Carthaginian

 

"Laughter In Carthage" by Michael Moorcock is still fairly dense (2 chapters on one page is a lot), so it is just a hell of a lot of text, but the chapters are getting shorter quicker. 130 pages in, I am on Chapter 5. I still don't know what it happening, but Maxim Pyat is moving from soldier to businessman/agitator. This would not do for everyone, but I am pressing on, and it has not scared me away yet.

I am still reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker on my Kindle. This is a book I never want to end. When I finish it, I just restart it.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog, which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The Music is "Hanno The Navigator" by Al Stewart

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal, but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. The King Of Elfland's Daughter - A Wonderful Book By Lord Dunsany
6. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
7. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
8. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
9. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

Black Sea

"Laughter In Carthage" has continued with a forty-page dense opening chapter set mostly on the Black Sea, with implications that the United States of America is a destination. Oddly, this is the only book of the quartet that I cannot find on Amazon, so I was lucky to pick it up from Leakey's in Inverness.

I am still reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker on my Kindle. This is a book I never want to end. When I finish it, I just restart it.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog, which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The Music is "Respectable Street" from "Black Sea" by XTC

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal, but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. The King Of Elfland's Daughter - A Wonderful Book By Lord Dunsany
6. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
7. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
8. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
9. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

Byzantium Ends

 

I have completed "Byzantium Endures" by Michael Moorcock; it ended unexpectedly with a couple of fragmented appendices, including observations on the Russian Civil War. Now I am starting volume two of the quartet, the six-hundred-page "Laughter In Carthage". 

I am still reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker on my Kindle. This is a book I never want to end. When I finish it, I just restart it.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog, which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The Music is "Rocket To Russia" by Fontaines DC

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal, but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. The King Of Elfland's Daughter - A Wonderful Book By Lord Dunsany
6. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
7. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
8. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
9. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

Quartet

 

One of the reasons "Byzantium Endures" by Michael Moorcock still feels a bit like being stuck in quicksand has been because of the extremely long chapters, but in the last fifty pages, they have become much shorter and easier to read. There are three more books in the series, and they  are longer than this, nearly two and a half thousand pages, which is twice the length of "Lord of the Rings"

I am still reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker on my Kindle. This is a book I never want to end. When I finish it, I just restart it.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog, which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The Music is "Four Sticks" by Led Zeppelin

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal, but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. The King Of Elfland's Daughter - A Wonderful Book By Lord Dunsany
6. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
7. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
8. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
9. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

Snowbound

"Byzantium Endures" by Michael Moorcock still feels a bit like being stuck in quicksand. Maxim is now looking to escape from a train to save his mother and Esme and take them to Odessa (I think). I am on the last leg of this book, and am likely to pass this on to a friend as I doubt I will read it again, but I have got a lot out of it, even if it is akin to running a marathon through treacle.

I am still reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker on my Kindle. This is a book I never want to end. When I finish it, I just restart it.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog, which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The Music is "Snowbound" by Donald Fagen

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal, but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. The King Of Elfland's Daughter - A Wonderful Book By Lord Dunsany
6. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
7. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
8. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
9. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

Maxim Builds A Death Ray

"Byzantium Endures" by Michael Moorcock feels a bit like being stuck in quicksand. There have been meetings in The Savoy. Maxim wants to move his mother to Odessa, while in Petrograd, he is building Death Rays to kill Bolsheviks.

I am still reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker on my Kindle. This is a book I never want to end. When I finish it, I just restart it.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog, which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The Video is Mitchell and Webb's Death Ray.

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal, but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. The King Of Elfland's Daughter - A Wonderful Book By Lord Dunsany
6. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
7. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
8. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
9. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

The Great Gates Of Kiev

"Byzantium Endures" by Michael Moorcock feels a bit like being stuck in quicksand. It really is not my scene, but I want to see what happens next. Maxim is on his way back to Kiev after being promised a Special Diploma for his dissertation that he probably won't get due to the paper shortage. At some point, he is talking of going to Liverpool, but we shall see. He spends a lot of time drinking absinthe and cosorting with ladies of the street.

