Continue reading “Extract: ‘The Misfortunes of Vision’, by Christy Nicholas”
Category Archives: Extract
Extract: ‘Who Killed The Mince Spy?’
As part of the 12 Days of Clink Street Christmas blog tour I’ve agreed to share an extract from Matthew Redford’s Who Killed The Mince Spy?; I’ve just posted a review of the book, so go an have a read of that if you want to know more.
Extract: ‘Become The Force’
In this extract again drawing on his own life experience Daniel talks about the power of feelings to shape your life:
Jediism isn’t just about training your mind it is also about following the beat of your heart.
The love in your heart is eternal and the part of you that is one with the Force or living life energy that exists within and all around you. To demonstrate the awesome power of the heart ponder this: When you die nobody remembers what you said or did but they will remember how you made them feel. That is why Obi-Wan tells Darth Vader that when he dies he will rise more powerful because he knows his loving energy will join the Force and be with Luke at all times guiding and inspiring his heart – an invisible loving presence infinitely more powerful than his human form.
If there is no love in your heart you will never be in tune with the Force. It is only when mind and heart are in harmony that you are a magnet for the light. In my own life I have repeatedly found that thoughts alone aren’t enough and it is only when my thoughts and deeds are heartfelt that good things happen, weaknesses are turned into strengths, setbacks into stepping stones.
All heart
If you know anything about Asperger’s you will know that emotional intelligence is not my strong point. I’m a logical person. I can understand and reprogram my thoughts. However, feelings are different. The heart is unpredictable by its very nature and can’t be controlled or even at times understand. You can’t fake feelings, you just feel them and sometimes you feel them for absolutely no reason. Many times in my life I have been at a loss to understand and explain my feelings and the tension and frustration of that triggers irrational meltdowns where I lash out physically.
Given the emphasis I have put here on the importance of the heart in Jediism you can see that the universe handed me my greatest challenge from the moment I was born. My dream is to found a new spiritual movement that hopes to awaken a generation of people’s hearts to the potential within and around them. But don’t psychologists tell us that people with Asperger’s struggle with expressing their feelings?
I truly believe that I have Asperger’s for a reason. If I hadn’t had Asperger’s I might have taken my feelings for granted or not paid enough attention to the theme of love inspiring or guiding others coming up time and time again in every religious and spiritual tradition I studied. My desire to try to understand this thing called love helped me discover the true meaning of life and how love connects us to the Force in a way that thoughts never can. Love, of course, is right up there as a central theme in every Star Wars movie with Han and Leia setting the gold standard.
Just as I found a way to read widely through audio tapes despite my dyslexia, I found a way to connect with and express my heart despite my Asperger’s. The way I found was Jediism. My first love was Star Wars and I expressed my love for the Star Wars universe by founding a spiritual movement that could truly help not just me but others follow their hearts and lead meaningful lives.
Of course, I’m saying all this in hindsight and at the time I wasn’t aware of what I was doing and didn’t even know I had Asperger’s, but I can clearly see now that through creating and founding Jediism I followed my heart. If I hadn’t had Asperger’s I sometimes wonder if I would have had the burning desire to pour my love into creating something that would enable me to express my heart. Of course, it’s impossible to say what I might have done with my life without Asperger’s, as I am who I am, but what I do know is that the heart must find a way to sing whether a person has autism or not. The way I found was through my obsession for a movie franchise. In short, founding Jediism was my act of love.
Early reaction
Another seemingly insurmountable obstacle for me to overcome in the early days of the church was the inevitable opposition and criticism. Early reaction was largely positive and curious but there were also voices telling me to abandon the Force. These voices never came from inside my head but they certainly did from friends, the media, religious groups, educators, comments posted online and so on. Here’s a snap shot.
“You’re crazy.”
“Who do you think you are?”
“Why can’t you just grow up?”
“It’s a movie Daniel. It’s fiction, not a way of life.”
After my road to Damascus moment on the beach when I just knew that the universe was calling out to me to found Jediism there were many harsh critics who told me I needed to put away my lightsaber and grow up. Indeed, giving up on my dream of Jediism becoming a global force of love and kindness was by far the easiest thing to do. I don’t enjoy being called ‘odd’ or ‘deluded’ because of my love for Star Wars and belief in the power of Force but perhaps again Asperger’s was my salvation as criticism doesn’t typically get to me. I’m naturally thick-skinned. For me criticism is just data that I can either use or discard. I realise now that is quite an unusual quality. I see how others doubt themselves when faced with criticism but any criticism I got just made me want to spread the word about Jediism even more.
