tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41622547938946289262024-03-19T10:25:40.542+00:00James BurrJames Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-30004943510525948482024-02-27T12:59:00.006+00:002024-02-27T13:07:20.131+00:00Live reading at "42" - Script Haven, Worcester<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz77Hvtfwmo2u_pyLPDQ7kgdZwcu8zgSdTRBDuN75iYpv3ij9KNV03OR0E8saxaN88y0o3doYyH6KKX1-v3Xbos0XOqWCa_tbah0HN8KB9iFmQoB0XQmh2q1aBoWI6SCDpATQ6hFO7k5ECcBq2okQDjDoRvIPtSRJXA5iCHNJuIq9cd1kQPhTtJwdiaj-Z/s180/42.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="180" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz77Hvtfwmo2u_pyLPDQ7kgdZwcu8zgSdTRBDuN75iYpv3ij9KNV03OR0E8saxaN88y0o3doYyH6KKX1-v3Xbos0XOqWCa_tbah0HN8KB9iFmQoB0XQmh2q1aBoWI6SCDpATQ6hFO7k5ECcBq2okQDjDoRvIPtSRJXA5iCHNJuIq9cd1kQPhTtJwdiaj-Z/w320-h320/42.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Wow,</p><p>It's been way too long since I last updated this blog. Possibly as - as periodically happens - I've been so busy with work that I haven't really had the chance to focus on creative endeavours. Maybe, at some point, when I have more time, I'll go into a bit more detail of what I've been up to. But in the meantime, here is just a quick announcement that I'll be reading a flash piece at "42" tonight at Script Haven, Worcester (104 High St). I'll be reading a currently unpublished piece called "A Common Writing Whereby Two People, Although Not Understanding One the Other's Language, Yet by the Help Thereof, May Communicate Their Minds One to Another." Catchy, eh?</p><p>The title comes from Francis Lodwick's 1647 manuscript on creating an alphabet which makes any language understandable to people of other languages. This one is notable as I have had the idea for a while but I wasn't able to translate it into an actual story - even a surreal flash piece - and so I used AI as a writing aid. Now, I have mixed feelings about AI. In general, I feel it will be a negative force, not because of terminator-style AIs rampaging about hunting humanity, but because of its impact on employment. It has the potential to destroy whole industries in a way that even the First Industrial Revolution did not manage to do. Similarly, from a creative point of view, AI is currently not good enough to be a genuine danger to writers - its prose style is too mechanical and "Janet and John"-y and frankly I am amazed that so many people have attempted to use AI to write stories which they have then attempted to publish! However, as a creative writing <i>aid,</i> I think it holds a lot of promise. Like "automatic witing" or group collaborations where people write a sentence then pass the story on so someone else can write the next sentence, and various other "creative games," I think AI may be useful in potentially triggering ideas or even coming up with ideas which can then be adapted. And that was exactly the case here - I fed the AI some prompts with varying instructions then saw what it came up with. Obviously, much of the prose was basic rubbish, but a couple of drafts did come up with some plot directions I had not envisioned. Combining these two ideas lead to this unwritable story finally coming together in a way I could actually write.</p><p>I'll be reading it tonight at 7:15pm. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-48583009649898130692023-07-08T17:36:00.004+01:002023-07-08T17:39:40.631+01:00All 35 of Philip K. Dick’s science fiction novels, ranked<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3vUOmJN3yv6lBPLmDGk187tfeIFMTx-e-Vcdss-3jB1_0jhPbVMH-SeNB1o7UEWWSEkWlzGbNuVZJ7-Qui2Qlw4Oox0huIyGYTLQplIoLBS4HPR6omLiTH4ELOYcfcGPZGyWI3tta0zObc3OrTUSbYvTbp-w8FA9hBg6g40YwQrvwZ9Et6lUAs-OAssJ/s300/time-out-of-joint.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3vUOmJN3yv6lBPLmDGk187tfeIFMTx-e-Vcdss-3jB1_0jhPbVMH-SeNB1o7UEWWSEkWlzGbNuVZJ7-Qui2Qlw4Oox0huIyGYTLQplIoLBS4HPR6omLiTH4ELOYcfcGPZGyWI3tta0zObc3OrTUSbYvTbp-w8FA9hBg6g40YwQrvwZ9Et6lUAs-OAssJ/w267-h400/time-out-of-joint.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>Interesting list.</p><p>I tend to agree with the Top 10, albeit not the order. I've always found <i>"Do Androids Dream...?</i>" to be a bit overrated, and <i>Flow My Tears...</i>. at only at number 5?</p><p>Hmmmmm.</p><p>Still, it does remind me that such is the range of Dick's work that even I still have a few novels left to read.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://reviewsfrommycouch.com/2023/07/books/philip-k-dick-science-fiction-novels-ranked/?fbclid=IwAR2D7V1svMwQCGN8FZboIHWEDtQQLguJkjT17D1cm5IkbPwNBWQe0CzF7e4">https://reviewsfrommycouch.com/2023/07/books/philip-k-dick-science-fiction-novels-ranked/?fbclid=IwAR2D7V1svMwQCGN8FZboIHWEDtQQLguJkjT17D1cm5IkbPwNBWQe0CzF7e4</a></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-12339775794542503502022-12-28T12:25:00.005+00:002022-12-28T12:25:33.355+00:00Drabble Published in "Trembling With Fear: More Tales from the Tree, vol 3"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sPfSdM348ci1-KoTv8i_4PgXQp-zitNLtfDG_eceA6jvZlFe9QUzHISNwdfKjRNSx7GkHb-dtP9gVrWTa1bNlgqmm7DNwjRYXAvQGL3JjGTtLvfXIMbDQqRxgwjwqqdVHIaV0AJh4lYqjnV-GH0Dd474N-otJc5CA8hv7WYpp_3TLnPY7hlKYzJWkQ/s1500/71JM72QJPxS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sPfSdM348ci1-KoTv8i_4PgXQp-zitNLtfDG_eceA6jvZlFe9QUzHISNwdfKjRNSx7GkHb-dtP9gVrWTa1bNlgqmm7DNwjRYXAvQGL3JjGTtLvfXIMbDQqRxgwjwqqdVHIaV0AJh4lYqjnV-GH0Dd474N-otJc5CA8hv7WYpp_3TLnPY7hlKYzJWkQ/w266-h400/71JM72QJPxS.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Somehow I completely missed the publication of this! Hardly surprising perhaps, as it is only 100 words long. However, my very short story (or drabble as they are apparently sometimes known) was published by "Trembling With Fear" in their collection "<i>Trembling With Fear: More Tales from the Tree, vol 3 </i>back in 2020.<p></p><p>The anthology is available from Amazon and is worth a purchase as it does contain a lot of great short horror fiction. But for those of you who just want to read my contribution (and who wouldn't?) it can also be found on the Trembing With Fear website, here - <a href="https://horrortree.com/trembling-with-fear-end-of-summer-2020-edition/">https://horrortree.com/trembling-with-fear-end-of-summer-2020-edition/</a></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-12396139641327368252022-04-11T18:08:00.000+01:002022-04-11T18:08:03.679+01:00"Nanny Knows Best" epilogue published at "Going Postal" today<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnVe4uhzO32Kx9olgc0XO-jYc9EwWPxmXQ_vWEk_bpuYcaz1BHhP5WjC7oAilaRwh3mRrdGAQeJvofR3n6mwJobbvhYUGibT1Wn7sJm6Wh0W1L02456FcUQvQIgyj8cBkRdsKPGA70jG-O9DnNH3d-p5YXwlgef-wwuobb3Rtszy5DuVT1MSYDZV4PA/s1030/GP-Header-1080-x-250.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="1030" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnVe4uhzO32Kx9olgc0XO-jYc9EwWPxmXQ_vWEk_bpuYcaz1BHhP5WjC7oAilaRwh3mRrdGAQeJvofR3n6mwJobbvhYUGibT1Wn7sJm6Wh0W1L02456FcUQvQIgyj8cBkRdsKPGA70jG-O9DnNH3d-p5YXwlgef-wwuobb3Rtszy5DuVT1MSYDZV4PA/w400-h93/GP-Header-1080-x-250.png" width="400" /></a></p><br /><p></p><p>As part of a promotional push for <i>Nanny Knows Best</i>, "Going Postal" is publishing the top and tail stories of the collection - the "Nanny Knows Best" prologue and epilogue, with the epilogue being published tonight.