Three stories of selkies and faeries. Encounter the notorious fae of Caldy Hill. Meet the secretive selkies who swim beyond Hilbre Island then walk on land in human form. Discover the magic of Wirral's ancient history in these enchanting dark fantasy tales. Includes: Frog , New Year's Day and Swap .  Price = $1.99            ISBN: 9781476028736 (for all outlets except Kindle) ASIN: B007YFRI9U (for Kindle) A Wirral Otherkin Trilogy was previously published by Amazon Shorts in 2007.  I've decided to re-release it, and as of this morning you can now download it directly from Smashwords.  Kindle's edition is in progress - give that a few hours  and it will be in their system.  It will take a few weeks for it to filter through to the other outlets, (but Smashwords offers a variety of ebook formats anyway).   

Dark Tides A Collection of Short Fantasy Fiction by Adele Cosgrove-Bray Nightmares from ancient myths glide through our thoroughly modern world. When selkies, faeries, old gods and young mortals rub shoulders, tensions quickly flare. Terrifying watchers, devious lovers, mischief makers, dangerous business partners - you will meet them all in Dark Tales. OUT TODAY! http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/90668  About the stories in Dark Tides … Liar : Can you separate fact from fantasy in these words from a born liar? New Year’s Day : Tom had always known that Louise would leave him. That’s what selkies do. So why did he marry her? Snack Time : A chance conversation has surprising consequences in this chilling tale which introduces Fabian, from the novel of the same name. Rebirth : After the closing of one door and before the opening of another, there is a dark journey to be made. Swap : Learn why the tidal River Dee never returned to

Four schoolboys play truant in ancient woodland on Caldy Hill, Wirral, where they are taught a lesson they didn't bargain for. This modern faerie tale was recorded live on 7 Waves Radio in 2008, and is read by the author, Adele Cosgrove-Bray.   

"...Robotic labor seems like a brilliant idea that will ultimately create more wealth, and open up more opportunity for humans to pursue enjoyable work ."  - Aaron Saenz Source:  http://singularityhub.com/2011/09/12/robotic-labor-taking-over-the-world-you-bet-here-are-the-details/ Following from  this post , when I wrote about the changing role of employment in the future, I now turn to the idea of robots.  The article linked to above offers a concise summary of the way things seem likely to go.  But I don't want to write about automated manufacturing or similar.  Much more fun is an idea I've touched on with Seth's Basement.  Artificial companions, in other words.  For around $6,000 USD it's possible to purchase a male or female life-sized doll from a company like Real Doll .  Dress 'em how you like and go play.  They're an excellent solution for some people's needs.  The first person to combine these with (improved) robotics, AI, and the be

Read live on Cath Bore's show on 7 Waves Radio, in December 2008; written in 2008. Enjoy!   

Friend or foe?  The fae can be loyal companions or ruthless enemies... Enjoy!   

October 31st saw an evening or short monologues by various writers from Wirral performed by members of the Carlton Players . The event was organised by Jenny Humphreys . Three other members of Riverside Writers took part, apart from myself: Tim Hulme , Carol Falaki and Peter Hurd . My contribution was one of my short pieces involving the Caldy fae, The Faerie Tree , which is partly autobiographical. This was performed by Angela Keeler , who has been acting for seventeen years. My photos are poor, my only excuse being the tricky lighting conditions which my digi isn't clever enough to cope with - sharp spotlights from the ceiling and bar area, and deep shadows. I had to push the highlight option in PhotoImpression 4 to extremes in order to be able to see much of the stage area. With my old and trusty Pentax SLR it would have been a doddle.

Am I ready for tonight? I organised it, so I should hope so… Yesterday, I was chatting to Julie Mann , one of the librarians at West Kirby Library, and we remarked how the initial planning for New Tales for Old Byways had begun at a meeting a year ago. That was when the Wirral Bookfest had been scheduled for April, before the threatened library closures set everything back months. Julie will be taking photos tonight, just as she did for last year’s Words from Wordsmiths event. Wirral TV will be filming tonight’s event. This was confirmed only yesterday. It should be an interesting experience to have a film crew moving around. I’ll be reading Seth’s Basement , which introduces one man’s strange hobby; and also Food, which is one of my series about the Caldy Hill fae. But the program is very diverse, being a group effort. Hope to see you there!

