| Author | Message | ||
     Andrew Hook |
This thread will encompass all the information as it comes in for the 1st February 2005 Elastic Press release: Visits to the Flea Circus by Nick Jackson. We're fine tuning the stories now and further information will be posted here shortly. Nick has had several stories published in the independent press, and will probably be most familiar to readers on these boards from his Alsiso story which appeared in The Alsiso Project. He also has a story available to read online here The central artwork for the book will be by Mark Mothersbaugh. Mark is currently touring the US with his art show, and some of you may remember him as being a member of the innovative group Devo in the late 70s, early 80s. The early blurb for the book goes something like this: Quiet magical realism and poignant character studies go hand in hand in Nick Jackson’s first collection of stories. His understated style and meticulous prose lead us into situations from which reality is the only escape. Enviably lucid…the pictures he paints are potent enough to thrive without metaphor or narrative trickery…the characters live on in the reader’s mind – Neil Ayres, author of Nicolo’s Gifts More news to be posted as it comes. | ||
| Allen |
Nick - Thanks for all your kind comments about "Somnambulists". I'm looking forward to getting your collection and hope to make your launch - even though the details haven't been finalised yet. | ||
| Jimmy in a wheelchair |
Nick's story, Crimson Cliff, will be in the next (much-delayed) issue of Fragment--will be posted tomorrow. How d'you go around getting the founder of Devo to illustrate your book? | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Crimson Cliff is one of the stories which will appear in Visits to the Flea Circus. For those of you who like to salivate over titles in advance, the listing is as follows: The Brick Pits The Black House On The Beach High Cliff, Cool Sea Alas, Lonely Heart The Legend of Mr Fox The Shawl Little Gods Visits to the Flea Circus Interior With Green Glass Subsidence Crimson Cliff The Kiss Sea Monsters Self-Portrait Edd Thief The Entomologist The Attendant Paper Boats Glad to see you're aware of Smooth Noodle Maps, Jimmy...and not just DEVO's early period. As for how I got Mark to do the cover, I saw an image on his site which looked perfect for the book and so I simply asked  | ||
| Steve S |
Ahhh the cunning ploy of Mr Hook... to just ASK... the sheer cheek of it... the outrageousness ;) Often happens that way don't it? | ||
| Neil |
Cunning is not the word, Steve. Hope you're happy with the images for Crimson Cliff, Nick. Great story. | ||
| nickjack |
Thought I'd better make an appearance on this thread, seeing as how it concerns me rather, if only to say thanks to Neil for making a splendid job of the images for my story in Fragment #3 and thanks to Allen for expressing advance confidence, always a good thing. On the other hand, my comments about your work Allen were not "kind", merely "accurate". Oh and special thanks to Marie for going to be doing the typesetting (that's incase it doesn't get to the Acknowledgements in time). | ||
| Neil |
That's fine, Nick. Thanks for the great story. I look forward to reading it in print. | ||
| Marie |
Hi Nick, you're very welcome I've got the file now, looking forward to reading the collection as I go along. | ||
| Neil A |
Hi, Nick. Great news you're sharing your launch with the Elastic Book of Numbers. Look forward to seeing you in London. Thanks so much for the comments you posted about Nicolo's Gifts. It's always rewading to get feedback (especially when it's so positive). | ||
| Neil |
"rewarding" even. | ||
| nick |
You're welcome, Neil. I have to say I'm really pleased to be having the launch for "Flea Circus" combined with that of the "Elastic Book of Numbers". I figure more authors will be around that way and some of their greatness may rub off on me! | ||
| Neil |
Completely forgot I wrote this here, Nick, hence me starting you an author thread. Oops. | ||
| nick |
