason Werbeloff

The Experience Machine by Jason Werbeloff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Short, but brilliant. A little brutal, but this is a 'just desserts' tale I definitely enjoyed.

View all my reviews

Review: UnCommonly Good (Special Edition) - Short Stories

Brilliant short stories, some twisted, some insanely imaginative, all of them excellent. Loved this!

Amazon

Review: Awakenings (Grave Misgivings #1) by C.E. Sundstrom

Awakenings by C. Sundstrom
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Excellent premise here, but a bit confusing. I understood the back and forth between past and present, but thought the monster inserts were a bit too much – the latter didn’t drive the story forward, serving rather to break into the tale. The point of these inserts isn’t adequately explained either, so there was no ‘aah!’ moment for me. However, ignoring those, the story is interesting indeed. Quite the psychological twister.

View all my reviews

Review: Swiftly Sharpens The Fang by Stuart Kenyon

Amazon UK

Review: Ingrid (Daughter of the Alvar Book 1) by Hannah Warren

Amazon

99c for a limited time!

Review: Chained by DH Sidebottom

Once again, with this, the second half of the story, I could not stop reading! The author really climbs into the minds of her characters, revealing to us the terror and horror (and also hope) resident in the thoughts and action of Anderson and Kloe. I held my breath sometimes, released it explosively at other times, was round-eyed horrified and also so sad that I cried a lot (especially as the end approached!).

A fantastic read! If you haven’t yet read Caged (book 1), please go grab a copy and read it first. You have to, you simply have to, and then inhale this story as well!

My review has been posted on Goodreads, because Chained is currently on pre-order from Amazon (grab a copy now!). This review will go up there soon as well :)

Review: Nocte by Courtney Cole

Nocte

Review: Caged by DH Sidebottom

Amazon

Review: Quest Inc. (Can you buy a new life?)

Quest Inc.

Justine's Journal now in book form!

Many of you followed Justine's weekly thoughts and know we intended to put it all into a book. Here it is! We are still working with a designer on the cover. Initially Justine and I thought to do everything ourselves, but cover design isn't exactly a skill either of us have. The one you see here is what we came up with, and both of us agree we need another! We particularly need help for the print wrap!!

If you haven't followed Justine's journey, all her posts are linked to in 'Justine's Journal' in the sidebar - feel free to browse :)

Blurb

Justine writes 500 words (or as near as), per week for 52 weeks, submitting her thoughts for anonymous posting, via her friend’s blog. At the end of the year they decide to create a book, hoping Justine’s thoughts will serve as inspiration to others.

Justine is real, although her real name doesn’t appear in this book. She prefers the anonymity, for it is easier to share when no one knows who you are.

Although believing a pattern will emerge from her words, one of self-knowledge, possibly of inspiration, it starts as a shared experiment. Initial doubts lead to a sense of excitement, as both writer and blogger feel the message coming through.

This experiment and the results are shared here. Justine’s Journal isn’t meant to teach the rules of feelings or behaviour. There are no rules; everyone is different. This is simply one woman’s journey, a courageous one.

Author’s Note: Justine asked me, her friend, to remain as author of this book (although I only play the role of editor and reader), and we agreed any proceeds will go to a charity of her choice.

Amazon

Justine's Journal: An Interview

Justine and I got together this week to discuss the book we are planning to release soon, but more on that when the time comes. The point of this post is to give you my thoughts on what the last year of entries has meant.

To that end, instead of me rambling here on and on about what I thought we achieved and how I regard the changes I noticed in Justine, I decided to do an interview. On seeing Justine, I ran it by her and she was at first reluctant, citing that an interview was too personal. When I pointed out that every entry she wrote and I posted for her was also personal and yet she gave of herself week after week, her choice, she agreed.

We then agreed to keep it short, ten questions only. I have to tell you that choosing even one question was hard, choosing ten became quite a mission. Once I started writing potential questions down, I discovered there was a host of them I would like to ask!

***

1 Why did you choose a pseudonym?

Well, you know yourself I don’t have much of an online presence, so it wasn’t the digital world’s response that had me worried. I do have a large circle of real world friends, though, and many of them would have been too judgemental. That is what I thought at the time anyway. Now I realise real friends don’t judge in the way I thought they might. Today I would consider using my real name … well, maybe. I sort of prefer the anonymity, I must admit. It freed me to say things I wouldn’t normally say.