I am still reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker on my Kindle. This is a book I never want to end. When I finish it, I just restart it.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog, which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The Music is "The Great Gates Of Kiev" from "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Modest Mussorgski

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal, but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. The King Of Elfland's Daughter - A Wonderful Book By Lord Dunsany
6. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
7. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
8. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
9. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

Still In St Petersburg

"Byzantium Endures" by Michael Moorcock feels a bit like being stuck in quicksand. It really is not my scene but I want to see what happens next. Maxim keeps running into new characters, new addictions, new science and Absinthe. I am halfway through the book, so I will finish this and the series, but I am a slow reader.

I am still reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker on my Kindle. This is a book I never want to end. When I finish it, I just restart it.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog, which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The Music is "Polish Plain" by The Oyster Band

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal, but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. The King Of Elfland's Daughter - A Wonderful Book By Lord Dunsany
6. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
7. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
8. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
9. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

To St Petersburg

I still feel "Byzantium Endures" by Michael Moorcock is not my cup of petrol as Maxim moves from Odessa to St Petersburg by train, but it definitely has a grip on me as I am now a third of the way through the book. I am expecting something out of the ordinary to happen, but instead it is full of interesting mundanity with a little sordid sex and drugs thrown in, but no rock and roll, though there is some jazz.

I am still reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker on my Kindle. This is a book I never want to end. When I finish it, I just restart it.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog, which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The Music is "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll" by Ian Dury and the Blockheads

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal, but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. The King Of Elfland's Daughter - A Wonderful Book By Lord Dunsany
6. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
7. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
8. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
9. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

In Odessa

"Byzantium Endures" by Michael Moorcock is very dense and claustrophobic, and while it looks difficult to read and not something I thought I would enjoy, well enjoy is not quite the right word, but it is like being lost somewhere but you want to know more about it, so ninety pages in you could say it's going well. It does remind me a little of "Steppenwolf" by Hermann Hesse.

I am still reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker on my Kindle. This is a book I never want to end. When I finish it, I just restart it.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog, which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The Music is "Steppenwolf" by Hawkwind

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal, but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. The King Of Elfland's Daughter - A Wonderful Book By Lord Dunsany
6. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
7. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
8. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
9. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

Towards A Strange Delirium

"Byzantium Endures" by Michael Moorcock is very dense and claustrophobic, and fifty pages in, the font and story seem very oppressive, so the two thousand pages of this four-book series won't be over quickly, maybe not even this year. I didn't know that Byzantium became Constantinople, which is now Istanbul. There is a little crossover with JG Ballard with the concept of a man/flying machine, but it is difficult to read. I don't know if it's the font, the way the text seems crammed together or the story, which has an Eastern European feel, but I am an eighth of the way through the book.

I am still reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker on my Kindle. This is a book I never want to end. When I finish it, I just restart it.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog, which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The Music is "Strange Days" by The Doors

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal, but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. The King Of Elfland's Daughter - A Wonderful Book By Lord Dunsany
6. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
7. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
8. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
9. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

No Vocal In Byzantium

This blog is mostly about my reading, so it is very diaristic, and Vocal is the place for any creative writing. However, my access to the platform to write creative things is blocked by a system error and, as usual, nothing seems to be being done about it. I am just one person, so it doesn't seem to matter to Vocal, even though I pay them ten dollars a month for access to the system.

I wrote them this letter for my third attempt to get something done:

I Am Unable To submit any Vocal STories

 

Mike Singleton 

to Vocal

 

This has been the situation for two days.

 

I have raised a ticket and put a question on discord.

 

When I save I get this

 

 

 

 

Also my page 301 of my stats is not being picked up by the system.

 

 

 

Sometimes the story appears in drafts but when I try and access I get this

 

 

 

I am paying for my subscription and if this is not fixed I will go public with it and cancel my subscription.

 

Given all the support I have given Vocal over the years I find this behaviour very unprofessional

 

Mike Singleton

"Byzantium Endures" by Michael Moorcock is very dense and claustrophobic, and thirty pages in, the font and story seem very oppressive, so the two thousand pages of this four-book series won't be over quickly, maybe not even this year. I didn't know that Byzantium became Constantinople, which is now Istanbul.

I am still reading "Imajica" by Clive Barker on my Kindle. This is a book I never want to end. When I finish it, I just restart it.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog, which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The Music is "Guide Vocal" by Genesis

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal, but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. The King Of Elfland's Daughter - A Wonderful Book By Lord Dunsany
6. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
7. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
8. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
9. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram