Happy Halloween

Don’t forget the Halloween alternative market this weekend at Tings Tattoos in Johannesburg.

110 Susman Avenue, Blairgowrie. From 10am on Saturday.

Prizes for the best dressed. Alternative artwork. Jewellery. Apparel. And – obviously – books.

Halloween

“Bastards!”

I rubbed the back of an arm across my eyes. But they didn’t seem to work as well as they should. When I tried to crack them open, a murderous gang of light rays launched a vicious assault, forcing me to roll over and press my face against what felt like a carpet. This felt better.

But now the other senses were pissed off at me for disturbing their rest. Sirens blared. Vulcan’s trolls went to work in my head. And the sounds of frantic activity played on in the background.

“Not today, you bastards!”

This last was accompanied by the melodious grind of furniture being dragged across a wooden floor, and banging against what could only be a wooden door. At which point the sirens came to a sudden stop, car doors slammed open and shut, and I forced an eye open.

“Oi! Hippy! Lock up when you leave!”

This came from a hulking form dressed in dungarees and an Adolf Hitler World Tour shirt. The sleeves had been ripped off the shirt to expose arms wrapped in barbed wire, swastikas and chains. One end of this monster was grounded in a massive pair of Doc Martens. The other end had been shaved to a dark stubble. The beast was standing in front of a pair of double glass doors, pointing some kind of baton at me. Not in any condition to argue, I raised a thumb, at which sign the thing turned, vaulted over a railing and dropped from sight.

Extract from Burning Roses, a decadent tale of sex, drugs, rock n roll & magick. Available on Amazon. Also available in paperback.

And on Amazon.co.uk.

Or you can find all my books at Curiosity, the new retail shop open from Wednesday to Sunday, 11am till late, at the Railways Cafe in Pretoria.

Or at The Real Mackay in Blairgowrie. They also have a few hundred second-hand books going for as little as R10 each. And several other self-published books by various South African authors. Go stock up for the holiday season.

Catch me at The Pins and Needles Halloween Market, 110 Susman Avenue, Blairgowrie from 10am to 7pm on the 2nd of November. Get signed copies of scary books based in and around Johannesburg.

Keep an eye out for one of my stories in the upcoming “25 Gates of Hell” anthology. And in The Great Void Books anthology “Black Veins”. And you’ll find another couple of stories in the soon-to-be-published South African anthology “Flambé, Silk Tie Murder, and the Rooibos Baby.”

Till next time.

Cheers.

Johannesburg Book Fair

Don’t forget the Book Fair this weekend at The Real Mackay in Johannesburg.

7 Mackay Avenue, Blairgowrie. From 10am on Saturday – NOT 9am – running till Sunday afternoon. With a break on Saturday night, for the obligatory sex, drugs and rock n roll.

Catch South African authors selling South African books, some of them not available in stores or even online.

https://northeasterntribune.co.za/244342/authors-host-book-fair/

The Real Mackay

Imagine a world where dreams can come true. The best of all possible worlds, where everything always works out the way it’s supposed to. Where you can do anything you want to do. Or be anything you want to be.

A world where all you have to do is live life to the full, and experience the splendour of the universe around you. Where you can learn from even your worst mistakes, for in this world, there is no real death. Merely a brief period of rest, before the next round of experience and wonder.

A world inhabited by gods and fabulous creatures, full of adventure and sensation. Sights, sounds, colours and textures created for no other reason than to stimulate your senses.

Virtual reality, you ask? Some new computer gaming system? No, this world is far more mysterious. More magickal. And yet just as fragile and insubstantial as the gossamer dreams of a newborn child.

It was in such a world that I found myself one bright and sunny morning during the eighties.

*

“Bastards!”

This was followed by the unmistakable sound of breaking glass. I found myself in darkness.

The usual questions came to mind. What the hell was happening? And where the hell was I?

Extract from Burning Roses, a decadent tale of sex, drugs, rock n roll & magick. Available on Amazon. Also available in paperback.

And on Amazon.co.uk.

Or you can find them at Curiosity, the new retail shop open from Wednesday to Sunday, 11am till late, at the Railways Cafe in Pretoria.

Catch me with other local authors at The Real Mackay Book Fair in Blairgowrie on the 26th & 27th of October. Think there are at least 14 of us attending, with another 2 or 3 showing interest and possibly climbing on board. Get signed copies of local books written by local authors and (often) based in and around Johannesburg.

Keep an eye out for one of my stories in the upcoming “25 Gates of Hell” anthology. And in The Great Void Books anthology “Black Veins”. And you’ll find another couple of stories in the South African anthology “Flambé, Silk Tie Murder, and the Rooibos Baby.”

Till next time.

Cheers.

