ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
I'm thirty nine, recently single again. I have two boys Cli' (pronounced clee) Real name Christopher and Mark. I'm a care in the community nurse and formerly (when I was married) an occupational Therapist working with the mentally ill on a secure unit. I love reading and writing and meeting people. I hate offal, seafood and intolerance. I keep dog, cat, polecats, rats and reptiles. And for seven years ran the second largest reptile sanctuary in Britain. Apart from having my lads, I think that's probably the most worthwhile thing I've ever done. Writing wise, I've been the main fiction writer for Legends magazine for three years.And have two books published 'Lizard's Leap' published by Quillusers, and 'Better the Devil You Know' soon to be released by Bestbooks.Um I drive a knackered old Astra, and ride a two litre trike. I live in the lake district of England, and am happy. :-) [January 2003]
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (84) A Fork In The Road. (Short Stories) A paradox revolving round the lonely Holker Mosses in the dead of night. [2,835 words] [Mystery] A Twist In The Tail (Short Stories) - [963 words] Agony (Short Stories) The First in a series of Agony columns written by the unstoppable Aunt Nasty. (May be deemed offensive) [1,200 words] [Comedy] Agony 2 (Short Stories) Morew from the irrepresible Aunt Nasty (May be deemed offensive). [1,077 words] [Comedy] Angel Stew (Short Stories) The kitchens are in uproar. [826 words] [Comedy] Anne (Short Stories) - [707 words] Apple Of His Eye (Short Stories) Daddy's little girl, Daddy's little sweetheart. (May be deemed offensive). [1,742 words] [Drama] Attractions (Short Stories) People stared at the sisters and called them freaks. [678 words] [Drama] Bandit At Twelve-O-Clock (Short Stories) A sinister note drops through her letter box, but who is it from and what's it all about? [2,144 words] [Drama] Barriers (Short Stories) Everybody's frightened of the prisoner in the cell at the end of the block. [2,913 words] [Thriller] Breakfast In Bed (Short Stories) She loved her husband so much, and a sepcial man deserves a special breakfast. [1,633 words] [Horror] Car Trouble (Short Stories) Boys will be boys. [496 words] [Comedy] Cat's Chorus (Short Stories) - [1,332 words] Cherry Blossom (Short Stories) - [435 words] Cold, Cold Night.. (Short Stories) The night was beautiful but biting, she had to make her final farewells, a cigarette would help. [630 words] [Drama] Creeping Up From Behind. (Short Stories) You can't ever really know what someone else is thinking ... unless they choose to tell you. [925 words] [Drama] Dark Solitude. (Short Stories) A woman alone on the moors when a storm threatens, but this is no ordinanry storm and that is no ordinary lady. [1,434 words] [Drama] Dawn Rising (Short Stories) He looked at his own personal sunrise every morning, yet longed for the warmth of the sun. [1,069 words] [Drama] Deadly Persuit (Short Stories) Nature at its most cruel .. when it's interfered with by man. [1,541 words] [Drama] Deep Blue Eastern Light (Poetry) I've never been to Budapest, but I saw an image on a postcard, it was misty and had a sort of dreamy quality about it. I wondered about the spirit of Budapest. Hope I've done her justicce. [204 words] Different Road (Short Stories) Charlie is running scared. Will he find his way before his precious time runs out? [521 words] Empty House (Short Stories) This had been her domain, now it was only a shadow. [649 words] [Drama] Find Me A Place (Poetry) Everybody needs somewhere to run. [193 words] [Drama] Finding Fleur (Short Stories) Katy desperately wants to find Fleur, but does Fleur want to be found? [1,727 words] [Drama] Four Minute Warning (Short Stories) - [476 words] [Comedy] Freedom By Another Name (Short Stories) He's an imposter [557 words] [Drama] Furtive Glances (Short Stories) Always the last to know! [891 words] [Drama] Galaxy (Poetry) Let Venus bear witness and Mars be our guide. [139 words] Hickory, Dickory, Dock (Short Stories) - [991 words] [Drama] Is The Toilet Roll Half Full Or Half Empty (Short Stories) It's hard when you're at bursting point. [423 words] [Comedy] I've Always Wanted To Write... But! (Short Stories) There's always an excuse if you want to find one. [510 words] [Mind] Jasmine And Gardenia Love (Poetry) - [417 words] [Erotic] Jinny (Poetry) - [176 words] Just The Ticket (Short Stories) You pays your money and you takes your chances. [5,177 words] [Drama] Knockers (Short Stories) It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. [2,210 