tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72708843131881708382023-11-16T14:10:26.122+00:00Steven PirieSteven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-89432286833589316082013-11-09T19:19:00.000+00:002013-11-09T19:19:25.926+00:00Recent Reviews and CommentsSome reviews of Rustblind and Silverbright are now in. Of my story, Not All Trains Crash, reviewer Nick Jackson has this to say:
<br><br>
"Steven Pirie's 'Not All Trains Crash' is a more conventional train crash ghost story but exquisitely related through the eyes of its young protagonists, sisters in search of a truth which has been withheld. A very convincing cast of characters carries the narrative to a most touching finale which is also something of a requiem to the age of steam."
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Whilst reviewer Sami Airola says this:
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"Steven Pirie's Not All Trains Crash is a touching - and almost heartbreaking - story about ghosts. Ghosts are often associated with horror, but this story isn't horror. Not All Trains Crash is a story about ghosts that are trapped where their train crashed. The author writes beautifully about the ghosts and their situation."
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Meanwhile, the inimitable Des Lewis, says this:
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"<i>"She feels the clunk of a million points changing lines.” </i>A prose threnody on the half-life of ghosts, so utterly touching, so rail-track rhapsodic, with even education being meted out to those who still survive the tunnels of birth or death, factored into by Dickens’ ‘Signalman’ plus a theme and variations upon a collaboration of the words Rustblind and Silverbright. Here we know.
<br><br>
[Very proud that Steven Pirie's work once appeared in the ancient Nemonymous anthologies with “Mary’s Gift, The Stars and Frank’s Pisser”]."
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My heartfelt thanks to all who reviewed and said such nice things! Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-79008442343661063372013-08-03T15:42:00.002+01:002013-08-03T15:42:48.145+01:00Writing NewsRustblind and Silverbright is now published by Eibonvale Press. <br />
<br />
My story, Not All Trains Crash, joins a host of train-related offerings from such notable writers as Rhys Hughes, Joel Lane, Andrew Hook, Aliya Whitely, and many more. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9GlKlIw6Fg0DqriR89hSSdX_ywUnTU0JrliRkqG2Ij6b1eqt0-mqKNHqDwNzfzn-dy-XmHL011TAIXSOWHRuq550PFe5G2mqBcKoj_GDGY3yMOP9K8HTuRNj6iI5ImE8unKSP60S-j5G/s1600/rust2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9GlKlIw6Fg0DqriR89hSSdX_ywUnTU0JrliRkqG2Ij6b1eqt0-mqKNHqDwNzfzn-dy-XmHL011TAIXSOWHRuq550PFe5G2mqBcKoj_GDGY3yMOP9K8HTuRNj6iI5ImE8unKSP60S-j5G/s320/rust2.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<br />
From the back cover: <br />
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"Trains occupy a special place in the human psyche. The twin threads of the rails forge ahead from place to place, the ultimate symbol of travel and connection and all the hopes, fantasies, fears, reasons, romance and excitement that come with that. The links between points, the bridges and tunnels, are always so much more profound than borders or walls. And yet you travel these links through a world that is isolated from normal life and unique to itself. The railways are so mundane and taken for granted, passing through the backs of your cities and towns, yet they are worlds that cannot be visited, cannot be known. Worlds that can only be glimpsed from blurred windows or from the far end of the platform. Hidden places. Private places. Places where the ordinary and the secret meet. This was the mood in which Rustblind and Silverbright came into being - a book of railway stories that aimed to look far beyond what you might expect from classic horror or sci-fi. Like any good journey, the scenery of this book is ever-changing. You will ride the rails of language and imagination through many and varied places - some almost unendurably disturbing, some bleak and miserable, some surreal and strange, some touching and moving, some absurd and comical, some exquisitely beautiful. This is a collection that ranges widely from the almost-familiar double-track line of slipstream fiction to the grungy metro of sci-fi and the dark and sparsely served branch line of pure horror, while the squawking locomotives of absurdism jostle with still stranger trains that ride to - other places." <br />
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<u>Table of Contents:</u><br />
<br />
Act 1<br />
<br />
