Re-launch Something Short

Something Short came out in 2014 and was used to raise funds to send a volunteer from the Stafford centre in Edinburgh to Belarus. (See previous blogs for the whole story.) Since then this book has been sitting on the virtual shelf, not doing much. I’m currently involved in another book of short stories for MacMillan nurses. This has been expertly organised by the writer Ian Moore (writer of Salby damned-see earlier blog for a review) So I decided to give Something Short a re-launch, but this time involve the charity and do things hopefully a little more professional. I’ve added a new cover:

And a page explaining who the proceeds go to:

Donation

All profits from the sale of this book are being donated to the Support in Mind Scotland charity. Support in Mind Scotland, seek to support and empower all those affected by mental illness, including family members, carers and supporters. Details can be found on their website:

www.supportinmindscotland.org.uk

Charity N° SC 013649

 Support in Mind is the charity that runs the Stafford centre so we continue with supporting them. If you already bought the book, we would like to thank you and ask if you want to write a review on Amazon. If you haven’t, please do so now as Support in Mind Scotland does some excellent work. Here is the link to Amazon:

Something Short by Elspeth Morrison and Angela Lockwood

The Revenge of the Pumpkins by Lacey Lane

This time not a book review but a short story. Read this to the kids at bed time and nightmares will be guaranteed! 

The Revenge of the Pumpkins by Lacey Lane 

Revenge of the pumpkins is a gruesome tale perfect for Halloween. An unsuspecting family is carving up pumpkins for decoration, little knowing that during the witching hour; the poor mutilated vegetables will come to take their revenge. I think even in this age of desensitised children; there will be enough horror here to give them a restless night. Great stuff and free on kindle just now!

Not What You Thought? And Other Surprises by P.A. Ruddock

One of my favourite books are collections of shorts. It is a great way of discovering new authors, and I certainly discovered a few in this book. It is a combined effort by Mr Ruddock and five guest writers (Lesley Hayes, Tom Benson, Matthew Williams, John M.W. Smith, Peter Nena.) to raise money for the 'Forget-Me-Not' charity. Some of the stories were better than others, but a well deserved four star.

Not What You Thought? And Other Surprises by P.A. Ruddock

I love short stories, there is nothing better than to have a good short to entertain you during a commute or lunch break. No need to remember what was going on, or missing your stop as you were just so engrossed in a thriller. This book certainly entertained me. I can see mister Ruddock took great glee in what is an inspiration to many writers; fictionally murder the people that have gotten on your bad side. There are some excellent contributions from the five guest writers and the overall standard of writing is high. A variety of styles and subjects are used and the changes in pace work well. With such a mix of themes it was obvious that I would like some stories better than others. There is a common thread with many of the stories having a twist at the end. This mostly works well, but sometimes it is a twist too far. Life behind bars was for me a highlight and a low point at the same time. It is a powerful tale about arriving at prison after sentencing and I don’t think the twist was appropriate. I would recommend this book as it is a fine collection of shorts and the proceeds are going to the ‘Forget-Me-Not’ charity for homeless ex-servicemen and those affected by PTSD. Do good and have a great read at the same time; what more do you want!

Angel's Blood by Sallyann Phillips

I'm afraid this was another case of great book, shame about the editing. However, when I started reviewing I promised I would not mark down for spelling etc. I've contacted the author and posted a 5 star review on Amazon. In the age of Kindle, you can upload another version of your book in seconds, so if you're considering this book, maybe give it a few weeks and hopefully an improved version will be uploaded. If you like the werewolf genre, or just a good fantasy book, I'd recommend this one:

Angel's Blood by Sallyann Phillips

Who’s afraid of Octavia wolf? The answer is me. Octavia (Tavi) Johns is a female werewolf not to be messed with. She has been on the run since she was born. Losing her mother young to an evil wolf pack and being trained by her dad to cope with any adversary, she is tough and mistrustful. Sallyann has created in Tavi a wonderful heroine. She is flawed, complex and a very strong female character. What I loved best about the book is the dynamics of the wolf pack. There is order and rules, but also the moral code of protecting the weakest and being there for each other. The author has made her characters unapologetically wolf; they have short fuses and strong emotions which often boil up. Conflicts are often settled in violent fights. After that, the loser cedes rank, hands are shook and respect is often earned rather than resentment lingering on. I also love the romantic story line of a wolf finding her mate. The notion of a wolf mating for life and not being able to live without his mate is beautiful. Love, family and belonging are some of the excellent themes in this book. I did have some issues with editing and I have contacted the writer, but top marks for the plot and characters.

 

Credit Rush Outpost Krone (Krone Series Book 1) by Simon E Bond

I attempted the first swim of the year today. It was windy and the sea was a bit choppy, but I enjoyed my first time out. The water was around 16°C. In my book perfectly acceptable without a wet-suit. I do look forwards to spending many hours on the beach with my kindle. Reviewing and working on my tan; how cool is that. The following title was read in about 2 such tanning sessions, I liked it, but it was just too short. Here is the 5 star review.

Credit Rush Outpost Krone (Krone Series Book 1) by Simon E bond

I read this short novel in a number of hours, and what an action packed thrill ride it was. The violence is very graphic at times, but it illustrates the precarious and harsh world our hero Charlie lives in.

Charlie is a digger for Kromtic, a substance vital to powering atmospheres on certain planets. He is also a small time crook that hacks into unsecured accounts. One day he hacks into the wrong account and falls foul of Volax Stout.

In Stout, Mr Bond has created a character of spine chilling evilness and despite Charlie talking a brave game, you can feel that he has more than met his match. My problem with this book is that I wanted more, I want to know how Stout became the psychopathic nutter he now is. I’m also a bit puzzled as to why anyone would work for the man, as any employment dispute leads to termination, errrm in a very gruesome way. Does Stout enterprises, have a pension plan to die for?

I don’t think the follow up is ready yet, but this certainly is a promising start. I hope the author is busy working on the follow up. Don’t rush it Simon E bond, explore your world and characters. Pack the same amount of action and I’m sure book 2 will be even better.

Salby Damned by Ian D. Moore

Nearly finished my short story for another anthology my writers and reviewers group is compiling. It is rather a dark story about a man being trapped in purgatory. Luckily also had some time for reading. Even though this is not my favourite genre, I could appreciate this Zombie novel and didn't mind reading it at all.

Salby Damned 

No pun intended, but the Zombie genre has been done to death, so you will need to add something special to make it stand out from the crowd. I think Ian Moore has succeeded. He stays in familiar territory with a virus being released from a top secret laboratory, created by a group of scientists that really should have known better. Soon the North English country site is overrun by blood thirsty Zombies. I loved that the author has taken a controversial local issue such as fracking and made it the cause of the accident. It nicely puts the novel in a local contemporary setting.

There is a strong cast of characters with strong emotional attachment. The main focus is on Nathan and his budding romance with Evie as they try to reach a military base and safety. It’s hard not to care for this scrappy couple and the two children they have taken under their wing.

I cared less about the very detailed descriptions of various military hardware and the zombie-human ‘encounters’ were very gruesome. But then again, I’m a forty something female that loves fluffy kittens, so not your target audience. I did think it firmly belonged in this type of novel. The occasional limb will need to be separated from its owner and if you’re preparing for the Zombie apocalypse, it might be useful to know that a Remington pump action shotgun, might be the easiest to master in a hurry, and will make a fine mess of an approaching Zombie.

If I had one complaint about this novel, it would be that the pace dropped now and then. I would have liked a bit more action. What put the icing on the cake for me and made me decide on 5 rather than 4 stars was that there has to be an idiot that breaks the 1^st rule of Zombiedom:

Always, no really ALWAYS! Check the back of the car for Zombies, before you drive off.