3 Guys in a Pub – A Modern Parable - Dragon Story

3 Guys in a Pub – A Modern Parable

Part 1 

There were these three guys sitting in the pub, old friends, having a pint when one said “What was the worst thing that ever happened to you as a child?”

One of the friends spoke up and told this story.

“I think I was about six when my Mum and Dad moved house. The house belonged to my Granddad who’d died. Well it was a big old dusty house with loads of rooms and even a cellar. I was exploring the rooms when I saw a door off the ground floor hall. Opening it I saw a long flight of stairs going down. It looked creepy but I wanted to know what was down there so leaving the door open wide in case I wanted to escape I went down. At the bottom of the stairs there was another door. It creaked as I pushed it open. It smelled horrible, all stale and dusty and  there was strange smell I hadn’t smelled before. It made me feel sick.” 

 “As I was saying it smelled horrible and it was pitch dark in there. And then I heard something move in the blackness and I nearly died of fright I was so scared. I pulled out my torch and switched it on and scanned the cellar. At first I thought there was nothing there but then the light of the torch picked out a little pile of debris, bits of paper and wood and stuff and then the pile of stuff moved! I thought it was rat or a mouse.”

The other two looked at the guy and both said simultaneously “What was it?”

“Hang on I’m getting there…I went over and shone the torch down on the pile and kicked at it with my trainer and then I jumped back. It was a dragon! A tiny little dragon and it was so cute so I bent down and took it into my hands and it looked at me and I swear it smiled at me but it ponged awful.”

 “I put it down and thought I’ll get it some food and water. I ran upstairs and got a saucer of milk and some bits of bread and took it down to the dragon. It drank all the milk and ate all the bread it was so hungry.” 

“That night I could hardly sleep I was so excited that I had a secret pet. I didn’t tell anyone but every day after school I’d feed it and give it milk and in a short time it grew to the size of a cat. It didn’t want the milk and bread anymore so I gave it leftovers. All kinds of food; burgers, chips, chocolate, Pepsi and sometimes the dregs of my Dad’s beer! It loved it all.”

“Then over Christmas, because of all the excitement and presents, I forgot about the dragon for a few day’s but after Boxing Day I went down to see if it was okay. Blimey,

when I opened the door what I saw scared the life out of me! It had grown to the size of a tiger and as soon as it saw me it leapt forward and a bolt of flame came out of its mouth. I just managed to shut the door in time. I ran screaming up the stairs straight into my Dad’s arms.”

“What’s got into you lad? And what are you doing in that dirty old cellar I told you never to go down there!”

I was just about to get a wallop when my Dad saw how frightened I really was. He bent down low and held my arms and said “Come on tell what’s scared you? Something down there is it?”

“Yes, yes Dad it’s a blooming dragon!” I blurted out.

“A dragon? Don’t make me laugh!”

“I’m not lying Dad…I’ve been feeding for months…go and see for yer’self but be careful cos it’ll burn you up.”

He gave me this daft look then went down the stairs.

“Just crack the door a bit Dad don’t…please don’t let it out!” I shouted.

He did as I said, just peeped, probably just to humour me, but in flash he slammed the door shut and I saw him quaking in his boots. From inside the cellar came a great roar and then the paint on the door started to blister.

He rushed past me and in few minutes he back with a big axe in his hand and a hosepipe in the other. My mum looked through the kitchen window at us.

“Jill when I shout ‘turn it on’ you turn the water on full blast okay?”

“Okay George.”

“Right son we’re going down together and I want you do to do your bit understood?”

“Yes, Dad but what are we going to do?”

I really didn’t want to deal with this.

“When I fling the door open you are going to hose that dragon so he can’t spit fire and I am going to run in and chop its bleeding head off.”

“Ready? Jill! Turn the Water on!”

My dad flung open the door and there was the fearsome dragon but before it could spit fire I fired a jet of water straight down its gullet. My Dad, screaming like a banshee, dashed into the cellar and with one fantastic swipe of the axe lopped its head straight off.

