One Year of Being Published

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One Year Published.

This day last year I found out that my first full length short story, 'Sins of The Father' was to be included in the short story anthology 'Vortex'. It's a story I am immensely proud of and as a few people know, it went on to win best in book making it even more precious in my eyes.

It's been an incredible year for me, and I finally feel like a writer due to a regular routine of about two hours in the morning six days a week. This was verified when a friend actually introduced me to a stranger saying, "This is David. He's a writer." I didn't know what to say.

Along the way I have met other incredible writers, some of whom I can actually call friends - although the chances of meeting them, due to geographical complexities, are remote.

I would like to thank Shawn Klimek, Steve Carr, Brandy Bonifas, L.T Waterson, Elizabeth Montague, and Patt O'Neil for help, patience and laughter that has gone above and beyond the normal Facebook interactions. Not that I don't have other writer friends, but I chatted with these chaps on things not always directly associated with writing (I'm still looking for tinned pumpkin, Patt).

Talking of Facebook, these groups have been essential to my growth 'The Inner Circle Writers' Group', 'Dastaan World' and 'Zombie Pirate Publishing Writers Group'.

I am not normally one who is impressed or worried by word count, I much prefer quality over quantity, but the mind does boggle when looking at the following.

In the year that has passed, I've had 35,000 words published in twelve stories of varying length. Another four and half thousand are due for release over the next few months in the form of drabbles and other short stories.

As I write this, Grant Hudson of Clarendon House is reading through my short story collection, 'The Magic of Deben Market' - 80,000 words over 33 stories.

And this doesn't count the thousands of words typed on half finished projects and as yet to be read material.

A couple of years ago I couldn't organise a shopping list, now I plan the events of imaginary people in imaginary worlds.

I am a writer!

The Butcher of Blengarth

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The Butcher of Blengarth.

On a dark winter's night, can a scared and lonely hitch-hiker find friendship and perhaps compassion in the arms of a stranger?

My horror story, The Butcher of Blengarth has recently been accepted into the Full Metal Horror 2 anthology by Zombie Pirate Publishing.

They wanted gore and I gave it to 'em. I hope it doesn't give too much away to mention eyes and knives in the same sentence.

Release date is mid June.

 

 

Flash Fiction Addiction is Here

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From the stables of Zombie Pirate Publishing comes their newest anthology,

My story Serve Cold was accepted into this little beauty almost a year ago. One might ask, 'Why did it take so long?' The answer is they wanted 101 quality pieces of flash fiction and accepted or refused as the submissions rolled in. The last of the 101 have only recently been confirmed, and now the book is here for your delectation.

Here's the blurb

A daring pirate raid on a merchant ship ends in disaster. A dominatrix loses her dog. Officers count the terrible cost of human life in the wake of battle. A casting director comes face to face with his childhood bully. And why has a death sentence been issued for everyone named John Smith?

These are but a few of the thrilling tales inside. We've gathered authors from around the world into this compendium of fast fiction fixes. Each of these one hundred and one super short stories can be read in only a few minutes, just enough time as you wait for your high speed transport to arrive and whisk you away to your next adrenaline packed adventure.

This is FLASH FICTION ADDICTION, and there is no cure but to read more!

Drabbles

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Drabbling

Recently, I have gone a bit OTT with drabbles.

For those who are unsure what a drabble is. It is a story exactly 100 words long, or short depending on your perspective. One gets an awful lot of satisfaction from completing such a short story. It can be done and dusted within the hour.

Back in January, I had four drabbles accepted by Blood Song Books for two of their anthologies. I have three more with them awaiting their decision.

Then half way through March, I came across another publisher looking for a whole gaggle of the little tales. Every author has the opportunity to have five drabbles published in five collections - that's a possible twenty five stories. They have already accepted fifteen from me. You can find out more about Black Hare Press here.

I've always had an addictive nature, and drabbling just might be the healthiest form it could take.

 

The Magic of Deben Market is one step closer

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Thanks to a little story I wrote just over a year ago, I was given the opportunity to put together a collection of short stories by Grant Hudson.
But I was very new to writing and didn’t have a massive back catalogue to draw on. All I had was a half finished manuscript.