Tetsudo Fan – Andrew Hook<br />
On The Level – Allen Ashley<br />
The Wandering Scent – Aliya Whiteley<br />
To the Anhalt Station – John Howard<br />
Death Trains Of Durdensk – Daniella Geary<br />
Vivian Guppy and the Brighton Belle – Nina Allan<br />
The Last Train – Joel Lane<br />
Writer’s Block – Stephen Fowler (prose poem)<br />
<br />
Act 2<br />
<br />
Northern Line Tube Announcement – Anon (Flash Fiction)<br />
The Path of Garden Forks – Rhys Hughes<br />
District to Upminster – Marion Pitman<br />
Wi-Fi Enabled Bakerloo Sunset – RD Hodkinson<br />
Stratford International – D McGroarty<br />
The Cuts – Danny Rhodes<br />
Sleepers – Christopher Harman<br />
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Act <br />
<br />
Embankmen – Gavin Salisbury (Poem)<br />
Sunday Relatives – Douglas Thompson<br />
The Engineered Soul – Jet McDonald<br />
The keeper – Andy Coulthard<br />
Escape on a Train – Steve Rasnic Tem<br />
Choice – Charles Wilkinson<br />
Not All Trains Crash – Steven Pirie<br />
The Turning Track - Mat Joiner and Rosanne Rabinowitz<br />
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<br />
<center>
Buy Rustblind and Silverbright at: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rustblind-Silverbright-Slipstream-Anthology-Railway/dp/1908125268/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375380550&sr=8-1&keywords=rustblind+and+silverbright">Amazon.co.uk</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rustblind-Silverbright-Slipstream-Anthology-Railway/dp/1908125268/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375380650&sr=8-1&keywords=rustblind+and+silverbright">Amazon.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.eibonvalepress.co.uk/">Eibonvale Press</a></center>
Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-42563580272901782232013-02-21T14:15:00.001+00:002013-02-21T16:32:15.209+00:00Writing NewsRecent news on the writing front has been good. More acceptances than rejections has to be positive news, does it not? It's doubly good because for one reason and another I've been through a longish period of not submitting. To pick up the baton again and start where I left off is very encouraging.<br />
<br />
First up, my story "The Women Who Point at Men's Hearts" is now available in Sien und Werden's "The Ironic Fantastic" issue. Released in two volumes, my story is in volume two.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kissthewitch.co.uk/seinundwerden/archives.html" target="_blank">Sien und Werden</a></div>
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I also submitted a story "The Bedroom Ceiling" to Australian magazine Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and received a super-quick acceptance back which will see me appear in issue fifty eight. This will be my third outing in ASIM, which suggests I'm doing something right as far as they're concerned. <br />
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Last but not least, I received email confirmation today my story "Not All Trains Crash" will appear in the forthcoming Eibonvale Press anthology Rustblind and Silverbright. <br />
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All in all, a decent haul.Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-33206346353043890552013-02-18T19:11:00.000+00:002013-02-18T19:11:17.320+00:00It's all downhill from hereA less than glowing review of Burying Brian has surfaced here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://sfcrowsnest.org.uk/burying-brian-by-steven-piriebook-review/" target="_blank">Burying Brian</a><br />
<br />
Still, you win some, you lose some!Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-45429888521107088862012-11-17T10:57:00.000+00:002012-11-17T18:09:11.999+00:00There be pirates, there be...Ooh-Arrrgh, me 'earties, I've been pirated. I've found a Spanish website that's offering Burying Brian download as a free PDF file.<br />
<br />
And I don't know whether to laugh that someone actually thinks my writing worth stealing, or to cry that someone is illegally giving away a book that took five years of my life to create.<br />
<br />
The website is completely in Spanish, and as far as I can see there's not even a method to contact them and complain (I'm sure I could whip up a half-decent bemoan at them using Google Translate).<br />
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Take that! There are penguins in Spain, aren't there?<br />
<br />
On the legitimate publishing front, my story, The Women Who Point at Men's Hearts, has been taken for the winter edition of Sein und Werden. This was originally written for one of the Shock Totem flash competitions as The Man Who Pointed at the Sun, and didn't poll a single vote (oh how genius so often goes unnoticed, eh? :-)<br />