2 What exactly prompted you into starting the Journal?

I felt alone, really isolated, pretty scared, and saw no future. I didn’t have a life, I thought. Then, one evening, I sat and watched a cactus I had on my windowsill at the time, begin to bloom. It’s one of those that bloom once every so many years or something, and only for one night. It hadn’t bloomed before and for weeks a bud sat there waiting. I saw pink pushing through and I was quite excited. Okay, now imagine sitting and watching a flower – nothing happens when you watch it! Hours later, though, there were furled petals and by morning (I was up early) the full flower was there. It was like magic! By evening of the second day it had begun to shrivel.

I saw myself in that bloom. Waiting. Suddenly something clicked inside and it started to change, after so long waiting. For a brief time something beautiful emerged. And then it returned to waiting, but I knew it had the ability to emerge one day again, when everything was ready for it to bloom once more.

The next day I cried (lots) and decided it was time to emerge, if only to be for a brief moment something beautiful.

3 In three words describe your state of mind when we began this journey.

Lost

Alone

Depressed

4 In three words describe your state of mind when we ended this journey.

Awake

Aware

Happy

5 Which one thing made you sit up and think?

The déjà vu thing with the dog running across the road as I turned a corner! Until then, the premonitions I had experienced were somewhat distant, although they were real. That dog was right there in real time. All the hairs on my arms, legs and neck stood up. I really started thinking then.

6 What scared you the most?

When my partner lost his phone while visiting family up the coast, I assumed the worst. It is frightening how easily we think the worst first.

7 What disappointed you the most?

I can’t say anything disappointed me. Everything was part of the journey and remains part of the learning process. If I had to choose, then I would say I was disappointed that I couldn’t always find the right words to explain what I was feeling.

8 What made you laugh the most?

People! Not people as a concept, but the people I met at charity functions. Because I put myself out there, I discovered laughter. I realised we like to laugh together. This is a great feeling.

9 What made you the happiest?

Definitely reconnecting with my brother!

10 And finally, where to now?

Nowhere far in geography, but I will definitely build on what I have learned. I intend to continue my journal entries, for the blank page is now my therapy. Also, I am looking forward to strengthening my relationships, with my partner, with my brother, with you and with old and new friends. I am no longer alone. This too is a good feeling.

Also, I have an idea for a new book. It’s as if all this has opened doors in my creativity as well. Maybe I’ll publish soon, maybe I’ll wait until I’m ready, but I will be writing no matter what. A really good feeling!

***

I admit, I cried when Justine spoke of the bloom on her windowsill. She never told me that before. I also understand her disappointment with words – sometimes they simply don’t do justice to what is inside. As for Justine’s writing? I have read some of her work (she’s still a bit reluctant to share, fearing judgement) and it’s good. I hope she does publish. That will be the real ‘Justine’. Watch out world, the girl has stories to tell!

A final note from me. I want to thank Justine for doing this. She has not merely helped herself stand up again; she has helped me stand up again. Thank you, Justine.

Keep smiling!

Justine's Journal #52

And here we are, this is Justine's final journal entry! Next week we'll do a final post for insights :)

Week 52

And here we are at the end of our 52 week challenge! I feel strange writing this final entry, knowing it will be the last. Now I look forward to the book, for I am intrigued by how it will feel to have it in my hands at some future time, to then look back at a year in my life. We learn from our mistakes and admitting them often leads to reward, a soul’s reward.

This has been intensely satisfying. The act of forcing myself to be honest and to think has opened doors in my mind, heart and spirit, and I intend to continue doing so in my private journal. Thank you for reading. I hope you too have reached a state of acceptance of self.

We make mistakes. Often we don’t think first. Sometimes emotions cloud our perceptions. All of these are factors I have come to realise. Understanding ourselves, I believe, smooths the path we walk. It isn’t without bumps and mountains, but we are better able to deal with obstacles. Know this, though. We also have a tendency to ignore lessons learned, for our egos end up interfering. If we keep that in mind, most of the time we can pause first and then take the necessary action. If not, if we lash out without thinking, we need to understand we are human and not beat ourselves up in the aftermath. If you falter, breathe, think, and then fix.

As humans we have much to teach each other, on every level. If only the world will hear this. Let us talk to each other, listen to each other, offer a smile and project acceptance and love to all ages and creeds. If we do this, peace will be ours. Personal peace and world peace. The majority wants this – why then is peace elusive? To answer that will entail an essay of note, and I am not the one to offer it. I have not the words to explain every factor. I do have the hope we will get there one day, if only a moment at a time, a smile at a time. The road to peace begins in each of us, so concentrate on your journey.

On a more personal note, I faltered this week. My neighbour was nosey about my writing, and made those snide comments writers dread. Are you published? It takes long to write a book, doesn’t it? Seems it doesn’t pay, maybe you should get a real job … and so forth. She was speaking from her point of view, of course, having no understanding of the process. I should have explained with a smile, but I rudely told her to mind her own business. Very rudely, in fact. After, I understood her point of view and I went over to apologise. It turns out, she is writing children’s stories, and she needed someone to know that, to tell her it’s okay if it doesn’t all come magically together. Neither of us has published, but now we can laugh about it and support each other.

See? Ego. If we falter, breathe, think and then fix. Now there is peace between neighbours!

Final note, before I leave you to your future. Love yourself first. The rest comes to you when you accept yourself. And smile!

Thank you for coming on this journey with me!

Justine's Journal #51

52 Weeks 500 Words

This is how it began: Justine (not her real name) decided to write 500 words (or as near as), anything goes, per week for 52 weeks. She would then submit it for anonymous posting, via me, her friend. Perhaps a pattern will emerge from her words, but at this stage it’s more an experiment I have agreed to share in. I’ll attempt to draw conclusions at the end of this. Stay tuned if this resonates with you.

Week 51

The second to last journal entry! I think I may suffer withdrawal symptoms after this J

Here’s an update of recent events. I attended a charity event for literacy and the support the campaign was most heart-warming. I am so happy to see how many care about this issue. The event included collecting books for schools and, although I did not attend the delivery drive, I hear teachers and kids both were over the moon.

On a more personal front, my brother is flying down for business in two weeks and we’ll be having dinner before he flies back. I can’t wait to see him!

My partner and I currently discuss finding a new place for the two of us. Mine is too small for him to move in (although he spends most of his time with me anyway!) and his is a bachelor flat. This means we are in fact deciding whether to spend the rest of our lives together. No talk of marriage, but neither of us needs that kind of formality, not yet anyway. Both of us have been burned, and we’re taking it step by step. Still, you should see the massive smile on my face when no one is looking! I feel the future is very bright and I’m loving life right now.

Around me life continues.

I saw a boy fall from his bike the other day and my entire body tensed in sympathy with him. He picked himself up and pushed his bike into a nearby driveway, so he was all right … although I did notice the tears, poor little guy.

Cold nights at the moment mean the homeless really take strain. A few of us in the neighbourhood donated old jackets and blankets to a collection charity. The days are warmer now as winter moves towards spring, but the nights aren’t. Winter may still surprise us with a few ‘events’ too. I pray these folk find shelter. I wish there was a way to deal with this problem permanently, for all of us deserve a warm place and food to fill our stomachs.

As for the coming of spring. We feel it in the air now, but it hasn’t yet rained enough to fill the dams for summer’s dryness. While we would love to have the warmth back, we understand we need it to rain a lot before we can relax for summer. Here’s to hoping this happens, despite the terrible discomfort for those on the streets. This is such a conundrum for me. I wish for rain, but wish also for good days and nights to ease the plight of those less fortunate.

That’s me for this week. Keep smiling, everyone!

Justine's Journal #50

52 Weeks 500 Words

This is how it began: Justine (not her real name) decided to write 500 words (or as near as), anything goes, per week for 52 weeks. She would then submit it for anonymous posting, via me, her friend. Perhaps a pattern will emerge from her words, but at this stage it’s more an experiment I have agreed to share in. I’ll attempt to draw conclusions at the end of this. Stay tuned if this resonates with you.

Week 50

"Do you know this one? Due to the drama caused by certain members of your family, you choose to walk away. You cut them out of your life, because your sanity is more important to you than always ‘coping’ with the latest drama.

Yes? Many of us eventually reach this point where staying away is the better option, don’t we?

And then something happens that could change it. In this instance, a friend walked away from family … and now someone has fallen ill, seriously ill. To make peace, she would like to visit, but there is so much added stuff that comes with doing this, she is now in quite a bind. On the one hand, she will feel terribly guilty if she stays away, but on the other hand she must expect havoc to re-enter her life once more if she steps into that ring again.

I don’t know how to advise her. My family is sparse, but I have had friends I now no longer have contact with. So I understand, but family, of course, is not quite the same as a friend you no longer see. What wold you do? Which is the better choice?

