Imagine a world without poets and playwrights and novelists. Be afraid. It would be The Last Word.
Here’s something brief, deep, thought-provoking and scary from the pen of Glaswegian writer Karen Jones.
Imagine a world without poets and playwrights and novelists. Be afraid. It would be The Last Word.
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Here’s something to take your mind off Abigail – the storm, stupid, not the lady throwing the party.
It’s a beautifully written, poignant tale about gardening – and so much more. And it comes from the pen of that doyenne of short storytelling and zumba, Glaswegian writer Karen Jones. Enjoy Boundary Lines. Here’s a wee treat on a wet Monday from the unerring pen of Glasgow-born Karen Jones.
It’s a beautifully conceived and written tale of conflicting views on the life of a painting. Like all art, the painting is Open to Interpretation. Enjoy! Towers feature in our two new stories tonight.
A lonely death on the 15th floor of an anonymous tower block is described in The Cockroach by globetrotting Geordie Lee Carrick. Then it’s a change of tower and a shift in mood in All The Fun as Glaswegian Karen Jones takes a nostalgic trip back to holidays spent in 1960’s Blackpool. Enjoy the views! Yes, in spite of the wind and rain and snow, the music of words carries on here at McStorytellers. And we’re delighted to present for your weekend enjoyment three cracking, new stories by three master storytellers.
In typical mischievous mood, Bill Kirton kicks off the trio with Date Rape, a wicked piece of fun about an assignation that goes awry. Then the writing of Karen Jones once again graces the site, this time in Diamond Dust and Moonstones, the poignant account of a reunion that should never have taken place. After which it’s the turn of the prolific Angus Shoor Caan, who has gifted us with Juke-box Judy, another heartfelt tale set in his hometown. Enjoy the words. Enjoy the music. A couple of tremendous pieces of flash fiction for your reading enjoyment today.
In The Morning After The Night Before, the Flashmaster General, Aberdeen-based Bill Robertson, provides us with a very realistic description of a psychedelic experience. It’s so realistic, in fact, that we’re wondering about his misspent youth! Then we welcome back Glaswegian writer Karen Jones, who has entrusted us with one of her favourite stories – and one of our favourites now. Called Prodigal, it’s a poignant tale of homecoming set in her own city. Enjoy! The fact that Christmas is still a whole month away provides us with the perfect excuse to reveal our brand new McTop Ten.
So, with 274 stories by 54 McStorytellers now published on the site and with close to 1,300 story ratings received so far, here are the latest positions, with the total scores for each story in brackets. 1 Dead End Street by Alan Crossan (157) 2 At This Moment by Melissa Palmer (145) 3 Ping Time by Brendan Gisby (131) 4 A Slice of Undead Life by January Bain (102) 5 The Resurrection of Andy McPhail by Karen Jones (90) 6 Angels Don't Have Wings - Take 1 by Ron A. Sewell (89) 7 Postcards from the Departure Lounge by Gavin Broom (87) 8= Eliminating Heat by Bill Kirton (86) 8= Past Perfect by Karen Jones (86) 10 Crack: it gives you wings by Lee Carrick (85) (The scores reflect both the number of raters and their enjoyment of the stories, with the latter calculated in the following way: Very much = 4, Quite a lot = 3, So-So = 2, Not very much = 1, Not a lot = 0.) Once again, therefore, it’s no change at the top. Paisley-born Alan Crossan safely retains the Number One spot with Dead End Street, his perfectly crafted tale of a father’s relationship with his sons. Also continuing to occupy the next three places are stories by New Jersey writer Melissa Palmer, Edinburgh-born author Brendan Gisby and Canadian author January Bain. But crashing in at Number Five is Glaswegian writer Karen Jones with her droll take on life after death, The Resurrection of Andy McPhail, a story that was published on the site less than a week ago! If you haven’t read any of our McTop Ten stories, just click on the story titles above – and get rating! But will it all change by Christmas? Watch this space. Coming next – Alasdair McPherson rewrites history again. So far this week, we’ve published stories by the Flashmaster and the Crimemaster. Now it’s the turn of the Mistress of Droll.
That’s right, Glasgow’s very own Karen Jones returns with a cracker of a new story. It’ll make you laugh. It’ll make you cry. It’ll make you wonder. It’s called The Resurrection of Andy McPhail. Enjoy! Coming next – the further adventures of Tattie Zkowen and his wee dug in anither stoater fae Mister McCool himsel’, Angus Shoor Caan. Our three new stories tonight all have protagonists who are lost in one way or another.
Poor Geraldine feels lost In The Background in a moving tale by Glaswegian writer Karen Jones, who makes a very welcome return to McStorytellers. Then in The Caricature, a satirical piece by another Glaswegian, Barcelona-based John McGroarty, a newscaster seems to have lost his real self. And we round off our trio with a sci-fi pastiche from the ever-entertaining pen of Dalmuir-born Alasdair McPherson. In Where is Scotty When You Need Him?, Wing Commander McGregor is hopelessly lost in space – despite, or perhaps because of, the new Higgs Drive. Enjoy! With 224 stories by 44 McStorytellers now published on the site and with more than 900 story ratings received so far, it's time to reveal our brand new McTop Ten. So here are the latest positions, with the total scores for each story in brackets.
1 Dead End Street by Alan Crossan (156) 2 At This Moment by Melissa Palmer (137) 3 Ping Time by Brendan Gisby (122) 4 A Slice of Undead Life by January Bain (102) 5 Eliminating Heat by Bill Kirton (82) 6 Angels Don't Have Wings - Take 1 by Ron A. Sewell (81) 7 Postcards from the Departure Lounge by Gavin Broom (80) 8 Past Perfect by Karen Jones (75) 9 Crack: it gives you wings by Lee Carrick (72) 10= A Shelter from the Storm by Ron A. Sewell (68) 10= Deed But No Buried by Lee Carrick (68) (The scores reflect both the number of raters and their enjoyment of the stories, with the latter calculated in the following way: Very much = 4, Quite a lot = 3, So-So = 2, Not very much = 1, Not a lot = 0.) So it’s no change at the top. Paisley-born Alan Crossan safely retains the Number One spot with Dead End Street, his perfectly crafted tale of a father’s relationship with his sons. But watch out for Glaswegian Karen Jones, who has stormed in at Number Eight with Past Perfect, her haunting story of a quest to retrieve a lost love. If you haven’t read any of our McTop Ten stories, just click on the story titles above – and get rating! |
McBlog AuthorBrendan Gisby is McStoryteller-in-Residence. He's the author of four novels, three biographies and several short story collections. The McStorytellers
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