While Richard spent the morning trying to sleep off one of his infamous migraines, I wrote more of Seth’s Basement , my effort for this month’s Riverside Writer’s project which was set on the theme of The Artificial Head. It’s been fun to write, and as far-fetched as my story may seem it’s actually based on a guy who had a similar set-up in his own basement. Truth can be stranger than fiction, for sure; I named one of my fictional mannequins Anton after the real-life character. Riverside Writers’ next meeting is tomorrow night, and we’re going to be joined by editor Maurice James who’ll be giving a talk about the kind of things editors look for in submitted MS.   Maurice runs the annual Coast to Coast writing competition. It’s been raining constantly here today, and both dogs are restless. It’s walkies time and they know they’re going nowhere. If it was just a light shower I’d dress Emily and Ygraine in their little raincoats and off we’d go. At least the fickle English weather

Ooow, busy day... First I wrote the first draft of a 1,500 shorty for Riverside Writers' latest project which is on the theme of "the punch bowl"--so my tale of an office party is called simply Punch . Next, the bedraggled hedge in our (freezing cold and distinctly soggy) front garden was returned to order with our strimmer. As I was working, our neighbour drove up in her car so I asked if she minded if I step into her front garden so I could trim both sides of the shared hedge level. She readily agreed. It looked a mess left uneven, so I did it for my own benefit. I left the trimmings strewn on her lawn. She and her two adult sons do have complete sets of fully functioning limbs, after all. *chuckles* Then I tackled stray dust bunnies under the dressing table, and retrieved the remains of the shredded paper bag which Emily had dismantled under our bed. I even used the stinky "lemon" furniture polish which smells like how marmalade on burned toast tastes.

On Friday, June 27th, at 11am, I will be guest on Cath Bore's show on 7 Waves Radio, which broadcasts on 92.1 FM. The show can also be heard live via the station's website at:- http://7waves.co.uk/live-across-the-wirral/. I will be talking about my contribution to Ruins Metropolis , and reading aloud one of my other short stories - probably Clara's Wristwatch , which is a modern faerie tale. I hope you'll listen in!

I am pleased to anounce the publication of Quiet Lives , ASIN B0013CX3HQ, available only from Amazon.com. Direct link:- http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Lives/dp/B0013CX3HQ/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202834377&sr=1-12 Four tales of seemingly quiet lives:- Dear Harry - Armajeet writes a parting letter to Harry. He is lovely but she's tired of too much compromise - and her friends would rip him to shreds. Mirror - Having violated Melissa's hospitality, a salesman learns that not all witches comply with New Age stereotypes. The Four Seasons -  When Granny visits, teenager Megan and her mother face a yawning generation gap. Beautiful - Dawn is as tall as a man and twice as broad, yet her determined quest for love, passion and beauty will strike a chord with everyone who has ever felt disheartened by their own reflection.

I’ve been busy (noooooo!), as my niece came to stay with us for four days. The dogs did so enjoy taking her for walks. In fact, Ygraine was so eager to show her the ponds beside the boardwalk along West Kirby beach that the poor girl narrowly missed being dragged face-first into the water. Having strolled the length of Meols Drive, my niece decided that being a multi-millionaire offers certain advantages when it comes to house-buying. We have chosen the ones we want, once we’ve made our fortunes. Forward planning is always advisable, don’t you think?!! And we discovered that Wirral has totem poles. Well, one, anyway. This was within the enclosed Walled Garden at Royden Hall. (If you wish to read about that, scoot over to my spot on the Wirral Globe.) There were numerous other sculptures too, and if you wish to see more photos just click on one of the images here and view the Wirral photo set on my Flickr site which you’ll be automatically taken to. Oh, and we watched a few fil