Why do so many of us function only when there is drama in our lives? We say we don’t need it and yet seek it out and sometimes even cause it. Why? If we sought peace first, my friend would make her way to the hospital in ease and visit without the expectations of doom now hanging over her.

Unfortunately, this is the negative side in all of us. This is how we get our energy. Without it we feel drained and have no sense of place. Right? But hold on here, is it not also true that at the end of a long day of drama we feel drained and without direction? It stands to reason then, the energy we think we get is in fact the wrong energy. It may bolster us through the day (or so we think) but at the end of it we have lost ourselves, rather than gained.

There is no easy answer, other than to suggest toning down the drama. Concentrate on peace. This is what my friend did, of course, in staying away … so what now? I would say pay that visit and make your peace and then step away again, even if it means putting your phone off for a week or two until the others involved get the message. Maybe that’s being rude and stubborn, but we have to take care of ourselves first.

Good luck, my friend. My door is open if you need to unload, know that!"

Justine's Journal #49

52 Weeks 500 Words

This is how it began: Justine (not her real name) decided to write 500 words (or as near as), anything goes, per week for 52 weeks. She would then submit it for anonymous posting, via me, her friend. Perhaps a pattern will emerge from her words, but at this stage it’s more an experiment I have agreed to share in. I’ll attempt to draw conclusions at the end of this. Stay tuned if this resonates with you.

Week 49

"Do you feel alone? I know I sometimes do, despite having others in the vicinity. Feeling alone has little to do with people, after all, for it’s a state of mind, not a state of being. You can be surrounded by others and still feel alone.

I thought about this concept this week and I now realise it’s because  belonging comes from  real connection. This is about being able to talk to another about soul stuff. Even when we don’t make sense to ourselves, we know that other gets us. You can bounce ideas off them, you can discuss issues without judgement and you can laugh at things you took too seriously before. Suddenly you realise you belong to a connection, one that makes you feel okay about yourself. You are no longer alone.

These connections are not about proximity. In our technological age we can chat to someone across the world and find someone who thinks as we do and actually make a connection with value to who we are inside. On the flip side, the neighbour two doors down could be your go to person when you feel alone. You and this person may not share social time and events, but your connection may be such that, when you are feeling alone, there is the person who will get you, and that door is ever open to you.

Yes, this week I felt alone. I felt as if no one understood me, as if no one ‘got’ me, as if I was all alone in a big bad world of misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Try and tell those usually closest to you how you feel … and watch their eyes lose focus. Too much sharing! They don’t need the burden of your feelings! They don’t get you. And therefore you feel alone.

I’ve said this before, but really we are very strange. One day we’re up, the next day we’re down. Today we feel valued, tomorrow we feel worthless. Yesterday we were on top of the world, today we wonder what’s the point to anything. Strange. How does it change so fast? What causes such waves in how we see ourselves? There’s no right answer to that, other than to suggest our souls are continuously searching for real connections.

When we find a connection, those up and down waves are still there, make no mistake, but we deal better with them. If it gets too much, we can unload our fears into that connection and then go forth unburdened.

I hope this makes sense to you. To put it simply. I felt alone and then I received an email from someone many thousands of km’s from where I am, and know what? She told me of her struggle and I totally ‘got’ her, because her struggle spoke directly to my feeling of aloneness. By the end of a flurry of emails both of us felt not only better, but empowered! We were no longer alone.

It put a massive smile on my face, I tell you."

Justine's Journal #48

52 Weeks 500 Words

This is how it began: Justine (not her real name) decided to write 500 words (or as near as), anything goes, per week for 52 weeks. She would then submit it for anonymous posting, via me, her friend. Perhaps a pattern will emerge from her words, but at this stage it’s more an experiment I have agreed to share in. I’ll attempt to draw conclusions at the end of this. Stay tuned if this resonates with you.

Week 48

"Recently I went back and read a few of my old entries; trying to see how they would look in the book we are planning.

I must tell you I was really negative when this began. It is as clear as daylight to me now that I have really grown over the weeks that followed those initial entries. Wow. Isn’t it fantastic how we are able to let go of what burdens us and, in doing so, we start moving forward? I have moved forward!

In fact, my go-to position now is to write about something positive (for the most part) rather than focus on the negative, and that wasn’t the case in the past. Then I would record the bad, rather than focus on the good. I’m liking the new me. I feel more comfortable in her skin.

We are like this, you know.

Given a conscious choice, most of us would prefer focusing on the side of us that makes us smile and feel good about ourselves.