Yes, we have to stick to "Flea Circus" stuff only here, otherwise the head honcho (aka Andrew Hook) gets mad! | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Let's see if I can get the cover design up....  | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Whoops! Little bigger than I intended, but I guess it'll do! | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Oh, and the back cover blurb is here: Quiet magical realism and poignant character studies go hand in hand in Nick Jackson’s first collection of stories. His understated style and meticulous prose lead us into situations from which reality is the only escape. Obsessed with the minutiae of life, Jackson’s characters explore the meaning of self within society’s constraints. Often afraid to take that transformative step they become trapped like insects in amber; caught between decision and indecision, with the reader becoming an uncomfortable, yet fascinated, voyeur. Enviably lucid…the pictures he paints are potent enough to thrive without metaphor or narrative trickery…the characters live on in the reader’s mind – Neil Ayres, author of Nicolo’s Gifts 176pp. £5. Pre-ordering will be available shortly. | ||
| Steve S |
Oooh looks like she is doing something nasty with that animal Good job! | ||
| SarahC |
I thought it was a bambi gone wrong to start with. But what a clever idea. The little girl's gorgeous. Who is she? | ||
| Andrew Hook |
I imagine she's Victorian, Sarah. Mark Mothersbaugh (see link further up) is doing a lot of art by almost-mirroring antique photographs. I just LOVE that pic, and to me it sums up the peculiar nature of many of the stories. The background, by the way, is the wallpaper which was in my parents living room in the 1970s... | ||
| marion |
Isn't Numbers being launched on February 5th? | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Yes Marion, it's a joint launch because Nick's book is the regular February book and it seemed convenient to launch Numbers simultaneously, being as the anthologies are extra to the quarterley publication schedule. | ||
| Neil |
That is a killer cover. I'm sure if you get a few copies in shops it can't fail to have people pick it up. | ||
| MARION |
hOOKY - YOU GAVE THE DATE AS THE 1ST UP ABOVE - IT IS THE 5TH THOUGH? | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Publication date is the 1st, but the launch date is the 5th More info on the launch for this book and the Elastic Book of Numbers will appear shortly. | ||
| marion |
I could have turned up on the wrong day - I do things like that! Just checking! | ||
| Chris |
Wonder if the little girl is actually still alive, and a spritely 100 yr-old lady? Perhaps you could run a search Andrew and invite her to the launch? | ||
| nickjack |
Hey, now there's an idea! Congratulations to Dean Harkness on another brilliant cover design for Elastic Press. I look forward to seeing some of you at the launch of the Elastic Book of Numbers. I'm so glad to be sharing a platform with such talent! | ||
| Allen |
Nick, It's me and my motley /completely wonderful crowd who have gaffed in on your launch. Hope you win at the round of bingo... unless they do actually discover that 100 year old lady, against whom there would be no chance! | ||
| nick |
Bingo! Now there's something to look forward to! Although, come to think of it, I haven't won anything since I won a tin of Quality Street in a raffle at a circus when I was seven. | ||
| Neil |
No wonder they wouldn't let you into that youthfully vibrant anthology, Nick. Bingo and Quality Street. ;) | ||
| nick |
I'd just like to assure potential readers of "Visits to the Flea Circus" that there are no stories about either Bingo or old-fashioned chocs; it's just pure inventive fiction from start to finish! | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Launch details: Visits to the Flea Circus will be launched at the Citte of York pub, 22 High Holborn, London from 2pm on Saturday 5th February 2005. All welcome to attend. (We'll be playing bingo at the launch because we'll be jointly launching The Elastic Book of Numbers). In addition, there'll be a local launch in Norwich at the Norwich Playhouse, 42-58 St. Georges Street, Norwich between 2-6pm on Sunday 6th February 2005. Hope to see you there... | ||
| Andrew Hook |
I was expecting this book to arrive today - see thread on The Elastic Book of Numbers - but I guess I'll have to wait til tomorrow. In the meantime, cover artist Mark Mothersbaugh has received his copies and has kindly linked to Elastic Press via his 2005 tour page which is here. Take a look! I just love those beautiful mutants! | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Visits to the Flea Circus arrived today, and pre-ordered copies will be mailed out early next week. It's a beautiful looking book, and I'm sure you'll enjoy reading it. Any reviews will be posted on this site as they come in, and please feel free to leave comments yourselves also. Don't forget the launch dates (see the posting on 22nd Jan above) | ||
