books

#FabulousFridayGuestBlogger, Hugh W. Roberts: Are You Sure Everything You See Exists?

/ Hugh W. Roberts / 63 Comments

How certain are you that everything you see or hear exists?

When Marcia kindly offered me a guest writer spot on The Write Stuff, it could not have come at a better time. Not only had I just published a second collection of my short stories and flash fiction, More Glimpses, but one of the characters from the book was questioning me as to its existence.

It sounds a rather strange question, doesn’t it? Someone or something from a book or story asking if it exists. Not to be outdone or disloyal to my character, I told it to write a blog post. What you are about to read is the result.

***

I don’t have a name. Well, I did, but I’ve forgotten what it was. In fact, thinking about it, I could have had hundreds of titles.

Even though I don’t have a name, I appear as a character in the story ‘The Man In The Television’ in the new short story collection, More Glimpses’ by Hugh W. Roberts. Hugh gave me a satisfying role; one that definitely portrays who I am and what I can do.

But back to my question – Are you sure everything you see exists? How would you answer that question? Look around you and ask yourself if everything you do see is really there. Our brains and eyes play so many tricks on us, what’s the guarantee that everything you see or hear is actually there?

And about the things, you think, do not exist? They’re not real, are they?

Take Hugh, for example. Are you sure he exists? Have you ever met him? If you’ve never met him, how do you know he’s real? And if you have met him in real life, how do you know it was him you actually met?

Hugh’s had a few incidents in his life that he doesn’t fully understand. Was the ghostly figure he saw sat at the end of his bed really there? Where did the scratches he discovered under his bed come from? I’ve heard him ask himself many times if what he saw or heard were real, or if they were all figures of his imagination? He’s only told a few people about those incidents. Most of them waved them off as not being real. How wrong they are.

Have you ever witnessed something you can’t explain? A locked door that opens by itself, or the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs when you’re the only one in the house? How about that feeling that somebody has just walked over your grave?  They may go unchallenged or not seem to matter after a few minutes, but something caused them, didn’t it?   

The stories, characters and twists in Hugh’s book never existed until they were bought to life from an area of the brain not even you humans fully understand. Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, does it? 

Should you be wary of me? That depends on whether you think I’m real or not. Now you’ve read this post I’ve written, I exist, don’t I?

I look forward to meeting you.

***

Story #19: The Man In The Television

Genre: Horror

Unaware of what is in the room with them, a family watching a popular Saturday evening television show have no idea what is really happening in front of them. Have you seen the man in the television?

Photo by Tertia van Rensburg on Unsplash

***

Whatever it was that wrote the above post can be found in the story ‘The Man In The Television’ from my latest short story collection, More Glimpses.

If you’d like to meet another character from More Glimpses, Jane Collins from the story The Jump, click here to read her blog post.

Click here to buy your copy of More Glimpses.

Also available – Glimpses, the first collection of short stories and flash fiction from Hugh W. Roberts.

Click here to buy your copy of Glimpses.

Thank you so much for allowing me to use your blog, today, to promote my new book, Marcia.

Now, back to the question I asked you all. Are you sure everything you see exists? Let me know by leaving me a comment.

***

About Hugh W. Roberts

Hugh W. Roberts lives in Swansea, South Wales, in the United Kingdom.

Hugh gets his inspiration for writing from various avenues including writing prompts, photos, eavesdropping and while out walking his dogs, Toby and Austin. Although he was born in Wales, he has lived around various parts of the United Kingdom, including London where he lived and worked for 27 years.

Hugh suffers from a mild form of dyslexia but, after discovering blogging, decided not to allow the condition to stop his passion for writing. Since creating his blog ‘Hugh’s Views & News’ in February 2014, he has built up a strong following and now writes every day. Always keen to promote other bloggers, authors and writers, Hugh enjoys the interaction blogging brings and has built up a group of online friends he considers as an ‘everyday essential’.

His short stories have become well known for the unexpected twists they contain in taking the reader up a completely different path to one they think they are on. One of the best compliments a reader can give Hugh is “I never saw that ending coming.”

Having published his first book of short stories, Glimpses, in December 2016, his second collection of short stories, More Glimpses, was released in March 2019. Hugh is already working on the next volume.

A keen photographer, he also enjoys cycling, walking, reading, watching television, and enjoys relaxing most evenings with a glass of red wine. Hugh shares his life with John, his civil-partner, and Toby and Austin, their Cardigan Welsh Corgis.

Connect with Hugh

Blog: Hugh’s Views and News

Twitter: @HughRoberts05

Flipboard

Mix.com

Amazon Author Page

Goodreads

© 2019 Copyright-All rights reserved-hughsviewsandnews.com.

#ShareAReviewDay — To Kill A Labrador by Kassandra Lamb

/ Kassandra Lamb / 20 Comments

shareareviewday2

Marcia has given me permission to kick off today’s Share A Review Day with a review for one of my books, To Kill A Labrador, A Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery.

First, let me point out that the Labrador does NOT die. If you look at the titles of the books that follow this one in the series—Arsenic and Young Lacy, The Call of the Woof and my latest release, Patches in the Rye—the title makes more sense. 😉

For us writers, our books are like our children, and we shouldn’t have favorites, right? But I must confess that this book and its four-legged protagonist Buddy are particularly dear to me. Below is one of my favorite reviews.

2a ToKillALabrador FINAL

5 out of 5 stars ~ by Diane, Excellent Mystery
March 4, 2018

This story kept me turning the pages from beginning to end. Marcia trains service dogs for veterans with PTSD. I was fascinated by the training. Buddy (a Labrador Retriever) and Jimmy were her first match. She was so proud of them, but then Jimmy is accused of killing his wife. The sheriff sends for Marcia to retrieve Buddy. She’s convinced that Jimmy couldn’t have murdered anyone.

While Marcia investigates, she riles up the townsfolk and intrigues the sheriff. A budding (no pun intended) romance between them confuses her, and she’s not sure she’s ready after her divorce. Engaging characters, a plot with many twists, and plenty of tension make this a memorable book. I’ll be reading more by this author.

BLURB

Marcia (pronounced Mar-see-a, not Marsha) likes to think of herself as a normal person, even though she has a rather abnormal vocation. She trains service dogs for combat veterans with PTSD. Then the former Marine owner of her first trainee is accused of murdering his wife, and Marcia gets sucked into an even more abnormal avocation–amateur sleuth.

Called in to dog-sit the Labrador service dog, Buddy, she’s outraged that his veteran owner is being presumed guilty until proven innocent. With Buddy’s help, she tries to uncover the real killer. Even after the hunky local sheriff politely tells her to butt out, Marcia keeps poking around. Until the killer finally pokes back.

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1 - Kass Lamb lighter-reduced

Kassandra Lamb is a retired psychotherapist turned mystery writer who now spends most of her time in an alternate universe with her characters. The portal to that universe (i.e., her computer) is located in northern Florida where her husband and dog catch occasional glimpses of her.

She’s the author of the Kate Huntington mysteries, the Kate on Vacation novellas and the Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mysteries. She has also written a short guidebook for new authors, Someday Is Here! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing and Publishing Your First Book.

Connect with her at http://kassandralamb.com or on Facebook. She also blogs at  http://misteriopress.com.

 

How Do You Feel About Controversy? (and my new release)

/ Kassandra Lamb / 21 Comments

by Kassandra Lamb

Marcia’s busy today, so she gave me permission to play in her sandbox while she’s gone… 😀

I’ve taken some risks with my latest Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mystery, and I’d love to hear your take on it. Here’s the gist of it from a post I did earlier in the week.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CONTROVERSY?

Some people don’t mind controversy; a few even thrive on it. And with social media, these two groups seem to have found their voices more and more lately.

But I’m in the group that pretty much hates controversy. I sit on my hands at least once a day, resisting the temptation to get into it with someone on Facebook or Twitter. It just isn’t worth the stress.

ZeroHeroFinalSm

In my Kate Huntington mysteries, I have often touched on somewhat controversial social issues. I’ve been fortunate that they have been well received. I really enjoyed writing those books, but more recently I’ve been having fun with a lighter cozy mystery series about a service dog trainer.

I thought I had left the somewhat darker topics behind. My muse, however, had a different idea. She spun out a story in my head that involves two less-than-likeable characters who are members of groups that normally inspire high levels of sympathy in people.

In my new release, I have a crabby paraplegic veteran, who has an unhealthy obsession with his sister’s love life, and a brash, hard-to-like sexual assault survivor.

My main character, Marcia Banks, doesn’t particularly care for either of these people when she first meets them. And she feels guilty about that. How can you dislike a veteran in a wheelchair? she asks herself.

But the reality is that people in most groups come in all sizes, shapes, and personality types. And some of them aren’t going to be likeable. (READ MORE of original post)

Nonetheless, I’m feeling a bit of trepidation as this book releases. I know I will get blow-back from some folks. I hope it doesn’t get too nasty.

What do you think? Am I worrying for nothing?

Here’s the scoop on the new release:

Patches in the Rye cover

Patches in the Rye, A Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery, Book 5

Nothing about her new client is what service dog trainer Marcia Banks expected—from the posh house that says family money to his paranoid preoccupation with his sister’s love life—but when he dangles a thousand-dollar retainer under her nose, she can’t resist playing private detective.

In between training sessions, Marcia digs into the sister’s boyfriend’s sketchy past. But the deeper she digs, the more questions arise. How is a disastrous fraternity party five years ago linked to blackmail, prostitutes, and murder today? And who’s driving the black SUV that keeps trying to turn Marcia and her dog Buddy into roadkill?

She can’t let it go, not when there are innocents at risk who are depending on her to find the truth. But the deepest, darkest truth is the one she wishes she never uncovered.

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Seeking Solace | Excerpt Week

/ Callum McLaughlin / 9 Comments

Seeking Solace (ebook, ad version)

Seeking Solace

After some gentle persuasion from Marcia, I’ve put together this little post to share a couple of poems from my collection, Seeking Solace, available in both paperback and Kindle formats by clicking here if you are a UK reader and by clicking here if you are a US reader. You can also find it on Goodreads by clicking here. I hope you enjoy, and offer huge thanks to anyone who decides to pick up a copy. Happy reading!

