The Bournemouth Festival of Writing

The Bournemouth Festival of Writing took place last weekend with a wide range of events, talks, workshops, an author’s marketplace, book launches, writing on the beach – not to mention the now infamous naked writing workshop hosted by the wonderfully named Jonny Fluffypunk. (I didn’t take part – too much of a coward). 

I was delighted to be part of this event, running a workshop called ‘Let’s Get Villainous’ which was a character workshop with a difference – the aim being for all the participants to take away with them a particularly nasty alter ego, to use in their writing however they liked. I ran the workshop with a series of character prompts followed by various role play activities so that everyone could really get into their character’s heads.

This was my first time at the Bournemouth Writing Festival and I’ve not run a workshop for several years, so naturally my biggest fear was the dreaded empty room. All week I had been seeing events selling out, but really I needn’t have worried – mine wasn’t far off capacity.

And the participants themselves were fantastic. They responded really well to the prompts and as soon as the interactive part began, everyone working together in small groups, the room filled with laughter and energy. There were some wonderful characters and scenarios being explored – I really hope that I will one day see some of them in print.

As for the festival overall, it was a huge success. Dominic (the organiser) is really putting Bournemouth on the map with this, and I look forward to being involved again next year, either as a speaker or a delegate.

Review: Phallic Obsession by Andrew May

The Book

The title story deals with the bizarre case of a disgraced professor of anthropology, Merrigan Blake, and her museum of sacred phallic iconography collected from all over the world. But there’s another, more sinister side to Dr Blake’s obsession – one that involves a vast conspiracy by an evil race of reptilian humanoids. It’s all in her mind, of course, but that makes it no less dangerous – as naïve student David Gracewell discovers when he’s drawn into her world of crazy paranoia. The collection also contains two other stories on related themes, “The Cult of Zagoth” and “The Masculine Cross”. All three stories deal, at least in part, with the academic study of phallic symbolism, particularly in an occult or pseudo-religious context. But THIS IS NOT EROTIC FICTION. There are no explicit sex scenes, and very little use of “non-academic” sexual terms.

My Thoughts

Andrew is a master of the weird fiction genre and these three tales are no exception. Deliciously wicked and Gothically sinister these three tales will make you shiver. It’s a short book and a quick read, a thoroughly enjoyable foray into the macabre.

Review: Transcendence by Ian Patterson

The Book:

Nicholas, Charon, and Dorothy are separated, and stranded in a cosmos they don’t understand. Behind is a City that would kill them, and the cooling gulf of rage that split them. Their only landmarks now are the distant stars, galaxies, and antique wooden doors that litter the plane. Through each door, the promise of a new world brims with possibility, but all they find are dead ends. A translucent tunnel extends before them and shows their direction. Or does it determine it? Are they in control of their decisions, or is something else guiding them? And who, or what, is the Narrator?

Cosmic in scale and scope, Transcendence follows on from the events of Transference. As Nick and Dorothy search the cosmos for each other, and answers, they find the signs of manipulation by an outside hand. Will they reconnect? And how far are they willing to go to be in charge of their own story?

My Thoughts:

Transcendence is the second book in the Narrator Cycle by Ian. I’ve previously reviewed his first book, Transference on this blog and I’ve been fortunate enough to get my hands on an Advanced Reader Copy of this, the sequel prior to its release in May 2025.

Transference is a hard act to follow and often a second book can fall short but I’m happy to say that in this case that doesn’t apply. Transcendence is sufficiently different to feel fresh. The reader is presented with a whole new galaxy of ideas, and yet the significance of what has already happened isn’t played down. This is a book ambitious in scope and deftly executed. The story is gripping, the characters compelling. Really good quality science fiction like this is quite hard to come by and I genuinely couldn’t put it down. 

I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give away any spoilers but the ending was really strong.

I absolutely love these books and I know you will too!

Review: The Brookwood Boys by Patrick Larsimont

The Book

Can the dead talk to the living?

Surrey, England, 2019

Tennessee soldier Maurice ‘Mouse’ Forsyth has been watching over Brookwood Cemetery ever since his untimely death in 1917. For over a hundred lonely years, he has become the caretaker of lost souls, welcoming the good as well as the evil, the damaged, the mad and the bad.

But now something strange is happening. For the first time, Mouse seems to be able to communicate with the living. The head gardener’s teenage son, Luke, has seen him.

Overwhelmed, Mouse tries to find a way to communicate with him. But before he can, Luke’s friend Matilda – a sad girl who has often been seen alone in the graveyard – goes missing.

Mouse wants to help Luke, but he has never interfered with the world of the living before.

Leaning on the other spirits in the military cemetery, whose sad past lives are gradually revealed, Mouse is determined to find Matilda.

But the outcome may not be what he was hoping for…

Will Mouse find a way to speak to Luke? Can he help discover what happened to Matilda?

And will the Brookwood ghosts finally find peace?

My Thoughts

A unique and poignant tale. I was immediately drawn to the character of Mouse, and all the other denizens of Brookwood Cemetery. Their stories were both powerful and moving. The historical aspects were skilfully woven into the narrative, all thoroughly researched and fascinating. It is an unusual book, quite different from Patrick’s Josh McNabb stories, but still with the strong thread of Military History throughout. 

I felt that this book was a wonderful testament to all those brave souls who may linger in other military cemeteries, much like Brookwood.

Do give it a read. You won’t be disappointed.