The second edition of my debut novel is finally in print. Words cannot describe how excited I am to be able to hold a copy of it in my own hands. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1973371677
Author: The Haphazard Writer
At long last I can announce that a cover has been made, and The Forsaken Ones will be going live very soon!
With the release of the paperback edition of The Forsaken Ones, I am looking for reviewers! I am happy to give free copies in exchange for honest reviews, just contact via the blog or twitter so I can start getting your copies ready.
Remains of spring
The leaves on the tree have grown back in the kind of yellow green that suggests a readiness for autumn though to my mind, it is barely spring. Perhaps I saw them, for a moment, the pink blossoms but now their petals line the road like bloodied snow. From my window I watch petals dance … Continue reading Remains of spring
For a narcissist keeping tabs…
You are not a milestone in my life, not a blot on a reel that I replay. You are not important. Not a scratch on my lens but a smudge, dirt that I have wiped away, and the pictures taken with you never made the final cut. The life I built has no space for … Continue reading For a narcissist keeping tabs…
A Fairy Story: A Preview
A fairy story that will give you chills...An exclusive preview into what this haphazard author has been up to
An idiopathic shadow
I have been silent on my blog for a while now. Part of that was starting a new job, in a new town, as a trainee teacher. Another part, is my deteriorating health that makes every day a struggle without reprieve. I have been suffering idiopathic allergic reactions and anaphylaxis since I moved to start my new role, which on a number of occasions has left me on death's door, which has been, frankly, traumatising. I still work. I try to pretend that I am coping, but every time I get an itch, the anxiety sets in. Yesterday, I found out that after five months of waiting, and four anaphlactic episodes, my allergy clinic appointment was cancelled and the referral pulled from under me, with no communication from the clinic or my GP, and at this point, I don't know how to continue as I am. I am lucky that I have a partner, friends, and family who look out for me. But with austerity in the UK as it is, and NHS services being deliberately underfunded, myself and millions more people living with disabilities and life threatening conditions are living with this fear and anxiety and any support they had is pulled out from under them. This poem is really just my attempts to work through all the fear and frustration that has been building.
Too Much Terminology
They saidthere's too much terminology these daystoo muchexpressionyour identityis too wordytooExclusive,they said. Our words should be their wordsor not exist at all. They offer understandingon conditionthat they can definethey offer inclusion through subsumptionconsumptioncome, climb into my mawwhere words do not matterin the darkbring a rainbow flag. I'll wear it for you,what more could you want?They … Continue reading Too Much Terminology
Teach First, the Happening
So first of all, I need to apologise to everyone who has been kind enough to follow this blog, for having produced next to no content for a while. Next up comes a confessional which attempts to excuse my reticence. Yes, I pledged to keep writing, even when I thought that writing might be drivel. … Continue reading Teach First, the Happening
Newquay (1/2): Bootlegger’s Voyage
We arrived in Newquay as the sun emerged from the clouds. Our mission: to find a skipper to take us out fishing. After contacting several, we finally found one who was willing to work that day. His boat: The Bootlegger. With the tide out we were able to take the short cut across the harbour. … Continue reading Newquay (1/2): Bootlegger’s Voyage
About Sex
I came across a call for submissions to a writing competition recently. The subject, sex. Any kind of sex, they said, any form, any genre. Go wild. The deadline for entry is two days from now. I've had a week to mull it over. I don't enter competitions much anymore. Mostly because they either cost … Continue reading About Sex





