Blogs

Jane Smith (2025) Community: People and Wildlife on the West Coast of Scotland.

Posted by celticman on Mon, 25 Aug 2025

‘No-one will protect what they don’t care about, and no-one will care about what they’ve never experienced.’ Attenborough’s quote had me thinking about how the rich—who’ve never experienced poverty—demonise the poor. Jane Smith is an artist, zoologist and poet. The combination gives her an authorial voice. Her artwork illustrates her journey. Harris, St Kilda, North Uist, Eigg, Loch Archaig, Argyll Hotspot, Knapdale, Islay, Dumfries, and even...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Posted by insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Fri, 22 Aug 2025

Posted by onemorething. Picks of the Week, this week, go to two pieces that are both brilliantly written and also very moving. Poem of the Week is JupiterMoon's last orders at 'the weekend dad'. https://www.abctales.com/story/jupitermoon/last-orders-weekend-dad Our Story of the Week is Lille Dante's A Tale of Four Stones. https://www.abctales.com/story/lille-dante/tale-four-stones This week's Inspiration Point is here: https://www.abctales.com/...

Gonubie 2008/9

Posted by Tom Brown on Tue, 19 Aug 2025

East London Tom Brown Uncle Nolan Indian Ocean

RUGBY!

Posted by Nolan on Sat, 16 Aug 2025

Springbucks Vs Wallabies! Go Bokke !! Mow 'em down you Zulu Warriors!

One Night At Kedasi by Ashton Macaulay: Review!

Posted by insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Fri, 15 Aug 2025

I'm very pleased to announce that One Night At Kedasi by Ashton Macaulay will be out on September 23rd. Ashton writes for ABCTales as mac_ashton and the story was originally posted on our site. If you'd like to pre-order a copy, you'll find the link included in this review by Ewan: One Night At Kedasi by Ashton Macaulay Shadow Dragon Press ISBN 1963832345 Sci-Fi, Space Mercenaries, humour and bugs. Or for some of us, creepy-crawlies. Massive...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Posted by insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Fri, 15 Aug 2025

Thanks to everyone who's posted their wonderful stories and poems on ABCTales this week and for your kindness in leaving comments on other people's work. My choices for our Story and Poem of the Week are as follows: Story of the Week goes to G M Backland for Worst Case Scenario - Being Peter to Save Paul (Part Two). This is, as hudsonmoon says in his comment 'insanely funny' and If it isn't picked up by a publisher once finished I'll eat my hat...

Soft waves of a forgotten Dawn

Posted by memphis on Thu, 14 Aug 2025

Soft waves of a forgotten dawn Finding magic by the sea, some place far off; Just below the Great Wall of Beijing. This adventure. finds one in the shadows of the Samurai between Twelve Swords: Known as the Deviant Blades Shikizaki, Kiki, a brilliant master swordsmith and Soothsayer, anime piqued our curiosity. During the Sengoku period, 1467-2615. Of the civil war. Brings us to Tsukiji, a famous place in Tokyo Japan is a primary large fish...

John Sutherland (2025) The Castle

Posted by celticman on Wed, 13 Aug 2025

Write what you know. Former Met Police commander and bestselling author John Sutherland offered a bonus as a marketing gizmo. The book’s release (at the end of April 2025) was paired with a limited edition Speyside Single Malt whisky named after the novel. Fuck. Wish I’d thought of that for my novel Beastie . I could have released a limited-edition child molester fresh from the police cells. Set in the Scottish Highlands, The Castle follows...

Jen Stout (2024) Night Train to Odesa.

Posted by celticman on Mon, 11 Aug 2025

It’s over three years since Putin’s tanks sat on Ukraine’s borders. The world watched and wondered what he would do next. Jen Stout, Night Train to Odesa Covering the Human Cost of Russia’s War is an antidote to the moron’s moron, Trump's blather. The American President after brow-beating President Volodymr Zelensky and promising to end the Ukrainian war in a day has scheduled a meeting with Putin in Siberia. His press conference is cringe...

Anthony McGowan (2025 [2011]) The Fall.

Posted by celticman on Sat, 09 Aug 2025

Winner of the Booktrust Teenage Prize, The Fall was reissued in 2025. I got this book for my favourite girl in the world. But her dad read a bit. And that was that. Said there was a death on the first few pages. It would remain unread. That was my failing. My fall. ‘Is that Mog?’ he said. Nobody had called me Mog since I was at school. ‘Have you heard?’ ‘Heard what?’ I said. ‘Rush.’ ‘Chris Rush?’ ‘Yeah…’ ‘He’s dead.’ Chapter 1 begin with a...

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