words] [Drama] Little Bird (Short Stories) He liked fragile things [1,406 words] [Drama] Lizards Leap (Novels) Four children buy an intricately carved frame from a school fair. A crazy old woman chases them desperately wanting the carving for herself. What is the mystery surrounding the strange frame? [5,753 words] [Adventure] Long Walk Back To Jurassica (Poetry) Evolution and progress or three million steps backwards? [323 words] [Drama] Lookingthrough The Window (Short Stories) - [401 words] Madness Becomes You (Short Stories) She used to be someone, now she's several people, or maybe she's nobody at all, it makes no difference. [394 words] [Drama] Making My Way Back To You. (Short Stories) She'd told them a thousand times to keep the front door closed, now tragedy had struck. [1,926 words] [Drama] Memberwhen (Poetry) Memberwhen that mystical word of long ago memories. [189 words] [Drama] Mortar Doesn't Breathe. (Short Stories) The house was inanimate, dead ... because her child was gone. [1,114 words] [Drama] Mourning Glory (Short Stories) One of my favourite pieces. Please note *This is not a children's story* It's the tale of a little girl trying to be a child. [1,786 words] [Drama] Mumbles From The Madhouse (Novels) It was her first day on the secure unit and somehow she had to see it through. [2,215 words] [Drama] My Friend The Tiger And Me (Poetry) I wrote this for my little boy when he was having trouble at school. [942 words] [Animal] Naughty Bunny Goes To Ibiza (Short Stories) - [552 words] One-Man Race (Short Stories) He had only his nerves to rely on. One slip and the race would be lost. [664 words] [Drama] Out Of Print (Short Stories) A man, a boy, a love of reading and echoes of the past. [2,007 words] [Drama] Outrun The River (Poetry) The snow was melting fast and he owed it to himself and his seld of dogs to make it to safety. [145 words] [Action] Play With Me Please. (Short Stories) - [322 words] Return Of The Hellcat (Erotica May Be Offensive) (Short Stories) Please do not read this one if easily offended. Or even not so easily offended. Continuing sexploits of Dark Solitude. [3,390 words] [Erotic] Room For One More (Short Stories) The dream was haunting and wouldn't leave Mike alone. [1,728 words] [Drama] Rush Hour (Short Stories) - [419 words] Sally (Short Stories) - [2,268 words] Sinister Music (Novels) She had no psychic ability, so why had fate chosen her to foretell of the spate of brutal murders? [6,114 words] [Drama] So This Is My Life Then (Short Stories) - [517 words] [Comedy] Space Walk (Short Stories) May Cause offense. [1,290 words] [Drama] Spirit Dancer (Poetry) - [514 words] Sweet Child Of Mine (Short Stories) The old lady had been brutally mugged, her son was sucjh a good boy, but would his thoughts now turn to revenge? [1,843 words] [Drama] Tangled Web (Short Stories) Treat `em mean and keep `em keen. [596 words] [Drama] The Band Played On (Short Stories) - [1,486 words] [Drama] The Big Picture (Short Stories) The little girl was a great artist, but her subject matter was giving cause for concern. [776 words] [Drama] The Comet. (Short Stories) Remember! [796 words] [Drama] The Dinosaur (Short Stories) - [1,523 words] The Half Empty Glass. (Short Stories) They had no idea of the horror they were walking into. [3,030 words] [Drama] The Hhmmm Efect (Poetry) - [783 words] The Iceberg (Short Stories) She had to break the hold they had on him... release him from his parents grip. [410 words] [Drama] The Joker (Short Stories) - [2,032 words] The Lovers (Poetry) - [124 words] The Mark Of Jack (Short Stories) The start of something maybe. [1,044 words] [Drama] The Old Enemy (Short Stories) I just hope I've got the names right. [253 words] [Drama] The Rosary (Short Stories) May cause offense. [422 words] The Spark (Short Stories) - [557 words] The Thirteenth Station (Short Stories) - [8,024 words] [Horror] The Village Green. (Short Stories) - [559 words] [Drama] Three Mile Gap (Poetry) So close and yet... [285 words] [Drama] Tomorrow Lies Beside Us (Poetry) - [239 words] [Drama] Tusk (Short Stories) - [1,012 words] [Drama] Under The Whether (Short Stories) - [1,626 words] Watching And Waiting (Short Stories) - [1,253 words] [Drama] White Icing (Short Stories) - [1,385 words] Worlds Biggest Loser (Short Stories) - [114 words] You Are My Sunshine (Short Stories) - [1,285 words]
READER'S REVIEWS (2) DISCLAIMER: STORYMANIA DOES NOT PROVIDE AND IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWS. ALL REVIEWS ARE PROVIDED BY NON-ASSOCIATED VISITORS, REGARDLESS OF THE WAY THEY CALL THEMSELVES.
"RG Meyer’s Review: Pact Of Joy. Sue (Sooz) Simpson Hannah clawed her way through the thick barrier of dry ice smoke. She could barely make out the misty grey silhouettes of apparitions moving in the gloom. “Come on girl, don’t you back out now, you can do it, she said to herself. ***She either spoke the words or she did not, make up your mind.*** She couldn’t believe this had been her idea. In the comforting bright light and security of her bedroom it had ***Unnecessary use of the word had.*** seemed wildly adventurous, while at the same time offering some safety. Now it seemed ludicrous that ***Unnecessary use of the word that.*** she had suggested it. She had ‘known’ Nat for some months now, but this was their first meeting. They had become gradually more open and close as little parts of their lives and experience had been revealed one layer at a time, and yet so little was actually disclosed. Was it possible to be so drawn to someone you had never met? Common sense had told her to ground her feelings to reality. This was nothing more than two friends meeting for a drink. “Blitz” was the new gothic-themed nightclub that had recently opened in town. Hannah had never been, never really wanted to go, but she had wanted to impress Nat. He was always writing to tell her of some wild night or other that he had indulged in, while she spent most evenings sitting at home reading. This had been her act of defiance against the hermit she had become. Now her defiance was rapidly making its way out of the door behind her, leaving a feeling of “Oh my god, what are you doing, meeting a strange man in a strange place where you obviously don’t fit in? Crazy!” She peered through the throat-constricting smoke in search of the bar. He had offered to meet her outside; hell, he had initially offered to pick her up at home. Why had she felt such a need to show him what an independent woman of 2000 she was? Picking her way through the seething mass of writhing bodies -- too much flesh, too little clothing, and all so black -- she moved nervously up to the bar. A creature of indeterminate gender dressed in black asked what it could get her. The voice was giving away no clues. “Oh…er, um…”. She was thrown; the bartender had pounced before she had even had a chance to think about what to order. “The lady would like a glass of dry white wine please?” “Sure thing Nat, ice?” He had swooped in from nowhere. She had the vision of a raven having flown down from one of the podiums. “Hannah, we meet at last. It’s so good to see you.” This wasn’t how it was supposed to be; she felt herself floundering. She had wanted to be composed, confident, come across as someone who wasn’t to be messed with. Instead he had launched himself at her when she was unprepared, bailed her out with the colourful bar person and ordered for her without even asking what she would like. All the clever opening gambits to the game of flirtation that she had practised ***practiced*** deserted her. She couldn’t think of a thing to say. Blushing furiously, she managed a muffled “Hello.” “So, my lady of the night, she of the thousand written words, is a shy one. Well well.” He was poking fun at her. She lowered her head, willing herself to come up with just one suitable retort. Nothing was forthcoming so she muttered a “thank you” as he handed her the drink. He had told her he wasn’t familiar with the place and yet the bartender had known his name. How? “Shall we find a table?” It wasn’t a question, it was a command. He lifted his drink and had already begun to move away. His hand was warm against the small of her back as he guided her over to a secluded table and indicated that she sit into the corner, where they would not be disturbed. She sat, took a sip of her drink and tried not to let her distaste show on her face like a schoolgirl trying something new and unpleasant. For the first time she risked a proper look at him. He was grinning broadly, his arm spread casually across the back of the bench seat. He appeared relaxed and comfortable, while she felt ridiculous. For the next half hour he filled the awkward silence with pleasant chat about himself and his upbringing. He asked few questions of her, and she was grateful as it gave her time to compose herself. Although the conversation was mainly geared towards him, she felt that he had been aware of her awkwardness and was allowing her some time to adjust and become more comfortable. He seemed to ooze good manners and courtesy, in a brash sort of way. He told her that he had been born and raised in Greece, on a little island off the mainland, where the sun had finished what ancestry had begun. He was dark skinned, with brilliant white teeth and moody, almost aggressive eyes. He wore his confidence with the same air as his citric, slightly sickly aftershave, and his arrogance fit him