“Later we chopped it into bits and put it in black bags and put it out with the rubbish. That was the last I saw of it, thank God.”

If you like reading Fred's stories you can visit www.fredhurr.org to find out more and also purchase his latest ghost story on Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/bwl74cv

 

Blog of First Pages

What is this?

The first page of a new piece of writing that floated into my head in the early hours today. I have written so many first pages of novels that never got finished that once in a  desperate moment to get published I thought I would put them altogether and make a book out of them and call it simply ‘First Pages’.

What is this first page? Well it could be as GK Chesterton once said “The finest book I never wrote.”

***

The day was lost. Even in the morning in the broad golden sunlight something good, almost imperceptibly, was slipping away from me. Like a strange cat that pausing silently on its way across the lawn for a brief moment stays its progress to look in your direction then carelessly moves away disappearing into the thick foliage of a bush on the margins.

I stood at the window staring aimlessly out at the world. I pulled the net curtain aside to see more clearly. I could see alright but my mind was still hurting from the last night’s alcohol. The night before was a raw dim memory and all that mattered now was how best to forget. How best to move forward. A forlorn hope of days now spread out before me, a bridge to the next weekend.

My life had become a slow painful graduation from cork to empty bottle. Sometimes I spent my last dollar on some cheap whiskey from the supermarket and sat alone in the dark watching the shadows move in and out of my mind and around the silent room, thinking of nothing at all. Or I was at so and so’s party drinking other people’s booze. The guilt was theirs not mine. All I had to do was be sociable until the fog descended in my head and the bass throaty blast of a horn interrupted my lucid thoughts. Seemingly endless pain followed. The headache of a fool. The clang of a bell and the distant horn still blowing somewhere in my head and pieces of my burdened soul being wrecked again on the jagged rocks.

It wasn’t always like this.

Looking after yourself - from an Author's perspective

'Whatever we do for a living there is always something that has to be protected so that we can carry on doing it without interruption. I read about a famous philosopher who decided at a young age to protect his mind because he knew that it was his greatest asset as a thinking man. So he never touched drugs or alcohol all his life. I heard just yesterday that a professional singer has to spend a lot of time protecting their voice, their money earner. As an author I too have to protect and look after my body and yes of coursed my brain is needed but sitting at a PC all day can cause serious back problems at times. I do the usual stuff, applying good ergonomic principles and taking frequent breaks, but the problem persists or at least it did until I discovered the ‘Theraflex’ treatment. Linda treated me only 2 or 3 times and my pains ceased. I advise any sufferers like me to read this excellent book and find out for yourself the permanent answer to your back problem.' Author Fred Hurr
Read about this marvellous treatment and where in the UK to get it at www.beatingbackpain.net

Finding a Publisher - Ten Steps to Success - Part 2

Step 6 – You may still have ten or maybe even twenty publishing companies still on your list. Now take a look at their own websites to see for yourself what kind of books they publish. Pick out one or two books similar to your own story and discover where the publisher actually sells them. For instance are they available in book stores or only on internet sites like Amazon. Browsing the books for sale can also tell you if the books are best-sellers. Read the readers reviews etc. Spending time in this area can help build up a picture of the publisher and this kind of research is always fruitful for new writers. Are the publishers small or big, successful or not, new or well established, respected or not. On this last point the internet often has blogs and comments about bad publishers. Read them but be discerning because sometimes the comments may come from an embittered author whose books were repeatedly turned down.

Step 7 – So you have now made a shortlist and want to decide where to send your precious MS. Remember you can send copies of the MS to several publishers at the same time. Better to fire off several barrels rather than just one bullet, scatter guns normally hit something whereas the single shot usually misses the target.

Make sure you really read the details of their submission guidelines. Each company will have a different slant as to how you contact them. Some want the whole MS others don’t, some want the first three chapters only whereas some publishers just want to see a synopsis of the book. Remember to keep strictly to the guidelines or your MS may end up in the waste paper basket. And always send a stamped addressed envelope so that the copy can be mailed back to you. That way you are more likely to get a reply even if it’s not the one you wanted.