Olaf’s Quest

The wind shrieked around his body, trying to find a way to penetrate the furs and chainmail shielding him from its elemental fury. Olaf pulled his furs higher around his face and struggled on, putting one foot in front of the other, trying not to think of how he had been doing exactly that for hours on end, with no result. He was a warrior, so, of course, he had no fear of death. But this wasn’t the way it was supposed to end, blasted and frozen in the middle of a blizzard.

Ever since he was a young boy, Olaf had dreamed of the day he would leave this life. It would be a magnificent battle, and his great battle-axe would cut its way into legend, felling men like kindling, until the enemy reinforcements arrived and he was brought down, still fighting, by sheer weight of numbers. Songs would be sung about his heroic deeds. Women would weep and tear their clothes.

But it was no use. He would die here, in the middle of an ice-field, and his passing would go unnoticed.

The thought weighed heavy on his mind and he resolved that he would still go out fighting. Lowering his head against the invisible blades that assailed him, he staggered a few more feet.

His legs refused to obey. He sank to his knees and the snow rose to his waist, a deadly blanket beckoning to him. With a silent prayer to the gods of his youth, Olaf fell forward into a white grave.

*

Even death provided no rest. Something was hitting him in the ribs. Hard. Again, and again. Olaf moaned and the beating stopped. It was replaced by hands that took hold of his furs and lifted him from the warm snow.

Someone was talking to him. He couldn’t make out the words, but it was definitely a voice. Perhaps it was a Valkyrie, taking him to join the other lost souls in the underworld. He tried to hear what it was saying.

“…die here. You’re blocking the door.”

It didn’t sound like any ritual he had ever heard. He tried to turn his head. Maybe if he saw the angel’s lips…

A swift kick caught him in the stomach. The angel was making sure he was dead. That was alright. Olaf closed his eyes.

“Move, you maggot. A corpse is bad for business. Crawl somewhere else to die.”

Extract from Tales From The Crying Room, a combined paperback-only version of the stories contained in Anthology of Snippets, plus a few other short stories, and a radio play I wrote for a competition (I didn’t win).

Books available dirt-cheap on Amazon. And on Amazon.co.uk. Free on Kindle Unlimited.

Or you can find them at Curiosity, the new retail shop open from Wednesday to Sunday, 11am till late, at the Railways Cafe in Pretoria.

Catch me with other local authors at The Real Mackay Book Fair in Blairgowrie on the 26th & 27th of October. It should be a blast.

Keep an eye out for one of my stories in the upcoming “25 Gates of Hell” anthology. And another couple of stories in the South African anthology “Flambé, Silk Tie Murder, and the Rooibos Baby.”

Till next time.

Cheers.

Curiosity book signing

Reminder to join me this Saturday at The Vintage Festival in Pretoria, featuring Martin Rocka, South Africa’s King of Psychobilly (who just happens to make a guest appearance in Burning Roses).

Get a copy of Burning Roses signed by me at Curiosity, and maybe even (if we can track him down) signed by Rocka himself.

Cheers.

Devil woman

The rooftop was bathed in a golden glow. As I looked around, trying to find where it was coming from, I saw that the film crew were conspicuous by their absence. Unless that was them standing against the low walls around the rooftop, wearing dark red robes.

I turned my attention to the space directly in front of me, and the rest of the scenery faded into insignificance. It was her. From the farm. From Wits. The one I’d been looking for my whole life. No, hang on, that wasn’t right. It had only been a few days. Focus, dammit. I’d found her, and my life would never be the same again. Wait. No. Get it right. I’d found her, and now I could collect the rest of my destiny. Of my money. Damn. The art of stringing sentences together seemed to have deserted me.

But what did that matter? There she was. I finally saw where the golden glow originated. It was her. She was the source of the light, emanating directly from her golden skin. With no clothing to get in its way.

My knees felt weak. The bottle slipped from my fingers and bounced on the concrete. It didn’t matter. I didn’t need it.

Extract from Burning Roses, a decadent tale of sex, drugs, rock n roll & magick. Available on Amazon. Also available in paperback.

And on Amazon.co.uk.

Or you can find them at Curiosity, the new retail shop open from Wednesday to Sunday, 11am till late, at the Railways Cafe in Pretoria. Join me there on the 12th of October for The Vintage Festival, featuring Martin Rocka, South Africa’s King of Psychobilly (who happens to make a guest appearance in Burning Roses). Get a copy signed by me and (if we can track him down) Martin.

Also available from the East Rand Children’s Haven, Merchandise Charity Shop, 5 Muriel Brand Street, Weltevreden 118-IR, Brakpan (alongside the soon-to-be-famous Richard Edwards’ The Puzzle Train).

Till next time.

Cheers.