There's A Story In Everything...

My latest publication - Father, Brother, Nephew, Son - can be read in the virtual pages of Gambara. It recounts the journey I took for my own father's funeral three years ago, written just a few weeks after the event.

Sombre, but hopefully there's some uplifting moments as well. If it's something you've been through recently, maybe it will help, I don't know. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Goin' Up In The World...

On Saturday morning we left for a dirty weekend in Wick. I drove the first hundred miles, popped the brake in Inverness, and then the wife took over the reins for the final hundred. We had dinner that evening in Mackays Hotel which is on the shortest street in the world - Ebenezer Place. Honestly, ask the Guinness Book of Records. It’s not much longer than I am.

We then took a jaunt out to John o’ Groats. We had already driven two hundred and ten miles; another sixteen was nothing. And that wooden sign with the arrow pointing to Lands End? Private property. Yeah, that’s right. You can’t just walk up to it and get your mugshot taken. Somebody has to actually get the sign and plant it, and then you’re charged seven quid for the privilege. Capitalism, eh?

Fortunately there is a fake replica sign painted on a wall which is free, and in the true Scottish tradition I didn’t let that opportunity pass by.

Yippee-Ki-Yay...

I went to see Die Hard 4.0 over the weekend. The original McLane outing is my favourite movie, so I've not looked forward to two hours at the cinema so much since Rocky Balboa was released earlier this year (sad, I know).

As good and innovative as this latest installment is (and it really is), I can't help but feel that with each successive sequel expanding the action beyond the claustrophobia of the first one, a little of the humanity and personality has been lost. A great movie then, but it would have been fun to go back to the roots of the franchise...

...and you hardly notice the lack of profanity.

Poetic Justice...

I have just seen my second poem - Four Seasons - published online at The Aroostook Review. It's not Milton, it's fair to say, but I would never claim to have my eye on any poetry prizes anyway... however it's good for me to expand my horizons and my (still somewhat limited) oeuvre.

Check it out if you fancy a change of pace.

The Sweet Taste...

I came across this positive review of my story Raspberry Roulette which appeared in the virtual pages of Ticonderoga last year. It raises a smile as the style of that particular piece seems to lose a lot of readers.

"Brian G Ross’ “Raspberry Roulette” is beautifully written, and certainly seems to come from someone with a very good knowledge of teenagers and their relationships. Russian Roulette, where the loser must handle objects that may or may not be disgusting. The game itself is entertaining, but it’s the way the boys involved relate to one another that makes this story a real gem."

Check out ASIF for a wealth of reviews on everything both Australian and speculative - from comic books to live performance.