REPORT ON RESPONSES TO EXTRACTS FROM NOVELS ON THE SITE
"If I Were A Carpenter," 17,995 hits in total, 201 emails inquiries about possible publication.
Update on the above: It is just possible that this novel has passed all the hurdles and will be published. If it is we further hope it will be made into a film as it would make an excellent film. Make sure you have a large box of tissues available though.
"A Baker's Dozen For Bardo," 14,000 hits as of today and email responses have risen to over a hundred. We feel this shows that our faith in the novel is right. It is as good as we believe it to be.
We would really like to see Mr. Robat ap Phisiart's novel hit the high spot. It is beautifully written, reminiscent of Thomas's "Under Milkwood" for the majesty of its language, and just as accessible. Do read the extract and let us know.
Robat ap Phisiart has been called a genius. Don't let that put you off folks. His work is a bloody good read as well as being beautiful writing.
"Get Away/Quantum Shift," 27,8900 hits, 208 emails about publication, 45 particularly delighted with the Psychic Thriller element.
If you are into any kind of Paranormal experiences, then this is very much for you. Being a novel, the author has given his main character some very exciting, but plausible abilities. Peter Bradbury is a member of The World Parapsychology Association and has used actual experiments carried on by working members of that prominent body, the masters in that field of knowledge about the brain. Obviously for the tale, he has exaggerated Frank Randal's talents, and apart from those abilities, Mr. Randal follows the super spy James Bond in many other ways, but he does really need a "Q" to give him a box of tricks. He has his own built in, so to speak.
FINANCIAL COMMENT.
Financial Crasp, er Crap, no, try again, Crash, ah yes that's better
Maybe the Tory leadership should remember that following the Wall Street crash Roosevelt did almost exactly what Prime Minister Gordon Brown is doing now. He borrowed money, huge amounts and then set out a Public Works Programme that the USA had never seen before. It worked of course, as it got millions of Amercans back into full time work. It is not known whether Mr. Brown is going to embark of massive public building works but let it be remembered that we have the Olymic Games heading our way. This will lead to millions of jobs being created ancillary to those connected directlty to the Games themselves. It is the belief of this writer that the 'downturn' in the British Economy will not be anything like as long as has been suggested by most Tory commentators. Indeed looking at the general market the panic which brought about to the crash does look as though it is about to turn around, indeed is turning, but there are many signs, small as yet, that this panic has subsided. That indicated that confidence is returning albeit slowly at the moment.
News and Views
In the war between the two giants Murdock and Sir Richard Branson, one feels a distinct bias towards Sir Richard. As literary agents, who use this site to show off their clients' works, extracts of them anyway, one feels one is far more liklely to get a hearing from Sir Rochard than from Murdock and Son. Now what was that book by Dickens? Ah yes. Domby and Son. Mr. Murdock would do well to read the novel and see how everything feel apart for the Domby empire, due entirely to imperious manner of Mr. Dombey.
Whether the Monopolies Commission wil actually force the Murdock Group, one is forced to call it that in spite of the name it tends go by in its various forms, to sell some of its assets in the Media, remains to be seen, but one seriously hopes they will. It is dangerous for Democracy when one, or two, individuals hold too much power in any aspect of Democratic life. Of course Sir Richard owns as much as do the Murdocks, but what he and his associates control is a portfolio that is widely spread over a variety of things from trains to publishing to broadcasting not forgetting music. If he decides, with backing from the Government, to buy into Northern Rock then the latter word will mean what it suggests; at the moments it sounds more like pebble! That said we must not allow ourselves to frightened and start running round lie headless chickens! It was such behaviour that caused the 1929 crash on Wall Street and led, in due course, to the horrors of WW2.
Maybe we are wrong but it seems to us that Sir Richard, whilst remaining the very hard headed businessman he is, nevertheless has the kind of foresight to see trouble ahead and act before things have gone too far. Unlike the captain the Titanic Sir Richard possesses a kind of built in radar, so he is unlikely to run into an iceberg.