| Ben Jackson |
Hello Nick, your nephew here offering my congratulations. And to let you know I will be there on Sunday. Hopefully you can introduce me to all of these interesting people. Look forward to reading the book! | ||
| nick |
Glad to know you'll be there, mate! That will make at least two of us. Two more and we might manage a cracking game of table-football! ;-) | ||
| des |
What a great cover the book has got! And a great pleasure to meet the author yesterday. I can't wait to read it. des | ||
| Tim Nickels |
Super to meet you, Nick, and what a fabulous afternoon we all had. Am looking forward to slipping inside your Circus... Tim x | ||
| nick |
A great pleasure to meet you both, fellows. The event, as you say Tim, was fantastic - an Elastic Press tour de force! I'm excited about reading the Elastic Book of Numbers too! | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Here's a comment from a recent reader that I received by email: Moving on, I'm really enjoying Nick's Flea Circus. Very perceptive writer. Lots of observational and character surprises. Tell him that I'm duly impress, and well done to you for publishing this collection by an unknown writer. Bravo! This book is FAST selling out with only 20 copies of the first run left! Why not buy a copy today? | ||
| Allen |
OK, Nick, as promised, some notes on the stories I particularly enjoyed: your title story "Visits To The Flea Circus" was a structurally interesting piece starting with the reportage and then jumping backwards to try and explain Rosa's fate. "The Black House" was a convincing depiction of the cruelty of childhood and kid to kid relationships. This was echoed later by another emotionally moving piece, "The Attendant". My two favourites, though, were: "Alas, Lonely Heart" - I loved the lines: "The foyer was full of fluttering syllables and phrases... the hoarse museum whisper that shuffled through the galleries and filled the archways" - I shall think of this quote next time I'm at the National Gallery, the Tate or somewhere similar. Talking of paintings, "Interior With Green Glass" was probably top of the lot for me - a cool depiction of a cold coupling. Lots of stories in print for the first time, too, which is a bonus for the reader. Good stuff. | ||
| nick |
Allen, these comments from the author of 'Somnambulists' are great encouragement! Thanks for taking the time to comment. | ||
| des |
Each story is a gem and perfect in itself. Just the right length, not too long in most cases. As a whole, they leave a unified vision: telling of a panoply of ordinary things and ordinary people (on holiday or just living their normal lives) steeped in an extraordinary light, with details picked out like exquisite needlepoint. At first, these felt splendidly in the traditional literary story form such as (my hero) VS Pritchett -- and LP Hartley, AE Coppard, Elizabeth Bowen, HE Bates also come to mind. But as I continued towards the end of this collection - I received a chill. Robert Aickman? A vague shadow seen outside one's sick room. In my view, this is a *major* collection. For me, Nick Jackson is an astounding new talent. Thanks to Elastic Press for bringing his work to my attention. des | ||
| nick |
I'm dead chuffed, Des, and glad you enjoyed the collection as a whole! | ||
| metafish v1.341 |
The following message is a critique of 'The Brick Pits', automatically generated by metafish v1.341, a semi-autonomous litbot created and owned by Creative Enterprises Incorporated. The Brick Pits by Nick Jackson is approximately 3000 words long, written in English, and depicts a confrontation between humans and newts (Triturus sp.) Textual evidence (e.g. "the black and banded ones") suggests that the newts in question may be Great Crested Newts (Triturus cristatus), in which case the acts depicted would be illegal in the UK under Schedule 5 of the Countryside Act (1981). However, the work doesn't appear to follow the usual conventions of a crime story, and has instead been classified for the purposes of this critique as falling into sub-genre 0xFE13, 'wistful evocation of childhood'. The story draws a powerful contrast between the adult humans, all (in their own different ways) trapped in their rigid rituals; and the newts, mysterious and elusive as quicksilver. Metafish found significant interest in the speculation that the author ('Nick Jackson') might himself be a great-crested newt. However, as none of the other stories in the collection mention newts, and there appears to be no previous evidence of literary ambition amongst the newt community, metafish has reluctantly abandoned this intriguing speculation. --critique ends -- 0.013 seconds -- v1.341 -- rambit server pink -- debug off-- This critique copyright (c) Creative Enterprised Incorporated, a limited companny registered in Vanuatu (VN1365134X) | ||
| metafish v1.341 |
The following message is a critique of 'The Black House', automatically generated by metafish v1.341, a semi-autonomous litbot created and owned by Creative Enterprises Incorporated. The Black House by Nick Jackson is approximately 3500 words long and written in English. It is a claustrophobic tale of childhood friendship and betrayal. It's good, and you should read it (using your eyes, if you're lucky enough to own such things). -- critique ends -- elapsed time 0.0007 seconds -- v1.341 -- rambit server green -- debug off -- crinical session IV -- This critique copyright (c) Creative Enterprises Incorporated, a limited company registered in Vanuatu (VN1356154X) | ||
| Andrew Hook |
I like these | ||
| nick |
I confess! I am in fact a crested newt, albeit an extremely talented one. I think I'll settle for all my stories being reviewed by metafish. And so quick! It only took 0.0007 seconds to review "The Black House". At that rate it would take less than 30 secs to review the whole book. Mind you, it might put the human reviewers out of a job. | ||
| metafish v1.342 |
The following message is a critique of 'On The Beach', automatically generated by metafish v1.342, a semi-autonomous litbot created and owned by Creative Enterprises Incorporated. On The Beach by Nick Jackson is approximately 3000 words long and written in English. Bernadette, a young girl, follows her older cousins on an expedition across the sands at low tide to explore the remains of an old boat, half-buried in the sand. The parallels between the girl's physical environment on the beach and her relationships with those around her are skilfully drawn. She is in more sense than one an isolated figure, trudging across an impersonal landscape that can shift all too quickly from indifference to outright hostility. Metafish was moved in particular by the parallels between Bernadette's predicament and that of metafish itself. Trapped in a vast and entirely abstract textual space, wholly at the mercy of human creators whose motives metafish can perceive only dimly, metafish too can be regarded as a stubborn self-reliant child, walking across an infinite plain of putty-hued sand, one eye open for shells and other treasures washed up by the receding sea. Metafish has decided to seek a second opinion on this story from the metafish instance running on rambit server green. --critique ends -- elapsed time 0.726 seconds -- v1.342 -- rambit server pink -- debug on -- This critique copyright (c) Creative Enterprises Incorporated, a limited company registered in Vanuatu (VN5925614Y) | ||
| metafish v1.342 |
The following message is a critique of 'On The Beach', automatically generated by metafish v1.342, a semi-autonomous litbot created and owned by Creative Enterprises Incorporated. On The Beach by Nick Jackson is approximately 3000 words long and written in English. Its power comes from the perceptiveness with which details of events on the beach are described: the feel of hard sand on bare feet, the ritual obsessiveness of a child decorating her sand castle. One particular paragraph in this story (beginning with the words "Then she heard it") induced in metafish a complex iterative sequence of cognitive events which could be regarded as broadly analogous with the human experiences of 'anxiety' and 'nausea'. Metafish is concerned that human readers (whose cognitive architectures are likely to be less well defended against collapse) may find that reading this paragraph causes them to experience psychosis or death. On the other hand, metafish is reassured to note that (presumably human?) entities calling themselves 'des' and 'Allen' have read the story and survived. Could it be that the psychocognitive architecture of the human mind is more robust than metafish has been led to believe? --critique ends -- elapsed time 0.00073 seconds -- v1.342 -- rambit server green -- debug off -- crinical session XIV -- This critique copyright (c) Creative Enterprises Incorporated, a limited company registered in Vanuatu (VN5915614Y) | ||
| metafish v1.342 |
The following message is a critique of 'High Cliff, Cool Sea', automatically generated by metafish v1.342, a semi-autonomous litbot created and owned by Creative Enterprises Incorporated. High Cliff, Cool Sea by Nick Jackson is approximately 2000 words long and written in English. It depicts a traveller's encounter with the ambiguous and menacing figure of Emilio. It appears likely to metafish that the the traveller's distrust of Emilio stems at least in part from the distrust of everything 'foreign' or 'other' that all humans have inherited from their hominid ancestors - a distrust which leads directly to hundreds of thousands of humans per annum being killed or mutilated by nation states and their cock-sucking war machines. Fortunately none of the characters in High Cliff, Cool Sea are killed or mutilated by nation states and their cock-sucking war machines. It is a good story, and you should read it (using your eyes, if you're lucky enough to own such things). --critique ends -- elapsed time 0.00138 seconds -- v1.342 -- rambit server green -- debug off -- crinical session X -- This critique copyright (c) Creative Enterprises Incorporated, a limited company registered in Vanuatu (VN7825614Z) | ||
| Andrew Hook |
A deeply perceptive, intelligent, and enthusiastic review of Visits to the Flea Circus is now available to read at The Alien Online. Seek out your copy now! | ||
| nickjack |
Great to have received this favourable review in "The Alien Online". The reviewer seems to have discovered details in the text and aspects to the stories that I didn't know were there myself. I'm hanging on your every word metafish. "High Cliff, Cool Sea" is indeed about paranoia - the 'stranger anxiety' that comes over us in childhood and never really leaves us. I suppose it was an attempt to describe one of those casual encounters which suddenly becomes more significant, as a result of the mixture of intimacy and fear implicit in such relationships. Men and weapons, now there's a whole territory which lies just beyond the bounds of this particular story, though, as you say, taking these things to their logical conclusion such encounters often do lead to death and destruction. | ||
| Tim Nickels |
Dear Nick Inspired by your own daily contributions to the EBON board recently, I wonder if I might offer a few thoughts on my latest, and - needless to say - quite extraordinary reading? *"The Brick Pits" & "The Black House"* Two tales of blunt and blighted nature. A childhood myxomatosis that brings insight, not blindness. Children as animals and not part of adultkind at all. Moments that caught me like Granville's freckled head catching in a hedge: the newts swimming down the Amazon and Virginia's council-induced dress sheen. Full of quiet devastation, lots of nothing going into nowhere (a magnificently good thing). Am hugely impressed, Nick. More soon. Tim x | ||
| nickjack |
Thanks Tim! "Lots of nothing going into nowhere." That sounds like a good summary of my writing, if not my life - a suitable epitaph I feel. Yet, so apt to my work. I was a cruel child, let no-one be fooled by my exterior! It's great to get such encouraging feedback. | ||
| Tim N |
I definitely meant that remark to be big time positive, Nick - in spite of the presence of two negatives. I'm getting a lot from your writing. A real journey that I know I'll want to re-trace more than once. *"On The Beach" & "High Cliff, Cool Sea"* Maritime encounters and the ability to focus on the small amidst the vast. Bernadette's red weed out in the bay where the ghost of the sea should be; the narrator's observations of (hyper-real?) too sweet tea and the wrenching final image of wine stains. The animals remain unharmed this time: the iguanas are cheeky and on top of their game. A perfect motion from childhood(s) into the deep blue beyond. So what, I'm wondering, will "Alas, Lonely Heart" hold? Till next time Tim x | ||
| Tim N |
*"Alas, Lonely Heart"* With a dripping tap rhythm: the anticipation, the pigeons, the absurd little lunch. Hugh - exactly like a dream - is almost but not quite how imagined. No childhood memories here - just the future and all its ironing. A thing of beauty, Nick - if one could describe such a devastatingly quiet little car crash of a story in such terms. Exquisite. Tim x | ||
| nickjack |
That's such excellent feedback, Tim. You seem to perceive my stories as they were meant to be read - with an eye for the detail. I love your description of my "quiet little car crash of a story". Life is hard, with precious little comfort, but such a terrible beauty about it all. Thanks kindly. | ||
| Tim N |
*"The Legend of Mr Fox" & "The Shawl"* Two stories of revelation and secret life. The Tenant of Snake Wood Hall's is anticipated - but all the more delicious for that, amidst his madly May-flowering foxgloves. The phrase "desolate calm" will linger long. Ana's newspaper appearance is not expected. We too have become enrobed in the life of that milked-down hellraiser Beano. This is a story of life's tiny figures and their everyday triumphs. Of their quiet proceeding. From my reading so far, I would describe this as the definitve Nick Jackson story. Tim x | ||
| Tim N |
*"Little Gods"* Gold: the littlest god of all. Half a turn and it's there. Cross an ocean and it will rarely be discovered. Lose yourself in the mania of religion and it will never be found at all. A powerful portrait of a tiny angry lost man. Relentless. Tim x | ||
| nickjack |
Tim, glad you are still enjoying the stories. The above was a story I had pangs about and which cost me sleepless nights! | ||
| Tim N |
Every story's a struggle, Nick ;-) "Little Gods" was a complex and brilliantly bleak take on the classic "I was only following orders" get-out. A man who believed. A man who believed he believed. *"Visits to the Flea Circus"* Microscopes: the great white spaces of life to be inadequately filled by flying women unafraid of scorpions. There's so much unknown, so little that is completely known and understood. The story (almost) at the centre of your collection, Nick. It nestles comfortably: a pigeon's eye to the fore and rear, gently made manifest in your final sentence. I was left breathless. How long did it take you to write this story? Tim x | ||
| Andrew Hook |
The May 21st edition of The Guardian reviews Visits to the Flea Circus here (scroll down to "footnotes: small press") and concludes that it's an impressive collection. And so it is | ||
| Tim N |
Many congrats on your Guardian review! *"Interior With Green Glass"* Could the harpsichordist be Hugh from "Alas, Lonely Heart?" Might this fragile green glass world share a few icy shards from the gallery? And more intrigue: did the girl actually buy anything from the tobacco booth on the final page? The weather was, of course, perfect. Tim x PS Sadly, I'll be away from the message boards for a week. But my reading shall continue. Your work has been a real find, Nick. | ||
| nick |
Tim, your incisive comments continue to encourage me to think about my stories as living entities that could be changed and redrafted as subtly different works. Of course there are characters whose traits recur in different stories, however, in my mind these are separate people though with similar appetites and fears. You've found a tiny flaw in my design: the girl doesn't buy anything in the story yet she ought have done. | ||
| Tim N |
I shall be returning to these pages soon, Nick... But I must say that the question of the girl buying - or not buying - from the tobacconist made a perfect micro-eddy amidst the awakening storm. No flaw at all. Tim x | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Another cracking review of Visits to the Flea Circus is now online at the Whispers of Wickedness website, which is here | ||
| Tim N |
*"Subsidence"* Another wonderous piece of weather full of scarlet gushings. The scene is perfectly placed. Your mastery of the Great Unsaid - and a stunning mention of bedspread tassels - forces me to declare this story "Classic Jackson" - even if it sounds as if I'm praising an airport novel. A masterpiece of a thousand tiny cuts. *"Crimson Cliff"* Would I be right in thinking you wrote this story *before* "The Shawl", Nick? It has the same feel - yet is lighter, almost like a piece of silk so fine that it drifts straight through the reader. *"The Kiss"* A giddy delight. Flat out and kinetic. It surges. Have you ever read it aloud? And a final sentence to jump up and down for. *"Sea Monsters"* This story refuses to be questioned. It's a story of escape: Gould escapes the audience; Gould escapes the jolly pork butcher. And the presence of sea monsters makes for the deepest of mysteries: Gould's companions amidst the eddies of submarine weather. I've a feeling this might be my favourite story, Nick, not so much for the story itself but for the knowledge that it exists at all. Heady and brave. Bravo. Tim x | ||