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Also, The Perils of War and Death According to the Common People of Hansom Street is now published in Black Static issue 31, which I understand is imminently available to the unwashed masses.Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-79441195168122581112012-11-13T19:36:00.003+00:002012-11-13T19:36:55.848+00:00A jolly trip...I'm just back from six days in Poland. I love Poland at this time of year—it's cold, but it's a dry cold, a different cold from that of soggy Britain, which grips the lungs and tubes unmercifully.<br />
<br />
We sat outside drinking cold beer under heated parasols, draped in thoughtfully provided blankets for the legs. It could easily have been summer except the skies were winter-dark and star filled. The chat was good, and being 'close season' there weren't too many tourists to bustle with, which made for a nice, relaxing break. Just the job, really.<br />
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Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-43321931323649124592012-11-12T19:39:00.000+00:002012-11-12T19:48:46.469+00:00The Web is a little smaller, today...I've lost my website. Those terrible terrors at British Telecom have pulled the plug. The web hosting came free with my original contract. I think the word <em>free</em> probably worried BT--they're a huge corporate conglomerate, so such a word is likely to stick in their craw, poor lambs. And clearly they'd decided enough is enough and if I want web space I shall jolly well have to pay for it like everyone else.<br />
<br />
Hmff, the indignity of it all.<br />
<br />
And now I'm not sure what to do. I mean, do I really need a website? It wasn't exactly buzzing with eager visitors anyway. Is a blog enough to post the odd promotional stuff? Can one turn a blog like this into a virtual website (technically, I mean)? Or should I look to proper web hosting elsewhere?<br />
<br />
I shall have to have a think.Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-15160094025142811632012-10-06T09:45:00.000+01:002012-10-06T09:45:46.988+01:00Splutter!I have this odd cold. It's all on my throat, with just the occasional sneeze and nasal drippage. I hold the cold virus as ultimate proof there is no God. Or, if there is a God, he has a very strange sense of humour.<br />
<br />
And I blame my lack of tonsils. I am of an age from when tonsils were whipped out on a whim—the boy has a limp; out with his tonsils. And now we know tonsils are a vital part of one's immune system. I'd sue someone, if I could do anything but croak out half-words.<br />
<br />
I have tickets for the football match; and I have to go, because I have tickets and I'm a boy, don't I? I shall have to "wrap up well". It's one of my mum's old sayings, and one I will quite possibly heed today.<br />
<br />
Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-59188071470581485292012-09-19T14:03:00.000+01:002012-09-19T14:03:42.401+01:00For you, short story, the war is overIt’s nice to report that top UK dark fiction Magazine Black Static has accepted a short story of mine for publication. This will mark my third appearance in Black Static, although as yet I don’t know what issue will carry the story.<br />
<br />
The story, War and Death According to the Common People of Hansom Street, is one of the most subtle pieces of writing I’ve ever produced. I wanted to explore warfare on the smallest, most personal level, to suggest war itself is mostly made up of little individual wars that may take many forms—both internal and external.<br />
<br />
What resulted was a story with no real protagonist, no real plot and instead consists of a number of linked, real-time vignettes set over a very short period of time. It’s filled with ordinary people, none of whom want to be heroes but rather just want to live out their lives. I also added an ethereal character (loosely based on Death itself) whose appearances are often fleeting and deliberately vague, and whose induced confusion is an extended metaphor for how I imagine living in grave situations during warfare must feel to such ordinary people.<br />
<br />
I’ll be interested to read any comments on this when published. I imagine opinion will be somewhat polarised—people will either ‘get it’ or not, will probably like it or loathe it. Because of this I feared I might struggle to place this story, and so I’m doubly pleased that Black Static saw its worth and decided to take a chance on it. Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-28863611218893269902012-04-22T19:38:00.000+01:002012-04-22T19:38:44.814+01:00It's my birthdayI'm 51 today but still feel 16 in the head. Am I normal? :-)Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-9206440587977228422012-04-21T15:24:00.000+01:002012-04-21T15:24:52.428+01:00Mentioned HonourablyI picked up a couple of Honourable Mentions in Ellen Datlow's Year's Best Horror. Whilst there were 608 HMs in all, and it could be argued that they are 'close but no cigar' entities in that the stories mentioned didn't make it into the actual anthology, my inclusion never-the-less made me smile.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ellen-datlow.livejournal.com/392479.html">Ellen datlow</a><br />
<br />
I suppose we cling to any nod that we're heading in the right direction. And there is, of course, the thought that Datlow is amongst the top editors in her field.<br />
<br />
First mention was for my story This is Mary's Moon, published in Black Static issue 22. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiiN4gnGoaPTzQLnaR7s1ao49QBXuilYOSTsDTvyH4-O9oLzDDamqFX7nLikP9bPU-ORj_mIz5Cglo-yzhCFHm2GUoCwklFT8OXLq1m6aVtZFaZAyloyE8vOWiccFzkjakkf0SzkxbIEG-/s1600/318_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="221" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiiN4gnGoaPTzQLnaR7s1ao49QBXuilYOSTsDTvyH4-O9oLzDDamqFX7nLikP9bPU-ORj_mIz5Cglo-yzhCFHm2GUoCwklFT8OXLq1m6aVtZFaZAyloyE8vOWiccFzkjakkf0SzkxbIEG-/s320/318_large.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The second was for 'Ruth Across the Sea', published as a flash fiction winner in issue three of Shock Totem.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfRU7CKTFsLlubmK_J6CV7zJI7eqkz4yhFOKxy0c_up1GbJ1EwJo-jqv20ceLju1hoa5BZDsCCsuYNj9ODMjWiDW-lxghyphenhyphenQ9x0lvMgTLA_8vXIarKKbih0XK6uB9A2IPvHSfgr72jK_A6/s1600/st3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfRU7CKTFsLlubmK_J6CV7zJI7eqkz4yhFOKxy0c_up1GbJ1EwJo-jqv20ceLju1hoa5BZDsCCsuYNj9ODMjWiDW-lxghyphenhyphenQ9x0lvMgTLA_8vXIarKKbih0XK6uB9A2IPvHSfgr72jK_A6/s320/st3.jpg" /></a></div>Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-65307105191531244512012-03-28T14:01:00.000+01:002012-03-28T14:01:46.019+01:00Brian Does, urm, Kindle, tooFresh on the heels of Digging up Donald's Kindle appearance, I can now report that Burying Brian is also now available for the Kindle.<br />
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The links are here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Burying-Brian-ebook/dp/B007OLZ440/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1332939584&sr=8-5">amazon.cu.uk</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Burying-Brian-ebook/dp/B007OLZ440/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1332939635&sr=8-4">amazon.com</a><br />
<br />
Should you be kind enough to take a look.Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-89127377684279798142012-03-14T18:35:00.000+00:002012-03-14T18:35:39.949+00:00Donald Does KindleAfter much tinkering and tutting, formatting and fist-waving, my first novel, Digging up Donald, is now available for the Kindle at Amazon. <br />
<br />
Basically, it's a sprawling plot of a comedy that tells of a small town, semi-rural England family and their fellow town's folk, and how they might battle the demons of Armageddon. In it I wanted to explore just how far I could place the ordinary alongside the extraordinary, and if I say so myself the tone of the tale is unique. It forced me to find that elusive entity, my own authorial voice.<br />
<br />
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"It was biscuits at ten paces."<br />
<br />
I really love that opening line. How can anyone battle with biscuits? Only where the ordinary meets the extraordinary.<br />
<br />
The novel was first published in hardback in 2004. It then saw release as a paperback in 2007. The sequel (though in truth it's more of a second book in the same universe), Burying Brian, will also be on Kindle soon. Along the way a number of people whose opinion I respect have said some wonderful things about Digging up Donald.<br />
<br />
Such as:<br />
<br />
"...not simply one of the most <br />
enjoyable books I've read this year, <br />
but one of the most enjoyable <br />
books I've read for many years." <br />
Steve Redwood, <br />
author of "Fisher of Devils" <br />
and "Who Needs Cleopatra?"<br />
<br />
"This reviewer found himself <br />
dreading finishing the book - it truly <br />
is that entertaining a read." <br />
Kevin Etheridge, <br />
The Horror Express <br />
<br />
"Pirie's book is a shot in the arm of a <br />
jaded genre and if there's any justice he <br />
will be welcomed with open chequebooks by <br />
the devotees of comic fantasy." <br />
Peter Tennant, The 3rd Alternative<br />
<br />
...the best book I have ever read in my <br />
entire life... <br />
Garry Charles, Amazon.co.uk review <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8S4qNYnSkMGaFsitKqePCdtBueO_4V0ZDbWIvhg7FJCXk9h88TFT7FEHAGmkaSpfMGABfVsSsQF-GmMZtBn6BYuhNb86ESusi1xxq_xtTrc54UHM_WCzhwJD6-T9vi0bbh0ihyphenhyphenXh_pV3/s1600/happy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="19" width="19" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8S4qNYnSkMGaFsitKqePCdtBueO_4V0ZDbWIvhg7FJCXk9h88TFT7FEHAGmkaSpfMGABfVsSsQF-GmMZtBn6BYuhNb86ESusi1xxq_xtTrc54UHM_WCzhwJD6-T9vi0bbh0ihyphenhyphenXh_pV3/s320/happy.gif" /></a></div><br />
Links to Amazon are below, and thanks for looking in should you choose to do so:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Digging-Up-Donald-ebook/dp/B007I771DM/ref=sr_1_7?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1331748922&sr=1-7">Amazon.com</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digging-Up-Donald-ebook/dp/B007I771DM/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_1">Amazon.co.uk</a>Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-40313439502355970032012-03-04T12:10:00.000+00:002012-03-04T12:10:57.783+00:00Recent Reads"What have you read recently, Steve?"<br />
<br />
Well, (who said that?) me and my new Kindle have been busy, since you ask.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0MZRDcdm-M-tt3XlnvTQuwJA6ti591GbGr4cdP9YOnwkjd-u3GcY8y8E10hAqqGTVV-F3AzAkzt_MGqommtco-eqJYDZbqyUyZWm_hNObOaljNcvx9iosmHWvwUd_nwDdMz_ECV6KuDB/s1600/curious.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="115" width="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0MZRDcdm-M-tt3XlnvTQuwJA6ti591GbGr4cdP9YOnwkjd-u3GcY8y8E10hAqqGTVV-F3AzAkzt_MGqommtco-eqJYDZbqyUyZWm_hNObOaljNcvx9iosmHWvwUd_nwDdMz_ECV6KuDB/s320/curious.jpg" /></a></div>First off I read Cate Gardner's "Theatre of Curious Acts", which in true Gardneresque style is a strange tale of madness and intrigue based around the trenches of World War I. The plot swirls and chokes like mustard gas, and the thin line between the real and the surreal is, as is so often Gardner's hallmark, decidedly blurred.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Theatre-of-Curious-Acts-ebook/dp/B006MPRYTC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330861092&sr=1-1">Theatre of Curious Acts</a><br />
<br />
Definitely one to pick up, and at a mere £1.97 for a download, Gardner's practically giving it away.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaj5f-8o5Q0BKJesNpderPdY2ZklQw4AaU7IXuLO2BJ5AAAzv7Y1Xb_P3hPh38CjS68l40Xxz5awNNJwJRqleYrPC3rp1NZ2JKaz-uMhVPm7ViTFCX5E6gXekHVXmj2IkphrT-pbicqlh/s1600/quarry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="115" width="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaj5f-8o5Q0BKJesNpderPdY2ZklQw4AaU7IXuLO2BJ5AAAzv7Y1Xb_P3hPh38CjS68l40Xxz5awNNJwJRqleYrPC3rp1NZ2JKaz-uMhVPm7ViTFCX5E6gXekHVXmj2IkphrT-pbicqlh/s320/quarry.jpg" /></a></div>Mark Gunnells' "The Quarry" is a 'High School Horror/Suspense' work that tells the tale of the close-campus lake that now hides the old, abandoned quarry, and the evil that lurks therein. When this evil is disturbed, we have what is essential a very visual piece of writing which I think it would make a good film. Chock full of love interests, there's a depth to this story beyond that of the lake itself.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Quarry-ebook/dp/B0073PMCY2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330861248&sr=1-1">The Quarry</a><br />
<br />
I also read and reviewed for The Future Fire the novel "Panoptica" by Patrick Hudson. The full review is here (scroll down to Panoptica):<br />
<br />
<a href="http://reviews.futurefire.net/">The Future Fire</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbnE6M6f0ssF7pMu3xgN4ro5tpUTfqMahXWsJmCC-zbOFqkBDK9o7dRq2Qv8y8GOb1pnR6VVU5C97kmWmQaykzVO0iYSrWrwJ7gybYwAo3WG8hQBE-wWYqVnMtMpI45GlQmYRUNtDYbTF/s1600/panoptica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="115" width="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbnE6M6f0ssF7pMu3xgN4ro5tpUTfqMahXWsJmCC-zbOFqkBDK9o7dRq2Qv8y8GOb1pnR6VVU5C97kmWmQaykzVO0iYSrWrwJ7gybYwAo3WG8hQBE-wWYqVnMtMpI45GlQmYRUNtDYbTF/s320/panoptica.jpg" /></a></div>But in a nutshell this is a near-future tale of a dystopian society of invasive surveillance coupled with an insatiable appetite for the 'reality show'. What follows is not only a delicious parody on today's 'X-Factor' culture but also carries real depth as to the fears for privacy and reality such a society would surely trample upon. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=panoptica">Panoptica</a>Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-49989571127014706702012-01-15T00:18:00.000+00:002012-01-15T00:18:25.854+00:00To Pull a Child from a WomanI have a story published online right now. "To Pull a Child from a Woman" is the featured story at Darker.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvY1XscRt_-t6ymPxzdPKPIPAjCFJM2rzUVL1wCe8AbeBdbFxlol1n-MRaZNOKWYmBrfwuSF-I0a3EP7qfD-On5VhsYAp6Q_J3qfah4sk2mdWwPmMdWNiypyDGceeH0MdwtCwJfIOTn6A/s1600/darkerlogo4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="73" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvY1XscRt_-t6ymPxzdPKPIPAjCFJM2rzUVL1wCe8AbeBdbFxlol1n-MRaZNOKWYmBrfwuSF-I0a3EP7qfD-On5VhsYAp6Q_J3qfah4sk2mdWwPmMdWNiypyDGceeH0MdwtCwJfIOTn6A/s320/darkerlogo4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The story is a reprint, having been published first in 2007 by the UK magazine Sein und Werden, and again in 2010 in Sam's Dot's anthology Sideshow 2.<br />
<br />
I like this story—I think it has a lot of depth to it. It tells of the lowly clown Hobo and his yearning for a mother's love. The fact that it's now seen three publications suggests to me editors like it, too.<br />
<br />
The link to the story is here: <a href="http://www.darkeronline.com/fiction.html">Darker</a> should you wish to take a look.Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-17497206555978277342011-12-24T18:51:00.000+00:002011-12-24T18:51:07.942+00:00Season's GreetingsHere's wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-1715861226569455732011-12-19T17:55:00.000+00:002011-12-19T17:55:56.861+00:00Reviews are like buses...Two reviews of Burying Brian have surfaced online this week. The first is on my own website, where Peter Tennant and Andy Cox have kindly given me permission to reproduce in full the March Brian review published in Black Static issue twenty-two.<br />
<br />
To read this click on my website link below and select What's New, and then the link to the review itself.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.stevenpirie.com">www.stevenpirie.com</a><br />
<br />
The second review is from Shock Totem 4, written by Robert Duperre and made available on Rob's blog the "Journal of Always".<br />
<br />
<a href="http://journalofalways.blogspot.com/2011/12/st-review-burying-brian-by-steven-pirie.html">Journal of Always</a><br />
<br />
It's always a thrill to read a positive review, and my thanks go out to both Rob and Peter for their continued support.Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-11158390466404466762011-11-05T18:08:00.001+00:002011-11-05T18:11:27.488+00:00Brian is all ones and noughtsI'm happy to report that Burying Brian is now available in a variety of e-formats priced at $6.00 from Smashwords.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FKitZhnXKcmJXVT0Q6Gw-rhm10L0WPFomXw9gk90ahVmg8WpLy4v9hDRkcKHv9fgr8jt025seEIKCarpMGpQU2vMRyOBdzeUi5tadmN7LvRzv1BvjGaeM_Se4XxRB8vhYx25UYQ3i-RS/s1600/swlogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="67" width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FKitZhnXKcmJXVT0Q6Gw-rhm10L0WPFomXw9gk90ahVmg8WpLy4v9hDRkcKHv9fgr8jt025seEIKCarpMGpQU2vMRyOBdzeUi5tadmN7LvRzv1BvjGaeM_Se4XxRB8vhYx25UYQ3i-RS/s320/swlogo.png" /></a></div><br />
<center><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/StevenPirie">smashwords.com</a></center><br />
Also available here is my critically acclaimed first novel, Digging up Donald, along with a free-to-download chapbook, Mrs Mathews is Afraid of Cricket Bats, which I think is a reasonable sample of what you can expect from Donald and Brian.<br />
<br />
Thank you so much if you should choose to stop by.Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-77057683304415861832011-10-23T10:13:00.003+01:002011-10-23T10:27:38.363+01:00Shock Totem Burying Brian ReviewThere's a rather stunning review of Burying Brian to be found in issue four of <a href="http://www.shocktotem.com/">Shock Totem</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.shocktotem.com/print/issue4/"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIapeSIrQ2wcC2XTCltqw5uKMRx-GvaS5iFfIyH21OW8xvl5ApQVg7JjS8XKPI1idbCeRRuw4JlfMvYT2RR1mG-Z8drwR2ViNq6vLuoc2TQNJGKpmxowcayJZGT-L4Fj3h6jQwl_aYRu5/s1600/issue_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIapeSIrQ2wcC2XTCltqw5uKMRx-GvaS5iFfIyH21OW8xvl5ApQVg7JjS8XKPI1idbCeRRuw4JlfMvYT2RR1mG-Z8drwR2ViNq6vLuoc2TQNJGKpmxowcayJZGT-L4Fj3h6jQwl_aYRu5/s320/issue_04.jpg" /></a></div></a><br />
Reviewer Robert Duperre says:<br />
<br />
"The Prose Pirie uses is clever, never dull, and brings about a sense of poignancy that does what the best literature is supposed to do—make you think."<br />
<br />
and…<br />
<br />
"Burying Brian is the best book I've read in a long time…"<br />
<br />
I've known Rob online for some time now. Indeed, I'm a fan of his own no-nonsense style of writing in his blossoming trilogy <a href="http://www.robertduperre.com">The Rift</a><br />
<br />
And it's not the first time Rob has offered assistance in building my writing career. Back in 2004, when I'd just had Digging up Donald published, Rob and his now wife Jessica Torrant helped place Donald in an arts festival in which they were involved.<br />
<br />
It's a feature of the writing community that there are nice people like Rob and Jessica around who are selfless in the willingness to help out.<br />
<br />
So, thank you so much, Rob, for the review and your continued support.Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-56925601519694267992011-09-18T20:46:00.000+01:002011-09-18T20:46:08.946+01:00A breakI've not been in the mood for writing, so I took a break. I'm not one of those people who have to write every day or they wallow in guilt - when it stops being fun I'll pack it in!<br />
<br />
But, I'm back, somewhat recharged and ready to dip the toe once more.Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-52724923159953474602011-07-20T18:42:00.000+01:002011-07-20T18:42:54.628+01:00Michael Goins please stand upAs a bit of fun, I put up both page 99s of Burying Brian and Digging up Donald on "page99.com".<br />
<br />
<a href="http://page99test.com/">page99</a><br />
<br />
The site's remit is:<br />
<br />
<font color=blue>"For decades, readers have used the Page 99 Test to judge the writing of a book before buying it. That's the idea here... but with a twist.<br />
<br />
Here, published and unpublished writers share their page 99s with readers like you. And you get to rate their writing (without knowing if it's published or who the author is). It's fast. Fun. Addictive."</font><br />
<br />
In truth it is fun. But from a critique point of view it's all a little futile. People commenting seem to think landing on page 99 should make perfect sense, despite the fact that 98 pages have gone before and who-knows-how-many pages are still to go. It's a bit like walking in on the middle of a film and expecting to pick up at once all that's going on. Personally, I'd judge a book on its opening and not its page 99.<br />
<br />
It does make for some interesting comments, though. I got my share of 'I love it' and such like, but the real fun comments are the snarky ones.<br />
<br />
For instance, Of Burying Brian, "michael goins" writes:<br />
<br />
<font color=red>"FORMAT IS INCORRECT. Why? Why write if you aren't going to at least learn a few very, very fundamental things? One of the #1 rules in writing is not to have similar names and you violated it what is supposed to be page 99 but is obviously the beginning. Three are lawyers, but one is a tax collector, one is a bank manager, and one a town councillor. HOw are any lawyers??? Terrible. Choppy sentences, terrible format, bad dialogue, telling and not showing. Lots of work to be done here and some of it involves learning how to write fiction."</font><br />
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He seems to have decided I've not posted a page 99 at all but the beginning. I'd hack my hands off rather than pass either page 99 as a beginning! He then goes on to add a further comment:<br />
<br />
<font color=red>"Not PUBLISHED but self–published. Definitely not the same thing."</font><br />
<br />
Which, as both books are published by Storm Constantine's <a href="http://www.immanion-press.com/">Immanion Press</a>, to which I have no association whatsoever except being one of their authors, the comment is not actually true. Possibly Mr Goins has simply decided it's self published because he believes it to be so bad.<br />
<br />
Then, "AdamL" writes:<br />
<br />
<font color=red>"All a bit Terry Pratchett for my tastes. Generally well–written and easy to read, but the stuff about the horseman needing a good house – "Can’t go raining death and destruction on humanity from any old hovel now can we?" – is fairly obvious, the kind of thing I used to write when I was 14 and obsessed with Douglas Adams. The biscuit factory line contains too much exposition to work as a punchline, and it's an obvious joke anyway, sorry. You obviously have an imagination, but try to find your own voice and your own take on things."</font><br />
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"Pinkiepup2" bemoans: <font color=red>"I does not make sense so far."</font><br />
<br />
But don't worry, because Pinkiepup1 will have the answers. :-)<br />
<br />
And things don't get better for Digging up Donald. Again, Mr Goins is in good voice telling me:<br />
<br />
