Strange Matters

[beardedwordsmith]

Hi all!

I'm a new Smashworder, just getting to grips with it all and taking the opportunity to share my book.

You can grab it here for £1.99: www.smashwords.com/books/view/545088

Strange Matters is a collection of tales of fantasy, myth and magic. Some are funny, some are dark, some are both. Some are set in our world, with the skin peeled back to reveal the magical mechanisms beneath. Some are set in fantasy worlds, where instead it’s the reflections of reality which are hidden. All contain matters best described as ‘strange’, because to me, strange matters.
Strange Matters is a collection of tales of fantasy, myth and magic.

Some are funny, some are dark, some are both. Some are set in our world, with the skin peeled back to reveal the magical mechanisms beneath. Some are set in fantasy worlds, where instead it’s the reflections of reality which are hidden.

All contain matters best described as ‘strange’, because to me, strange matters.

This book includes twenty pieces of poetry and fiction (some with mature themes), including:

Wordsmith
Kate’s night is interrupted by meeting a mute, half-naked Ethiopian boy, which would be fine if he wasn’t being hunted through the streets of London by hyenas.

Torc
When a group of bikers get lost in a forest, they find that they are not alone.

The Firebird
Ekaterina wants to be taken seriously by the men of her village, so she sets out to hunt the greatest prey of all… the legendary Firebird.

Arcturus
A nameless criminal explores his capacity for magic- and empathy- when he’s forced to make unusual acquaintances to escape justice.

It Wants To Eat Me
The diary entries of a teenage girl who finds an unusual and unwelcome intruder in her dreams.

British Gods
Two strange figures watch the violence of the London riots unfold and do what they can to help, as only forgotten gods can.

Nine
Having just died, Andy’s not pleased to find himself in the ancient Egyptian afterlife, where the goddess Bastet wants a word with him.

Strange Matters is a journey through many facets of fantasy, all united by a fresh, modern eye for incisive storytelling and magical realism.

Hope you enjoy it, feel free to try the free version first (there's a link on the book page) or just a sample.

Let me know if you have questions!

Great to meet you-

Bret

[Ria Stone]

Brett:

Loved your phrase, "In it for the art..."

I am driven to write, it's like breathing. Also trained as a journalist but most of my jobs in corporate world called for press releases, report summaries, in-house newsletters etc. Did a few pieces for a community newspaper.

While my imagination lends itself to fiction, most of my writing is non-fiction.

But, the best part of writing for me is research because you never know where it will lead.

Good luck

[beardedwordsmith]

Thanks very much!

Interesting, I wonder how many others are in a similar positions. It's like a builder who puts boring old bricks together day-to-day but really wants to make fancy masonry!

Nice to meet you.