</p><p>Get your taster for the collection by reading the final story in the collection, here: <a href="https://going-postal.com/2022/04/nanny-knows-best-prologue/">https://going-postal.com/2022/04/nanny-knows-best-prologue/</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i>Nanny Knows Best</i> is available from the publisher here: <a href="https://hybridsequencemedia.com/nanny-knows-best/?fbclid=IwAR3BhnZjW3yVooCg7G1t3tgFkKMTG63Y9wUwbgBfkQti1lAm0cLNcI4M0Jo">https://hybridsequencemedia.com/nanny-knows-best/?fbclid=IwAR3BhnZjW3yVooCg7G1t3tgFkKMTG63Y9wUwbgBfkQti1lAm0cLNcI4M0Jo</a></p><p><i>Nanny Knows Best</i> is available fromAmazon UK here: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647860985&sr=8-3">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647860985&sr=8-3</a></p><p><i>Nanny Knows Best</i> is available from Amazon US here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647861071&sr=1-1">https://www.amazon.com/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647861071&sr=1-1</a></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-55018578819807489872022-04-04T19:27:00.002+01:002022-04-04T19:29:11.810+01:00"Nanny Knows Best" published at Going Postal<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnVe4uhzO32Kx9olgc0XO-jYc9EwWPxmXQ_vWEk_bpuYcaz1BHhP5WjC7oAilaRwh3mRrdGAQeJvofR3n6mwJobbvhYUGibT1Wn7sJm6Wh0W1L02456FcUQvQIgyj8cBkRdsKPGA70jG-O9DnNH3d-p5YXwlgef-wwuobb3Rtszy5DuVT1MSYDZV4PA/s1030/GP-Header-1080-x-250.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="1030" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnVe4uhzO32Kx9olgc0XO-jYc9EwWPxmXQ_vWEk_bpuYcaz1BHhP5WjC7oAilaRwh3mRrdGAQeJvofR3n6mwJobbvhYUGibT1Wn7sJm6Wh0W1L02456FcUQvQIgyj8cBkRdsKPGA70jG-O9DnNH3d-p5YXwlgef-wwuobb3Rtszy5DuVT1MSYDZV4PA/w400-h93/GP-Header-1080-x-250.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>As part of a promotional push for <i>Nanny Knows Best</i>, "Going Postal" is publishing the top and tail stories of the collection - the "Nanny Knows Best" prologue and epilogue, with the prologue being published tonight.</p><p>Get your taster for the collection by reading the first story in the collection, here: <a href="https://going-postal.com/2022/04/nanny-knows-best-prologue/">https://going-postal.com/2022/04/nanny-knows-best-prologue/</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i>Nanny Knows Best</i> is available from the publisher here: <a href="https://hybridsequencemedia.com/nanny-knows-best/?fbclid=IwAR3BhnZjW3yVooCg7G1t3tgFkKMTG63Y9wUwbgBfkQti1lAm0cLNcI4M0Jo">https://hybridsequencemedia.com/nanny-knows-best/?fbclid=IwAR3BhnZjW3yVooCg7G1t3tgFkKMTG63Y9wUwbgBfkQti1lAm0cLNcI4M0Jo</a></p><p><i>Nanny Knows Best</i> is available fromAmazon UK here: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647860985&sr=8-3">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647860985&sr=8-3</a></p><p><i>Nanny Knows Best</i> is available from Amazon US here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647861071&sr=1-1">https://www.amazon.com/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647861071&sr=1-1</a></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-85645159540940906892022-03-28T19:46:00.001+01:002022-03-28T19:46:09.715+01:00First Review for "Nanny Knows Best" at "The Modern Custodian"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuCPHyWqZ6OqtVL89aHdD8Ohwy8kQfy8_4APvQMvx0lC9AydPrdXB4r280yjgGudNmKEYQTc-G07x_zME5h31ysh4CAgri1ctYexURyZ_S-sojcX8G9XQPpDgCRzL7ia5VsHnYl86Hr8x65mLME7iEMnIVqWCnAlbS3R9uBxUwsSLPcmuykZaXzBfDg/s499/41woc0-8S8L._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuCPHyWqZ6OqtVL89aHdD8Ohwy8kQfy8_4APvQMvx0lC9AydPrdXB4r280yjgGudNmKEYQTc-G07x_zME5h31ysh4CAgri1ctYexURyZ_S-sojcX8G9XQPpDgCRzL7ia5VsHnYl86Hr8x65mLME7iEMnIVqWCnAlbS3R9uBxUwsSLPcmuykZaXzBfDg/w260-h400/41woc0-8S8L._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The first review is out for <i>Nanny Knows Best </i>and can be read in full at "<a href="https://moderncustodian.substack.com/p/a-comedic-buffet-of-old-whores-and?s=w&fbclid=IwAR2wxLememmlJgVZdnbj1X6IUZzgxuOgqMxW4zs0GU37J14hRvilv-A7FCU" target="_blank">The Modern Custodian"</a></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Nanny Knows Best is the finest short story collection I have read since Benjamin Weissman's </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Headless</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and twice as smart. [...] "Burr is a satirist of the first order, the type of cat who takes aim at everything in sight, from the laziness of our leisure-obsessed culture and the ineffectual nature of government employees to the ways in which we all delude ourselves in order to survive, and he does it all with a nonchalance befitting a seasoned showman."</span></p><p>Read the full review here: <a href="https://moderncustodian.substack.com/p/a-comedic-buffet-of-old-whores-and?s=w&fbclid=IwAR2wxLememmlJgVZdnbj1X6IUZzgxuOgqMxW4zs0GU37J14hRvilv-A7FCU">https://moderncustodian.substack.com/p/a-comedic-buffet-of-old-whores-and?s=w&fbclid=IwAR2wxLememmlJgVZdnbj1X6IUZzgxuOgqMxW4zs0GU37J14hRvilv-A7FCU</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Available from the publisher here: <a href="https://hybridsequencemedia.com/nanny-knows-best/?fbclid=IwAR3BhnZjW3yVooCg7G1t3tgFkKMTG63Y9wUwbgBfkQti1lAm0cLNcI4M0Jo">https://hybridsequencemedia.com/nanny-knows-best/?fbclid=IwAR3BhnZjW3yVooCg7G1t3tgFkKMTG63Y9wUwbgBfkQti1lAm0cLNcI4M0Jo</a></p><p>Amazon UK: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647860985&sr=8-3">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647860985&sr=8-3</a></p><p>Amazon US: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647861071&sr=1-1">https://www.amazon.com/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647861071&sr=1-1</a></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-4468070968420401652022-03-21T11:19:00.000+00:002022-03-21T11:19:05.228+00:00It's out!! Second collection - "Nanny Knows Best" now available!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGJ-9ZW3NDU52yvfZJC7uETeB925lrKJWI3gLdEa6ErVFfZP6pJMLIykwsUSzye_ncWbhs2NZKCXcuzWGnmA4Wc3T05KJjLJL67qA3qhq4eaVZmYuTA8r3u5etjCuVbolRt0sVaODMEH-AovNAqd5ZnwjfHGKPP6lMzfAF8NjZuLmwwmojoZnzxeJhw/s499/41woc0-8S8L._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGJ-9ZW3NDU52yvfZJC7uETeB925lrKJWI3gLdEa6ErVFfZP6pJMLIykwsUSzye_ncWbhs2NZKCXcuzWGnmA4Wc3T05KJjLJL67qA3qhq4eaVZmYuTA8r3u5etjCuVbolRt0sVaODMEH-AovNAqd5ZnwjfHGKPP6lMzfAF8NjZuLmwwmojoZnzxeJhw/w260-h400/41woc0-8S8L._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's finally out! From Hybrid Sequence Media comes my second collection, <i>Nanny Knows Best.</i> Featuring stories previously published in the likes of <i>Bizarro Central, Trembling With Fear, Horror Sleaze Trash, The Bumper Book of British Bizarro, decomP, Ellipsis, The Ginger Collect, Reflex</i> and <i>The Wild Word</i>, <i>Nanny Knows Best</i> is a full collection of my shorter/flash fiction to date. Over 26 published stories condensed into its tight 111 pages!</p><p><br /></p><p>Available from the publisher here: <a href="https://hybridsequencemedia.com/nanny-knows-best/?fbclid=IwAR3BhnZjW3yVooCg7G1t3tgFkKMTG63Y9wUwbgBfkQti1lAm0cLNcI4M0Jo">https://hybridsequencemedia.com/nanny-knows-best/?fbclid=IwAR3BhnZjW3yVooCg7G1t3tgFkKMTG63Y9wUwbgBfkQti1lAm0cLNcI4M0Jo</a></p><p>Amazon UK: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647860985&sr=8-3">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647860985&sr=8-3</a></p><p>Amazon US: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647861071&sr=1-1">https://www.amazon.com/Nanny-Knows-Best-James-Burr/dp/B09VWPMQ76/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647861071&sr=1-1</a></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-77309713075878068242022-02-13T20:11:00.001+00:002022-02-13T20:11:07.729+00:00Two story Collection taster now available from Godless<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">My second collection "Nanny Knows Best" is out on March 20th from Hybrid Sequence Media. Available today is the two story taster from <a href="https://godless.com/products/gimp-world-porno-park-by-james-burr-1?fbclid=IwAR104AVPZ5_iKFkJhdvGALFZ95HsjFIv9cMVtS57Kq6ynl-NiekzRL_YH8Y" target="_blank">Godless</a>, "Gimp World/Porno Park." For $0.50, who could ask for more?</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoUk25jPdDB4Lb_KFejW3TBotRymcFY6iX14jX6yc0D_NlCU3XQR77hlboNddbfKCONM7vmVktfLx8CCkVmQGGvQvugrl0wWoJgf8ToSin2XVFfsy3lfNbMJbembdtcKjA53i6BUM1_Xel28yEAjmP7_I1mb261QsahUNMdKkkjd03LvJ1E0J_r6BWJA=s526" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoUk25jPdDB4Lb_KFejW3TBotRymcFY6iX14jX6yc0D_NlCU3XQR77hlboNddbfKCONM7vmVktfLx8CCkVmQGGvQvugrl0wWoJgf8ToSin2XVFfsy3lfNbMJbembdtcKjA53i6BUM1_Xel28yEAjmP7_I1mb261QsahUNMdKkkjd03LvJ1E0J_r6BWJA=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Buy it here: <a href="https://godless.com/products/gimp-world-porno-park-by-james-burr-1?fbclid=IwAR104AVPZ5_iKFkJhdvGALFZ95HsjFIv9cMVtS57Kq6ynl-NiekzRL_YH8Y">https://godless.com/products/gimp-world-porno-park-by-james-burr-1?fbclid=IwAR104AVPZ5_iKFkJhdvGALFZ95HsjFIv9cMVtS57Kq6ynl-NiekzRL_YH8Y</a></span></span></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-67534695776563373922021-12-20T07:38:00.005+00:002021-12-20T07:52:36.114+00:00Possible final designs for "Nanny Knows Best"<p> Finally got the provisional final designs through from <a href="https://alexik-artist.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Alexi K</a> . Just got to get it all cleared by the publisher and we should all be set.</p><p>Personally, I'm really happy with it. Love the NHS iconography - I suspect that will have an air of sinister horror in years to come that is suitably fitting for a collection of absurdist/Bizarro horror fiction.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkhryaniXrKnDNYosulwD-fP-yv_paL_MJ7i2YiBn5YYk3KbT_quU9-tcEMaz5XC10g4-hdlm80_vqjZIvx7VfTb42PRY9CvcCvcQLDdKAfdajfVi3Yx4gRiM7jc_fOgE8ikL_K6PTs1p3AtFVtOUc5XeGYGE_K9LAdvlGe5bDyc-TIJwmtSJWS3eoYw=s3508" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3508" data-original-width="2480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkhryaniXrKnDNYosulwD-fP-yv_paL_MJ7i2YiBn5YYk3KbT_quU9-tcEMaz5XC10g4-hdlm80_vqjZIvx7VfTb42PRY9CvcCvcQLDdKAfdajfVi3Yx4gRiM7jc_fOgE8ikL_K6PTs1p3AtFVtOUc5XeGYGE_K9LAdvlGe5bDyc-TIJwmtSJWS3eoYw=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimMU3o4kvG0bNllIyJn0pdob1AJ6n0f0N6dGoB3obFDfAmMpZIK9TdvIBYlpf4aHbsue3RW8PdTdQkd4sflYUV2UWdstEgkErdT0uBPlb5GgZcP7xKNnN2QDOrPfyyMlTKa-o6ET-kdaioUeaL2Dru0IpuQEqhvAxgRLHfdf2z8evbSD_CbUvJzgkJzw=s3508" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3508" data-original-width="2480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimMU3o4kvG0bNllIyJn0pdob1AJ6n0f0N6dGoB3obFDfAmMpZIK9TdvIBYlpf4aHbsue3RW8PdTdQkd4sflYUV2UWdstEgkErdT0uBPlb5GgZcP7xKNnN2QDOrPfyyMlTKa-o6ET-kdaioUeaL2Dru0IpuQEqhvAxgRLHfdf2z8evbSD_CbUvJzgkJzw=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-52387313753093553772021-12-14T20:47:00.002+00:002021-12-14T20:47:13.243+00:00New Story published at "Going Postal"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg48wptl3Xw37VAkCw4P0DZHfVNpxSu3RszJCboPCj_bcRg_Z2YHPuJyydY13oxc6GyDds8aBJMo03R6CDjHoq8q2B5OyuZqKESqBy0vuwTiH7S4t2ou2mVI9lmzmZ6vt8rom-cCOBDzazi2AF098pppziBNa6RWlpzH1TuEy2I1drq9Q-Ni8K8T4D8bw=s259" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg48wptl3Xw37VAkCw4P0DZHfVNpxSu3RszJCboPCj_bcRg_Z2YHPuJyydY13oxc6GyDds8aBJMo03R6CDjHoq8q2B5OyuZqKESqBy0vuwTiH7S4t2ou2mVI9lmzmZ6vt8rom-cCOBDzazi2AF098pppziBNa6RWlpzH1TuEy2I1drq9Q-Ni8K8T4D8bw=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The publication of "Like The Bird in the Tree" over at <a href="https://going-postal.com/2021/12/like-the-bird-in-the-tree/" target="_blank">Going Postal</a> is a bit of a mixed bag, coming as it does on the very day that Vaccine (soon to become "Freedom") Passports were voted in. Originally intended as a satire of the Smoking Ban, it has sat on my computer for years (along with many of the other <i>State of the Nation</i> stories), waiting to be edited. Sadly, my editing process is notoriously slow anyway as I like to pretty much forget the story before returning to it with fresh eyes. I then do this several times, each "sweep" hopefully improving and polishing the story as I go. Sadly this process is so time-consuming it seems that the world has caught up with me. Indeed, when reality surpasses a dystopia you imagined only a handful of years ago, you know the world has gone truly insane. </p><p>That said, on re-reading the story it became apparent how prophetic it was, from the use of lying media to conduct psy-ops on the public, to the malign influence of MSM and Big Tech, to the gullibility of the majority who accept what they are told without question, their morality becoming victim to their new programming from above. Indeed, much of <i>State of the Nation</i>, originally intended as satire on the various aspects of British life is now quaintly out of date and now only really of value as a memento mori of the last 15 years or so, as we saw what was coming but did nothing to stop it. It is depressing that as we march relentlessly toward the fetid swamps of globalist social credit scores and the like, a collection of "dark, satirical dystopian stories" is now just a reminder of a better, freer time. Worse, they are something that we can look towards with envy.</p><p>Enough, now. Please read, "Like the Bird in the Tree" at <a href="https://going-postal.com/2021/12/like-the-bird-in-the-tree/" target="_blank">Going Postal</a>.</p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-17978668152035615512021-12-06T21:51:00.001+00:002021-12-06T21:51:32.582+00:00More promo images / Wallpapers for "Nanny Knows Best"<p> Courtesy of <a href="https://alexik-artist.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Alexi K</a>, here are a few more promo images / wallpaper designs for <i>Nanny Knows Best</i>. Final cover still in the works.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvfPxPTD8jjQ3H1Wj_glKhpPDUAKKMIrr4utaoGoWcdWjFMBmh6UYpb0c-FLUZH5cdwIBuDXq3KYb79TKvlcLUrKEucB4VaB7rQ3viah8a4HLhA59iptQd_WaOqqaAP6NCxxzK18MGiYwq-WaNv5a-VfAMS3b0WYnNw2gbCHsBsRwScNNVQz2TCJtD5w=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvfPxPTD8jjQ3H1Wj_glKhpPDUAKKMIrr4utaoGoWcdWjFMBmh6UYpb0c-FLUZH5cdwIBuDXq3KYb79TKvlcLUrKEucB4VaB7rQ3viah8a4HLhA59iptQd_WaOqqaAP6NCxxzK18MGiYwq-WaNv5a-VfAMS3b0WYnNw2gbCHsBsRwScNNVQz2TCJtD5w=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjw-A0HcGlHSiMrZv2ZRwvuSIkMDbZXr5TDIIvKcHpcPH3hgJ_DuipmIXSKrYiHyLAAFv3VMOpN_WCMFVnA-ZBNbeZCCMHYLUjfgybd28Sbn70HHEeZIJxNHGMe5D7hQfD2XPW_czPlFqtE-AWrv6rD9PnNd0-cXraAquMUZggeNY-0Tog-NESVtaNHjw=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjw-A0HcGlHSiMrZv2ZRwvuSIkMDbZXr5TDIIvKcHpcPH3hgJ_DuipmIXSKrYiHyLAAFv3VMOpN_WCMFVnA-ZBNbeZCCMHYLUjfgybd28Sbn70HHEeZIJxNHGMe5D7hQfD2XPW_czPlFqtE-AWrv6rD9PnNd0-cXraAquMUZggeNY-0Tog-NESVtaNHjw=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhR5oOMw8y7kWaA_Aql9X-vclRidEGL-vKZMHhMt15NyiRbExhYcBPJ_567x_NGf3LGtltH-i3WAYxnLGqYRhNhGrAfoVj_NUWWbbWPpfTTKUI9CYpy2q5KeUU0J5OtDCQfxUMtU8pH-qHz1I6hrGdW1zPGSwtowsmD79nQjxrAmvdkEO61GtWh0uSoAw=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhR5oOMw8y7kWaA_Aql9X-vclRidEGL-vKZMHhMt15NyiRbExhYcBPJ_567x_NGf3LGtltH-i3WAYxnLGqYRhNhGrAfoVj_NUWWbbWPpfTTKUI9CYpy2q5KeUU0J5OtDCQfxUMtU8pH-qHz1I6hrGdW1zPGSwtowsmD79nQjxrAmvdkEO61GtWh0uSoAw=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-39378737325853264792021-11-29T22:55:00.006+00:002021-11-29T23:42:17.312+00:00Preliminary / Draft Cover and Poster designs for "Nanny Knows Best."<p> Courtesy of artist and designer <a href="https://alexik-artist.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Alexi K</a> comes a few preliminary draft cover designs for <i>Nanny Knows Best</i>.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWf6r6PkfYURk1JT1LNblFO1yZ-MNo2ZIAzAE5gHWRLrE-xeDV1sv6-AIT40r-qStyeCKdfF6myLyCbaTsFHGzrj3Twjcs5GoTLQbj35fzOQX-gqLXwuE2XoBpeQMh-XVISvANKZw9sdk/s1754/JAMES+BOOK+COVER+01+ROUGH.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1754" data-original-width="1240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWf6r6PkfYURk1JT1LNblFO1yZ-MNo2ZIAzAE5gHWRLrE-xeDV1sv6-AIT40r-qStyeCKdfF6myLyCbaTsFHGzrj3Twjcs5GoTLQbj35fzOQX-gqLXwuE2XoBpeQMh-XVISvANKZw9sdk/w283-h400/JAMES+BOOK+COVER+01+ROUGH.png" width="283" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44hqlYMo9RwKoN-x8yoAnuPNhcHr-8tDhreoVgAcmoVhtQDzq6VbGE6_eaU30mK_FRb6pj9fRbB0KvOOTb-k4od2Vnjq72RHMYIriOxL1kEPcjH-xgTQPjeggJMKUGVwW4F5swxa1aI5c/s2048/JAMES+BOOK+COVER+02+ROUGH.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44hqlYMo9RwKoN-x8yoAnuPNhcHr-8tDhreoVgAcmoVhtQDzq6VbGE6_eaU30mK_FRb6pj9fRbB0KvOOTb-k4od2Vnjq72RHMYIriOxL1kEPcjH-xgTQPjeggJMKUGVwW4F5swxa1aI5c/w283-h400/JAMES+BOOK+COVER+02+ROUGH.png" width="283" /></a></div><br /><p>And also some rough ideas for promo posters....</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiU6OKLCkjz9JMz-y4q0QXXiee9XR93zfthvzv9lLyb0EcJ7yVYMr19Y-hIbUldTTTSznrHwjYGBS7v7UilHPvlAtYAiktWpPxH8bNCj0HNHRybqA5l0-9QtDeBq_RA2hrz3M8TbStPscs/s2048/JAMES+BOOK+POSTER+IDEA+w+TEXT+02.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiU6OKLCkjz9JMz-y4q0QXXiee9XR93zfthvzv9lLyb0EcJ7yVYMr19Y-hIbUldTTTSznrHwjYGBS7v7UilHPvlAtYAiktWpPxH8bNCj0HNHRybqA5l0-9QtDeBq_RA2hrz3M8TbStPscs/w283-h400/JAMES+BOOK+POSTER+IDEA+w+TEXT+02.png" width="283" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYwpnZuXD__15tmgHpIehowfkDrCwNnSkH8OyQ5oqQoQVgcR4L1neC9dUG84CVfCp3xzLv3b6kpbklP3xvfdBzfHZspbuMitST-Z-nAhO8gzikUPBYsP6CsSnrn-V_PoKPr4n259AcXkP/s2048/JAMES+BOOK+POSTER+IDEA+w+TEXT+03.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYwpnZuXD__15tmgHpIehowfkDrCwNnSkH8OyQ5oqQoQVgcR4L1neC9dUG84CVfCp3xzLv3b6kpbklP3xvfdBzfHZspbuMitST-Z-nAhO8gzikUPBYsP6CsSnrn-V_PoKPr4n259AcXkP/w283-h400/JAMES+BOOK+POSTER+IDEA+w+TEXT+03.png" width="283" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>And other assorted branding.....<div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCbgcg6GQv7Eyx2qYNuzcISA9WKzYeMSe95cfv0hfrqQzrLoGbfrQxNIyjLoLRwLBmozr8JYSCeGcUyeaxH-Y8BIEJXsnV5XkyTkMlQr5wAUtQ3zUHhuGFJ6UHaSbPzKn547zcRaxZNuq/s884/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="884" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCbgcg6GQv7Eyx2qYNuzcISA9WKzYeMSe95cfv0hfrqQzrLoGbfrQxNIyjLoLRwLBmozr8JYSCeGcUyeaxH-Y8BIEJXsnV5XkyTkMlQr5wAUtQ3zUHhuGFJ6UHaSbPzKn547zcRaxZNuq/w640-h382/logo.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-50416914114574592442021-10-26T22:14:00.004+01:002021-10-26T22:14:40.584+01:00Reading at "42" - 26th October 2021<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFCCc5hCCqrG1o1S6UPm6MgqW-042PUOedGi4Z03tuJyoDwSl_BgQ7gtpND3fKUhimRt_7u2gGRHVuBigHSCMYBDysPPffrAfCo_ZruxQv5DujuCl9_FHc10YW6JB5kdqbGYpWtjP7ARR/s180/42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="180" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFCCc5hCCqrG1o1S6UPm6MgqW-042PUOedGi4Z03tuJyoDwSl_BgQ7gtpND3fKUhimRt_7u2gGRHVuBigHSCMYBDysPPffrAfCo_ZruxQv5DujuCl9_FHc10YW6JB5kdqbGYpWtjP7ARR/w320-h320/42.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Just attended <i>42</i>, Worcester's genre fiction spoken word event. The Halloween Special is always one of my favourite <i>42</i>s, but even though some people were dressed up as witches and so on, it didn't quite have the same feel as when it is in person and there are suitably spooky decorations spotted about. Some great stories and poems tonight, some spooky and spectral in the traditional Halloween sense and some more intimate and toying with more personal horrors. I was completely off-theme of course, as I wanted to run "Porno Park" past an audience, as it is the only story in my upcoming collection that hasn't been published elsewhere.</p><p>It went down really well, both in online comments and afterwards (luckily I was the last performer before the break so there was plenty of time for feedback).</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqCS6x9rW41Ll2SFPcaOMK7i9SM3irbr31RUMeohWU7sFBgfEu82izTFOs-6gfUgRXKIC6uG9SHpi30kjE8qzKFhbNkDOpIjWJTttGSzC4f1X6_6p5hyphenhyphenG9yJ7wNxAM_A_gE2tzaGzOLsQ/s900/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="382" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqCS6x9rW41Ll2SFPcaOMK7i9SM3irbr31RUMeohWU7sFBgfEu82izTFOs-6gfUgRXKIC6uG9SHpi30kjE8qzKFhbNkDOpIjWJTttGSzC4f1X6_6p5hyphenhyphenG9yJ7wNxAM_A_gE2tzaGzOLsQ/w272-h640/1.png" width="272" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsvQvfD3TKOcPttMuQSeIdcBiy_RDq-gBQLFL58UZtPWWqtnllhp6Nl0bxYhcSgCUyh-oAb1gK6OTqkZP1rTIoQcIVWPSkoA9_xLncg_cENQHd0NnPKW8BBwZslieoQVl4HTFK4r_G3_l/s898/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="362" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsvQvfD3TKOcPttMuQSeIdcBiy_RDq-gBQLFL58UZtPWWqtnllhp6Nl0bxYhcSgCUyh-oAb1gK6OTqkZP1rTIoQcIVWPSkoA9_xLncg_cENQHd0NnPKW8BBwZslieoQVl4HTFK4r_G3_l/w258-h640/1.png" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Performing online is certainly handy as I am more likely to go after a long day at work. And a record of the reactions and feedback is also nice to have. That said, I do miss standing on stage and hearing a live audience reaction as you read. Hopefully we will get back to those sorts of evenings soon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-46736313605389850702021-10-07T20:02:00.010+01:002021-10-07T20:33:23.456+01:00Collection Update and New story (exclusive to here)<p>Just heard from Hybrid Sequence Media, the publisher of my second Collection, <i>Gimp World</i>, that they are currently pulling a cover together for it for a provisonal March release. As I was going through the manuscript I saw that I have now completed what could be called my "pandemic trilogy;" stories all written in and inspired by the pandemic. Now, I admit I find the whole "inspired by the pandemic" thing rather tiresome, when most such stories are realist in nature and focus on feelings of loneliness or isolation or fear of the invisible virus, and so on. Thankfully, seeing the world through a genre lens, it is possible to just see patterns that trigger bizarro-style trains of thought that lead to absurd tales only nominally related to the pandemic, even if somewhat inspired by them.</p><p>The first of these stories was "Gimp World" itself, published by <i><a href="https://horrorsleazetrash.com/2020/07/29/james-burr-2/" target="_blank">Horror Sleaze Trash</a></i>.</p><p>The second was "Porno Park" published <a href="https://horrorsleazetrash.com/2021/06/06/james-burr-3/" target="_blank">at the same place</a>.</p><p>The third is "Scoby Snacks". I haven't yet started hawking it around for publication as yet, but as it is in the <i>Gimp World</i> collection, I thought I would publish it here, as an exclusive.</p><p>So here we go - enjoy!</p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bjTxj6sQjkhhEAs5FdK8uKdyOg4tyzv61epCHLtBos0wd-ltradvZ01VNrMx7cWBZ6Vz7OKidYt7TTeHdhJ7Y83f2UUGIfBsBjkgwJuv5T0ZFNOlU5Qgf4Bp8Jm0trOM_4zDf7HwyjgM/s1875/download.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1875" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bjTxj6sQjkhhEAs5FdK8uKdyOg4tyzv61epCHLtBos0wd-ltradvZ01VNrMx7cWBZ6Vz7OKidYt7TTeHdhJ7Y83f2UUGIfBsBjkgwJuv5T0ZFNOlU5Qgf4Bp8Jm0trOM_4zDf7HwyjgM/w408-h320/download.jpg" width="408" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<h1 align="center" style="text-align: center;"><a name="_Toc84487651"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;">Scoby Snacks</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“It’s great for the gut micro-biome” is
something that Rob had never thought anyone would say to him, partly because he