Unfortunately, it’s in the sub-conscious where the negative tends to swirl and when asked how we are, we blurt out what is wrong with us instead of what is going right. We really are strange creatures.

The trick, I believe, is to bring our sub-conscious in line with our conscious selves, so that out automatic response is ever positive. Of course this is the ideal and of course we are human and sometimes fail, but I have found that writing the negative out of my system has really helped. I know I have mentioned before that a journal aids this, that releasing the feelings to paper (or digital) will lessen the impact negative thoughts have, but this is my way of coping.

My way is only a suggestion. Do find what works for you.

As this session of self-analysis draws to a close (four to go after this one) I begin to see how much it has helped me. I am so glad I have an actual journal under my pillow to continue this, for this is how I now focus my thoughts and feelings. In a way, I’m less impulsive about my reactions as well, for I tend now to consider something from more than one angle before diving into a situation. This has prevented me going off the deep end on more than one occasion.

Still, there is a place for impulsive. We cannot always think everything through. But, if we succeed in bringing our sub-conscious in line with our conscious selves, our reactions would insert the positive into impulsivity.

Yes, I’m still learning how to do so and the learning won’t end when these journal entries do. We are ever a work in progress, aren’t we? But I’m thinking it will become easier and easier as practice becomes perfect(ish)!

Keep smiling! Allow your sunny nature the upper hand as often as you can manage it!"

Justine's Journal #47

52 Weeks 500 Words

This is how it began: Justine (not her real name) decided to write 500 words (or as near as), anything goes, per week for 52 weeks. She would then submit it for anonymous posting, via me, her friend. Perhaps a pattern will emerge from her words, but at this stage it’s more an experiment I have agreed to share in. I’ll attempt to draw conclusions at the end of this. Stay tuned if this resonates with you.

Week 47

"This past week ended up being pretty hectic and I didn’t even get the chance to write properly in my private under-my-pillow journal. There are a few functions happening in my area, with loads of charities getting involved, and as I like to volunteer for good causes, I found myself a little harassed by day’s end, and a lot tired.

So I did this: I wrote one word in my journal to describe the day.

Looking back over five entries like that, I am surprised by how much one word can describe so much. In that one word is a full day of action, of emotion, of how I felt as the day ended.

Monday – frazzled

Tuesday – bone-tired

Wednesday – contented

Thursday – weary-happy

Friday – laughing

Okay, so some were two words J But do you see the progression? It began with loads of set-up work and ended in the culmination events last night, which went smoothly and everyone had fun. Later this evening, we will pack it all up and I think my word then will be ‘exhausted’!

It was a good week. I made new friends and learned much about people and their willingness to help others without expecting payment other than the satisfaction of a job well done. This fills me with a glow. To me, this means we are still good as humankind and we still use our humanity. This is very special. If all of us would do something ‘extra’ no matter how small, we can change the world.

A smile can change the world! Try it. As you do your weekly shopping, pushing your trolley around crowded aisles, smile at someone. In most cases that someone will actually smile back and both your worlds suddenly feel brighter. This is very special also.

The one word entries led to a form of enlightenment, for me. I realised we do not need loads of words to describe an emotion, that a word can say so much even in singular. We do trip ourselves up, don’t we, when we try too hard to say something. Too many words can lead to misunderstanding. On the flipside, one word may say too little, so we need a happy compromise. And this is what I will try in future, use my happy compromise. When busy, it’s one word, but if I feel afterwards it needs more explanation, I’ll add something more. At the very least, that one word serves as a reminder and becomes something to build on.

I am so pleased life teaches us new ways all the time. And I am so pleased to know we are able to make new connections simply by smiling and lending a helping hand. Sometimes we live in an okay world!"

Our Friend Thomas Henson

Thomas has had a face lift! 

New cover, and a few internal tweaks also. Our Friend Thomas Henson is now part of a series of four short stories - the Thomas H series. Look out for Town Thomas, coming soon!

Thomas Henson has issues, thirteen of them, and, indeed, one of them is superstition. When his life of luxury ends and he is dumped into an impoverished state, all these issues come home to roost, making it impossible for Thomas to stand up and take responsibility for his life. He even despises his name! Most all, however, he hates his neighbour, the ever laughing Ethan Danwick-Blythe, who has a perfect name and a perfect garden. Thomas is being lied to, however, and those lies will upset everything our Thomas hopes for. As he plots revenge on his neighbour, the time for all lies to be exposed approaches. This amusing little tale of self-delusion is Thomas Henson’s debut into real life.

Smashwords

Amazon