During this time my family had by now accepted that unusual was always going to be the norm for me and Jediism was here to stay. My biggest ally was always my brother Barney who worked closely with me to found the church in 2007. Barney and I worked long hours setting up a basic website, answering emails, creating and distributing leaflets and information online and promoting Jediism in person as much as we could. Visits to the website went from the hundreds to the thousands rapidly. I advertised the church on My Space and it was fairly easy to spread the word there.
When handing out church leaflets in my local area the reactions ranged from delight and interest to shock and surprise to anger and disbelief, but more often than not our leaflets were always greeted with a smile. For me just a smile was response enough as I truly believe religion and spirituality should place a stronger emphasis on the importance of joy. Humour can be the greatest teacher sometimes and a life without laughter is a life not lived. That’s why I am always absolutely fine to have my photograph taken complete with lightsaber and cloak or even a Stormtrooper or two lurking in the background. These images make people smile! ……………..
Extract: ‘Sun, Sea and Sex’, by Greta Horwood
As part of the Sun. Sea and Sex blog tour, Greta has kindly provided me with a few short extracts from her novel to whet your appetite, if contemporary women’s fiction is your thing.
For Zeeta this was an experience she would never forget, her home life was rigid, full of rules. Her brother came first in all things. There was no laughter in her life. Being part of a loving family that had fun, was wonderful.
What a wonderful afternoon. I got to know Ben well that day, he was not the dry stuck up boy I had taken him for. We laughed a lot and collected many baskets full of blackberries. We were packing up to go home when I twisted my ankle and fell in a huge puddle of muddy water. Ben laughed, with him getting told off for doing so. There was I, sitting in a puddle splashing mud at him. His mother joined in and soon we were all plastered in mud, laughing our heads off. Andrea’s mother was nothing like mine. My mother would have told me off for falling and I would have been severely admonished for getting muddy and then throwing mud at Ben, well I hate to think what she would have said! His mother joining in, well my mother would have never done that! It was a fun day. One I will always remember.
Zeeta was given no sex education, so hearing how her best friend Sheila got pregnant filled the gaps which the older girls had told them. Life is all about learning about life. For Zeeta it was a shame her friend had become pregnant, but she had warned her to run away should a man change shape. Sheila did not listen and paid the price.
Hearing how she got pregnant was the greatest shock of all. I knew she was interested in boys, but she did not seem to be that silly that she would allow them to go all the way. This was one of the things we talked about, in our girly chats. Something to be avoided in friendships with boys. Mind you neither of us had a sex education. I did not know what ‘all the way was’ and I did not know if Sheila did either. My parents had told me nothing. Some of the older girls at school had said things and I suppose we learnt from them. In my house my parents walked around naked, so I knew what a man looked like. I had told Sheila, in case she did not know. I remember my father showing me, one Sunday, how by stroking it, it changed in shape. I was told if I saw a man like that I was to run away. I told Sheila and she was fascinated and wanted to try that on one of her dates. I said best not, my father said run away, because if it became like that it would be almost too late for a girl. A man had needs. What this meant, I had no idea.
With Armaan, Zeeta realised she had feelings she could not explain. She wondered if they were love. Armaan going away hurt, but she got renewed feelings when he came back. She was happy that he had married, he was happy. Life for him changed as well, his wife was expecting his child. His father would be pleased. Zeeta hoped it would be a son. Their friendly chats increased her feelings for him, these were not to change throughout her life, she will always love him.
Armaan was back. I can’t explain my feelings in seeing him. I was overwhelmed by them. Yes I missed him, but what I was feeling was more than that. We continued with our easy friendship and he said he was delighted to be back. He was now married and his wife was expecting their first child. He was a different person now, I think the worry of not having a wife was bothering him, but now he was married, life had suddenly became enjoyable. He said he enjoyed my company and although he was 14 years older than me, I was not empty headed like the gigglers. We continued our friendship and I often felt he was preparing me for the life I would eventually lead. He said my blue eyes and personality would attract many man, but I would know who was right for me. He said beware of false promises, men will say they love, but often it is a way to easy sex, so beware of false promises.
Extract: ‘Goldsmith Jones’, by Sam Taylor-Pye
And to round off my posts for the Clink Street Publishing Summer Blogival 2017, I present to you, an extract from Goldsmith Jones. Enjoy!