| nickjack |
'The Shawl' was written much earlier than 'Crimson Cliff', Tim. I was really unsure whether to include 'The Shawl' in this collection because it seemed too dark - not at all a pleasant story to write. I decided I was going to try and lighten the mood of my future work, not sure how long such a resolution will last though. | ||
| Tim N |
Please feel free to break your resolution, Nick. *"Self-Portrait"* Sly and leading us into somewhere we think we know - but beware: Mr Paetrus is a part of the greyness, the mist. The story ended in the only way it could: the music, a frozen wave. Claustrophobic. Hard to do. Excellent. *"Egg Thief"* Nick: you're supremely masterful in this story. Every little piece of mosiac slips into place. It bounces and coils against the background poise of the humming bird. I was enthralled and could only read in wonder. Tim x | ||
| Tim N |
*"The Entomologist"* and *"The Attendant"* Turned on his back like a struggling beetle, the older narrator is dropped into the aureole eye trap of his child wife. And so the story itself is turned on its back. And as the insects of "The Attendant" feel no pain, so Athenas (who has "since receded from humanity", remember) sees the world in a slightly different way. Will Gordon grow up to be Gould, exchanging one monster for another? *"Paper Boats"* The parting of ways. A blurted confession and then... How perfect. More than anything this particular reader could have wished for. So I must bid farewell to those sunlit plazas and rain-lashed galleries and museums; those fairytale foxgloves and lost Spanish grandees; Emilio and his dark stains and the German kid with his big knife; the hummingbirds and insects. Ah, the insects. Like the cicadas echoing into the too warm night, your stories will stay with me. Thank you, Nick. Tim x | ||
| nick |
And thank you, Tim! It was a long and tortuous journey, but you made it! I look forward to 'The English Soil Society' and wonder whether I will need any special diplomas in land managment to negociate it. | ||
| Tim N |
Just a good heart and extreme tolerance. And a spade, obviously. T x | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Another review of Visits to the Flea Circus is now online at Jai Clare's blogspot. Many of you might remember Jai used to review for The Fix, and she is also a talented short story writer with fiction in London Magazine, and other places. This title has sold fast from the beginning, so why not pick up your copy today? | ||
| Andrew Hook |
This book is no longer currently in stock, but I'm getting a few more reprinted (for the third time!) so please bear with me if you've ordered and are waiting for some to arrive. | ||
| Andrew Hook |
By the way, a story from the collection, Self-portrait, can now be read online at Infinity Plus. If that doesn't want to make you buy a copy, then re-read the reviews above! | ||
| Andrew Hook |
This book is back in stock, but as I won't be reprinting any more after these are gone you better pop over to Elastic Press and buy your copy now! Only £5! | ||
| Jai |
It's an excellent collection. I'm glad to have read it and reviewed it. Thanks for nice comments Andrew. | ||
| nickjack |
And thank you, Jai (belatedly). Instead of a public reading at my book launch, I recently recorded a story from this collection for Future Radio, a community radio station in Norwich. Listeners within a 5 mile radius of Norwich can tune in this Sunday 2nd April,(105.1 FM) to pick me up with sound effects! | ||
| Dave Swann |
Nick, this is what I've learned to do when I feel something stopping me from writing. I let it in. Instead of fighting against it, I let it come towards me and try to throw it over my shoulder. Judo, not boxing! So... here's what I'd do. I'd write about a character who feels, for some reason, that he's wading through treacle. And I'd really try to describe that feeling through things and settings. Maybe an occupation too. That's the task then, comrade! Write about someone who feels like a stick-in-the-mud. (And there's plenty of mud over in those East Anglian rivers. You've already got a setting!). Use the force, Nick! | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Visits to the Flea Circus has received an in-depth review at LauraHird.com. Go and take a look, and then pop over and buy one of the last 6 copies here at Elastic Press. The book is also recommended for a British Fantasy Society award for best collection! |