Howdy, folks!
I have a special guest today! Nick Wilford!!!
Thanks for having me over today, Heather. Today I’ve got something to share which will hopefully be interesting: a conversation between Mark Templeton of the Totnell Gazette and Dr Harold Mistuna, B.M., PhD.
Mark: Dr Mistuna?
Dr Mistuna: Um… ah, yes, this is he.
Mark: I’m glad to hear it. All I had was a phone number for a local garage in Totnell, and it took quite a while for them to put me through. I had a tipoff that you were running a neurosurgery practice from above the garage, and I wanted to find out some more information.
Dr Mistuna: You wish to come in for a consultation?
Mark: Oh, no, I don’t think so. I’m good. I just wanted to learn a bit more about it. It’s quite an odd base to operate from, isn’t it? There are plenty of hospitals in this country.
(pause)
Mark: Dr Mistuna?
Dr Mistuna: Who is this?
Mark: I’m Mark Templeton of the Totnell… (pauses and clears throat). The Totnell Survey Office. We’re just asking a few questions of local businesses in the area to see what it’s like to work and live in this fine London borough.
Dr Mistuna: Very well. And the results will be strictly confidential, I assume?
Mark: Yes, of course.
Dr Mistuna: What would you like to know?
Mark: Well, what exactly is it that you offer to your patients?
Dr Mistuna: Ah, that is a question that will take some answering, Mr Templeton. I offer them the key to the life they always dreamed of living. Opportunities and achievements they thought beyond their grasp will fall at their feet. I offer them the chance to progress in their career or repair a broken marriage. Or to be a more compassionate, giving person. We could do with more people like that, don’t you think?
Mark: Well, certainly. But how do you go about achieving these outcomes?
Dr Mistuna: I keep the secrets of my profession and my discoveries closely guarded, and unless you were to come in for a consultation, I cannot tell you more.
Mark: (sounding disappointed) I understand that. Do you run a busy practice? I notice that you don’t have any online presence and don’t even appear in any listings of local businesses. Don’t you think a little more exposure would help?
Dr Mistuna: I have plenty of patients. They come to me through word of mouth. Those who need to know, will find out from somewhere.
Mark: It all seems very cloak and dagger, and I wonder at the need for this secrecy. What is the exact nature of what you provide? Do you have any accreditations with professional bodies?
Dr Mistuna (getting angrier): I have already told you, I cannot give more information over the phone. If that is all, good day to you, Mr Templeton!
(slams down the phone)
Mark, to his colleague: Angela, I want you to go round to this garage and pose as someone who needs a life overhaul. There’s a story in this somewhere, and I’m going to get to it!
Title: A Change of Mind and Other Stories
Author: Nick Wilford
Genre: Speculative fiction
Format: Ebook only
Page/word count: 107 pages, approx. 32,000 words
Release date: 25th May 2015
Publisher: Superstar Peanut Publishing
Blurb:
A Change of Mind and Other Stories consists of a novella, four short stories and one flash fiction piece. This collection puts the extremes of human behaviour under the microscope with the help of lashings of dark humour, and includes four pieces previously published in Writer’s Muse magazine.
In A Change of Mind, Reuben is an office worker so meek and mild he puts up with daily bullying from his boorish male colleagues as if it’s just a normal part of his day. But when a stranger points him in the direction of a surgeon offering a revolutionary new procedure, he can’t pass up the chance to turn his life around.
But this isn’t your average surgeon. For a start, he operates alone in a small room above a mechanic’s. And he promises to alter his patients’ personality so they can be anything they want to be…
In Marissa, a man who is determined to find evidence of his girlfriend’s infidelity ends up wondering if he should have left well alone.
The Dog God finds a chink in the armour of a man with a megalomaniacal desire to take over the world.
In The Insomniac, a man who leads an obsessively regimented lifestyle on one hour’s sleep a night finds a disruption to his routine doesn’t work for him.
Hole In One sees a dedicated golfer achieving a lifelong ambition.
The Loner ends the collection on a note of hope as two family members try to rebuild their lives after they are torn apart by jealousy.
Purchase Links:
Meet the author:
Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those rare times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. Visit him at his blog or connect with him on Twitter or Goodreads.
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Thank you, Nick! Great piece! These stories sound amazing. I wish you the very best of luck!
***
Release Day Party for my fellow InkSpell Publishing author: Majanka Verstraete!
Title: Reflected (Mirrorland #2)
Author: Majanka Verstraete
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Mystery, Romance, Dark Fantasy
When Alison was stuck in Mirrorland, all she wanted was to be alive again. Now she’s gotten her revenge by inhabiting Piper's body and trapping her behind the mirror. But pretending to be Piper is more difficult than she imagined it would be.
On top of that, the borders between Mirrorland and the real world are crumbling. Danger abounds, demons appear in high school, and if wasn’t for the help of a new mysterious guy, Alison might not have escaped. But there’s more to this guy than meets the eye, and she’s determined to find out what, especially since it might be related to her own supernatural problems.
Meanwhile, Piper tries to convince the Horseman of Death to help her return to her own world, but he's got his own hidden agenda, which may cause more serious risks. Can Piper find a way to restore the balance before both worlds collide?
Author Bio
Majanka Verstraete begged her Mom to teach her how to read while she was still in kindergarten. By the time she finished fifth grade, she had read through the entire children’s section of her hometown library.
She wrote her first story when she was seven years old, and hasn’t stopped writing since. With an imagination that never sleeps, and hundreds of possible book characters screaming for her attention, writing is more than a passion for her.
She writes about all things supernatural for children of all ages. She’s tried to write contemporary novels before, but something paranormal always manages to crawl in.
Majanka is currently studying for her Master of Laws degree, and hopes one day to be able to combine her passions for law and writing. When she’s not writing, reading or studying, she likes watching “The Vampire Diaries” and “Game of Thrones,” spending time with her friends, or playing “World of Warcraft.”
Links
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Giveaway
Win a $15 Amazon gift card during the release!
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About the author:
