Blogs

What Does God Think of Us?

The Bible tells us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to. Romans 12:3-8. There is nothing we can do to impress God. Anything good that we have in ourselves has come from him. If I am a good writer or a good preacher I must realise that God has given me those abilities. I may say that writing Christian articles on websites and preaching is my ministry but I must remember that all Christians have a ministry. The Bible says that we...

What washes up in Roscarrig… doesn’t stay buried / The Payout Game

Release date 01.24.26 The Payout Game is an Irish crime thriller featuring Garda Inspector P.J. Crowe — a flawed but dediicated detective living in the small coastal town of Roscarrig that keeps giving him big-city problems. Crowe is hoping for a quiet Christmas in Roscarrig, but during a charity regatta, a body washes up on the rocks beneath a lighthouse — a man known across Ireland: a celebrity bookmaker with deep connections to high-stakes...

Kathy Burke (2025) A Mind of My Own

Most of us know who Kathy Burke is. She’s kinda famous. Famous enough to have a major publisher publish her autobiography, A Mind of My Own . I like her because she always comes across as that rarest of breeds, a working-class actress made good. Working-class actor if we’re being politically correct. I loved her retort to Helena Bonham Carter when she opined that there weren’t enough roles for her because she was too pretty. Let me remind you...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Thank you all so much for your wonderful contributions to our site this week. My choices are as follows: Poem of the Week is Jane Hyphen's brilliant 'The World is Closed' which is particularly apt for this time of the year: https://www.abctales.com/story/jane-hyphen/world-closed Story of the Week goes to Sean McNulty for today's part from his work in progress 'The Discharge'. It reads perfectly well as a stand alone and has one of the best and...

Are Near-Death Experiences Real? BBC Sounds, BBC World Service, Editor: Ben Motley, Presenter: Caroline Steel.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct6stl People I know have started voting with their body. I attended a Catholic funeral on Friday. A girl I used to know. Bernie Porter that’s no longer a girl. No longer anything. Her mum was my godmother. Both are dead. Both received Roman Catholic funeral rites. Mass and the bit at the end, where her coffin is carried out of the church, by her ex-husband and son. Her coffin is put in the ground. Ashes to...

FRQNTZ

“A magazine that refuses to be one.”

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Posted by onemorething: This week's Poem of the Week is the timely, astute and excellent poem from Ewan, Land of Hope and Fury. https://www.abctales.com/story/ewan/land-hope-and-fury This week's Story of the Week is Caldwell's unsettling and brilliantly written tale, The Second Shadow. https://www.abctales.com/story/caldwell/second-shadow There was an abundance of great prose on the site this week too. From Turlough - will happily read anything...

Xion Island Zero by Katherine Black - Out Now!

I'm very pleased to announce that Katherine Black (our very own Sooz Simpson) has just published Xion Island Zero, the sixth in her Inspector Nash series. Here's a review by celticman and a link to buy: Xion Island Zero is the sixth in the Inspector Nash series. You don’t need to know much about Nash as each book is a standalone. Five serial killers down. One to go. What remains consistent is place—Barrow (where the author lives). Nash also has...

Road Trip

Taking off work tomorrow to drive down to Bushnell, FL, site of the state's national cemetery. Veterans Day road trip. Take about 2 and a half hours to get there. Going to visit a friend. Kid, really. Originally from Iowa. Never said a vulgar word in his life, not that I ever heard, except once. He found this mongrel btich. Belly fat with worms. Mange all over. He washed her and fed her. Wasn't a hope in hell of keeping her alive but he never...

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