DailyFlash: Probe

From a parsec away, the wormhole had barely been visible on the long range scanners. Dropping out of warp, it revealed itself as a giant eye with an ever-changing iris. Captain Asimov noted the other fleet's ships popping into existence around this phenomenon on the viewscreen; she knew that whether from below, above, or opposite, the eye would look exactly the same. She could never get used to that no matter how much four-dimensional training she received. On her command console the 'Launch Probe' instruction flashed. "Alright," she said, "let's see what's on the other side." She launched the probe and transferred its camera to the viewscreen...

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DailyFlash: Neon Dreams

Late night revellers queued outside a fish and chip shop, turning to each other, flashing smiles and laughing. Light from streetlamps shone brightly, while neon pinks and blues from shop-front signs reflected in the banks of windows running down the street. More revellers lined the curb at a taxi rank: they watched, half-drunk, some stooped, others leaning on brick walls, as cars which were not taxis filed by, headlights low. For some, the night was not yet over, and they hunkered in groups, smoking next to entrances or racing to the next bar, the next opportunity.

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DailyFlash: A Demonic Birthday

The serpent uncoiled from the tree of life and hissed, pissed. 

     "What do you want?"

     "You don't even remember, do you?"

     "Yesss. Yesss. What do you want? A cake? To celebrate."

     "One thousand years ago, you made me a promise."

     The serpent stretched and twisted, slipping from the tree and sliding across the burnt earth, to legs like bark, planted and rooted and rotting. Your legs.

     Its tongue touched your cheek, tickling the grooves between the growths.

     "Finnne. I'll give you your freedom. Gooo. Ssselebrate."

     You try to blink. Try to move your neck. Look down to your legs. Look up. See the many branches reaching from your fingertips, the many leaves you have grown. They reach so far. So thick. So dark. 

     You feel the serpent wind up, its scaly skin passing before your eyes like a train that never ends; up into your boughs, and back: its head curling around your neck and its tongue in your ear.

     "Ssstuck?"

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#Free #Kindle #Amazon Weekend for The Risen

The Risen is available for free download this weekend from Amazon, for Kindle and all good eReaders.

CLICK HERE

Don't forget to review!

Reading list update - Longreave by Daniel Barnett #amreading #readinglist

To keep up to date with my full to-read list, view this page.

Currently reading

Longreave by Daniel Barnett

Some secrets aren't kept.
Some secrets keep you.

It’s dark inside Longreave with no electricity. But that doesn’t bother Mark Currier. And the way the faucets keep dripping . . . that doesn’t bother him either. Even if the water has been shut off. He’s got work to do around the hotel. A man has to take care of what’s his, otherwise he doesn’t deserve it. Look at his wife, Alice. He hadn’t taken care of her, and she'd left him. Now she’s living in his house with her off-kilter brother and trying to rebuild her life, and that definitely doesn’t bother him at all. Not a bit. He has his own rebuilding to do, starting with the crumbling wall in Longreave’s cellar.

If only it wasn’t so cold down there.

If only the boiler would just keep quiet.

Mark and Alice’s marriage might be dead, but they're about to discover some things won’t stay buried forever . . .

Reading list

David Mill's Stag-do: Canoeing, Gorge Walking & Archery

The adventures began last weekend at River Deep Mountain High in Coniston in the Lake District. A weekend of drinking, canoeing, gorge walking, drinking, archery, and more drinking.

Who will conquer?

Dave enjoying his 15th drink of the night, the night before the activities. Mistake?

Flash Fiction turned into art for GRAPHITE Magazine

As Publishing Coordinator for 3dtotal Publishing, I'm fortunate to be involved in many of our amazing publications. We've recently begun a quarterly magazine for illustrators and artists called GRAPHITE; a magazine that showcases impressive artwork using traditional mediums. It's a great resource for inspiration, plus looks amazing on the coffee table.

Not only do I proofread this publication (we're about to send issue 4 to the printers) but I also contribute flash fiction for a narrative illustration section. These are fun to write, and it's really cool to see the artist's interpretation of my words. These have inspired me to challenge myself to write a piece of flash fiction every day. I've even set up an Instagram called dailyflashfiction to try and ride that hype train. While I'm getting graphics, and my headspace in the 'write' place, I thought I'd share the three that have been included so far, and the resultant artwork.

GRAPHITE 1

Comic artist and illustrator Jerel Dye created the below image.

GRAPHITE 2

Illustrator Rob Turpin created the artwork below. Otherwise known as thisnorthernboy on Instragram.

GRAPHITE 3

Illustrator and painter Daniel Landerman created his interpretation:

If the process behind these images interest you, you can always check out the issues here. Hopefully the dailyflashes will begin next week! (I have a bit of a stag do this weekend!)

Supporting fellow Indie novelists

I've recently been doing more and more articles for other sites (namely Cultured Vultures), as well as being more proactive on Goodreads and Twitter. I've also recently been able to cut down my reading list due to some car issues and becoming a bus wanker. The novelty soon wore off, but I did manage to finish 3 books.

Thus, I shall be reaching out to indie authors and self-publishers to offer to review their books. Reviews will be posted on Cultured Vultures, with shortened versions on Amazon and Goodreads, and linked through from here, posted on Twitter and Facebook.

If you'd like your book reviewed, drop me an email to aj.smith@writeme.com and let me know the details. PDF is the preferred format until I actually get a Kindle or proper eReader,

BOOK REVIEW: Vessel And Solsvart By Berit Ellingsen

Vessel and Solsvart is the upcoming Snuggly Books release written by Norwegian writer Berit Ellingsen.

Snuggly in name and nature – the book is a quaint 104 pages of narrative poetry no bigger than a pocket notebook. But beware, the content is anything but snuggly. Featuring five short stories that explore the darker side of nature, through sometimes visceral language, and often reading more like a prose poem (assisted by the narrow format of the book’s columns), we are treated to beautifully told tales that dip into sci-fi, horror, mystery and magic.

https://culturedvultures.com/book-review-vessel-solsvart-berit-ellingsen/

Book Review: Metro 2033

Echoing many voices from the other reviews, this book would probably look a lot different and have a lot fewer pages if it were to go through the hands of an industry editor. The typos from the Russian to English translation didn't bother me, but there was a fair amount of gumpf that could've been cut. At least half of the book must be dialogue, which was fine - I quite liked the stories that the many cast told - however, the same points were often repeated, with each next sentence elaborating further and further on the previous one, even though we got it after the first sentence.

TV Review: Hulu's Chance with Hugh Laurie

Hugh Laurie stars as Dr Eldon Chance, a forensic neuro-psychologist who gets mixed up in a shady under-world of dark goings on, in Hulu’s new show, Chance. Following his success playing a sarcastic genius in House, Hugh again tries his hand as a doctor, but this is a completely different character. No doubt many House fans will be giving Chance a chance, if only to see if this is House 2.0, so don’t be fooled. In spite of House’s gammy leg, Chance is positively lethargic in comparison.

http://culturedvultures.com/take-chance-hulus-chance/

Game Review: The Tomorrow Children (PS4)

The Tomorrow Children is a now free-to-play social game available on the PS4 (was out for a price earlier this year) – and it’s pretty weird. There wasn’t much information about it on the PS Store screen, but as someone who’ll try all or most of the free games, I began the download.

http://culturedvultures.com/the-tomorrow-children-ps4-review/

TV REVIEW: The Walking Dead Season 7 – Episode 2: The Well

If last week’s season premiere was a home run, that baseball was severely smacked out of the park, hitting a few unsuspecting heads on its way. Episode 2 was sure to be a bit of a bunt in comparison, but it was a welcome change of pace; in effect, it was the show taking back control.

http://culturedvultures.com/walking-dead-season-7-episode-2-well/

11 Unsettling Movie Scenes That Got Under The Skin

Around Halloween, I’m always checking the listings to see what specials are going to be on. Perhaps something that Netflix can’t recommend me, or a classic I haven’t seen in awhile. With that in mind, it got me thinking of scenes which, for one reason or other, got under my skin...

http://bit.ly/2e8273d

TV Retrospective: House

In light of the recent landing on Hollywood Boulevard of Hugh Laurie’s marbley star, I thought I’d take a look back at his most famed success, House. 

http://bit.ly/2dXBRoE