Continue reading “Extract: ‘Goldsmith Jones’, by Sam Taylor-Pye”
Extract: ‘Katharina Luther: Nun. Rebel. Wife.’, by Anne Boileau
To round off my posts as part of the Clink Street Summer Blogival 2017, Allow me to present an extract. Thanks Anne Boileau for the extracts. And also thanks to Rachel Gilbey of Authoright for asking me to take part.
Dr Martin Luther wants marry. He is a priest, so this would be an act of rebellion against the Church, because priests are supposed to be celibate. If he were to propose to Katharina, a former nun, it would mean that both of them would be breaking their vows of chastity. In other words, it would, in the eyes of the church and the wider world, be seen as a union forged in Hell.
Continue reading “Extract: ‘Katharina Luther: Nun. Rebel. Wife.’, by Anne Boileau”
Author Spotlight: Ted Galdi
Afternoon all, having a good weekend?
I’m full of cold and have had to cancel all sorts of fun plans, however it does mean I’ve got time to write a blog post or two. Which brings me nicely to the subject of today’s ‘Author Spotlight’.
Extract: ‘An Almond for a Parrot’
You may remember last month I reviewed An Almond for a Parrot, by Wray Delaney. This month, as part of the blog tour for this novel I would like to present to you and extract of the novel.
Published by: HQ, HarperCollins
Publication date: 27th July 2017
Format: Paperback
I.S.B.N.: 9780008182533
Blurb
‘I would like to make myself the heroine of this story – an innocent victim led astray. But alas sir, I would be lying…’London, 1756: In Newgate prison, Tully Truegood awaits trial. Her fate hanging in the balance, she tells her life-story. It’s a tale that takes her from skivvy in the back streets of London, to conjuror’s assistant, to celebrated courtesan at her stepmother’s Fairy House, the notorious house of ill-repute where decadent excess is a mustTully was once the talk of the town. Now, with the best seats at Newgate already sold in anticipation of her execution, her only chance of survival is to get her story to the one person who can help her avoid the gallows.She is Tully Truegood.
Orphan, whore, magician’s apprentice.
Murderer?
‘Discoucia’, an extract
Today, I’m taking part in the blog tour for ‘Discoucia’, by Nicholas Lovelock. It’s a ‘Victorianish fairytale’. As part of the tour, organised by Rachel Gilbey of ‘Authoright’, I have an interview and extract of the book. First the extract.
Novel Extract: ‘Addicted To Death’, by Matthew Redford
For your reading pleasure, an extract from ‘Addicted To Death’ by Matthew Redford, today’s guest in the Author Spotlight.
Benedict and Darcy Blacktail, two eggs, have been brutally murdered, bludgeoned to death by an assailant with a large metal spoon. Detective Inspector Willie Wortel, carrot and the leading Food Sapiens detective, is talking things through with his Homo Sapiens colleague Sergeant Dorothy Knox.
Dorothy smiled at her boss knowing he meant no harm. Their career paths had collided just over five years earlier when the Food Related Crime Division was established. They forged an excellent working relationship, despite Wortel being a carrot and Dorothy being a fully formed human. Dorothy Knox was an experienced policewoman who was approaching the latter stages of her career when Chief Superintendent Archibald summoned her to his office one cold November afternoon. Thinking that she may find herself forced into an earlier than planned retirement, Dorothy was pleasantly surprised when he asked if she would be prepared to work alongside an up and coming young detective who had a tricky case of the crabs.
When a number of victims started to fall foul to infected crab meat the case soon became high profile as the public demanded answers as to how the contagion was going to be prevented. Wortel found Dorothy’s experience invaluable and together they unmasked Sammy the Shrimp, a small time psychopath hell bent on destroying the hard earned reputation of the crab. It was the week before Christmas when Wortel and Dorothy tracked down Sammy the Shrimp to a squalid flat on the high street above the local betting shop.
Sammy, seeing the two officers arrive with an arrest warrant, attempted to flee by pushing a small child to the floor, grabbing his scooter and using his long narrow muscular tail to pick up speed on the improvised getaway vehicle. Wortel and Dorothy gave chase but just when it seemed Sammy the Shrimp had managed to evade capture, his getaway scooter skidded on a patch of black ice sending him dangerously out of control of the child’s toy, jack-knifing the vehicle and flying through the air towards the shop window of ‘Bamboo-can-do’, the number one store for all bamboo related objet d’art. The unfortunate impaling of Sammy the Shrimp saw the end of the great crab meat infection, with most victims recovering following a dose of salts and the application of soothing cream.
