procrastinators are seldom selfish

“The success is not mine, the failure is not mine, but the two together make me.” Charles Dickens

Yesterday, I was in a bricks and mortar bookshop to buy a nonfiction book. It was a new release. Because the book was on a shelf in a shop on the high street, I could have read a sample, the first chapter even before deciding to buy it, which is what I would have done if it was a book of fiction.

No amount of advertising will sway me - Concerning fiction, if I don't know the author's work, or read a credible recommendation, I will not purchase the book. Only a sample reading will change my mind. Credible is subjective🙂

The Gatsby is Great, in my opinion!

If I complete a crime writer’s course, will it enable me to realise a successful career as a criminal or is that just fantasy?

"And yet the appeal to tradition and orthodoxy that prevents women occupying key roles is pretty much a description of misogyny and patriarchy."

better red = better righter ♥️

Pray tell?

Let’s face it, humans – the animal kingdom will Make Earth Great Again, just as soon as we fuck away off. ❤️

Some days, I love writing. Other days, I love writing.

I was in over my head and out under my feet.

... Henry, the man who wants to buy the desk, and is happy to pay the reasonable asking price, informed me that it is for his girlfriend. She told him it was an elegant piece, and she had to have it. He asked if eleven suited me tomorrow morning – he will be travelling from Derry, ...

... it didn’t occur to me last night that our visitors were slowly drinking into our Sunday evening quota. Normally that wouldn’t matter, except that today is Easter Sunday and all the off-licences are shut. Their doors are locked – bolted – because in 2021, that’s the law in Northern Ireland. ...

I deliberately live below my means, though I get it – not knowing where the-fuck your next meal is coming from is a special kind of hell-place to occupy in a first-world country.

Marmalade: The Scottish are credited with developing marmalade as a spread, with Scottish recipes in the 18th century using more water to produce a less solid preserve than before. Wikipedia.

Imagine there’s no country It isn’t hard to do Nothing.

The man smiled at me and said he represented the Anti Anti-Wax Party, and was hoping to get my vote. As he spoke ..

I wanted to tell her that (dementia) an otherwise fit and healthy man, died on his fiftieth birthday from a brain tumour but it couldn’t be described as a great age, so I didn’t bother. …

Some people strategically place coasters around their living room to facilitate cups and glasses of hot and cold drinks. Some people use car seat covers, hoping to increase the value and or attractiveness when it’s time to sell. Some people even rotate their furniture to allow the carpet to ...

Rules are made to be broken: only qualified rule breakers need apply.

You too might be a member, without any knowledge of joining!

Continuity: An uninterrupted succession or flow; a coherent whole. Enough about holes; this is what writer's block looks like, in case you were wondering.

I grew up, as a child. Then I stopped growing. I miss the nice woman in the shoe shop.

I reject this article out of hand: flying closer to the sun will cause a rapid onset of skin cancer!

If you don't have the time, that's fine. I'll drink some wine.

... A tiny smile will appear. “Yeah, I suppose you're right,” will follow. “Of course I'm right,” I'll say, raising my eyebrows. “Don't be getting hung up about journals, homie - it’ll kill you quicker than a cardiac arrest. You'll get a story in somewhere, sometime. You'll see.” ...

“Darling,” I said to her, “there’s precious little wine in the house!” “Darling,” she replied, “you’ll have to nip to the off-licence, won’t you?” It’s clear she’s forgotten the bloody off-licences are closed. Though to be fair, we both have history in the quality of being forgetful. ...

... “I think you are confusing our love for animals with a love for humans, son,” I said. “And for the record, I’m vegetarian but Silvia is neither vegetarian nor vegan, so you’ve got us all wrong.” ...

My debut book, MARMALADE, a collection of short stories, has arrived at the maternity ward. Just a few more pushes, then I'll carry this little delicacy into the world. 🙂 You're welcome to try a few samples @ allygrahame.substack.com Thank you!

Like me, you could be a member and have no knowledge of joining!

A terribly nice man once told me - Some of the stuff inside your head doesn’t, and can’t, exist in the real world. I'm not so sure, anymore.

Like me, you could be a member and have no knowledge of joining!

A future short - 3 of 9

A future short - 7 of 9

A future short - 8 of 9

⚠️ my baby is about to drop ⚠️

⚠️ this baby is about to drop ⚠️

"bismaasiddique125 🚨 EMERGENCY, The lead ship of the Gilobal Sumud Flotilla "Alma" has been seized and attacked by Zionist commandos We are under attack! #BreakThesiege @blockoutcampaign" www.instagram.com/p/DPRy4zIjCZ-/ #Gaza #GazaStrip #GlobalSumudFlotilla #Israel #News #Palestine #WorldNews

77 466 people currently watching Israel's act of piracy against the flotilla on the flotilla's own live feed. 24/7 LIVESTREAM OF GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA www.youtube.com/live/uEN2bWF...

... “Did you not go to university, Victor? After A levels?” “I did. A Bachelor of Science, at Queen’s.” “A Bachelor of Science, and you work for Citizens Advice? What happened?” “A long story, Jackie – take the second on the right. It’s halfway down, you’ll see the sign.” ...

My debut book, MARMALADE, a collection of short stories, has arrived at the maternity ward. Just a few more pushes, then I'll carry this little delicacy into the world. 🙂 You're welcome to try a few samples @ allygrahame.substack.com Thank you!

... “I think you are confusing our love for animals with a love for humans, son,” I said. “And for the record, I’m vegetarian but Silvia is neither vegetarian nor vegan, so you’ve got us all wrong.” ...

“Darling,” I said to her, “there’s precious little wine in the house!” “Darling,” she replied, “you’ll have to nip to the off-licence, won’t you?” It’s clear she’s forgotten the bloody off-licences are closed. Though to be fair, we both have history in the quality of being forgetful. ...

Granted had been unwell since Christmas day, the poor thing, and didn't get out of bed for six days. Nobody had heard from him until he turned up at Milo’s house for the new year’s eve party. Everyone was shocked by his appearance. That he’d decided to come, yes, but also the deathly look on his

... "I knew that someday, years or perhaps decades down the line, when half of Gaza was still rubble and the other half Israeli skyscrapers, the magazine would offer a mea culpa. Maybe someone involved would end up considering it the biggest mistake of their career." ...

Some really brilliant writing, waiting to be read in this issue. Each piece has its own reading time displayed in minutes, so you can choose accordingly.

... A tiny smile will appear. “Yeah, I suppose you're right,” will follow. “Of course I'm right,” I'll say, raising my eyebrows. “Don't be getting hung up about journals, homie - it’ll kill you quicker than a cardiac arrest. You'll get a story in somewhere, sometime. You'll see.” ...

... people need mindless pleasure and distraction during terrible times. To deny them that is mean-spirited. But what if those terrible times were partly a product of our dumbed-down, money-fixated culture in the first place? ...

Winner, winner, tofu dinner!