January 26, 2014
Alfie Dog Fiction is my new four-legged friend. Four of my stories are now available on the site, priced 39p each. They range from literary and historical to feelgood. Here are the blurbs.
'Bare Earth'–Keen gardener, Peter, has hopes of finding a girlfriend when his new neighbours move in. He is encouraged by their reaction to his floral presents and DIY help, but it is not long before he discovers a rival.
'Between Lives'–The narrator meets Greta and her young son when she is fleeing the Russians in Germany at the end of World War II. Greta is naïve, but sticking together as they try to cross the border seems the safest option.
'The Bitter Harvest'–In 1915, Jim Stokes arrives to work on the Lambourne's farm. There is little warmth in the marriage of Dolly and Frank Lambourne, and Dolly is finding it hard to cope now that their son is at the front. Inevitably, her relationship with Jim becomes more than employer and labourer.
'The Cup that Refreshes'–Elizabeth tries to avoid interrupting her composer husband, who is struggling to create his latest masterpiece, but his music gives her a headache. How long can she tolerate his selfishness before something has to give?
There are around 1,200 stories at Alfie Dog Fiction altogether, so there are plenty for readers to choose from. Why not have a browse?
Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
January 19, 2014
Alfie Dog Fiction has just accepted four of my short stories. (See my tail wagging?) Each of them is already a prizewinner and/or previously published, but no longer in print (to my knowledge). There aren't many publishers or competitions that take previously published material, and it seemed a waste not to make them available somewhere. I could have self-published them, but feel Alfie Dog will introduce my work to a wider readership.
Alfie Dog Fiction publishes individual stories, collection...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
January 15, 2014
The chocolates might all have been eaten and the decorations have gone back in their box, but I've still been enjoying plenty of sparkle and the sweet taste of success. That's because I've received The Binnacle Ultra-shorts 10th Edition. Not only is it exciting to read my work in it, but there are 56 other works to enjoy.
My favourites are 'Hoopty Time Machine' by Christopher DeWan, which one the prize for best prose, and 'In the Parking Lot' by Wayne Scheer. Despite the 150 words restriction...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Competitions
January 6, 2014
Recent tests using MRI scans show that when people read novels different parts of the brain are activated according to what's happening in the book. If the protagonsit is engaged in a chase, the same parts of a reader's brain become active, as if they were also physically taking part i.e. they live the book. This comes as no surprise to those of us who like little more than to immerse ourselves in an exciting story, but it's good to have scientific proof.
Now, instead of going to a gym I shal...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
December 31, 2013
I went to see
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug last week. I'd love to give it five stars, but the truth is that the jury is still out, much as it was after the first film. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I not read the book. Some things seem to have been changed/excluded for no good reason. Other things seem to have been added for the sake of it, and some of these were illogical. However, this is not the end of the story, and the final film might show that Peter Jackson's right an...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews
December 22, 2013
If I wanted to watch a film that was the absolute opposite of
Gravity, I found it in
Philomena. There was not a 3D effect or explosion in the whole thing. What it did have were some fine performances and annoying reactions from the audience.
The problem was that many people clearly thought anything Steve Coogan says has to be funny. He not only appeared in the film but also wrote the script, which did have some witty lines and light moments. However, some people were clearly expecting
Philom... Continue reading...
Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews
December 15, 2013
This week I was privileged to be invited to give a talk about being a writer to a school reading group of around 20 11-year-olds. I alternated between excitement and terror beforehand. It's a long time since I was 11, and I was unsure of the right level at which to pitch what I said. I was also conscious that most of my audience wouldn't have met an author before and might be expecting someone far more witty and glamorous than me. If I disappointed them, I might turn them off writing forever....
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
December 9, 2013
I'm not generally hugely impressed by 3D films. Either the 3D is used as a gimmick (Duck! There's a hammer flying out of the screen towards you!), which usually means that the script is weak, or you're so engrossed in the story that you don't notice them, so what's the point? However, I have discovered an exception: Gravity. Okay, the two stars (Sandra Bullock and George Clooney) are capable of far more, and there wasn't much story, but the 3D effects really conveyed the strangeness of space,...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews
December 1, 2013
I seem to have spent most of the past week uploading versions of
Discord's Child with its super-duper new cover, and letting everyone I can think of know about it. The reaction has been brilliant and I'm truly grateful to everyone who has taken the trouble to let me know their thoughts. I'm still tempted to keep looking at it, but it's really time I got on with some writing otherwise Ro will have grey hair before I finish her story. Sorry, guys, no more time to chat, I have a band of Iyessi a...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : FantasyFiction
November 26, 2013
At last I have a brilliant new cover for
Discord's Child, and I can't say loudly enough how thrilled I am with it. My own previous effort made the novel look amateurish.
The new design is the work of Katie Stewart at Magic Owl Design, and it's spot on. Despite being a pre-made, it features several important features of the story, and captures its atmosphere as if I'd given Katie a detailed brief. She was a joy to deal with, and I have no hesitation in recommending her services to anyone want...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.