Wortel was not comfortable being thrust into the spotlight, but the media latched onto the first food sapien detective and he soon found himself a somewhat unwilling celebrity. The successful resolution of the great crab infection saw the resources offered to the division soar, from diddly-squat to austere. However, being the new media darling was of no help to Wortel and Dorothy during their confrontation with their nemesis, MadCow McBeef. A confrontation that very nearly cost them their lives.
The ‘Pow-wow with MadCow’, as nicknamed by the press, was a titanic bloodbath of a struggle with multiple victims strewn across the food and homo sapien population. The eventual capture of MadCow McBeef on a farm grazing happily next to the bloodied body of his former owner, Old McDonald, made front page news, with the trial at the Old Bailey covered daily by the rolling television news channels. Despite Wortel’s best endeavours, the jury accepted MadCow McBeef’s insanity plea and he was sentenced to life detention at the Farmer Giles Mental Institution.
“Have you tried these new flavoured crisps, they’re seriously nice.”
The question bought Wortel back into the room from his thoughts. He looked across at Dorothy. “What flavour?”
“Ham and honey mustard with a pickle twist.”
“No, you’re okay thanks,” he said, somewhat suspicious of the flavour combination.
“You don’t know what you’re missing, they’re really moreish.”
Wortel hesitated, decided against trying the new flavoured crisps, and sat himself down at his desk. “No news about a murder weapon?”
“No boss, whoever has done this seems to have been pretty clean in their dealings and we’re assuming at this stage that the murder weapon was taken away from the scene.”
“Fine. Look Dorothy, finish up what you’re doing and then call it a night. I know this is a new murder case but we’ve nothing to get going on just yet and I need you firing on all cylinders tomorrow. When you get home give my best to Graham and the kids.”
“And are you making a move for home any time soon?”
“I will. I just want to go over the notes from the crime scene to make sure I have my paperwork up to date. And I’m sure the Super will want an update about this case as well as the Cookie trial before I leave.”
Another half an hour slipped by before Dorothy pulled on her jacket, picked up her handbag and wished Wortel goodnight. As she reached for the office door it flew open, and Chief Superintendent Archibald strode purposefully into the room, his false leg working overtime to keep up with his real one.
“Ah, glad I’ve caught you Wortel. I’m due to for a late night tee-off in under an hour so you’ll have to be brief, but I want an update on this murder. Eggs isn’t it? Hmm, messy business. And we also need to talk about the Cookie biscuit sentence. I’ve arranged a press conference for the morning. We need to make sure we’re both on the same page. After all, we know the press love their Willie.”
And here’s the blurb:
Addicted to Death: A Food Related Crime Investigation
Following the murder of Benedict and Darcy Blacktail, two eggs savagely beaten to death outside their home by an unknown, fedora wearing assailant brandishing a large metal spoon, Detective Inspector Willie Wortel, carrot and the leading food detective in the police force, is called in to investigate. When the only food sapiens minister in the Government, Professor Perry Partridge, is murdered at the Strawberry Strip Club, run by the young damson Victoria Plum, DI Wortel suspects that the two cases may somehow be linked. As the Head of the Food Related Crime Division, DI Wortel is ably assisted by his human colleague Sergeant Dorothy Knox. But as their investigation begins, four celebrity chefs are sent death threats. It’s a recipe for disaster as the incarcerated evil genius MadCow McBeef is seeking parole; someone appears to have crumbled Mr Bramley’s apples; and there is an anti-GM food protestor on the prowl. And why do Oranges and Lemons think they owe someone five farthings? DI Wortel and his team must find out who is seemingly addicted to death. It will take all efforts – human, fruit and vegetable – to figure this one out.
Purchase from Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Addicted-Death-Related-Crime-Investigation-ebook/dp/B010545FEQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1490869221&sr=1-1&keywords=matthew+redford
About Matthew Redford
Born in 1980, Matthew Redford grew up with his parents and elder brother on a council
estate in Bermondsey, south-east London. He now lives in Longfield, Kent, takes masochistic pleasure in watching his favourite football team snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, is a keen chess player and is planning future food related crime novels. To counterbalance the quirkiness of his crime fiction Redford is an accountant. His unconventional debut crime thriller, Addicted to Death: A Food Related Crime Investigation was published by Clink Street Publishing last summer.
Website – http://www.matthewredford.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/matthew_redford