Step 8 – A warning! The ‘sharks’ out there often disguise themselves as bona fide publishers. They might look safe but all they want is to chew on your money. This is not saying that ‘self-publishing’ companies are predatory. Most often they’re not because in the case of Self-Publishers you get what you pay for.

I am sorry to say that there are Christian companies out there in the big ocean that act like sharks. One such company contacted me and said they wanted to publish my book but it wasn’t until the third or fourth email that they told me it would cost $18,000 up front. The contract also tied me into buying a hundred books at $10 a book. If however, you are serious about your writing, find a reputable publisher and use your best judgement to pick the right one. If it doesn’t feel right then it probably isn’t!

Step 9 – So you’ve sent your MS off; do not despair if after a short while you don’t hear back. Just be patient, and resist contacting the publisher to find out what’s the score. Most often it takes at least three months to get even an acknowledgement or even longer. I know that you are on tenterhooks but the best way to stay sane is to ‘forget’ about the submission and get on with the next project. If you get rejections don’t lose heart. Some of the most famous authors had hundreds of rejections before someone smart bought the book. Remember a lot of publishers make errors in their choices. The Harry Potter series was turned down by loads of agents and publishers, need I say more. Have faith and keep knocking on doors, you’ll win in the end. The writers who found success are those who never gave up believing.

Step 10 – If you are a Christian writer here’s a service you can use. It’s called www.christianmanuscriptssubmission.com. In short, what it does is post three chapters of your book and a brief author bio with your contact details on their website. The website is known to many Christian publishers who take a peek on a regular basis to see if there’s anything worthwhile posted there. It’s inexpensive and your submission stays on the website for six months. One last piece of invaluable advice for Christian writers is this; remember the Lord is keenly interested in you and your work. Pray every day for success. I found success with an agent and a publisher who were five thousand miles away from where I live. If that’s not the Lord….?    

10 Steps to Success – Part 1

 

 

 

If you are a first time author and looking for a publisher you need to know several facts about the book publishing business. It’s a big ocean to dive into and remember there are sharks. Like any kind of business, and book publishing is a business, there are people who want to make a quick buck out of naïve and vulnerable authors so avoid them at your peril.

 

 

 

 

Step 1 – Write the book. Publishers are not really interested in ideas they want to see proof that a would-be author has the skill, the stamina and the discipline to finish the job. Publishers expect that a novel should be about 80,000 to 100,000 words long and taking an average that’s about 300 pages.

 

 

Step 2 – Before you send your MS to a publisher have the courage to show your creation to someone who will give you an honest assessment of your writing. Don’t ask your spouse or best friend because they are not the best people to give you an honest report. Your local librarian might be a good place to start. It’s a harsh truth but unfortunately the writing world is overcrowded with writers who have great expectations of themselves but have little talent.

 

Step 3 – Okay you have written a book and your honest critics say it is brilliant and should be published, well done! Now is the time to do some hard work trawling through the books, internet sites and writers groups who can aid you in your search and provide professional help and good advice.

In the UK there is a very useful publication called ‘The Writers Handbook’ and it is up-dated every year. The editor Barry Turner has done much of the leg-work for you and his handbook really is a useful and complete guide to agents, publishers, editors and copywriters.

I am sure there must be a similar publication in the USA so go out and get your own copy. I know it seems daft but you need to know your own book, what genre is it and even what sub-genre it falls into. Next get a highlighter pen and work your way through the handbook and mark out those publishers who do publish novels similar to your own. Be meticulous in this exercise for it will save you time in the long run. It’s a total waste of time sending your romance story to a publisher who only publishes science fiction. Read the small print carefully.

