Feedback on eBay

Peace with Honour

To offer a peace prize to someone who has invaded your country is strange behaviour by Machado. Would we have done the same for Hitler, I wonder? #machado #venezuela #trump 

The Cracked Mirror

I think all crime stories have something of a twist in the tail. However, this one is twistier than most. I will not spoil the fun for you though.

This is a book in which the traditional English detective, exemplified by the character of Penny Coyne collides with a more brash and foul-mouthed American version in the person of Johnny Hawke.

Penny Coyne plays within the rules and although she is frequently at odds with the police because they fail to take her advice, she is not at odds with the law. On the other hand, Johnny Hawke will break any laws if he can get to the truth.

There are a number of chapters which intersperse their two stories.Then the tale becomes a single story told from both points of view. It is quite clear who is who and the different approaches which they take.

There are a series of crimes involving Penny's village, the movie business, the publishing business and the strange world of video games. The detectives begin to see a pattern.

And then...well, I'll let you find out what happens next.

List of stories

Mr friend Google provided the following:

https://peacockjournal.com/derek-mcmillan-the-stranger/

https://www.flashphantoms.net/june-micro-fiction-horror

https://everydayfiction.com/the-broken-nutcracker-by-derek-mcmillan/

https://arena.westsussex.gov.uk/local-authors-for-adults

https://bookhill.co.uk/bookDetail.php?id=83

https://fiftywordstories.com/2023/10/19/derek-mcmillan-in-the-soup/

https://freeflashfiction.com/fiction_authors/derek-mcmillan/

https://www.freedomfiction.com/2019/04/advent-in-the-graveyard-by-derek-mcmillan/

https://everydayfiction.com/laughing-larry-by-derek-mcmillan/

https://everydayfiction.com/a-boxing-day-to-remember-by-derek-mcmillan/

https://everydayfiction.com/the-vicars-laptop-by-derek-mcmillan/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flash-Fiction-Mr-Derek-McMillan/dp/B0DJ8RDMT7

TBC

The Nation’s Favourite Poems

The Nation’s Favourite Poems

This is an audio book. I got it to listen to in the car. I can hardly read poetry while driving.

“The Nation’s Favourite Poems” are not necessarily the intellectuals’ favourite poems. For example, I have heard criticisms of the nation’s favourite poem, “If” by Rudyard Kipling that it is “of its time” and dated in its outlook.

Of course it is. It was written in 1895 and Kipling was a supporter of the British Empire.

The “manly virtues” in the poem are not conventional, they could have equally applied to a daughter.

It is a poem for a son, written by a father and indeed my father used to recite it to me. It was the best part of my day.

There are parts of this poem which have been relevant throughout my life and probably yours too.

I take one example.

“If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken,

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools.”

If you have never felt this in your lifetime, you have been exceptionally lucky!

People do distort what you say. Sometimes this is quite unintentional but some are indeed knaves and they are making a trap. Those who walk into the trap could be called fools if you are feeling uncharitable.

The poem is all one long sentence. The ending is hardly a surprise but it does round off all of the subordinate clauses quite nicely.

“Yours is the earth and everything that’s in it.

And, which is more, you’ll be a man, my son.”

Perhaps the intellectuals need to learn from the hoi polloi!