Tag Archives: Bordet

New Anthology

I am pleased to announce that the science fiction anthology Down To Earth is finally available. This e-book, like it’s horror anthology predecessor Dead Ends, benefits The Office of Letters and Light. The OL&L organizes events where children and adults find the inspiration, encouragement, and structure they need to achieve their creative potential. I’m a big fan.

The anthology has six stories that, in my mind, represent the challenges humanity will face in futures where we return from the stars. Some challenges come as a result of the beings we find there as happens in “Ganymede Can Have Them” by Anne Stringer and “Welcome Home” by Drew Beatty. Others face obstacles unique to the offspring of Earthborn travellers like the characters in “Countdown To Goodbye” by AJ Maguire and “Heavy Gravity” by Ryan A. Span. Gordon Henderson in “Returning Home” by J. G. Langejeans returns from interstellar war only to have to fight himself a thousand times over. And Jules in “The Lab” by Katharina Bordet must cross more than space to get back home.

I want to thank these authors for bringing their unique visions to this anthology. It was a pleasure to read them and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. They’re available from Amazon and Smashwords.

Contest – Every Photo Tells

I’ve long been a fan of the Every Photo Tells podcast. They put up a picture prompt every month and if you write a story that meets their guidelines they’ll produce and run an audio version. They’ve run a few of my stories over the years. I’ve gotten a lot of laughs and groans from the many stories they’ve featured. Now you’ll have the opportunity to read the stories written by the hosts, Katharina and Mick Bordet.

I want to give away the e-book. I’m a big believer in what they’re doing and I’d love to send new people their way. So, whether or not you’ve ever visited their site, go to their list of photo prompts – http://everyphototells.com/category/photos/. Subscribe while you’re there. Once you find a picture you like, come back here and tell me why you like it (and which picture it is). I’ll give away one e-book for every five entries I get. Contest ends on 8/23/12.

Kilted pirate Greenbeard’s last voyage turns up some unexpected surprises…

Who is behind the murder at the Eagle Cave?

Love crops up when it is least expected…

An ancient terror awakens to threaten mankind’s existence…

‘Every Photo Tells…’ is a short story anthology that sets out to show that every picture can tell more than just one story, by presenting a range of tales inspired by ten photographs.

Mick and Katharina Bordet present stories covering a wide range of themes and genres. Whether your taste is for horror or whodunnit, modern thriller or period swashbuckler, fantasy or sci-fi, there is sure to be something for you in this collection.

 

Amazon Link

Review – Obscurities by Mick Bordet (Podcast)

ObscuritiesEPT1600 I’ve been listening to the Every Photo Tells podcast for quite some time. I’ve even submitted a story or two. Occasionally they come out with a multi-part story. This week I’m reviewing one such story, written by Mick Bordet.

Synopsis: Del Fawmer is a solo musican with a blossoming career, but her life is turned upside down when her dying grandmother asks her to delve into the secrets of the past. Visiting the old woman’s house, Del comes across a box full of unusual musical instruments, each accompanied by a letter.
Join her as she learns about a homemade, pedal-powered organ, the different uses for a drainpipe and Bob Dylan’s unwanted harmonica. Each quirky instrument reveals a story from Del’s family history that lead her to a decision about her future.

This novella is accompanied by an album of music by Mick Bordet that includes all the instruments featured in the story as well as an illustrated colour booklet with photgraphs of everything used in creating the album.

Production: Mick’s an audio geek and as such the quality is good.

Grade: A

Cast: Mick gives all of the characters their own unique voices. I noticed one or two inconsistencies, but generally he does a great job.

Grade: B+

Story: A lot of the fiction I read these days is full of snark and sarcasm. There’s quite a bit of darkness as well. I’m not sure how much of that is self inflicted, given my reading choices, and how much of it is what’s on book shelves these days. This collection of short stories was a breath of fresh air. There’s a sweetness in them that’s rare. I recall at least one “Awwwww!!” moment and he pulls it off without being cloying or schmaltzy. These tales are also different from what I usually read in that they’re not “genre” tales. They’re straight literary fiction.

I really had a lot of fun listening to them.

As an aside, the synopsis says that you get a bonus. Mick produced music inspired by and using the instruments in the stories. Can I just say that I’m jealous of the level of talent on display here. Whether or not the music is your cup of tea (and I haven’t listened to the album yet), just the thought of the effort he put into them boggles my mind. He includes snippets of the songs in the stories and they add another layer of depth.

Grade: A+

Verdict:  You should really give these a listen. In case it’s not evident I’m a fan. For that matter you should subscribe to the Every Photo Tells podcast where you’ll get at least two or three stories a month. I can’t promise they’ll all be this good. It’s an anthology podcast with authors of varying skill level and experience. But the nice thing is that if you don’t like one of the stories there are more and different ones coming. If you’re a writer or even if you don’t consider yourself one, but have always wanted to try, consider submitting a story.

Grade: A

Podcast Link
Every Photo Tells