—

Marionette

Pretty little puppet girl
dead behind the eyes.
They preen you and they pluck you
all of it without a word,
creating their own creature
that is really quite absurd.

Pretty little puppet girl
she sits alone and cries.
They say that you do have it all,
how wrong they truly are.
This life it crawls beneath your skin
and leaves a private scar.

Pretty little puppet girl
her spirit slowly dies.
Flashbulbs mask the silent tears
that swell inside your heart.
You smile at them with big blue eyes
and then you fall apart.

Pretty little puppet girl
no matter how she tries
her body it belongs to them
‘til time does intervene.
The beauty fades, the shackles fall
no better sight you’ve seen.

— Continue reading →

Three for One! | Excerpt Week

/ Callum McLaughlin / 7 Comments

The cover art for my three books.

The cover art for my three books.

With some friendly nudging from Marcia I’m finally getting round to adding my voice to another great excerpt week. I have three works available – two novels and a poetry collection – and thought I’d share a quick snippet from each.

Let’s start with a poem from Seeking Solace, entitled Goodbye.

Goodbye Mr Tiger,
your eyes they burned so bright.
I’ll think of all their golden charm
when I close my own at night.

Goodbye Mr Elephant,
so mighty, the ground it shook.
I’ll keep alive your memory
when I read my storybook.

Goodbye Mr Leopard,
so stealthy and so shy.
I wish it didn’t end this way,
I wish you did not die.

Goodbye Mother Nature,
so generous, so pure.
I don’t blame you for leaving us,
we’re sick and there’s no cure.

Goodbye fellow human,
I guess I’ll be alone.
When nothing else was left to kill
it seems we killed our own.

—

Next is an excerpt from False Awakening, a suspense story following a girl’s quest to reclaim her memories and solve the mysteries surrounding the night that led to the death of her friend and landed her in hospital.

The park was crawling with children as expected. It was the height of the summer holiday and the sun burned brightly above them. As they clambered up the ropes, thrashed around in the sandpit and raced each other to the swings, parents lined the benches by the edges of the play area. The town would have been consumed by the story of Holly’s death. This was an uneventful place; the kind where days drifted by so monotonously you would be forgiven for failing to notice; each one blurring into the next in one mass of happy, easy existence. Mothers would be watching their offspring like hawks now; fathers setting curfews, and children obliviously carrying on as though nothing had changed at all when in reality, everything had changed.

—

Last but not least, here is an excerpt from my first book, The Vessel, which follows a young woman’s fight to expose the truth in a corrupt and desolate dystopian world.

Light poured in through the open door and burned her retinas to the point of temporary blindness. She stood motionless, like a startled doe, bathed in nothing but glorious warmth. Clarity returned and composure allowed her to pull the heavy, steel door closed behind her and secure the padlock in place. The sound of her pursuers pounding their fists against the barrier that now separated them soon faded away, replaced by delicate birdsong and the sweet smell of trees. She was free.

Exhausted, Eva made her way through the dense woodland surrounding the complex. Crisp autumnal leaves brushed against her skin, while thick moss provided a soft, spongy pathway underfoot. In spite of all she had been through, she could not help but smile. In stark contrast to the dull greys and lifeless blacks that had engulfed her throughout the duration of her captivity, Eva’s eyes were bombarded with luminous oranges, glowing yellows and fresh greens wherever she looked.

—

If you’d like to check out any of my books or get more information, you can find them on Amazon UK, Amazon US and Goodreads.

Happy reading, everyone!

It’s Time I Introduced Myself

/ Callum McLaughlin / 10 Comments

Having followed this blog for a while now, I know what a great community it is, but for reasons I won’t even attempt to make an excuse for, I haven’t actually posted here yet. So, I thought where better to start than with something of an introduction to my writing, since a mutual love of the written word is what unites us all.

Fiction was my first love but poetry has really captured my attention recently (so much so I plan to release my first collection of poems early next year). I’ve been playing around with haikus in particular recently and just put together this short piece that seems quite appropriate for the season, which I’ve simply entitled Winter.

—

Crystalline in beauty,
one in a dance of many –
Welcome gentle snowflake

—

As for my fiction work, I’ve published two books thus far, both of which are thrillers. My debut, The Vessel, is a dystopian tale of a woman’s struggle to expose the truth behind a corrupt government in a desolate world. My newest release, False Awakening, tells of a teenager’s quest to recover her memories and readjust to life after waking in hospital with no recollection of what put her there. Below is a brief visual snippet from each that will hopefully set the tone and give you an idea of the feeling in each story.

False Awakening

False Awakening

The Vessel

The Vessel

If you’re interested, you can find more on my blog, Amazon UK page, Amazon US page, Twitter or Goodreads account. I always love to connect with more readers and writers so by all means come and say hello.

All that’s left for me to say is thank you for having me; thank you for taking the time to read this post, and I hope to see you all around much more in the future.

All the best,
Callum