The Capitalists Tale – timely short story

I am indebted to an old friend and relative for this timely tale of capitalist ingenuity.

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit. She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem, she comes up with new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later.

The Torment of Saint Anthony- naked truth

Just heard the news that an original painting by Michaelangelo, ‘The Torment Of Saint Anthony’ is going on show in New York.
A quickie: when I was growing in Ireland and the UK it was common to say a quick prayer to St Anthony if you had lost something.
It was just “Saint Anthony guide me”. It seemed to work.

All The Wild Young Children

I was surprised to discover this video of Sean Tyrrell singing a song I wrote when I was very young.

Science, religion, creationism and Darwin

There has been a lot of debate, books and articles and programmes about the issue of: ‘Is there a God?’; ‘Is there life after death?’; ‘Is Darwin right?’; ‘Are spirituality and religion shams and delusions?’

The Marrakech Express – bring on the camels

Even writers need a holiday. With a certain regret at leaving a warm keyboard, especially at a time when my US agent is shopping my new novel (hopefully first of a series) ‘Old Habits Die Hard’ and I am getting interest from actors to come on board my proposed TV drama ‘The Forest’, I revisited Marrakech with my wife.

As I write this I realise it is St Patrick’s Day. When I was young we all wore a sprig of shamrock in our lapels before going to Mass. How things have changed.

The Apocalypse and the credit crunch

I’ve had a longish break from this blog that included Christmas, the New Year and my birthday. There is a condition known as blog burn out but I don’t think I was suffering from that. Maybe I had just run out of ideas for posts.

What’s happened since then? Well, the world has spiralled down into recession. It’s official. Everyone says so and it’s world wide. It just seems incredible that such a global meltdown could have been caused by some badly judged mortgage lending to sub-prime borrowers.

Naked writer at the pool

I don’t know why (I do really) the word ‘naked’ seems to jump start views of this blog but I’m grateful for it.
I’m not big fan of political correctness so my mind was full of interesting stuff as I made my way to the changing room at my local swimming pool.
I was wondering – what difference will Barack Obama make to the world and how he will cope on a world stage when oratory is not always enough.

Film script opportunity

You may as well have a go at this one.

BBC Northern Ireland is once again searching for the next generation of television writers with the launch of the Tony Doyle Bursary for New Writing. Now in its sixth year, the bursary is open to new writers who think they’ve got what it takes to start a career in television.

Marketing, HarperCollins, Authonomy and the sock puppets

I was having a good time on HarperCollins’s new peer review online slush pile, Authonomy. Writers upload chapters or whole books and the community of writers comment. Later, readers came on stream. My book, ‘Old Habits Die Hard’ rose to number 12 (first five actually get read by editors) and was virtually number one in the crime and thriller sub-categories.

Then, suddenly, it plummeted to 52. There had been grumblings about ’sock puppets’ (multiple identities registered but only one writer) and some books did skyrocket to the top overnight.

Roadblocks to retirement

Trials of a reluctant motor home buyer

There is a certain lure about it. I mean the prospect of sliding into the driving seat of a two-litre plus motor home like a modern day supercharged nomad and heading out on a voyage of discovery – free to go anywhere you like and take as long as you want to get there, or not get there, does have the whiff of liberation. That’s what freedom is about after all, isn’t it?