A free short story // More adventures in cover design

Aug 14, 2020 7:01 pm

Hello and welcome to this week's instalment of Not Entirely Here.

Here are the four topics we're covering today:

I just returned from Budapest. Coronavirus travel sucks.
I got mauled by a feline
I wrote another (free) short story for you - there's a link
Emily Voss has a new cover - and I'd like you to vote on it

Let's get to it!

I Just Returned From Budapest

Where I stayed for a grand total of eight days, if you include the days when I flew in and out.

On Budapest...

I spent lots of time in a coffee shop where I was unexpectedly super productive
People don't wear masks, the nightclubs appear to be open and they pay lip service to social distancing. Second wave here we come!
The food is much, much better than I remember - maybe I got lucky with the restaurant, we only went out once.

On travel during a pandemic...

Wearing a mask for five hours is annoying but doable. Getting your kids to wear their masks is like a war of attrition. I know young children are not obliged to wear masks, but Coronavirus doesn't have a mystical ability to ignore kids, it's just less painful for them. Since I live with my kids, and my kids spend time with my parents and my in-laws, it makes really obvious sense to take precautions.
I travelled for work in the middle of the first wave - that was horrible, with airports all but deserted and police enforcing mask-wearing in Paris. Everyone seems much more chilled out now. Not sure this is a good thing.

I Got Mauled By A Feline

Ok. I'm exaggerating. My hands got mauled by a kitten, and it was, more or less, my fault. I was trying to catch her at the time (to take her to the vet) and she's not domesticated.

Despite the many shallow, bloody lacerations on both my hands, we forgave each other and she was soon purring like a minature turbine. Of course I forgave her - how could I not? - just look at her!

Regular use of alcohol-based disinfectant on lacerated hands is... how shall I put this... uncomfortable. Thank you, Coronavirus, for yet another way in which you make life less fun.

I Wrote Another Short Story

This is a 'bonus' story and a prequel to "Past Mistakes" that occurs in Emily's youth, when she's first training herself to be an exorcist. If you don't know who 'Emily' is, you should definitely read Past Mistakes...

I hope you enjoy this new short story. Feel free to let me know (hit reply).

If you haven't read Past Mistakes, you can download it by clicking here.

You can read this new short story, A First Time For Everything, by clicking on the button below.

Download "A First Time For Everything"

I Changed the Cover for Past Mistakes

The cover used to look like this:

and now it looks like this

I would be very, very grateful if you could let me know what you think of the new cover. You can do that in a number of ways.