<font color=red>"Doubles not singles when doing dialogue. What the heck is a "brow?" Father wouldn't be capped. "taleteller’s breath and paused a yarn–spinner’s pause." – too cutesy. Why is the dialogue in the first paragraph split into two paragraphs? Opening and closing of quotation marks is poorly done. This is a laundry listing of information all told in a run rather that being revealed with action. Too little here to know if I'd red it, but most likely not, even when it is actually ready to be read. DIalogue is stilted."</font><br />
<br />
The good thing with all this is that if I have confidence in just one thing about me it would be my ability to write. Oh, I know for sure I'll hit and miss with readers--what writer doesn't?--and I have no issues whatsoever handling criticism. But it concerns me a little that a more novice writer, who is less thick skinned perhaps, might be wise to stay away from page99. Or maybe not.<br />
<br />
I've no idea who Michael Goins is, or if he's in the habit of Googling himself, but if he does and he lands on this Blog I'd love him to say hello.<br />
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Michael Goins, please stand up.Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-24500075536055290172011-07-09T14:54:00.001+01:002011-07-09T14:57:12.985+01:00Fables from the FountainI reviewed "Fables from the Fountain" for the "The Future Fire". An anthology edited by Ian Whates, Fables is written in homage to Arthur C Clarke's "Tales from the White hart", and features eighteen tall, often pun-like science fiction stories from eighteen authors including Ian Watson, Stephen Baxter, and Neil Gaiman. <br />
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Each story takes place in the mythical London pub called, not surprisingly, The Fountain. The book is most definitely worth a read.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIn0638u4_miZXVlZVGShdbQwKsSPs4eZNs80_YiK6zWS1Ej_QQwdYV2ZyBVbyHR_TR5g-olXitBOCO1HW3lmkij0hMrH5wV8Ip0-_jxiWqXsznLZuo71AUdovrwIUGXuYOFMbn8EnC6xv/s1600/FablesFromTheFountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIn0638u4_miZXVlZVGShdbQwKsSPs4eZNs80_YiK6zWS1Ej_QQwdYV2ZyBVbyHR_TR5g-olXitBOCO1HW3lmkij0hMrH5wV8Ip0-_jxiWqXsznLZuo71AUdovrwIUGXuYOFMbn8EnC6xv/s320/FablesFromTheFountain.jpg" /></a></div><br />
My review can be read here: <a href="http://reviews.futurefire.net/">The Future Fire</a><br />
<br />
And Fables from the Fountain may be purchased here at <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1907069240/thefuturefire-21">amazon.co.uk</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1907069240/futurefire-20">amazon.com</a>Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-1369737960712085682011-07-08T18:05:00.000+01:002011-07-08T18:05:29.043+01:00Music, and why not...?This is the background music I selected when I looked after the now defunct Whispers of Wickedness Myspace page. It's very atmospheric, particularly at the start and well worth a listen to.<br />
<br />
This is Conquistador, Part 1, by Juno Reactor. Part 2 is also up on YouTube.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5HqNPy3jP0U?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-9162867172563861362011-06-28T08:48:00.000+01:002011-06-28T08:48:24.109+01:00For you, Tommy, the war is overWell, my war story came back rejected, which is a shame as I thought it a decent piece of writing. Still, such is life. Perhaps they did want Rambo after all. I'll be interested to read the published anthology to see what kind of 'different protagonists' they were looking for.<br />
<br />
I'm doing some decorating, so if you want me I'm the one up the ladder.Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270884313188170838.post-27196296958105900952011-06-19T08:54:00.000+01:002011-06-19T08:54:38.615+01:00If at first you don't succeed...I also submitted another short story to an anthology today, a story that's been bounced back to me more times than a very bouncy thing. And I can't quite put my finger on why—the story itself is a personal favourite, with lots of hidden depth and character development, and an ending I think refreshingly real for a fantasy tale. But do editors like it? Not yet. :-)<br />
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It's worked its way down all the appropriate pro markets until now I'm almost giving it away to the 'token payment' Johns.<br />
<br />
I suppose all writers have at least one story that bemuses them in their ability to place it somewhere. This is submission number twenty-five for this story. Twenty-fifth time lucky, perhaps?Steven Piriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774045853057857376noreply@blogger.com3