William King

Tap-tap-thud. Tap-tap-thud. I can hear the clicking beetles, the Trespassers are definitely coming back, and if you don't watch out that moon, oh mi preciosa Luna, will come tumbling down. Yes another night under the stars is a must - Tap-tap-thud. Tap-tap-thud. I can hear the click beetles clicking!

Well hi, I love your writing btw, works on so many levels - I could say like an intricately woven spider's web. I get the impression you are a creature of the night inspired to put pen to paper, so to speak, by the pond at the bottom of the garden and the imagination escaping through your thoughts. La Luna - I can see her smiling. You really are a good writer!

What should I say, a breath of fresh air or a moonlight serenade? Wishing on a helicopter could get you in a spin (sorry couldn't resist!). It's a bugs life - or no, wait, I think it's the author they're looking for. Is that right? I don't know, but it reads very fast, It's got unique style (is that the discarded DH Lawrence or the Coleridge?). The latter me thinks - a little opium delirium. Yes it was very good and very well written and you deserve some applause - That will be off stage somewhere. Great stuff, I could probably read it again, and again, and again!

So I guess we should discount an eight or nine year old playing kiss chase in the school playground, catching and kissing Linda, she was nice, but her mum saw that and told me off! I was nineteen when I kissed a boy, we'd gone on holiday together, and the first night in a hotel room - actually I'm not sure it merited the title hotel - we ended up sharing a double bed. How it happened - the kissing, not sharing the bed - I am not sure, it kind of went hand in hand with the sex! It all kind of happened at once - years of waiting, then WOW! I suppose you would call that a night of passion, which turned into a month of pretty much, well sex, and a relationship that lasted (in a weird kind of way) a few years, but was destined to end at some point.

An interesting topic - I kind of like some very old films and have always liked the British actor Dirk Bogarde. He had a long film career and played roles in films such as Victim (1961), a film that influenced the decriminalization of homosexuality. He also most notably starred in Death in Venice (1971), but we are talking about remakes (bringing an old movie up to date). I would like a modern version of The Spanish Gardener (1956), it is a film from a bygone era, from the book by AJ Cronin, and it creates an atmosphere that somehow conveys that perhaps more is going on than that which is actually stated. The film is a classic, dealing with a boy's relationship with his somewhat unsuccessful father and their Spanish gardener (Dirk Bogarde).

It is always interesting to get the author's perspective and learn a few extra things about the books you have read and enjoyed. I have not yet read Delcious, but the other two books I have, and they were very different in terms of subject matter, but had one thing in common, some good writing. You said, " I wondered what would likely end most of the human race - war or disease. I chose disease, a virus." (After the Past) It was a good premise, a virus wiping out most of humanity and hitting females harder than males. You never considered the third option - environmental catastrophy, either man made or natural? Levko was a tough story, made even more so by knowing a little about your own experiences, that as you said influenced the book. I can only applaud you for writing that tale and bringing us an insider view, that reflected reality rather than being, "over-the-top and a little unreal."

Great opening chapter and a unique style, I'm just starting to see the world through Cal's eyes, and it would be great to get further inside his head. Too bad he got beat up, but I think he made a bad choice not to run - macho man Cal! Looking forward to the next chapter, you got me hooked.

China does the Eagles...

I can easily understand that, most sane people would reject the church, I did - ran out screaming! Even if most people rebel against their parents, we still listen to what they told us. I never took any pills (drugs) because my parents told us not to do it - just as they told us not to talk to strangers. Only thing is, my father smoked, so he never told me not to smoke - and so I never saw smoking a joint as doing drugs - my father also consummed alcohol, my mother really did neither (very rarely did she have a drink). We all have mild revolutions! And the book is fantastic jkw, I don't need to tell you how much I am enjoying it, but yes I am of course!

I like that - two years earlier I finished my education, I'd taken my exams and I walked out of that part of my life. No ceremony, no celebration, walked out the gates, and never really looked back - it ended with a whimper rather than a bang. The following week I was at work! I guess it takes a lot of will power to keep your mouth shut - I've never been very good at that, but I do try to control my free speech so as not to offend. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Happy 4th of July 🗽

To second - or third - everything that has been said, it was a great critique of a great story, and I totally, totally agree with what you said (Wicked Witch) about liking and hating the ending at the same time, and it was a beautiful ending. What could be more perfect? The sequel of course - fantastic, can't wait!

It is always possible to leave it vague, but I find it more interesting to read about fictional characters in real places. Especially when the next part of the story is all about travelling. I think it is easier to write, and affords the opportunity for you to write about places you know, because you were there. Besides, if you name the places and describe the little details, your fans will be able to follow in their hero's footsteps.

I had to vote Marvel because my three favourite characters were always and forever, Thor, Spiderman, and Captain America.