 

Step 4 – Having got your list of prospective publishers then check out the minutiae of the submission guidelines. Many publishers will not accept unsolicited MS. So do not waste your time, money and effort sending your MS along to one of these companies. When they say they don’t accept unsolicited MS they mean it, and they probably have their own arcane reasons for this rule.

 

Step 5 – There are many publishers who do accept ‘unsolicited’ MS especially from new authors, in the hope they are going to sign-up the ace in the pack and that might just be you.

Your publishers list may be getting shorter by now but this is good because you are refining your search and with every step and you are closer to finding the right publisher for you.

Spiritual Awareness

I am in the process of writing a short book entitled

‘Spiritual Awareness

7 Astonishing Truths to Radically Change Your Life.’

The first three truths are:-

Truth No.1 - You may ask me for anything

Truth No.2 - God’s new covenant with you

Truth No.3 - The mysterious power of the ‘Logos’ (Word)

Here is an excerpt from Truth No. 1

‘Have you ever had someone say to you “ask me for anything and I will do it.”

Just imagine waking up every morning and your first thought is ‘now what do I want today’ and knowing all you had to do was call your generous friend on the mobile phone and simply ASK. Wouldn’t that be fantastic!

Well having a relationship with God, whose resources by the way, are limitless and infinite, is to have that kind of friend.

But it is not just the relationship with God that links us to the infinite resources it is also being able to speak the mysterious power of the word which is Jesus, the Logos through which all things were made.  We shall explore this great mystery in Truth No. 3.’

I'll keep you posted with further truths!

Spiritual Warfare

Any author embarking on writing a story or a full length novel based upon spiritual warfare must first do his research. Spiritual warfare is an extremely interesting subject and offers a rich tapestry on which to weave an exciting and dramatic plot and it presents the writer with fascinating materials in which to explore ethical, philosophical and spiritual truths. 

It is a very controversial subject and in Christian circles the spectrum of opinion ranges from total skepticism and disbelief to obsessional beliefs that everything has a demonic origin. Clearly such extremes, I think do not, present the serious writer with a reasonable storyline. But the middle ground offers a fantastic backdrop to create fiction.

Spiritual warfare simply described is a range of Christian activity whereby satanic demons are combatted, confronted and defeated using prayer and faith. Christians who find themselves immersed in these battles and struggles are often aided by heavenly angels.  Spiritual warfare is being fought out between two kingdoms vying for power, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness ruled over by Satan.  

For Christian writers the ground on which their research should be based is the Bible. There are many and various references throughout the Bible both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament to angels and demons in conflict with each other and with God’s people. The many examples in the Bible provides unequivocally proof that:   

a)     Angels and Satan and his demons exist and do interact with God’s people for good and ill

b)    That God himself and Jesus whilst on the earth, Old Testament peoples and New Testament Christians unequivocally believed in demons and their ability to inflict harm. 

Anyone studying this will quickly find that although there are numerous references and descriptions of angels and demons and their activities there is not a definitive description of either. But this is not a disadvantage to the writer for he can use his imagination, within the bounds of biblical truth, to create both angelic and demonic characters which are both interesting and more importantly believable. Their interaction with humans as described in the Bible shows that at least part of their personality must be human-like in order to have efficacious communication.   

One aspect of angels and demons that I find very interesting is whether they have wings. I have done my research and I strongly believe that they do not have wings. That is going to a topic for my next blog. 

The introduction of angels and demons into a spiritual warfare story makes it possible to delve deeply into questions of good and evil which can then encompass all human faults and failings of character such as corruption, temptation and lust for power, money and sex.  

Of course it also allows the writer to paint a picture of redemption, healing and salvation and access to the throne of God’s Grace.  The subject of spiritual warfare should not be labeled simply supernatural fantasy as it truly is a wonderful canvas on which to create a story that can have direct and powerful affect upon readers’ minds and souls and all for the good. This is when fiction can be used to its fullest and most noble degree.    

For those people who want to look deeper into this subject I strongly recommend Dr. Karl Payne’s book ‘Spiritual Warfare’ which is a balanced and very informative book.