didn’t know what a micro-biome was and partly because prior to meeting Natalie
he would never have found himself in a hipster emporium buying things that were
good for the gut micro-biome.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The guy behind the counter handed him a
sealed plastic bag, an artificial amniotic sac, within which a white mass
slipped between his fingers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rob peered
at its featureless form before turning back to the assistant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“And you just put it in green tea and sugar
and that’s it, yeah?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yep, “the assistant said, his waxed
moustache vibrating like a tuning fork as he spoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The scoby eats the sugar then converts it
into beneficial bacteria.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when it’s
done fermenting your green tea, not only will your scoby have grown, but there
will also be a baby scoby there which you can use to make your next batch of
kombucha.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rob had always liked the sound of getting
anything for free, even before he had met Natalie and his interests had changed
from beer and football to kundalini yoga, chakra opening and
environmentalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funnily enough, all of
which were her interests.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">So it was that Rob found himself whizzing
back from Camden on his electric scooter, in his backpack a glass demijohn, a
bag of sugar, a box of organic matcha green tea-leaves and some steriliser.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">It could never be said that Rob bore
responsibility well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, this time
he was determined that he would prove something to himself and, more
importantly, to Natalie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> He </span>placed the
scoby into the sickly-sweet brew and gently tapped on the glass as it settled
within, as if expecting a response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
the days passed, he got into the habit of inspecting his slimy new ward, as it
day by day slowly, but noticeably grew, developing glutinous tendrils which
reached out for sustenance from the furthest reaches of the jar until one day
he saw it; another baby scoby growing from the mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while Rob posted pictures of the scoby on
the ‘gram with joking, self-deprecating messages like “I’m going to be a
grandfather!”, truth be told he did, for the first time in his life, actually
feel a sense of responsibility for the oleaginous blob of fungus growing in his
kitchen, perhaps even a bond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">After bottling up his brew, Rob was left
with the decision on what to do with his now two distinct scobies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was relieved to find from various websites
that he would not need to part with his original scoby, so he decided to use it
again for his second batch, reluctantly giving away the offspring to a friend
of Natalie’s, surprising himself when he found himself asking her how it was
whenever she popped round for a chakral cleansing or burning bowl ceremony.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">And so it went on, month after month,
batch after batch, brew after brew until, finally even Rob realised that his
original scoby, now several times its original size but looking distinctly
worn-out and jaded, probably needed to be replaced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Reluctantly,
regretfully, he picked up his scoby and, needing both hands to manage its slippery
weight, threw it in the bin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rob didn’t think any more of it until he
woke the next day and stumbled, still half asleep, into his kitchen and
literally tripped over it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scoby had
now quadrupled in size and was the size of a medium-sized dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What it was doing on the floor next to the
bin, he didn’t know, but he could only assume that it had consumed the
contents– various types of fruit pulp from Natalies’s juicer and other organic
vegan scraps – and then climbed out, either in a bid for freedom or in search
of more food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking a fresh bin bag
from under the kitchen sink, Rob placed the scoby in it, the bag barely big
enough to cover the whole thing, and then struggled down the stairs from his
flat with it in both arms, before finally heaving it into the wheelie bin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The next day, as Rob opened the front door
to get to work, he saw the scoby seemingly waiting for him on the front
step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was now almost waist high at
its central point, its sides spreading out in a circle almost four feet in
diameter, its edges climbing up the walls of the porch.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">What
the Hell do I do now?</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> He thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can’t just leave it here?</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Eventually he decided it was easier to
just drag the thing down the alleyway at the end of the road and then just dump
it in the mucky waters of the Thames.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And true, while the scoby was heavier than expected – he estimated it at
3 or 400 lbs now – and it was also slimy and slippery to the touch, by finding
an old rusty pick axe in the derelict shed that was hidden in the undergrowth
at the end of the communal garden, Rob was able to bury the pick deep into the
scoby’s quivering mass and pull it, in sharp, energetic jerks to the edge of
the river before, groaning with the effort, hoiking it in, pick axe and all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">And as the weeks passed, Rob did not think
of the scoby again, too busy was he navigating the traffic on his e-scooter,
whizzing past the hundreds of missing cat and lost dog flyers posted on the
lampposts to work, like Xerox leaves blooming on metal trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would be partially aware of local news
reports on TV expressing confusion about the vanishing homeless population but
he was too focused now on trying to read GreenPeace newsletters on his phone as
Natalie had now apparently developed a passion for biodiversity and fighting
climate change so he felt it would keep him in her knickers if he could be
similarly well-informed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So as she
whined about diminishing species in the Amazon, dwindling numbers of tigers in
India and fish populations in the Channel suddenly plummeting to the point that
the whole body of water now seemed barren and lifeless apart from a foam of
beneficial bacteria that washed up on the coasts in greater amounts every day,
he would tut, and shake his head in disbelief and exhale sharply, while not
really paying too much attention.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">That was until one day Natalie called him
through to the living room, where she was stood rigidly in front of the TV, her
hands clasped to her mouth in disbelief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“L...Look at this!” she said finally, gesturing to the BBC News report
on the screen, a banner “Mystery Mass in Channel moving towards U.S.”