“A red rose is not selfish because it wants to be a red rose. It would be horribly selfish if it wanted all the other flowers in the garden to be both red and roses.” ~ Oscar Wilde I cannot state my opinion about selfishness better than Catherine Collautt who perfectly explains things in her blog. She writes, “Being self-centered is part of our existential condition. We are inherently self-centered.” “It is disfiguring until we come, first, to love ourselves. That is, until I find the divinity within myself, until I consider my self (myself) sacred, and worthy of my own attention – of my own love, my own energy and resources, my own admiration and devotion, too. After we get that, we learn how to be of service to something more than ourselves. But only after because before, our service will be despite the self not through the self; and despite myself, instead of by means of it. And it is these efforts that end in contortions and disfigurations, in us feeling alone, uncomfortable, and alienated from ourselves.” I agree with her conclusion: “It’s a dark, lonely road. Always, endlessly. Because you are nothing if not this self. And because I see ‘selfishness’ as simply actively recognizing and honoring the priority of place this self necessarily has in our lives, I vote we throw out the derogatory nature of the appellation.” https://catherinecollautt.com/blog/selfishness-self-centered-v-ego-centered/

Thank you for your quick clear reply. I don't have a computer and the problems are the same on different tablets with Word or another word processor. Not to worry I can live with it, thanks.

I would like to ask two simple questions: 1. Are you able to copy and paste your story chapters without losing the original format? 2. Does the GA editor function normally as you would expect it to, including changing fonts and font size? My reason for asking is because it doesn't work for me, it never has, either before or since the update.

The second book in the series and sequel to Thrift Shop Nation is a wonderfully crafted tale that transports the reader from rural America to New York City. Our two main characters Steve and Chris share their burgeoning relationship, some new found friends and the adventure afforded by their Summer jobs in the Thrift Shop Nation. The shop and their work, not withstanding their terrific boss Debbie, along with the other people they encounter, takes them and us on a voyage of discovery into the world of things. Now some things are just better the second time around, and whilst almost everything will find a new home, certain of these objects are collectables. Hence, the trip to the big city and an auction house, that all comes about through a visit to a rather well off older lady. That is where things begin, but throughout this story there are a whole host of lessons in life that may me drawn, and the author does not fail to draw our attention to these through both the characters and the environments. It is so full of realistic dialogue and sprinkled with such wonderful descriptions that you could no doubt read it twice over and still not take it all in. And like Dumbo, out by the flagstone steps, when I reached the end, I just had to smile and agree with it all.

I am a child of the sixties and I have spent an emotional time in an ashram chanting - it really is a spiritual experience, much like any religious experience - the little extract above is full of that same emotion - for me, although perhaps not for everyone. My partner says listening to that "horrible" music makes him want to kill himself. I just smile, turn the volume down or move into another room!

This book takes you on a road trip that is different from the usual type of story, because it is a journey to be read on many levels. Throw into the mix an adventure plot worthy of any detective novel, and altogether you have an exciting, emotional tale, and one which is full of insights and reflections. We start this journey with the struggling musicians who befriend our protagonist as he joins them in moving from one gig to another. He becomes the navigator who shows them how to read a map and find their way. But Silas Drake is much more than a simple navigator, he is a boy cast adrift on his own journey of self-discovery and reconciliation. “He was hurt sometime in his past, I mean, of course he was or he wouldn’t be living on the streets, but it was more than that. He was hurt by people close to him, that he thought he could trust. He doesn’t know yet that every performance is different,” Those words express the struggle that Silas has with himself, a personal combat that spills over into the lives of those he meets. There is the discovery of a terrible secret and the overwhelming need to help the friends, who like Silas himself, have their own history to come to terms with. A history that may only truly be resolved by taking some risks. This ultimately leads to the final climax at the end of the novel, where like all good thrillers, the different threads of the story come together. If I have any criticisms, it would be that perhaps the character of the ‘bad guy’ – all good thrillers have their bad guy – is a little superficial. His actions are plainly laid out, but we never get any great insight into him. Then again, the book is not about him and his part is no more than a supporting role in the drama. I could easily recommend this book, it’s a great read.

It only works if you don't choose any other options. So you get every type of story that is complete - not really great as a search, but it will probably get fixed.

That was good - I liked your Saturday night - and "the consequences of society don't apply to me." I did have just a tiny hint of sadness for the older, married, suburban guy, just come out after, what forty years? But his choice, everybody's free to not let society apply to them - you just need to choose! Now I'm waiting for you to turn the blog entry into a book - guess that might be awhile - if you've got all those Saturday nights to live!

I was intrigued to see how someone with no knowledge of French might read this story - Wine of Wyoming. Taking a look it is almost like what we might label today as Franglais, a mixture of English and French. Anyway, back to the point - How to read it. I found the text online, in PDF format, copied the first page I was looking at into Google translate (French to English), it translated just the French text, and very well, making it perfectly easy to read. Maybe it might falter at some parts, I don't know, but I suspect you could read the whole book in that way, just with a bit of effort to copy, paste, translate, before reading.