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Teller of tales,

varied in styles,

stories to please 

from the Bard of the Isles.

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Short stories, articles and interviews - written BY writers, FOR writers.

  • It watches by Lee Conley

  • Her long hair shining by Simon Kewin

  • Nya by Freya Pickard

  • Aisling's Luck by Niamh Bagnell

  • The Common Loon by Paul D Coombs

  • Give and Take by Patrick LeClerk

Issue 5

june 2020 edition

 
 
Short Stories

It Watches 

by Lee C Conley

Thriller

If you go down to the woods today... you need to be aware of the signs.

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Aisling's Luck

by Niamh Bagnell

Fantasy

Aisling has always been lucky. But why? Perhaps a secret only unlocked through the eyes of childhood?

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Her long hair shining

by Simon Kewin

Ghost story

Smith spends his days searching for the lost and confused ghosts trapped in the urban decay, trying to give them release. 

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The Common Loon

by Paul D Coombs

Ghost story

Benjamin lives above a funeral directors. When whispers and wails come from beneath, he's caught between madness and grief.

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Nya

by Freya Pickard

Fantasy

As Nya lies dying, her last thoughts are of her adopted son, Eran, who, despite his deformity, has the mark of a god upon him.

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Give and Take 

by Patrick LeClerk

Historical fantasy

An immortal who can heal with a touch must choose between using his gift to save a life or hiding it to save his own.

 
Articles
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RPG character tropes

by Phil Parker

Article

Illustrating ways to define common character tropes, using examples by famous authors.

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Creativity in the time of Covid-19

by Annabel Campbell

Article

This virus and the lockdown it produced has seriously affected many creative people. How can we cope?

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Social media for writers who hate social media

by Dixon Reuel

Article 

Our social media guru explains why writers need to embrace social media if they are to sell their books.

 
Meet the Author

In this edition we meet...

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Patrick Samphire

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When Patrick isn't designing websites and book covers for other writers, he's producing his own Middle Grade and adult fantasy stories. 'Shadow of a Dead God', his first adult fantasy was published last month and is a SPFBO entry. We talk about his inspirations, his latest book and its unusual form of magic.

© 2019 Bard of the Isles