Archive | July 2013
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VisDare: The Lion’s Head
Thunder growled, distant, ominous. I followed Shaw to the edge. “You know, lieutenant, they call this the Lion’s Head.” I looked at the obsidian ground, reminding myself that an upwelling of fluid volcanic glass created those tangled, mane-like patterns, but another roll of thunder underlined my unease. “Why did you bring me here?” “You asked […]
#Smashwords31 Week 3 (they’re my rules and I’ll change them if I want to)
#Smashwords31, the story so far: During July, Smashwords are running a summer / winter sale (this acknowledgement that a July sale is not a summer sale the whole world over is typical of the Smashwords approach), during which Smashwords authors are encouraged to slap on a discount and join the site-wide promotion. I did so, […]
VisDare: Pensive
I wanted to write a farce. It had a donkey in it. I pushed the thought away – I had a salary to earn. More specifically, I had an ad to write for a range of cold creams scented with violets and sweet briar, honeysuckle, damask rose and thyme. They wanted something new, different. That […]
Ignoring reviews
When I started this game I told myself, very sternly, that I wasn’t going to pay any real attention to reviews, because if you believe the good ones you have to believe the bad ones, and in any case it’s bad for your ability to self-edit to take the kind words of friends too seriously. […]
#Smashwords31 Day 15: short but heartfelt
Just a quickie to say I’m loving Dan Klinefelter’s The Wind Maiden. Immediately involving, great dynamic between the leads, lovely grungy background detail. This has just vaulted straight to the top of my things to read properly when this is over list.
#Smashwords31 Days 12-14: Oops.
Well okay, I admit that I definitely implied this was going to be a recommendation a day. I didn’t promise that, though, and it’s my blog. Anyway, I’m afraid I rebelled on Friday night, all these promising beginnings, and never time to read the whole book. So on Friday I reread something that has no […]
#Smashwords31 Day 11: a sudden change of direction
A bit of fun for you because it’s almost Friday, something I wouldn’t usually look twice at unless it was the only book on the shelf in a holiday cottage in the middle of nowhere and it was raining. And I hadn’t got a notepad. I may be exaggerating just a touch, but this is […]
#Smashwords31 Day 10. I actually think I can do this . . .
Another promising beginning for you tonight – I can’t say more than that, of course. Maybe I’ll stick to a resolution for once, and serve you up 31 actual reviews of 31 actual books that I’ve actually read next July . . . but don’t get your hopes up. Anyway, tonight’s promising beginning is Worlds […]
VisDare 28: Obscured
Obscure? Damn straight it’s obscure. An authentic man of marvels, as late as 1814, a man who breathed smoke, cured palsies, spoke in all tongues . . . and we have one reference to him? The Georgians loved this stuff. He should have been a sensation. There should have been satirical cartoons. Instead, one chance […]
Alex Brightsmith 
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