SEA MINOR

 

Sea Minor, a short audio story, first published by The Reader Magazine and narrated by Geoff Bird.

CUT AND CARRIED by NIGEL BIRD

It may seem that my rate of writing has slowed over time, and for a while that was the case. Truth is, I've been as hard at it over the last couple of years as I ever have. Well almost.

I've written three novellas in collaboration and they've involved a lot of effort. I think they're as good as anything I've written, partly because my writing partner is so bloody good and I have to raise my game. Those books may well see the light of day in the next year, but they also may not. The timing isn't important to me, but I'm excited about their release whenever that happens to be. 

Meantime, I've been working on a novella of my own. 

Cut and Carried is a noir farce populated by pantomime villains. It was a lot of fun to write and, I'm hoping, will be a lot of fun to read. For those who follow my work, I'd say it's closer to Mr Suit that anything else I've put out. 

It sort of goes like this:

March 11th is a special day.

Frank is leaving prison on compassionate leave to attend his daughter’s wedding.

Sam and Lorraine are getting married to allow Frank to escape, only the registry office have no record of their booking.

Ruud and Betty have stolen Sam and Lorraine’s ceremony to avenge past misdemeanours.

And the last time Alfred handled a gun, he was serving his country. He hasn’t had this much fun in years.

Cut and Carried is a stylish noir farce that will leave readers, and many of the protagonists, in stitches.

It's available as a paperback and in kindle and if you'd like to have a read, then follow this link. If you do, many thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy it. 

One Man's Opinion: THE SEX CLUB by LJ SELLERS

 

A variety of ingredients in this detective novel. Jackson's the police officer working the case of a murdered girl who has been involved in a range of sexual activities. Kera works at the family clinic supporting young women with their sexual health. The mayor, who happens to have a second apartment that may or may not be used for a range of underhand activities. The pipe bomber is an anti-abortionsist lune who speaks to God and hears their answers and who has it in for Kera. And the children, all belonging to a wholesome church group that enjoys pushing boundaries as far as they can manage. 

This one layers up nicely. Told from a range of perspectives and including a number of swerves, it's definitely one that holds the attention.

The Sex Club is a pretty good series starter that I reckon would make an ideal beach read if that's where you're taking your holiday.   

TAKING A LINE FOR A WALK

 

THE MUSIC LIBERATION FRONT SWEDEN meets TAKING A LINE FOR A WALK as narrated by the talented GEOFF BIRD.

One Man's Opinion: THE TURNOUT by MEGAN ABBOTT

It's been a while since I last posted a review. The reason for that is Megan Abbott. 

Reading The Turnout is akin to eating a rich chocolate cake as it's impossible to devour it at pace. The book feels so delicate and so intrusive that I enjoyed it most when I had time to savour only a few pages in a sitting. Each paragraph seems to have been carefully constructed and is packed with nuance or meaning or intense description, with distinct rhythms and careful observations, often packing a small punch to round off. 

There's a sense of increasing claustrophobia as newly built walls close in, the air stifling and the heat becoming unbearable. It's almost the opposite of the boiling frog thing- as the temperature rises it just gets hotter and hotter until it's excruciating.

Dara and Marie run a ballet school along with Dara's husband, Charlie. These guys form the threesome at the centre of the piece. They're building up to the annual performance of The Nutcracker when a fire puts the show in doubt. In steps a local builder who has a way with women, a kind of hypnotic power that is all-controlling and consuming. When Marie falls under his spell, the suffocation begins, a slow strangulation of the trio's lives, exposing their pasts and present all the way to the bone.   

This being Megan Abbott, there's a real sense of the sinister throughout and, because this is often only suggested or hinted at, it's like the pages are full of ghosts. To stretch the rich cake idea, this one is made from the darkest chocolate.   

It's a real achievement and I thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of forcing myself to read on to find out what would happen when part of me wanted to put the story on hold because I couldn't cope with the increasing tension.

If your bag is fast-paced action or page-turning thrills, this may not be for you. If you like a slow-burning novel of intimate depths and delicate phrasing, one that sucks the air from the room as you go, then jump right in. 

One Man's Opinion: THE UNDERSTUDY by DAVID NICHOLLS

 

When you've just read and loved a book, it often makes sense to follow it up by another by the same author, which is why I plumped for The Understudy as my most recent read. Starter For Ten really hooked me and I was happy to to along with it wherever it went. Another Nicholls had to be worth a punt. 

This one, as the title suggests, follows the ups and downs of the understudy (Stephen C McQueen) to one of the hottest properties of screen and stage, Josh Harper. It's a gig for McQueen, but clearly not the one he wants. What would suit him better would be for some disaster to befall Harper so that the break that he so deserves will finally arrive. McQueen will be able to show those who matter to him (ex wife and daughter) that he hasn't been deluded when thinking he will make it as an actor some day. 

The plot thickens when Josh invites Stephen along to a party. Of course, it's all a big misunderstanding and things don't go quite as Stephen hoped. On the plus side, however, he gets to meet Josh's wife and finally manages to feel connected to another human being in a meaningful way. 

Oh the roller coaster ride that follows. The twists and the turns. The comic moments and the hilarious scenes. There's a lot of fun to be had, that's for sure. Only it's not as engaging as Starter For Ten. Some of the situations seem forced. There are elements of predictability. It's not easy to like the central characters (inlcluding Stephen himself). When the thumbscrews were really tightened, it wasn't quite as cut and dried as I would have liked, which left me feeling ambiguous about the possible outcomes. Many of the film and actor references were too easy and instead of gliding through the gears there was more cruching and swerving. There were also too many appearances of the word effeminate for my taste, which wasn't helped by reading the two books back-to-back- it's a great word, but it felt like there was an axe to grind or something and it just bugged me. 

I enjoyed it,I did. But that's as far as it went. I'll go back for more, I know I will, as One Day awaits in the wings. It won't be for a while, though, as I've learned my lesson on that front. 

  

Something To Write Home About: THE MUSIC LIBERATION FRONT SWEDEN

I've always been fond of the story Sleeping With The Fishes, something I penned a good few years ago now. Very kindly, and without prompting, my brother Geoff recorded a version of it and left it out there so anyone could give it a listen (given that he's a top radio producer of quite some repute, that was a lovely gesture). And today I was sent a link to this new twist, put together by The Music Liberation Front Sweden. 

The story now comes with musical accompaniment, thanks to a splendid composition that successfully accentuates the mood of the tale. 

I'd urge you to go and check it out over here and give it a free listen at Bandcamp. I hope you enjoy the story, the narration or the music (any one out of the three means your time won't have been wasted).

Many thanks for trying.