I am delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of my latest collection of short stories, Dead-heading Roses in the Museum Garden and Other Stories, on 14th March 2026. The book is available to pre-order now. Amazon – Waterstones - Barnes & Noble Some say there is but a thin dividing line between tragedy and comedy, victory and defeat. … Continue reading “Dead-heading Roses in the Museum Garden and Other Stories” – published next week!
“The Rest of Our Lives”
For me, Ben Markovits' The Rest of Our Lives really only got going once the protagonist was started on his road trip. Everything that came before seemed slightly confusing, as if I was being given too much information, too much back story. My conclusion was to wonder whether the book actually started in the wrong … Continue reading “The Rest of Our Lives”
Recent Substack highlights
"when you see anything of mine that you don’t like remember that I’m sincere in doing it and that I’m working toward something." - Ernest Hemingway A selection of recent posts from my Substack site. "Writing until the light goes out" "Writing until the light goes out" Buy discounted books direct from the printer
“Dead-heading Roses in the Museum Garden and Other Stories” – pre-order now!
I am delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of my latest collection of short stories, Dead-heading Roses in the Museum Garden and Other Stories, on 14th March 2026. The book is available to pre-order now. Amazon – Waterstones Some say there is but a thin dividing line between tragedy and comedy, victory and defeat. Many of the protagonists in Dead-heading … Continue reading “Dead-heading Roses in the Museum Garden and Other Stories” – pre-order now!
“Sympathy Tower Tokyo”
Bizarre. And confusing. Sympathy Tower Tokyo reads like a treatise on language and a personal philosophy shoehorned into a piece of fiction; the only issue - from my perspective at least - is that the narrative / story isn't strong enough to do the heavy lifting. In that sense it failed to work as theory, … Continue reading “Sympathy Tower Tokyo”
“Dead-heading Roses in the Museum Garden and Other Stories” – coming soon!
I am delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of my latest collection of short stories, Dead-heading Roses in the Museum Garden and Other Stories, in mid-March 2026. Some say there is but a thin dividing line between tragedy and comedy, victory and defeat. Many of the protagonists in Dead-heading Roses in the Museum Garden and Other Storiesfind themselves … Continue reading “Dead-heading Roses in the Museum Garden and Other Stories” – coming soon!
“Her Body & Other Parties”
I rarely agree with blurb on the front cover of books - but in the case of Carmen Maria Machado's Her Body & Other Parties I can only concur: "brilliantly inventive". This is a raw roller-coaster of a read which takes no prisoners. It shies away from nothing; indeed, Machado deliberately goes deep into her … Continue reading “Her Body & Other Parties”
“Shakespeare”
Part biography, part critique, part chat - there's an awful lot to like about Judi Dench's depiction of her career in Shakespeare's plays. Laid out as conversations with her friend and fellow actor Brendan O'Hea, Dench takes us through all the Shakespearean roles she's tackled, play-by-play. And we are rewarded with so much: an actor's … Continue reading “Shakespeare”
“The Lantern of Lost Memories”
There are three stories in Sanaka Hiiragi's The Lantern of Lost Memories - and they are essentially the same. Yes, one of the protagonists changes in each story, but what happens to them (and thus the structure of the narrative) is pretty much identical. Once you've read the first story you find there is insufficient … Continue reading “The Lantern of Lost Memories”
Ian Gouge - Writer 