ticker-taping across the image of what appeared to be a slimy white island,
some half a mile across, drifting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">against</i>
the waves, a tiny pick axe embedded in its centre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was undeniably his scoby and, as
disinterested as he actually was in environmental matters, even Rob felt a
twinge of guilt as the scoby slowly made its way across the Atlantic, doubling
in size every day, as it consumed mega-tonnes of bio-matter to fuel its growth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Indeed, as time went by it became clear
that the scoby itself had stopped moving but was now instead just accumulating
mass at such a rate that its mere growth meant that its outer edges moved
hundreds of miles outwards – towards Greenland, Europe and the East Coast of
the States - the Scoby now an expanding fungal continent in a diminishing
kombucha ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The American military
tried bombing it, but even their heaviest ordnance did no damage and was as
futile as trying to destroy an island by throwing pebbles at it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">But then the reports from China started to
come in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Terrifying footage posted on Twitter of
coastal cities collapsing into the sea, clouds of sea-water, rubble, dust and
pre-biotic foam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grainy cell-phone
images of masses of people being plucked from seafronts by mesophylic tendrils,
of whole cities locking themselves away in fear, screaming their terror into
the night skies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Initially, such footage
was dismissed as CCP propaganda but soon it became clear what was happening on
the other side of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An uber
kefir – a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kefir kaiju</i> if you will
–was rapidly expanding across the Pacific, consuming all in its path as it
gained mass at an incalculable rate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Panicked discussion then moved on to what would end life on Earth first
– the kombucha or the kefir – the entire planet girding its loins for the clash of the two pro-biotic titans as
their respective masses swelled to envelop the globe.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Still, whether it was his ADHD or he had
been vaping too much Moroccan hash, but by this point Rob had long-since lost
interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Besides, sea water was
delicious now and was outstanding for the gut microbiome.</span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">And for Rob, who had always liked a
freebie, that was very much a win.</span></p><p></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-37058918995692727852021-07-13T07:23:00.006+01:002021-07-13T14:46:48.345+01:00Second short story collection accepted for publication!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_OdlcsMvMBopLNc8sLEf9ZM83-1o0Une7l2Ar8kRkRtrUopA43L6Zu-e6omozeSeZkg5UvVAP9PyExa1zinERoyaukfIjoAdFbs9K__rhMcJP78YjIkF4hChyIMf578MkjeYbuuN8HUe/s495/logo-2-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="495" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_OdlcsMvMBopLNc8sLEf9ZM83-1o0Une7l2Ar8kRkRtrUopA43L6Zu-e6omozeSeZkg5UvVAP9PyExa1zinERoyaukfIjoAdFbs9K__rhMcJP78YjIkF4hChyIMf578MkjeYbuuN8HUe/w400-h380/logo-2-2.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">At last!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, some good news!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have just found out that my second short story collection, a collection of all my flash and shorter fiction to date, has been accepted for publication by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HybridSequenceMedia/" target="_blank">Hybrid Sequence Media</a>. Provisionally titled <i>Gimp World - Collected Flash 2021</i>, the collection is slated for early Spring 2022 release and has the following contents:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">Nanny Knows Best –
Prologue </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">–
originally published in <i>The Wild Word<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">A Fresh Perspective</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">
- originally published in <i>Bizarro Central<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">The Man in the Street</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;"> - originally published in <i>decomP<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">Genuine Photo</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">
- originally
published in <i>A Cache of Flashes<br /><o:p></o:p></i></span></span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Shortlisted for the 2016 Worcestershire Literary Festival
Flash Fiction Competition).<br /></span></span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">The Chaotic Butterfly</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;"> - originally published in <i>Bizarro Central<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">MWC ISO RL</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">
- originally
published in <i>Wired<br /><o:p></o:p></i></span></span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Shortlisted for the 2017 Worcestershire Literary Festival
Flash Fiction Competition).<br /></span></span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">A Cerebral Vacation</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;"> <b> </b>- originally published in <i>Trembling with Fear<br /></i><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">The Last English
Speaker</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;"> - originally published in <i>Trembling with Fear<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">Marks on a Page</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">
- originally published in <i>Wired<br /><o:p></o:p></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">Gimp World </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;"> - originally published in <i>Horror Sleaze Trash<br /></i><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">The Creative Game</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">
- originally published in <i>Bizarro Central<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">Bob</span></i></b><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">and<i>Jane</i> – A fable in two indistinct parts</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">
- originally published in <i>Raw Edge<br /><o:p></o:p></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">Casanova
Jones – A tale of the near future </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">-
originally published in <i>The Jar Thief<br /></i><b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">The
Girl Within </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">-
originally published in <i>A Cache of
Flashes<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">The Friend We Made</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;"> - originally published in <i>Bizarro Central<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">HUMOUR-CHIP™</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">
- originally published in <i>The Ginger Collect<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">The Pub Fight</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">
- originally
published in <i>Bizarro Central<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">Invisible </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;"> - originally published in <i>Reflex<br /><o:p></o:p></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">The Hole in the Wall </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">-
originally published in <i>Cabinet of Heed<br /><o:p></o:p></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">AUTHORSOFT™ </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;"> - originally published in <i>Ellipsis<br /><o:p></o:p></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">It</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">
- originally published in <i>Planet Prozak<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">And From the Heads of
Babes</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;"> - originally
published in <i>Horror Sleaze Trash<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">Celebdaq</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">
- originally published in <i>Trembling with Fear<br /></i><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">Nanny Knows Best –
Epilogue</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%;">. - originally
published in <i>The Bumper Book of British
Bizarro<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div><p>
</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglX-AE_i7rRPob4GhzkT-CMA0laHQ7nGGzUqTREDiOQjbJKDkGxah26_o7T97kgkWis3CyFL-TxObgKGFX2ki6t92DL6RNGBWr5gcJXkAwPbHwIdhXpCeg3LYfjgwEwWN9iv138IFPlG3o/s960/hsm+year1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglX-AE_i7rRPob4GhzkT-CMA0laHQ7nGGzUqTREDiOQjbJKDkGxah26_o7T97kgkWis3CyFL-TxObgKGFX2ki6t92DL6RNGBWr5gcJXkAwPbHwIdhXpCeg3LYfjgwEwWN9iv138IFPlG3o/w640-h360/hsm+year1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I'm especially pleased with this as not only is Hybrid Sequence Media a real up-and-comer in the Horror/Bizarro scene with over ten titles published in 2020, but I had originally signed a contract for <i>Gimp World </i>to be published by Nihilism Revised in the Autumn of 2020, but this was cancelled due to the unfortunate ill health of the publisher (who I sincerely hope is recovering and feeling better now....). Of course, this left me in the situation of needing to find another publisher and I felt that I was supremely lucky to get one deal - would geting a second be pushing my luck?</p><p>Thankfully, it appears not! So, many thanks to Donald Armfield and Hybrid Sequence Media for accepting this one.</p><p>More news as it happens.</p><p><br /></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-1549411501320634702021-07-07T18:45:00.004+01:002021-07-07T18:45:57.074+01:00Flash Adaptation performed by OMF Theatre broadcast last night.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/27FHbbcErTQ" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/27FHbbcErTQ/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>An adaptation of a short flash piece - "Genuine Photo" - was broadcast by OMF Theatre on Liskeard Radio last night as part of Episode 6 of its second season of <i>Barmy Nonsense</i>. The episode has now been uploaded to Youtube (see above). "Genuine Photo" starts at 10:40.</div><div><br /></div>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-81753481527275302352021-06-29T22:00:00.000+01:002021-06-29T22:00:37.081+01:00Reading of new story at "42"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGEyn-0c2fYLuVLAMGucuFuyWD-Xh-pp_X4FRZ7BE0ZRmwPCB9mK8TL-TaId6ZfjZ2s8ZL8xHw9_pkEnnHP5jvhENzQBQNC31-c8U_W6Vl6E7bpA1Jf287yJpwRPPcERnokfjjXD8UddL/s1875/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1875" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGEyn-0c2fYLuVLAMGucuFuyWD-Xh-pp_X4FRZ7BE0ZRmwPCB9mK8TL-TaId6ZfjZ2s8ZL8xHw9_pkEnnHP5jvhENzQBQNC31-c8U_W6Vl6E7bpA1Jf287yJpwRPPcERnokfjjXD8UddL/w320-h400/download.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Completed a new story this week called "Scoby Snacks" about a kombucha scoby that continues to expand and grow until it overwhelms the world. Or something like that. So as I was fairly happy with it, I decided to debut it at <i>42</i>, the Worcester Horror and SF Spoken Word night. <i>42 </i>is still online on Zoom at the moment and while this has its postives (being able to have a drink being one, as is a reduction in nerves, although this has never been a major issue for me) I still much prefer performing live. That said, one other positive of the online experience is a written record of people's comments rather than just people coming up to you at the end of the night.</p><p>I'm pretty happy with "Scoby Snacks" and it is already being sent out for publication. Still, if the comments are anything to go by, it should go down well.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sCSS6eexxRLwNo42bq4d3VT-6VDzbjB0tN9fqh_vauspASkioPfHpsNmhV4PGSwgfQI2FKRFadKFJL2V2khPsYb-szScVJq0o0qJiT5-7-os3WfOpQorZLPXgGA8pDrYsVNg8C_HXhCa/s864/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="342" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sCSS6eexxRLwNo42bq4d3VT-6VDzbjB0tN9fqh_vauspASkioPfHpsNmhV4PGSwgfQI2FKRFadKFJL2V2khPsYb-szScVJq0o0qJiT5-7-os3WfOpQorZLPXgGA8pDrYsVNg8C_HXhCa/w254-h640/1.png" width="254" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22os_dJYuR0whvgRlqxzSvGK_nBJM_ss8tjfQMKuE_a_eD5ieLaL_UUS9na-EitX4xCzkLsV2olMJ4WUxLVUpwAe-Ac1Z9Sg2jh35KE3ViwI9mhpDd9yf6AMaHY6fQPjUq2aYLeIFC2bA/s401/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="294" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22os_dJYuR0whvgRlqxzSvGK_nBJM_ss8tjfQMKuE_a_eD5ieLaL_UUS9na-EitX4xCzkLsV2olMJ4WUxLVUpwAe-Ac1Z9Sg2jh35KE3ViwI9mhpDd9yf6AMaHY6fQPjUq2aYLeIFC2bA/w235-h320/2.png" width="235" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-61554609755479010382021-06-11T22:08:00.004+01:002021-06-11T22:08:17.941+01:00Worcestershire Litfest & Fringe Flash Fiction Slam<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9aapHxDQ4fYefO4HC_TjCmGzBK9TnqNvGcrNZijmNNdqV2hxGYmmcvvfQi7WWHcGfYQVD1E_Hxyvce1R7sL30_qxXPyyAAtzpQurts4NgRdFJen24fZF81iKlx3Z_MdSXY2BHhDHbWEY/s1221/200597725_4084202288283504_6995817708698194135_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="1221" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9aapHxDQ4fYefO4HC_TjCmGzBK9TnqNvGcrNZijmNNdqV2hxGYmmcvvfQi7WWHcGfYQVD1E_Hxyvce1R7sL30_qxXPyyAAtzpQurts4NgRdFJen24fZF81iKlx3Z_MdSXY2BHhDHbWEY/w640-h176/200597725_4084202288283504_6995817708698194135_n.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Just competed in my first Slam competition at the Worcestershire Litfest & Fringe Flash Fiction Slam. I knew everyone else who was competing and my initial reaction was "Oh great!" That said, I managed to work my way through the various rounds until I got the Final and, after the whole thing was done and dusted, I came second.</p><p>Overall, a great experience and am looking forward to competing in future spoken word competitons.</p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-49197599165316886032021-06-06T20:57:00.003+01:002021-06-06T20:57:37.346+01:00Story accepted by "Horror Sleaze Trash."<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEsHM-OONYzwdkeUuUUnSv4ZLsHHwAf-fJHyWAS5C-CJj3QXvS3BMKaWn66KXZQ6NooR37fmSL9Aa4YCKvvUF5z3R8-fRPBcCk_YZks5-Pfqh6I-RsQtDaXDY_JmycMFmxF6y0CgsXz6h/s2048/hst_pink.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="2048" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEsHM-OONYzwdkeUuUUnSv4ZLsHHwAf-fJHyWAS5C-CJj3QXvS3BMKaWn66KXZQ6NooR37fmSL9Aa4YCKvvUF5z3R8-fRPBcCk_YZks5-Pfqh6I-RsQtDaXDY_JmycMFmxF6y0CgsXz6h/w400-h223/hst_pink.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I have a new story up now at <i><a href="https://horrorsleazetrash.com/2021/06/06/james-burr-3/" target="_blank">Horror Sleaze Trash</a></i>. Another pandemic inspired story, I originally wrote this in while I was on a Kundalini Yoga retreat in Serifos. Unfortunately, I had bad gastritis that would see me hospitalised within 24 hours. Not a great holiday, as I eventually ended up pulling my own IV out and escaping, Colditz-style past groups of guards patrolling dimly lit corridors in the middle of the night, as the medical care in Athens hospital was so bad.</p><p>Still, at least I got this story out of it so, you know. Silver linings and all that....</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://horrorsleazetrash.com/2021/06/06/james-burr-3/" target="_blank">Read "Porno Park" here.</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-32246181943254573412021-05-12T14:31:00.003+01:002021-05-12T14:31:46.970+01:00"Genuine Photo" Radio Adaptation date announced<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbCB8pXLIVplTQ132zWO8FPXQ-4I2xa6yBZHsIoTCQHqOAHX-kVIJqY8gLrSUiSb0XB91Wn_0ufK2rLv7SMCde-KVi3cx49y4EgHedXD65fxLS_MVue6TN_nfAbUoR1pVCOGgCGJTOhga/s197/cow_sq_web.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="197" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbCB8pXLIVplTQ132zWO8FPXQ-4I2xa6yBZHsIoTCQHqOAHX-kVIJqY8gLrSUiSb0XB91Wn_0ufK2rLv7SMCde-KVi3cx49y4EgHedXD65fxLS_MVue6TN_nfAbUoR1pVCOGgCGJTOhga/w400-h400/cow_sq_web.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just heard back from OMF Theatre with confirmation of when the radio adaptation of my flash story "Genuine Photo" (originally published in <i>A Cache of Flashes</i> and which was also <span style="background-color: white;">shortlisted for the 2016 Worcestershire Literary Festival Flash Fiction Competition) will be broadcast. It will be broadcast as part of the <i>Barmy Nonsense</i> radio sketch show on <a href="http://liskeardradio.com/" target="_blank">Liskeard Radio</a> on 3rd/4th July. It may also be uploaded onto OMF Theatre's YouTube page at some point after broadcast.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">But until then, here is a reading of the story to tide you over..... 😉</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L1V-Mzh7ezg" width="320" youtube-src-id="L1V-Mzh7ezg"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><p></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-69027989865919585272021-05-07T10:56:00.002+01:002021-05-07T10:59:07.145+01:00"Hard Times Happen" anthology now out.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTxA3S8y7vn6aYm1NFk6eVwuAJhgbS3hGL6swaZ_gfx6hxz2uRgYHIdjTK4ELxrccxT5WyYqX1q0Q2vBmXw3bUUj1hmbsJL1SYDgclWKCiAzUFlxzCEjGTOIeARuYEv7_Dk2-pKRAaR5C/s2048/20210507_104028.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTxA3S8y7vn6aYm1NFk6eVwuAJhgbS3hGL6swaZ_gfx6hxz2uRgYHIdjTK4ELxrccxT5WyYqX1q0Q2vBmXw3bUUj1hmbsJL1SYDgclWKCiAzUFlxzCEjGTOIeARuYEv7_Dk2-pKRAaR5C/w300-h400/20210507_104028.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">My copy of the <i>Hard Times Happen</i> anthology arrived today. <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">The publisher states that "this anthology seeks to encourage everyone to be more open about their mental state, to talk, to listen, to change lives." Containing both poetry and prose, the book was published in association with Worcestershire LitFest and Fringe to help raise awareness of mental health issues. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkOU8IWNmH__34im6z67A9AOUwFgFYFYpMocjeOft0akGA3Ansx3M5Bg3i2TMj25vmk_zb-lkroQFRMJniDqdL-Ns2geFbyC1naS7SP1hr_SBiFVX3zTWONMeR5spQdXPUiatzUW2lL4X/s2048/20210507_104138.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkOU8IWNmH__34im6z67A9AOUwFgFYFYpMocjeOft0akGA3Ansx3M5Bg3i2TMj25vmk_zb-lkroQFRMJniDqdL-Ns2geFbyC1naS7SP1hr_SBiFVX3zTWONMeR5spQdXPUiatzUW2lL4X/w300-h400/20210507_104138.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The book doesn't appear to be available on Amazon yet, but it can be bought direct from the publisher, <a href="https://blackpear.net/?fbclid=IwAR2cVlcQdfbTp_7uRW6zZR-is8xuIW_yc8_LboAwmYa_q8bndvwpNlizOvc" target="_blank">Black Pear Press</a>, for £7.99 + P&P.