Here I am at the edge

                                         A schoolboy dream My dream of being a writer began so far back I can't recall not wanting to be a writer. Since my school days, I was told that I could tell a good story; I suppose that is when the dream began; it wasn't until I was laid up with a torn tendon and not working, twelve years ago that I seriously considered writing . The original idea for a story with this cover was for a scientist talking abut his expereinces when travelling in time. My new idea is going to be to write a short story I can sell for a dime, like the ones that sold in the 1930s, hence the title. To be honest, the only time I paid off was when I wrote two articles. The first was for Yahoo on why I gave up smoking . The second was for an a friend in the USA about the issues involved with the Muslim Invasion, and rising rate of crime associated with it across Europe ...

What is it about May? I used to call May , my slow month, but that would indicate some sales. There have been no major sales of my ebook selection since April when I joined Apple .  I still write, but mainly it is for the blog now. I accepted I would not sell many ebooks several years ago; it is rare that I view my sales at    https://www.draft2digital.com/book/ . I have lots of ideas for stories to add to my short story selection here, so keep watching for news.

RAF Lossiemouth Self-defence Royal Navy Vs Royal Air Force / England Vs Scotland Saturday nights During my tour at RAF Lossiemouth, Morayshire, Scotland there were many bar fights on Saturday evenings. At one point the station commander decided to instigate a "flying picket" system. Groups of airmen would be assigned to go in to the bar, and attempt to break the fights up. I was one such airman.  Like many other coastal stations, Lossiemouth was once a naval air base, and the conflict between the Royal Navy , and the Royal Air Force personnel was an open sore. Add to that there was a large contingent of English on a base in Scotland, and you have a situation as volatile as dropping a match in a barrel of kerosene.  The weekend I was to be part of the picket squad, my sergeant told me on the Friday before. I had but one question to ask What am I armed with?  Not fully understanding the situation he replied What do you mean, Al? You're going in as y...

Extra reading 415 Al's Delights With the continued growth of readers for my paper https://paper.li/f-1426008357  - now standing at 415 readers a week - I decided to extend the spread by bringing out three editions a week. Starting today, there will be a weekend edition; so, the paper now comes out on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Mondays.

Patti does Germany again Noir thrillers on the rise Pat Canella   I don't usually check my Amazon sales - with less than one in six weeks - I didn't see any reason to check up on them. Today, I did and got a shock; I had a sale, not in the US, or even the UK, but in Germany. Noire   On Draft2Digital the PI stories have had a boom in the last month. The noire style has made a comeback. I put this down to the popularity of series like The Bridge , and  The Killing from Scandinavia; Spiral , and Braquo from France, and the liking for gritty drama like the stories of Harry Palmer . I have been asked why the stories are liked so well in the old Eastern Blok countries - where I have a big following - including top UK noire writer Paul D. Brasill . The answer to me is simple to understand, the people of these countries can relate better to the cold harsh realistic style of Harry Palmer, than the glamorous lifestyle of James Bond . East or West?  Whi...

The Simple Life I qualify for a State Pension (66).  Though this will entail cutbacks in my spending, I will not be significantly affected as most of the things people do to relax I gave up many years ago. Though I went to Canada many years ago, I never had any great urge to travel abroad. If I did wish to travel, there are lots of places in England I would have liked to have seen.  I never had a driving license, so I don't need to worry about the upkeep of a car. I recently cut back on my drinking of both Coke-a-cola and coffee for the good of my health, and the benefits were seen quickly. I have never had a lot of money, so I get pleasure from doing things that I can enjoy for little expense such as I used to like walking in the woods, and by rivers enjoying nature , like the hero of my ebook above. I had a friend in Canada, whose mental health  would concern me if we had stayed in touch, all she did was preach to me about the sins of the world, and that Jesus will ...

As powerful as ever True Crime The secrets they hide   Today on Twitter  I was chatting - not for long - to a member of a local Freemason chapter. Believe me, they DO exist, and hold terrible powers.  Sexual Explosions 1   You may wonder what my erotic fantasy has to do with the Freemasons. In the story, the writer Alex describes a crime which happened. The crime did happen - I know - I was the person who reported the theft of the Roman artefact to the curator. Two policemen   Until the crime, the ground floor of Bristol City Museum & Art Galleries was patrolled by two ex-policeman. After the crime, one was posted out of the main museum for the last two years of his service, and the other was Promoted to Chief Security Officer for 6 months, until a  replacement could be found. The replacement - an ex-cop. There never was an independent inquiry into the theft. There will be no record of the crime, the Masons cover their trac...

Tough to beat Will we know what happened? New release this week The last instalment in the Pat Canella series comes out this week. In Haunted by her past  Patti has to choose between taking on the Colderone on their turf, or waiting for an all out war on the streets of Witchborough. Let's say Patti's long suit isn't waiting for things to happen.  Haunted by her past   The stories in this selection are so creepy, I had bad dreams - and I knew what lay ahead - imagine how an unsuspecting reader will feel. The end of the third selection of this highly rated series is a mystery. I left it open in case the sales encourage me to write further stories. Patti's persona   While Mark Johnson was largely based on my   persona, Patti is based on a mix of Jordan Cavanaugh from Crossing Jordan   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284718/   and Lilly Rush from Cold Cases  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368479/?ref_=nv_sr_1 . If you like your women ...

The mysterious disappearance of PI Pat Canella The enigma continues Early reports   Police and Army officials are not sure what happened. They can only say that Miss Canella's motorcycle was involved in an explosion, at the end of a chase. As a result of the explosion, evidence is scattered across the gulley where she was last seen. The truth may never come out, was she hit by a stray bullet from an army rifle, did she get hit by a bullet from the Colderone gang, or did the engine blow up under her? Nobody can tell. What is known is that she knew the engine was likely to explode if pushed too hard, for too long. The best theory put forward to date is she was heading for a narrow gulley, to escape the ensuing cars, when the engine exploded. Her body hasn't been recovered yet. Patti "Pat" Canella   The life of Pat Canella had been an uphill struggle from the start. Never a girl to sit back, and let life drift past her in the outskirts of Ohandswor...

Fire engines called to house of photographer Mark Johnson Police baffled by lack of body Mark Johnson   In a news flash it is reported there has been a massive fire at the home of ex-celebrity photographer Mark Johnson. Police and firemen couldn't get near the building for hours, and the evidence shows no sign of a body in the remains. A police spokesman said tonight, We can't tell if Mr. Johnson was in the house at the time of the fire. The building was so badly burned, any human remains are long past being identifiable.  It is known that Mr. Johnson kept chemicals in the house, despite knowing the risks. His friends have told police that his mind had been pre-occupied with his fight with a witch in the last weeks. In the end, they think he did the only thing left to free his soul from her influence.

Housebound The day is near Disabled  Several years ago - before my tendon injury - I learned I had Ehlers Danlos syndrome   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehlers%E2%80%93Danlos_syndrome   Put in laymen's terms, this is a rare incurable disorder, which  inherited from my mother. When I learned I had this disorder, I didn't go through the 5 stages of acceptance. There was no point in being angry at my mother for passing it to me- I had it - and that was the end of it. From that point on, I decided not to sit in a corner, and mope about something I couldn't change. I decided that as long as the Lord would allow me the pleasure of walking, I would do my damnedest to keep the day when I was housebound at bay; and I did, until this week. Medical history   Last year, on my other blog, the best read posts were about my declining health/ near death experiences. Whether from a feeling of There but for the grace of God, go I , or a morbid interest in my pos...