as snugly as his tight black jeans. His name was Natas, heir to a string of Greek tavernas sprouting all over the Northwest, but his friends called him Nat. When the waitresses passed he called them to replenish their glasses. Three more glasses of wine were brought in rapid succession as he talked. They weren’t tasting nearly so bad now and a warm tinge was spreading throughout the inside of her chest. She tried to buy the fifth round but Nat wouldn’t hear of it. This irritated her but she let it go for now. The night was young and she was beginning to enjoy herself despite the rough start. Maybe she could begin to turn the tables and regain some control of the evening. “So Hannah, tell me about you. I have completely monopolised the conversation. Your turn.” “Well, there’s not much to tell really. I’ve told you almost everything about me in our emails” she lied, not wanting to discuss her past with this man who had become so close, but now seemed like a stranger. “Oh come on, there’s a lot going on in there that you haven’t told me. You have such sad eyes Hannah. Are you happy***A question deserves a question mark. They look like this “?”” She smiled again the turn of events were running away with her, she felt manipulated and drawn. “Of course I’m happy. I have a good job, a nice house, everything I need and some of what I’d like” He put his forefinger under her chin and drew her face level with his, His eyes not only met hers, but felt as though they penetrated them. “Oh sure, on the surface you tootle along presenting the world with a semi-convincing façade of contentment, but what about real happiness? What about passion, dreams ambition? What about your soul Hannah, is it filled with joy, or does it fester beneath your breast withering with lack of stimuli, barren of true happiness?” She reached for her seventh -- or was it eighth? -- glass of wine and slugged off half the flute in a smooth fluid swallow. It lubricated her dry throat and what had been bitter now seemed mellow and pleasant. He was confusing her, or the wine was confusing her. What was all this talk of true happiness? What was he getting at? She took another drink and tried to focus her reply; probably more chance of that than focusing her gaze. “I told you, I’m happy. Why do you doubt me? Do you think that because I have no man in my life I must automatically be some frustrated old box of desiccated coconut?” She giggled at her simile and nearly choked on the drink of wine she had just taken. “I’m deliriously happy, blissfully happy. Wonderfully, totally, madly happy.” She choked back an alcohol-induced self-pitying sob. “My life’s a mess and I’m miserable. There. Happy now? Is that what you wanted to hear?” “Oh God I’m drunk” she thought ***When one’s lips are moving they are speaking. When their lips are not moving, they are not speaking.***. “Please Nat excuse me, I’m sorry, I think I need to just freshen up a bit.” He stood to let her pass and pretended not to notice that she staggered against the wall slightly as she passed. She didn’t see his satisfied smirk as she walked away from him. In the Ladies, she splashed her face with cold water, looked in the mirror and cursed the cosmetic company who told a pack of lies about their new ‘Waterproof Wonder’ range of make-up. She looked like Chi-Chi the panda. “With a bit of luck, by the time I sort this lot out he’ll have made a quick escape and be gone and then I can go home and forget this awful experience ever happened” she thought. The door burst open abruptly, making Hannah jump. Her eyeliner shot off her lower eye rim and gave her cheek a rather tribal look with the long black line that now adorned it. She wet yet another piece of tissue and dabbed at her cheek as the lady who had raced in checked all the stalls; she seemed agitated and Hannah watched her through the mirror. “Excuse me love” the other woman asked, “You haven’t seen a short girl with purple hair have you, I can’t find her and am beginning to get worried” Hannah tried her best not to slur her words as she told the woman that her friend hadn’t been in for at least the last five minutes. “Hope you find her” she said to the other woman’s retreating behind. Hannah took a final look in the mirror, stuck her tongue out, and called the bleary eyed reflection gazing back at her a drunken bum. “Oh well, can’t hide in here all night I suppose.” She felt almost human, and managed a more-or-less perpendicular walk back to the table, where Nat was waiting for her with a warm smile on his face. “Here, drink this, it’ll make you feel better.” “What is it?” she asked, eyeing the glass distrustfully. “Fresh orange juice.” He grinned up at her boyishly and she managed a return smile, though she was still irritated that she had allowed herself to get so drunk. “I can make you eternally happy Hannah”, he