Tuesday 2 February 2016

Basics, Essentials, and a lesson for all storytellers

 Hi Everyone

In the first post on this blog, Pause for Thought Short Story Collection Volume 1 synopsis and general detail . There is a detailed accout of what this collection is all about, both as an overview and as a summation of each storyline within the collection.

What is of equal importance is to say where and how the book can be obtained and/or purchased for £9.95* so for such information, please see below.

  1. By paypal (yet to be finalised, but soon operational)
  2. By post.....Please use the contact form provided or contact me by email at chrisn@manx.net and make cheque payment to "Chris Wilson", Postal address Mr C.N.Wilson, 46 St Catherine Close, Douglas, IOM IM1 4JB
  3. Via purchase through or at the following loactions:-The Lexicon Bookshop Douglas IOM, The Bridge Bookshop Port Erin IOM, St Pauls Bookshop Ramsey IOM, and Spill the Beans coffee House Douglas IOM
*This is the recomended retail price, but pricing may vary in accordance with individual outlet policy. As regards sales by post via option 2, the price includes Isle of Man postage, The cost for UK postage is £12.OO ukpp inc, and as regards E.U international delivery, please contact Chris wuilson @ chrisn@manx.net so that individual postrage rates can be arranged. If the contact form is used for purchasing please ensure a delivery adress is provided. Upon purchase a receipt will always be provided, plus, if so desired an invoice or a delivery note


So what else can I say but I hope you enjoy what you read, and if you wish to recieve updates on this blog sign up here or alternativly follow me on facebook please click on the link provided. Oh yes, I hope you also enjoy the video below. Maybe, as universal storytellers, it has meassage for us all



Friday 13 November 2015

pause for thought Short Story Collection Volume I synopsis and Story detail

Hi Folks

I have been reprimanded by my wife that I have not really told visitors blog what the book is reallly about. She is right and therefore it is time to manke amends, so I hope whaty follows may be of interest, and shine a little lighr as rebgards what lies within.

First  the overall synopsis., and then a little detail about each story

How often do we have time to look at and think about the quieter moments in life? How often do we get the chance to think differently about all of life around us, and with a fresh pair of eyes to study what we see?

For many of us the answer to both such questions would sadly be, very seldom, but this collection of 24 short stories, approximately 2000-2500 words per story, and written by Isle of Man resident and short story writer Chris Wilson, offers us such a rare opportunity.

Written in a style that offers the reader the chance to rediscover the joys of the English language, the stories are split into four different categories. They all have a distinct flavour and character of their own, yet all have common threads that bind them all as one. What threads are these? Why that of life itself. We all know about life’s happiness and doubt, and love and loneliness, and we all know that if we walk in bright sunlight we must also walk beneath its showers. Yet this collection goes further as what might happen after death is sometimes explored.

The first group within the collection is that of eight feel good stories. From a new found love and friendship over a pot if strawberry jam, to the yearning of full acceptance with a village community, via oodles of Dutch pancakes, tatties, cheese, and melt in your mouth cream pastries.; this section allows the reader to effortlessly slip into their dreams.

A walk on the dark side, a group of six stories, is a different kettle of fish for it offers the reader a chance to explore darker and possibly more uncomfortable themes. The nature of happiness is explored alongside successful crime, and the darker side of human nature is very much to be seen. Yet even here there are glimpses of sunlight, and there is still warmth and affection to be found.

Then we have Paranormal Stories, a small group of three stories, but an intriguing selection, and one which may catch the reader by surprise. The ghosts with this section, if all of them are ghosts, are all active ghosts. They all have minds and emotions if their own and all reflect upon the world of the living and the dead that surrounds them. The reader is offered the chance to look at the world of the paranormal in a different way, and to contemplate worlds and existences as yet unseen.

The final section is that of the Pause for Thought section, and this group of seven stories is maybe the most complex of them all. Here the reader is encouraged to literally stop and think about what lies before their eyes, and to even challenge everything that they might believe to be true. From a compassionate view of dementia to the challenges of human nature and humanism, via a sobering tale of alcoholism and loneliness, and a portrayal of trying to cope with the death of a loved one; all of life is here. Yet, despite such sadness there is still warmth, compassion and expectation of better things to come in many of the stories, or at least the memory of better times once savoured and enjoyed

So it is that the writer offers us a chance to think differently and to think about life in all its manifestations. So what else can the writer say but read on, think on, and enjoy.



