The hypnotist leaned over the table and turned on the recorder. “Bennett Mason,” he said into the microphone. “Monday, September the 24th, seven twelve P M. Eliot Hunter, past life regression session number fourteen.” Mason’s mouth twitched into a smile as he sat back down. “What do you see, Eliot?” he asked. Hunter moaned. “Trust […]
Nicola’s Neighbour
Ben parked the van outside the apartment block and looked at his watch. “Two hours and a half,” he said. “Not too bad for packing your entire life into a van.” Nicola adjusted her woolly hat and shook her head. “Can’t believe I’ve left that old place though.” “Well, at least you own this one.” […]
Security
Nothing was happening. Eric looked at the clock. Just past midnight. Another six hours before even the early morning cleaners turned up. He yawned. Looking at the desk, his mug was empty. Time for another drink. He picked up his radio and buzzed it. “Marco, where are you?” There was a brief hiss of static. […]
Author Interview: Lauren Alder
As part of the work for her latest book, “The Codex of Desire”, Lauren Alter had the idea of mutual interviewing – interview another author and have them interview her. I’ve tried to come up with some questions that are, I hope, a little bit different from the usual. You can read Laurie’s interview me […]
Quiet, Please
The winter sun streamed through the library window, hitting the side of the wooden shelf. The poster on the side of the next rack had turned from its original two colours to a steady change in hue over the years, the words “never judge a book by its cover” starting out black, but ending a […]
Behind The Scenes: Arcana
This is the “Behind The Scenes” post for my latest short story, “Arcana”. Please read the original story first if you want to avoid spoilers, because this one is really very spoilery indeed. You’ve been warned… This one came to me around Tuesday or Wednesday evening, and it made me smile – the idea that […]
Arcana
Destiny Jones watched the rain against the window and cradled her coffee mug in both hands. Like many naturally thin people, she had low blood pressure. And like many people with low blood pressure, she felt the cold. And on a cold November day, a single gas bottle heater cuts through the cold like a […]