Many moons ago, when I first decided to try this writing thing, I started a novel – The Loneliness of Moony Moore. A tale of a spectral night on the ocean in a small fishing boat. Looking back, I see it was not destined to be a great novel.

But I liked the character of Moony Moore, so he makes an appearance in the book.
Every character in the book is based on someone I knew or contains elements of people combined into a new character.

I knew a wishing witch (and was cured by her once).
A bar man who had tales to tell from all around the world.
A retired spy who had once been a resistance fighter – he was past caring about official secrets and was even more tired about everyday secrets.
Retired Bank Robbers.
Magicians.
An ad-man who claimed to have brought menthol cigarettes to the UK and thought of the toucan for Guinness.
Work-shy loners and drunken chefs.
Artists and writers.
And surely every town has a barfly who claims to have seen little green men.

Anyway, I put these personalities together (and a few others) in the fictional town of Deben Market. Then stirred them up with a keyboard, fountain pen and ‘How Stories Really Work’, and put it on a low flame to simmer for a year.

Yesterday, I sent the manuscript to Grant. No doubt, in the fullness of time he will return it to me so I can adjust the seasoning.

An Update From Bowmore Towers

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I try to to write every day for a couple of hours, usually in the morning after the poodle has been walked, tending to write whole heaps of stories in rough drafts, before eventually returning to them to tidy them up. Hence, my writing time is not always about writing – I spend ages trying to find where I’ve saved my notes.

My collection for Clarendon House, The Magic of Deben Market is nearly ready, I hope. I’ve been spending many hours editing my way through 30ish stories featuring a cast of characters loosely connected by the simple fact that they all live in the same town.
And then just when I think it’s ready, I drop a story and write a new one for it.

All the while, my brain is creating scenarios for Mortimer Marsh. My notes and scrawlings are copious.

Mortimer (Morty to his friends) is a young man about town living a nice life in 1930s London. I hope to tell of his adventures with and without his friend, Georgette Fenwick-Ffield. Some tales are light and frivolous, others a bit deeper and darker.
Morty makes his first appearance in the second issue of the Inner Circle Writers’ Group magazine. The story, The Affair of The Missing Tiara, told over three parts, is set in an English stately home, and features wedding guests, glamorous girls, fast cars, stolen loot and a steam locomotive.
Other Morty stories waiting in the wings are set in various places, including Booklands race track, a village cricket match, and west end night clubs. Expect adventures with theft, murder, blackmail, sabotage and stink-bombs. You’ll encounter, duchesses, tired coppers, retired super-criminals and silly nincompoops.
The second issue of what is already being called the greatest writers magazine ever is out now, you can subscribe at the Clarendon House Website

Zombie Pirate Publishing recently published World War 4 (WW4) containing my story, The Bunker. Inside you will find quite a few names some might recognise from various Facebook groups. Shawn Klimik, LT Waterson and Gregg Cunningham to name a few.
WW4 also contains a bonus story by renowned science-fiction author, Neil Asher. That’s right little old me is sharing a book with a best-seller, how cool is that?
It’s available in paperback or kindle from Amazon World War 4: A Science Fiction Anthology

The Butcher Of Blengarth – A blood-soaked story was submitted to the Zombie Pirates for their forthcoming horror anthology, Full Metal Horror 2. I wait with baited breath.

Several 100 word stories have been accepted into Blood & Cauldrons, an Anthology by Australian Publishers Blood Song Books.

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings, and if you have not done so already, please sign-up to receive emails – Subscribe Now

Prepare for World War 4

Anthology

Prepare for World War 4

WORLD WAR FOUR: A Science Fiction Anthology is available now from Zombie Pirate Publishing.

Einstein said: “I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

Turns out he was wrong...

WORLD WAR FOUR features twenty explosive short stories from authors all around the galaxy.

Plus a brand new, exclusive novelette from internationally acclaimed sci-fi author NEAL ASHER!

Earth law has come to Godrun, a backwater planet on the edge of hostile alien space where slavery and corruption are rife. It’s up to Polity monitor Logan to clean up this den of thieves, no matter how many massive explosions it takes. Can the hired killers stop him? Or will a military drone named Sting be enough to swing the tide?