Story Detail

Feel Good Stories
A Question of Style...A coming together of characters separated by social convention over a pale of tatties, bangers, cheese and butter
DANCE WITH ME...a soft poignant tale burgeoning love between two lonely yet respected characters separated by a counter and by the expectations of the community around them
Heavenly Indulgencies...  An unfolding romance relationship and a tale of two women brought together over cherry brandy and plates of pancakes laden with cinnamon, forest fruits, chocolate, and cream
Slip, Slop, Plop, and Gurgle... a reunification of a troubled family unit, at set against the slip, slop, plop, and gurgle, of a swiftly flowing stream
The Little pot of Jam.... a tale love, life, and loneliness, all resolved in a cosy corner cafe, and over a pot of strawberry jam
The onion Bubble tree... a tale of distant childhood memories, childhood stories, and re-affirmation of belief, all tied up by a huge mound of onions and a bucketful of tears.
The Red Headed Mermaid... A tale of rediscovery, re-affirmation, and hope for a new beginning, all wrapped up in a red headed mermaid and a slumbering king Neptune, shoring away happily on the sand
What’s up Popsi... A tale of acceptance in a village community set amidst a sea of invasion, relocation, and rich Czech pastries.

A Walk on the Dark Side ...
A Lifetime of Happiness... What could be more enjoyable than a lifetime of happiness, but for Joe, the stories main character, such a prize is not so good as it might seem.
Cock Robin... The main character, one puffed up prison tour guide, seems to have a perfect bed of roses, and a perfect marriage, but what is his wife thinking, and what lies ahead for him at the head of a set of stairs
Grandma B.B.Betty’s cookies...  A grim tale of social inadequacy and cannabis misuse, based on the Song The Old Dope Pedlar by Thomas Lehrer
Lone Star... A story of pride, fraudulence, and personal observation, set against the various practices of a small town Literary group in all its dubious glory.
The Family Man...  A study of a Perfect Family man at the head of a perfect family, as seen through the eyes of a ghost writer commissioned to tell his tale
Play Chicken... A grim vengeful story about bullying, social acceptance, trains and train timetables with an uncomfortable twist in the tail

Paranormal Stories
A Nice Day for  Funeral... A bitter sweet story about crossing over to the other side, as viewed through the eyes of the living and of those who have gone before.
The Ghost Tour...  gentle compassionate ghost story centred around a ghost tour, but again a tour viewed by both the living and the dead.
Stepping Stones... A paranormal story centred around the possibility of reincarnation, but with a twist in the tail

Contemplative stories
Hopscotch on the Prom... A bitter sweet yet compassionate and carefully observed story focusing on the effects of Alzheimer’s, as viewed through the eyes and mind of a sufferer, her husband/carer or caregiver, and a young child
My Friend Jeannie... A portrayal of loneliness, alcoholism, denial, and faded glory as told through the eyes of once young and happy, but now poor and faded woman in Chelsea.
My Wife and I... A reflective story about marriage as seen through the eyes of two couples who are on two very different points on the scale.
Paddling in the Sea... A story about a mothers inability to accept the death of her son in WW2, and her subsequent belief that he still stands by her side.
Reading Between the Lines... A soft contemplative tale about an aging seaside fortune teller, and of her family who support her as her powers continue to fade.
The Wise Man and the Fool... A tale of differing faith and care in the community involving a vicar and a troubled young man in the community, but who is wise and who is the fool, and are the gargoyles high up on the church only made of stone.?
The Yoghurt Pot Musketeers... Three free thinkers debate various items, while the wife of one of the debaters looks on, but what are they thinking, what are their true characters, and, as the wife eats a yoghurt in the kitchen, how does that yoghurt feel.





Tuesday 10 November 2015

Pause for Thought progress report

Hi everyone

To begin with a huge thank you to everyone who has visited this site, but then an apology for the long delays in publication.

Due to external difficulties the process of publication has taken much longer than anticipated' but I am delighted to say that completion is but a few days away.

By this time next week copies will be available for purchase and I hope to have the pay pal system up an running which will incorporate the cost of the book, priced at £12.00  for UK delivery. European and international postal delivery can also be arranged by leaving a message in the message box below

So all I can say is just hold tight for a few more days. I am sure that you share my frustration as regards such delays, but progress has been made, and, as said, completion will be within a few days.

Finally updates on the progress of this and other books in the pipeline can be viewed in Facebook by clicking on the link below

https://www.facebook.com/pause.for.thought.1311/

Tuesday 23 June 2015

Hi Everyone

I'm delighted to Post the news that publication  of Pause for Thought Short Story Collection Volume 1 is underway in print and has been completed as  an ebook

The ebook is currently available at smashwords.com, and a wider distribution should be forthcoming in the very near future

Chris Wilson