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Excerpt…

Once upon a time there were three bears, namely mummy bear, daddy bear and of course little old baby bear too. They all lived happily in a little house in the woods.

Even without the aid of an opposable digit, or thumb as it is otherwise known, these hirsute creatures had managed to adapt to the civilised surroundings aptly afforded by means not defined, although there is a vague suggestion that they may have been provided with the accommodation by benevolent external sources.

This is almost certain since if it were to be implied that the bears had actually constructed the dwelling place by themselves, then there would have been such a large contingent of animal behavioural scientists and like researchers in close proximity that there would not have been the slightest danger that Ms G. Locks could have approached the scene, far less vandalised the bears' property and partaken of their provisions, without being apprehended forthwith.

Excerpt…

I haven’t always been a science fiction fan, remembering with horror, as a child back in Scotland, a black and white programme on the BBC called “Quatermass and the Pit.” I don’t know if it ever graced the screens elsewhere in the world, but it left a lasting impression on my developing psyche; prompting such actions as carefully locking all the doors and going to sleep with the light on.

As a result it took some considerable time before I eventually came to appreciate science fiction, without then realising the true depth of the genre, through the valiant efforts of Doctor Who. The episodes were always shown by the BBC on a Saturday afternoon at 5:30. To me, it seemed a silly time to show such a great programme because I always happened to be doing something else then and, as a consequence, my exposure was somewhat erratic.

I did manage to catch up with a few episodes during the eighties when the ABC showed several seasons of re-runs. A few more gaps were filled in over the last couple of years when the ABC did it all again, from the beginning, as a precursor to showing another new series.

Excerpt…

The storm had been gathering over the city all afternoon and it was almost dark in Post Office Square outside the windows of my building.

The gathering gloom had kept making me think that it was later than it really was and that I should be going home, but I’d managed to ignore it and get some work done. Suddenly, though, I noticed that it was five o’clock; at a push, I could get the 5:10 bus and be home before the storm struck in earnest.

I packed my bag hurriedly and headed for the hills. The building I was working in had a set of very slow lifts and, with one of the four out for maintenance, the five o’clock wait felt interminable. When the doors eventually openeded it was almost full and I managed to squeeze into the only small space available. On the ground floor, I headed out into the street thankful that the rain hadn’t started yet although the pre-rain wind was blowing quite strongly.

Down the first alleyway and out into the next street saw the start of heavy droplets, but I crossed Creek Street and was lucky to find some shelter near the bus stop on Adelaide Street.>

Excerpt…

“Right you lot,” said Jazz. “I’ve got some of the story but I need you to fill in the gaps. What happened at the hit, exactly?”

Dave started the tale. “I staked out Jane’s office until Ryan showed up. Jane came out and the pair headed off towards the restaurant quarter. I confirmed the IDs to Calm and she authorised the hit in a secluded street. Jane started shooting as soon as the Guardian soldiers appeared,”

Red took up the tale. “Jane was hit and Dave pulled Ryan out of the firing line. I took hold of Ryan and let Dave check out Jane.”

“She was pretty badly hurt and the Guardians wanted to finish her off. I persuaded them to hold off when I saw that she was trying to speak,” Dave went on.

“What did she say?” Jazz asked.

Excerpt…

Sometime in the not too distant future, this tale is set in the calm period after the storm of World War Three; that is, after all of the wailing and gnashing of teeth has died off and the surviving remnants of civilisation are trying to get on with life as best they can.

Civilisation and society, by twenty first century definition, have disappeared to be replaced with deprivation, starvation and anarchy.

As a tribute to forward planning for Continuation of Government, Britain has survived with King George the Seventh as the head of state. Without much to govern except in terms of desolated landscapes, the King’s CoG organisation is trying to maintain and defend whatever scraps of power remain.

Against this backdrop is a story containing all of the classical elements of good against evil, old lovers reunited, bravery, betrayal and redemption.