It’s an amazing tale, and just one of many in this 450 page, action packed anthology featuring space battles, high-tech jet dogfights, strange aliens and artificial intelligences, awesome weapons, and lots, lots more!

Get your copy today!
Available worldwide from AMAZON: http://a-fwd.to/5Sh6Yn6

To find out more about Zombie Pirate Publishing and available titles visit www.zombiepiratepublishing.com

 

ICWM Issue 2 Out Now !

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ICWM Issue 2 Out Now !

Out Now !

The Inner Circles Writers' Magazine has already been described as the best magazine available to writers.

It's packed to the gills with great articles to help make you a better writer and chock full of brilliant fiction for people who like to read.

144 pages for only £2, alternatively get twelve issues for £20 - BARGAIN!

What are you waiting for ?

Inside you will find the first of a three part story by yours truly 'The Affair of The Missing Tiara'. I also have the honour to be the first interviewee for Desert Island Reads.

Just read on for everything else that's included.

I ask you - What's not to like ?

http://www.clarendonhousebooks.com/inner-circle-magazine-subscribe-

 

From the editor :

THE SECOND ISSUE OF THE WORLD'S MOST EXCITING WRITERS' MAGAZINE IS HERE!

It’s even brighter and bigger than the first! Inside, this is a glimpse of what you’ll find:

FICTION from David Bowmore, Gabriella Balcom, Peter Astle, William Masters, P. A. O’Neil, Jan McCulloch AND an amazing presentation of Part One of one of the greatest short stories ever written, THE MACHINE STOPS by E. M. Forster.

INTERVIEWS AND SNAPSHOTS with Rich Rurshell interviewing Kate McCoid, and the special first edition of a feature you won’t want to miss called DESERT ISLAND BOOKS with this month’s guest, David Bowmore.

EXPERT ADVICE from Dennis Doty on traditional publishing, Elizabeth Montague on fan fiction, Denise D’Souza telling us about her experiences in a writers’ workshop, Dr. María Jesu Estrada with tips for beginners, Gary Bonn on world-building, Mark Kodama writing about the Reptile Brain, Phil Ide on technological tools, Carmen Baca on marketing and our GRAMMAR NINJA feature with Samantha Hamilton.

ANALYSIS: Gary Bonn looks at THE PICNIC by Jan McCulloch.

ARTWORK featuring the beautiful photography of Denise O’Hagan.

THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH Part Two by William Shakespeare, adapted by Grant P. Hudson.

THE G. P. HUDSON ART STUDIO presents a portrait of C. S. Lewis.

ARTICLES including A WINDOW INTO MIDDLE-EARTH: Gandalf the Fearful Part One and A PERSONAL HISTORY OF COMICS plus much more.

CONTESTS AND GAMES, NEWS, THE GREAT CLARENDON HOUSE WRITING CHALLENGE (which many of you will want to be part of), WRITERS’ WORLD, SUBMISSIONS STATION with links to publishers who are accepting submissions right now!

You’ll also find FREE GIFTS FOR EVERY READER and a SPECIAL SUBSCRIBERS’ PACKAGE OFFER

plus much more!

NOT YET SUBSCRIBED? Go here:

http://www.clarendonhousebooks.com/inner-circle-magazine-su…

It's only £2.00 per issue, or £20.00 for 12 issues!

You can also gift subscriptions to others - email me for details:

grant@clarendonhousebooks.com

Enjoy!

 

Gold & WW4

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Two important Announcements.

First : My story ‘Stasis Bunker’ has been selected to appear in the anthology World War 4, due for release on March 1st 2019 by Zombie Pirate Publications.

This epic collection will also feature a story by best-selling author Neal Asher. It is an absolute joy to appear in a book with him.

Find out more about Neal here, www.nealasher.co.uk

Second : Clarendon House are soon to publish a best of 2018 anthology which will feature all the winning stories from the collections released last year, plus some of Grant Hudson’s favourites.

Gold will include my winning story, ‘Sins of The Father’.

Find all the anthologies here, Clarendon House

This time last year, I hadn’t even finished a short story, let alone had one published.

And now I’m in a best of collection and also appearing in a book with a best-selling science fiction author – Who’d a thunk it!