It is true that this site feels Mr. Murdock is far too powerful and has been for a long time. Not just here but across the world as a whole. No, we do not think that like Julius Caeser he is aiming at some kind World Presidency, political he does not appear to be, but power he does enjoy as of did Caeser. All businessmen, Mr. Gates included, are not really interested in the mone they make, after all once you have 500 million or more, what one earth does it matter? But power is different, that is far more compelling that obtaining great wealth can ever be. Of course the vast majority of people do not want to make money, become wealthy or anything like that, they merely wish to spend it. That is not quite the same thing, but it is the reason why millions do the lottery and many of those who do win huge amounts of money are in fact, made terribly miserable by it. They can no longer fit into the area of society they are used, for many friends will seems as if they always trying to borrow when in fact thy are not. So often, sadly, the big winners end up feeling isolated, because they cannot walk into Claridges or the Savoy, and feel totally at ease. Such luxury is beyond their ken as it were.
What I have just said may seem to have nothing to do with Sir Richard or Mr. Murdock, but in fact the two things are closely linked, because as Felix Dennis has stated loud often "If you want to be rich, you can be." What he hasn't said our hearing is the other factor, you must get off your backside and make it happen! Lottery money will not turn you into a businessman, but you may lose every penny you won trying to make yourself one.
Here endeth today's rant.
Taking advantage of the elderly and disabledAs the MD of this company is disabled himself, he knows what he talking about. There is no doubt that making the limited numbers of users the excuse, suppliers of equipment to both groups take outrageou advantage of either local governments, who are doing the buying, or of individuals themselves. One classic example of this is the cost of alarm systems. The cheapest transmitter for use within the home, from room to room, is £60.00 and the receiver is £148.00. The cheapest receiver for use between house and garden is £165.00. You might say, 'well, there is considerable electronic equipment involved.' That is no answer as one can buy, from places like B&Q doorbells, also controlled by a transmitter and receiver with ranges of up to 100 metres for about £26.00. That was for both the transmitter and receiver. If such things can produced and sold so cheaply, why oh why do the 'specialist' suppliers feel constrained to overcharge to such a massive extent. It is blatant exploitation.
Cool. What is it?
Well to be really cool is to refuse to wear whatever fashion says you should and stick to what you feel comfortable in.
I am certain that every individual who intends being a policitian should work, for a few months, on a ward in a mental hospital. The type of ward where the patients are superficially lucid but are actually as mad as fish. I am sure all applicants would find it a useful grounding to see the world through the eyes of the gently insane, it would definitely help once they enter the House of Commons. It has to be said however that the House is a far noisier and possibly a more dangerous place than the type of hospital ward I am thinking of; like, in the House generally they do not '"it" as such until the afternoons. During the morning they do their "day" jobs such as occupational therapy, or as politicians would call it, "being a merchant banker." Er, yes I know, it rhymes.
Why does the calendar on my computer feel it is essential that I be told that it August 1st ALL DAY? Are there parts of the world where this does not apply, some area when it Augest 1st in the morning but a different date, just what I dare not think, in the afternoon?
Moronic Accomplishment
Bill Bryson reports in one of his works that a group of Naturalists succeeded, back in 1957, in discovering a totally unknown species of fish and eliminating it at the same moment. Apparently their main aim was to reclaim a river, called Abrams Creek, for rainbow trout. To aid this project, which sounded very fine and responsible, they dumped huge quantities of rotenone, a powerful poison, in the river. Within a few minutes thousand of dead fish floated to the surface. In all, some thirty one species of fish were wiped out; but the crowning glory of the crass event was the killing of a fish called the Smoke Madtom. Scientists, yes I did say scientists, had never seen this particular fish before so they had the delightful task of naming it post mortem. Fortunately for those who really care about such things, a further colony of madtoms was discovered in a neaby stream, also in the Smokies, in 1980.
Is this the greatest achievement that biologists have managed, the discovery and eradication of a species in the same instant?