Leslie Garland's Blog - Posts Tagged "speculative"

Apologies for what I know is going to be a negative posting.

I am fed-up to the back teeth with Face Book. Dealing with them seems to be just one hassle after another and all of their making. I am trying to write stories and so don't want to be having to spend my time trying to sort out their latest created mess. Sorry, but I have had enough.

So my main message in this posting is:- please follow me here on Goodreads or Twitter; https://twitter.com/LeslieWPGarland and of course don't forget my website; https://411.tifmember.com/ (which can be easily accessed from my author page).

And a bit of good news to finish with; "The Ghost Moth" is now almost finished. I am at present going through it with "the fine tooth-comb" (picking up typos and those other pesky gremlins which can creep through the net). Will continue to keep you posted.

All my tales are available from Amazon and are FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

Over 1,400 took advantage of the free download of The Little Dog earlier this month. Perhaps this is not surprising given the great reviews it has received (4+ star average on both Goodreads and Amazon). Many thanks to both Reba and Phil Leader for their 5 star endorsements. It is FREE on Kindle Unlimited and only $/£ 0.99 as a download from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...

Also thanks to Yolisa for her 4 star review of The Bat (The Red Grouse Tales) - A coming of age story involving a search after truth, doubt and a bat!

and to Ania for her 5 stars and Fhey for her 4 stars for The White Hart

All titles are FREE on Kindle Unlimited and most are only $/£ 0.99 each. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...

Excellent reviews have continued to come in since my last writing in October. My special thanks to:-

Marziye and Rachel Nefeke for their 5 star and Kathryn and Jai for their 4 star reviews of The White Hart.

Ania and Rachel Nefeke for their 5 star reviews and Fhey for her 4 stars for The Bat (The Red Grouse Tales) - A coming of age story involving a search after truth, doubt and a bat!

and to Linda Kressal and Carol S Bradley for each of their 5 star ratings for The Little Dog

Lisa for her 5 star review of The Red Grouse Tales: The Little Dog and Other Stories



Those of you who have read earlier postings will know that my wife and I are trying to move house. Given the dampening effect of Brexit I think it might be easier for us to physically move the thing - so am thinking about getting a crane and low-loader in - only kidding! But oh boy, it is frustrating and unfortunately this is impacting on my writing, as trying to write - well edit actually, because I am at that stage with The Ghost Moth - against this background of uncertainty is dreadfully difficult. However, we are plodding on, though right now I would hate to make any promises about when the story (this one will be a novel) will be ready.

In the meantime thanks to all for your super reviews and ratings (an average of 4.02 stars for over 120 ratings, which is very pleasing), not just because they help sales, which they do, but also because most importantly for an author, it really is so good to learn that readers 'got the point' of one's story and enjoyed it - it is that which keeps us going! So please keep your reviews coming in.

All titles are FREE on Kindle Unlimited and most single tale titles are only $/£ 0.99 each. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...

Web site: https://411.tifmember.com/

Apologies for not having ‘blogged’ - if that is the term? - recently, but I have been too busy editing my latest tale and trying to promote existing ones.

So, on the promotion front The Bat (The Red Grouse Tales) - A coming of age story involving a search after truth, doubt and a bat! will be available for FREE download from Amazon on 25 & 26 March – there is a date to put in the diary if you fancy a free read! Of course this tale, like all others, is FREE on Kindle Unlimited. Check the link above to take you through to the description and blurb. This coming of age tale is about truth, what is and what is not true. As a small tip, do not stop reading part way through as some reviewers have thinking that they know how the tale is going to end. They don’t! With the result that a number of them have got it all so wrong! Reading only half a story or listening to only half the facts is never going to give a full – a true? - picture.
Because todate I only have a few reviews for this tale – though one is a super 5 star one from LASReviews - I would much appreciate your review on both Amazon and Goodreads. If you are not feeling particularly literary, a simple star grading and two or three lines will do just fine. Thanks.

Now to latest reviews. The Little Dog continues to be popular. Special thanks to Patricia Makowski and JoAnn Daniels for their 5 star reviews of this tale. However, thanks also to all who have posted reviews of any of The Red Grouse Tales.


Editing. Oh goodness, this drives me up the wall! You think you have finished and then something else pops up. I am pretty sure the story element of The Ghost Moth is finished now, so it is only presentational loose ends which still require some attention. However, whatever it is always seems to take an inordinate amount of time. We’ll get there eventually!

Coming shortly, I hope! The Blue Horse. This is a story that I wrote years ago and shelved it because it didn’t fit in with the 4 tales that make up The Red Grouse Tales: The Little Dog and Other Stories I have started to do a bit of additional research for it and hope to make a start on completing it fairly soon. This one focuses on time and hence death – not too morbid I trust, more of musing on what is time, what is the span of years we call life and what happens when we, as we say, die? Indeed, do we?

Thanks for your continued support. Don’t forget the 25 and 26 March and that FREE download, though as already said, all tales are FREE on Kindle Unlimited. Most of the individual tales are priced at only $/£ 0.99 each. All can be found on; https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...

The first thing to mention is the The Golden Tup will be on a FREE DOWNLOAD on 6 & 7 May. So if you haven't read this one yet, pencil these dates in your diary and get yourself a free quiet horror story. If you like it, your review would be much appreciated.


Special thanks to Mary and Jeanne Porcius Dorismond for their 5 star ratings and reviews and to Lou for her 4 star review of The Little Dog. Also special thanks to Literary for his 4 star review of The Red Grouse Tales: The Little Dog and Other Stories. Thanks also to all others who posted ratings and reviews of any of my Red Grouse Tales.


Now on to news stuff.
The Ghost Moth is now finished and has been sent off to agents. My fingers are crossed!
Have done a little work on The Blue Horse, however it is still a work in progress.
Hit the 5000 Twitter followers the other day. Thanks to all who follow. If you don't and want to, my twitter handle is @LeslieWPGarland

Thanks for your continued support. Don’t forget the FREE download on 6 & 7 May. All tales are FREE on Kindle Unlimited. Most of the individual tales are priced at only $/£ 0.99 each. All can be found on; https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...

The Bat (The Red Grouse Tales) - A coming of age story involving a search after truth, doubt and a bat!
One for Hallowe'en.
FREE dnload 28 & 29 Oct from: https://amazon.co.uk/s?k=red+grouse+t...
FREE on Kindle Unlimited.
Read reviews: https://goodreads.com/book/show/48131...
Your Amazon review appreciated

Firstly, Happy New Year to you all and I hope you had a great Christmas. Doesn't it all seem like such a long time ago now? Anyway, here we are in January and the days are getting noticably longer.

I have to admit that I really do wonder what these authors who blog every week, not to mention those who blog every day, actually have to say. My life, like yours I expect, simply plods along. There are the occassional high points which are worth a mention, but they don't come every week!

However, one such is my first 5 star review for The Blue Horse . Many thanks Debbie Viscosi.

And another was a great 5 star review of The Red Grouse Tales from Grady Harp. Many thanks.

The Bat is proving to be extremely popular. So thanks to all of you who have added it to your reading lists. I hope you enjoy the tale.


At this time last year I had hoped to have my first novel, The Ghost Moth, just about finished. Unfortunately, things haven't worked out. I realised that I needed a bit of a rewrite of sections of it and as we are still, yes still, trying to move house, knew that I would not be able to give it the necessary concentration - trying to pull things together throughout the length of a book requires that one has to hold a lot in one's head - and so I have temporarily shelved it and concentrated on smaller tasks, such as finishing off The Blue Horse and continuing with another Red Grouse Tale called The Frog - more news in due course!

Thanks to you all for your continued support. As the Norwegian philosopher Arne Ness said, “The best aspect of a book is not the thoughts it contains, but the thoughts it unleashes,” so I hope my "Tales" continue to unleash your thoughts and keep you entertained.

The Little Dog
The Golden Tup
The Crow
The White Hart
The Red Grouse Tales
The Bat
The Blue Horse

The Blue Horse had well over 900 downloads on 17th & 18th Feb. So my thanks to all who may have retweeted, shared on social media, or just talked about this with friends.

As I am sure you can guess, I am hoping that some of these downloads will result in reviews and for those who haven't come across my work before, I hope they serve as an introduction to it.

For some more info check out my author page at Leslie Garland and web site at http://www.lesliegarland.com . The web site has had a bit of a revamp, so if you haven't visited just recently you may care to have a quick look at the newly updated version.

That's it for now. Enjoy whatever you are reading.

FREE TO DOWNLOAD on 9 & 10 March
The Crow
The Crow: a poignant tale of misunderstanding, dying, bitterness and blame.

“So I’m t’ be stuck with you eh, what’s-yer-name?”

As a child, David, is taken to a hospice by his mother where he finds himself listening to an increasingly mad tale told by dying and embittered old Irish priest. But why do the old priest’s recollections of the school days and subsequent rise of a local councillor become so increasingly bizarre and bitter?

A poignant Red Grouse Tale that will pull at your heart strings.

fm: https://www.amazon.co.uk/…/pr…/B011O3...…

Reviews appreciated (particularly those posted on Amazon)

Goodreads; https://www.goodreads.com/auth…/show/...
Web site; http://www.lesliegarland.com

I have just heard that The Red Grouse Tales; The Little Dog and other Stories has been nominated as a Book Excellence Awards Finalist, which is extremely pleasing.

As a means of celebrating this, I am offering a free file to any who wish to read and review it. (there are various postings here on Goodreads about this)

Also, my thanks to Gina Mitchell for her lovely review of this book.

Other books have also been receiving favourable reviews.
The Ghost Moth has had a very nice review from Emily Hirst - thank you - and also a superb 5 star review from Robert Clark - thank you very much. Now with over 60 reviews, it still has a 4+ star rating which is very gratifying.


The Blue Horse has received a lovely review from John - thank you.
Which reminds me to say that my books are spread over two page on Goodreads, so don't forget to look at the second page.


I am still pushing on with my trilogy. Oh editing is bore, but has to be done, and the first two parts are gradually getting there. I really do need to make a start on the final part, but as I am in the middle of moving house at present, it is rather difficult to concentrate and focus on the story - which is why I am getting on with the editing!

Thank you all for your support.