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><br /><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-46339793213712564842021-04-17T15:01:00.005+01:002021-04-17T15:03:48.391+01:00"Fragments from a Schizoid Dream" - Reading<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/ymvtbrx75YA" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ymvtbrx75YA/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A reading of "Fragments from a Schizoid Dream" soon to be published by Black Pear Press in their <i>Hard Times Happen</i> anthology.</div><div><br /></div>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-43777426134042404272021-04-17T14:35:00.001+01:002021-04-17T14:44:23.045+01:00Story acceptance by "Hard Times Happen" anthology<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHHewtV1nD6YCR1EwB84YHhvLse_-aKsb9J_eABZxSKu07FYtTk0S1zBCHaax3IdRDla4iBaqi4Zy_fNIgGCCPoIx4w9_Q540GG5asasW-h-eIfpLJzbn4aj-qpD9972QjSk8bJn9OSZZ/s589/ttc-litfest-poetry-comp-poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="417" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHHewtV1nD6YCR1EwB84YHhvLse_-aKsb9J_eABZxSKu07FYtTk0S1zBCHaax3IdRDla4iBaqi4Zy_fNIgGCCPoIx4w9_Q540GG5asasW-h-eIfpLJzbn4aj-qpD9972QjSk8bJn9OSZZ/w454-h640/ttc-litfest-poetry-comp-poster.jpg" width="454" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I've just had a story accepted for publication in the <i>Hard Times Happen</i> anthology published by Black Pear Press following a competition run by Worcestershire Litfest & Fringe in conjunction with the Time to Change mental health charity. The theme of the competition was, as the title suggests, "hard times happen" and it was focussed on mental health issues and mental health awareness.</p><p>The story, "Fragments from a Schizoid Dream," is technically a flash piece as it is only 280 words long and is a revised excerpt from the short story "Fragments of a Schizoid Dream", which was originally published in the anthology <i>Darkness Rising 3</i> and was later collected into the collection, <i>Ugly Stories for Beautiful People</i>. I've always had a soft spot for this particular story as it was the first short story I ever wrote - a tale of a man performing a Turing-style test on an AI to determine if it actually was genuinely intelligent, who then, in true Dickian fashion, starts to see his own reality unravel as he starts to work out that all human intelligence is actually scripted, like a computer programme, and that free will does not exist. His ultimate fate is to be that he realises there is no free will and so is cursed to live out the rest of his days as a passenger in his own skull, watching the pre-scripted drama that is Life, play out around him. As this was my first short story, I was very happy with the actual idea and its execution, but I did not have my own voice. It is, I suppose, a perfect example of <i>juvenilia</i>. In my youthful arrogance, I instantly started sending it to the leading magazines of the day - <i>Fantasy & Science Fiction, Playboy</i>, <i>Omni</i> and the like, and despite it being a mish-mash of "Philip. K. Dick written in a deliberate copying of Clive Barker style" actually got an expression of interest from <i>Amazing Stories</i>. I revised it and resubmitted on their instructions, but ultimately did not hear back from them. In some ways this was not a great start as it just reinforced the youthful delusion that all my work was obviously going to get published by big Pro-markets, as this had very nearly done so even though, at the back of my mind, I knew it was not "genuine" - even though the idea was 100% me, I hadn't yet found my own writing voice.</p><p>Thus it sat on my laptop until a few years later when I found myself, 18 months into a stint of teaching English in Barcelona and smoking <i>way</i> too much weed, experiencing a nervous breakdown. In an attempt to wrest something productive from that time, I rewrote the story from scratch, using the experiences of reality and ego collapse that I was feeling at that time, as a structure for the basic plot. Pretty much everything that happens in the resulting story was basically a diary of my experiences of that period (minus the talking computer). Even the scripts of code exploding from people's heads and seeing everyone as automatons came from a skunk experience I had had which later caused flashbacks in Barcelona. However, while the story was essentially a diary, with the only fictional elements being the talking PC and he character's names, I was really pleased with the end result, for I felt I had finally, <i>finally</i>, found my own unique voice. </p><p>And, of course, when I finally got round to submitting this new and improved masterwork for publication, absolutely no-one wanted it. Eventually it got published by a <i>very</i> Small Press magazine called <i>Ammonite</i> and then later by the more prestigious, <i>Darkness Rising</i>. But this did give me a sudden dose of reality into the difficulties people normally face in getting work accepted for publication. </p><p>That said, even though I have always considered myself a story-teller rather than a "prose stylist", I was very happy with some of the language that came out from "discovering my voice," to the point where I later had a few excerpts published as haikus (reproduced below) - I can't even remember where now (<i>Purple Patch </i>magazine, maybe?) - and now, two short scenes from the story published in their own right, in <i>Hard Times Happen</i>. </p><p>I will update you when this anthology is finally published.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Fragments I</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The dancing people -</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bizarre living
photographs</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a pop-out world.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Fragments II</b></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The old woman
plays</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Solitaire, cold sun
arcing</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Over her wet bench.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><br /></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-89765724764018932672021-01-13T10:19:00.003+00:002021-01-13T10:19:41.247+00:00Another flash adaptation for radio by OMF Theatre<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbCB8pXLIVplTQ132zWO8FPXQ-4I2xa6yBZHsIoTCQHqOAHX-kVIJqY8gLrSUiSb0XB91Wn_0ufK2rLv7SMCde-KVi3cx49y4EgHedXD65fxLS_MVue6TN_nfAbUoR1pVCOGgCGJTOhga/s197/cow_sq_web.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="197" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbCB8pXLIVplTQ132zWO8FPXQ-4I2xa6yBZHsIoTCQHqOAHX-kVIJqY8gLrSUiSb0XB91Wn_0ufK2rLv7SMCde-KVi3cx49y4EgHedXD65fxLS_MVue6TN_nfAbUoR1pVCOGgCGJTOhga/w320-h320/cow_sq_web.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Just heard that I've had another flash story accepted for adaptation by OMF Theatre for Season 2 of <i>Barmy Nonsense</i> to be broadcast on Liskeard Radio. Seaso<span style="font-family: inherit;">n 2 will apparently be broadcast some time around Easter 2021. The story being adapted is "Genuine Photo" which was first published<span style="background-color: white;"> in </span><i style="background-color: white;">A Cache of Flashes</i><span style="background-color: white;"> and was a</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">lso shortlisted for the 2016 Worcestershire Literary Festival Flash Fiction Competition </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(reading below).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L1V-Mzh7ezg" width="320" youtube-src-id="L1V-Mzh7ezg"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4162254793894628926.post-40903174402040433452020-12-17T17:46:00.000+00:002020-12-17T17:46:08.091+00:00Reading tonight at "Wordcraft"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLnw79Ys3Jkd10103S5ZNcf7hevFBGXB1zJ0hvHhNmLyAjSz7YrZWsi_kzQSayUoRwZCW9u0i9CateApU7sNQhosLpySs2fT3oOmUTkQdVPi9YwPhezaRbuFo3H2FeoFPCEqJq1jB_eX-/s2048/87510534_218810999513668_5743858759365558272_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLnw79Ys3Jkd10103S5ZNcf7hevFBGXB1zJ0hvHhNmLyAjSz7YrZWsi_kzQSayUoRwZCW9u0i9CateApU7sNQhosLpySs2fT3oOmUTkQdVPi9YwPhezaRbuFo3H2FeoFPCEqJq1jB_eX-/w400-h400/87510534_218810999513668_5743858759365558272_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I'll be reading "Gimp World", a story which was originally published by <i><a href="https://horrorsleazetrash.com/2020/07/29/james-burr-2/" target="_blank">Horror, Sleaze, Trash</a></i> at the <i>Wordcraft</i> spoken word event tonight. Run by Staffordhsire Poet Laureate, Emily Galvin, <i>Wordcraft </i>normally operates in the Birmingham area. I've been hoping to check them out for a while now but had never gotten round to it. Now everything is online though, I managed to attend their last night and will be appearing at tonight's event, which is run live through <i>Wordcraft'</i>s Facebook Page. While I much prefer live Readings in real venues, the one bright spot about the pandemic and the resulting shut-down of venues, is that I've managed to find the time to branch out from my usual haunts and make contacts that I had wanted to make for a while but never had the time or energy to actually initiate.</p><p>It starts tonight at 7:30pm (GMT) at: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/757035355157366">https://www.facebook.com/events/757035355157366</a> </p>James Burrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.com0