Sep. 27th, 2013

charlie_cochrane: (lessons for survivors)
Last day of the cricket season and the English summer has saved us some sunshine and warmth. So much that the bees (Huzzay!) and wasps (boo!) have re-emerged.

News: Lessons for Suspicious Minds is now out in both e-book and print. If you want to know where to get it from in your part of the world, there’s a comprehensive list on the publisher website!

I’m not going to post another excerpt today, just some of the author’s favourite lines.

Mrs. Stewart stepped in adeptly to change the subject, “Monks’ island—or maybe it was monken island, who knows—became Monkey Island. And there are monkeys there, of a sort. Painted ones on the walls. Doing amusing things.”
Jonty, who’d seen the monkeys at the zoo doing things which would have made his mother’s eyes stand out like organ stops, stifled a snigger. He was still within leg-slapping range—both in terms of distance and age.

“Are we content, Dr. Coppersmith?” Jonty, warm from the port and just slightly dishevelled from an encounter with the family’s Irish wolfhound, stood in Orlando’s doorway in the guest corridor to say his goodnights. Although, as usual, the loquacious toad couldn’t just say “see you tomorrow” and have done with it. Not when five hundred words would suffice.


“Maybe they were worried about adding entities unnecessarily.” Orlando frowned in thought. Jonty recognised the expression with glee; it meant Orlando wished he’d thought of that first. “Every extraneous bit of business could be seen as a potential weak point. They could trace the machine, for example, and find out Tuffnell couldn’t have used it. When I murder you it will be an exemplar of simplicity.”
“Don’t change the subject.”

And, in honour of both the Cambridge lads and cricket, here’s a highly relevant short story.

“It shouldn’t do that, Dr. Stewart.”
“That’s the third time you’ve said the same thing. And it doesn’t matter how many times you repeat the phrase, it won’t change the facts. It can and it does.” I tried my best to smile kindly; I love it when Orlando Coppersmith finds things that contradict his powers of intellect and reason.
“But it defies all logic. Whatever variables you apply, it makes no sense.” Orlando shook his head, loosening the curls which always seemed keen to fight free from the restraint of comb or pomade. I love those curls, too. When we first met and I fell head over heels for Orlando, it was that wild mane of hair, so carefully restrained, that got me all of a lather. It spoke of hidden qualities within him, parts of his character that I had to find and liberate.
I digress; Orlando says I do that a lot. I have a story to tell you and I’m not being logical about it.

Read the rest of the story...

Inspiration - Monkey Island itself!

DSCF5719
charlie_cochrane: (promises made)
The lovely Elisa has been preluding the announcement of the Rainbow Awards finalists by listing all the books which got at least an honourable mention. The latest part of the list included Promises Made Under Fire.

Anne: I really enjoyed this story. Although it's a short novella, it's length doesn't take away from it at all and I was routing for the characters and hoping they got their happy ending. A sweet romance although the story itself in a lot of ways was bitter sweet.
Page generated Jul. 23rd, 2025 04:45 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios