The Inspiration. The Muse. The Existential Crisis. — << Back to Part 1 of The Story Behind the Story << Back to Part 2 of The Story Behind the Story << Back to Part 3 of The Story Behind the Story Part 4: Leicester, 2003–2006 One fine spring day, all operations move into the new building, and a lot of defunct or…

Seriously, I’m Lucky to be Alive Following this Incident — The 2nd Time I nearly Lost My Head — Literally Yes, that’s my eye in the above photo. And I’m using it to stare death in the face. Not this time, Death, I say. You were close, way too close for comfort, but I sidestepped you again. So a few days ago, I’m walking along the public footway minding my…

The Inspiration. The Muse. The Existential Crisis. — << Back to Part 1 of The Story Behind the Story << Back to Part 2 of The Story Behind the Story PART 3 Kyiv — and “Nadya” — have left a lasting impression. But I’ve got responsibilities to face. The trip — facilitated by a loan from Laurie — has resulted…

The Inspiration. The Muse. The Existential Crisis. — << Back to Part 1 of The Story Behind the Story Back in England, I was struggling to pay the rent on my flat. The trip to Kyiv with Laurie had cleaned me out of any spare money. …

Whatever You Do, Don’t Leave the Building — GAME 87 (ZOE arrives on the Womenswear floor and approaches the customer services desk at pace.) ZOE: Excuse me. I bought this garment here yesterday and — LULU: Is there a problem with it? ZOE: Have a look for yourself. LULU: I can’t see anything obvious. ZOE: It’s got no buttons? LULU…

The Inspiration. The Muse. The Existential Crisis. — << Back to Beginning : Part 1 of KYIV TRANCE First, a massive thank you to all who have read, clapped, and commented on the series. It was enormous fun to do and was richly rewarding due to the fabulous support of readers. Novella? Okay, so it morphed into something…

On the Simple But Incomparable Happiness of Being a Parent — Look, Dad! The Toilet’s Smoking! My 12-year-old son Alex set this up and showed me last Saturday. It was from a meme he’d seen on YouTube or TikTok. I did a quick online search and, sure enough, there are now many versions of the prank. Alex has a great sense of humour and particularly loves…

Entry From an India Travelogue — Cheapest & Best November, 1985: Moving Around From the corridor, a boy wearing ragged hessian enters the compartment. He shuffles about on his haunches, flicking a crude hand-brush about the floor, sweeping between our feet and under the wooden bench-seats. He hums as he works, in an affected, old man’s baritone. The steam-whistle blows and I look…

Speculative Fiction Inspired by an Historic Intellectual Scrap Between Einstein & Niels Bohr — Is the Moon Only There When We Look at It? You take another swallow of absinthe. From a nearby table, Yvette points a finger at you. She grins and winks. There’s a buzz of conversation and laughter, a smell of roasted tomatoes, the growl of a passing motorbike as the door opens and closes. Smoke from a snuffed-out candle drifts…