blurted out suddenly. “Oh yes, and on what assumption do you base this theory?” Emboldened by the wine she flirted with her eyes. ”Not that I’m disagreeing with you of course.” “Because, my dear Hannah, I am Beelzebub, a.k.a the Devil, Lucifer, Satan. I can make your wildest dreams come true in return for nothing more than a little loyalty.” She laughed at his sincere expression. What a strange man he was. Why didn’t he just say he fancied her and wanted to be with her? She was happy to play along. “So my lord and master, eternal happiness eh? And what do you want in return, my soul I suppose? That’s the way it works isn’t it? You do your genie impression and grant my greatest desire in return for my soul.” “That is exactly right my dear. With a simple handshake, from this moment on you need never feel a single moment of heartache or sadness.” “A handshake, how very formal. Don’t I have to sign an aged scroll in my blood or something?” He laughed and his eyes twinkled. “Silly girl, you’ve been reading too many horror stories. No, a handshake will do.” Hannah pouted, enjoying the game. “Oh, I’d rather seal our pact with a kiss.” “As you wish, as long as you understand the rules. Eternal happiness and in return I come for you at the end of your days.” ***You are aware that you’ve completely contradicted yourself? First the guy was born in Greece, and now he’s supposedly the immortal Satan.*** He moved nearer and snaked his arm gently round her shoulders, drawing her closer to him. He smiled down into her face as their lips slid closer together. “Do we have a deal?” he whispered seductively. “Oh yes” she breathed as his mouth closed over hers. Everything after that sped past in a blur. Nat said she looked tired. Told her they had all of eternity to be together and that she should go home and get some rest. She should have been disappointed that he didn’t at least offer to walk her home, but she was too blissfully happy to care. “I’ve got your number,” he said as he left her at the club doorway. Had she been less happy, maybe she’d have noticed that he didn’t kiss her goodnight. “Tomorrow is another day,” she thought, “we have all eternity to be together.” She didn’t hear from Nat again. The emails she sent were returned to her by his service provider, and he never called. She didn’t mind though, she just put it down to a pleasant night that wasn’t to be repeated. The first ‘occurrence’, as she came to call them, happened just three months later. Her little dog Misty was killed on the road outside her house. Misty’s pretty, smoky-grey fur was matted with blood and she whimpered pitifully as Hannah held her in her arms. Hannah was happy that she died quickly, happy that she didn’t linger and was happy that … happy that … well, she was just happy, that’s all. Her mother lost her fight against breast cancer a year later. Hannah was so happy that it was finally over, that her mother wouldn’t have to endure any more misery. She smiled as her mother died, she was so happy. Her life had changed. She was happy, blissfully happy. She felt no pain, no suffering, and no sadness. She laughed at sad films and in the face of adversity and at others’ misfortune. She met a man, Greg. He was a good man, a kind man, but the relationship floundered. He said that she had no feelings, no tenderness, and no soul. Hannah was happy; he wasn’t the one for her, so it was best that they should part. It was three years after the night at Blitz that Hannah slashed her wrists while standing on the clifftop ***cliff-top***. She stood watching the waves crashing onto the rocks way below and dragged the steel razor-blade along the length of her carpal arteries many times. She was so damned happy. So bloody happy. In the old days when she was sad she used to come here and it would lift her spirits, make her feel happier. That was so ironic; all she wanted to feel was some pain, some contrast to this cursed euphoria that blighted her days. She laughed maniacally as the blood spurted from her ravaged wrists. She was so happy. A figure appeared over the rise. She knew it was Satan, she had been expecting him. “Hello Natas. You got me good, you bastard.” She smiled without any signs of malice. She looked so happy standing there in her blood-soaked clothes. Another job well done. “Hello Hannah. How have you been my dear?” “I’ve been happy thank-you”, she said politely. “Very damned happy.” A single tear coursed down her cheek in spite of her happiness, losing itself in the laughter lines at the corner of her mouth. She giggled softly and wilted into the arms of the dark man who had come to take her. " -- Cam Davis.
"Ignoring the sarcasm of the review, I'll just say thank you for your time and superior knowlege. thanks Cam." -- Sooz, Dalton-in-Furness, England, Cumbria.
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