The story comes from the pen of author, playwright and Fairtrade champion Cally Phillips. It’s included in her collection of upbeat short stories, Fair Trade Fiction. If you like this taster, go to Amazon and download the Kindle edition of the collection or order up the paperback. Be warned, though, the stories could change your buying habits for ever!
To mark the start of Fairtrade Fortnight 2013, we’re delighted to publish a story called Love Chocolate? It’s a fairytale, really, with a handsome prince and a beautiful princess. And, yes, you’ve guessed: it’s all about chocolate. But does it have a happy ending? Read it and see.
The story comes from the pen of author, playwright and Fairtrade champion Cally Phillips. It’s included in her collection of upbeat short stories, Fair Trade Fiction. If you like this taster, go to Amazon and download the Kindle edition of the collection or order up the paperback. Be warned, though, the stories could change your buying habits for ever!
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He’s back! Our favourite Ayrshire McStoryteller, Angus Shoor Caan, returns today to report another four wee conversations he’s overheard in the local lingo.
The joys of moving house are discussed in Sunset. The groom says his bit in Speech. Time never stands still in Saikint Haun’. And some tips on keeping pets are offered in Ri Room. Enjoy a Saturday laugh – or four! Coming next – a chocolate treat. Yep, dying is the theme of our two new stories this evening.
There’s a near-death experience in the heart of Edinburgh’s douce New Town in a Trainspotting-esque tale called Wasps and White by Geordie exile Lee Carrick. (Remember, folks, when Lee becomes a famous author, we were the first to dub him the Jack Kerouac of South Shields.) Then it’s a short hike from reading about a near-death escapade to musing over a pre-death announcement in Dead Sure, another one of those fanciful pieces from the pen of ex-Dalmuir laddie Alasdair McPherson. Enjoy! And watch out for mair o’ they wee coanvursations fae oor very ain Angus Shoor Caan. We’re off on our travels today with two brand new stories.
We set off with Love, Pain, Guilt, Sex and Drugs, in which Edinburgh-based writer Lee Carrick, the Jack Kerouac of South Shields, shares snatches from his nomadic lifestyle. Then we leave behind the mystic ruins of South India and the idyllic islands of Thailand to take the ferry to that hotbed of crime, the... erm... Isle of Arran, where there’s a cold case to be solved in A Mysterious Stranger, a wee piece of Tartan Noir from the pen of our favourite Ayrshire scribbler, Angus Shoor Caan. Enjoy! Although we don’t do much Romance, we’re delighted to celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day with a double-bill of stories from Perth-born Flashmaster Bill Robertson.
It could be the start of a beautiful relationship in A Fine Romance. With the sweet comes the sour, however, with the sad tale of a broken relationship in True Love Ways. But we do end on a romantic note with a lovely wee Valentine’s Day McLimerick called Chill’t, courtesy of the modern Ayrshire Bard, Angus Shoor Caan. Av gote ri flooers av chill't ri wine Ri table's bin set fur two tae dine A'll bey yours if you'll bey mine Jeest say yu'll bey ma Valentine An furget aw aboot rone urr swine. Enjoy the day! Last night we published our 300th short story. Today we’re celebrating that milestone the only way we know how – by publishing more stories. And, as ever, there’s an eclectic line-up of sci-fi, humour and drama in store.
First up, Glaswegian writer Tom Greenwood makes a very welcome return to McStorytellers with an exquisite sci-fi tale called Cryo. Then it’s the turn of McStorytellers regular, Dalmuir-born author Alasdair McPherson, who submits an off-the-wall suggestion for a brand new book award to Worst Selling Authors. After which Aberdeen-based Bill Robertson, the Flashmaster himself, returns with a double treat. There’s a near-lethal combination of drinks in Devil’s Advocaat. And an even more explosive cocktail in Funhouse. That makes 304 stories... and we’re still counting! Here’s a wee Friday night treat in the form of another couple of conversations, as overheard and reported in their original Ayrshire dialect by local writer and regular McStoryteller, Angus Shoor Caan.
There’s one of those unwanted family gatherings in Christenin’. And there’s a strange connection between The Simpsons and woolly blankets in Cover Story. The latter piece also appeared this week on the delightful Wee Fictions site run by another regular McStoryteller, Andrew McCallum Crawford. So please enjoy these pieces – and watch out for much more to come! Looking back is the theme of our two brand new stories tonight.
In Zeitgeist, a thoughtful piece by McStorytellers newcomer, Glaswegian poet, author and blogger Jim Murdoch, a Scotsman, recently turned forty, remembers when life used to be so different. Meanwhile, in Helena, a sad wee tale from the pen of Edinburgh-based writer Lee Carrick, a young man recalls with regret a missed opportunity an ocean away in a bar in Manhattan. Enjoy – and reflect. The 2nd Edinburgh eBook Festival will be held online between 12th and 24th August this year. We’re delighted to announce that, as in 2012, McStorytellers will be hosting the daily Short Story slot at the Festival.
Last year, we selected twelve of the best stories from our back catalogue to feature in the daily slot. At the end of the Festival, we brought the stories together in a wee anthology called The McFestival Dozen, which is still available from Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats. This year, we’re doing things differently. We’re running a McCompetition. And here’s how it works. We’re inviting our contributors, past and yet to be, to submit a short story on the theme of Being Scots, which we explain more about below. Ideally, the story should be no longer than 3,000 words. It should be submitted through our usual Submission Form, adding the words ‘Festival Competition’ immediately after the story’s title. By the time the Festival opens, the debate over the Scottish Independence Referendum will have reached fever pitch. The theme we’ve chosen is timely, therefore. Your story may or may not be supportive of Scottish independence; it may not even mention the subject. And it may be serious or irreverent or downright rude. We don’t care, just so long as the writing is good and the story is concerned with Being Scots. So that’s the McCompetition. Submissions can be made any time from now right up to the end of June. The stories will be published on the McStorytellers site in the usual way in the first place. Then the best of them will feature at the Festival. After which another wee anthology is planned. Just before we go, here’s a taster of a story to help you think and write about Being Scots. It’s called Home-Koming Night. It comes from the pen of master of irreverence and comedy, Glaswegian author Allan Watson. And it’s already a prime candidate for the Festival Short Story slot. And please remember that between now and the end of June, normal non-McCompetition submissions will continue to be very welcome. Here’s some meaty fare for your Saturday entertainment from Dumbarton-born writer and blogger Kevin McCallum.
Put The Face On is a moving, powerful, irreverent tale of family ties. Quintessential McCallum. Quintessential McStorytellers. Enjoy! And stand by for an announcement about our very first McCompetition. |
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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