Small Cruelties is an entertaining and, at times, poignant collection of short stories. Amongst them: a naïve couple accidently stumble upon the brutality of a Mexican bull fight; a convicted murderer is made to practice his electric chair execution; a young man is propositioned by a husband-and-wife duo of swingers; a narcissistic film star writes his own obituary; and the accidental growing of a beard leads a man to unwittingly find himself the object of attraction by the sophisticates of the London fashion world.
Sometimes gritty, sometimes humorous, nostalgic or tender, the stories crisscross the globe from the back streets of Belfast to a prison in North Dakota, from a motel in Los Angeles to the undulating rivers and rolling countryside of Cumbria. Exploring a gamut of themes and emotions the stories come together to chronicle the human experience and remind us of the uncertainty, fragility, joys and tribulations that make up our lives. A Writer's Prerogative
Revenge - what lengths would someone go to get retribution for perceived betrayal and hurts? Midnight, Manhattan, and famous reclusive author Carson Crowe, sips his Scotch, stubs out a cigarette, and emails his final book manuscript to his agent . . . then kills himself. Carefully orchestrating things himself, a week later seven family and friends gather to hear the author’s final wishes. Speaking through a pre-recorded video, Crowe reads excerpts from his own bestsellers, the fictional character depictions singling out each person individually and the wrongs they have done him. Crowe’s fascinatingly deceptive stories include two astronauts on a daring space mission; a duplicitous medieval abbot; Satan overseeing her debauched underworld; and a poetry-loving murderer on a prison break. In turn, each at the gathering finds themselves the target of Crowe’s artfully revengeful skewering. But two questions remain - who will inherit his fortune and what is the meaning behind the strange packages the author has gifted to everyone? |
THE UNDERWATER BIRDS
For some, running away to join the circus is a dream, but for others it’s a last chance for redemption and survival. Traverse the harsh American landscape from the 1930s to the 1960s along with Ringmaster, Sam O’Reilly, and his self-proclaimed, ‘Greatest Show on Earth’. Behind the mesmerising display of big-top daring tricks, animals, and clowns, are the people. Meet One-Eyed Pete and the tattooed Madeleine, the Midway act ‘Beauty & the Beast’; Lee and Kwan, the singing Siamese Twins; Madame O and her mysteriously telling tarot; and Dalvinder Singh, who charms his King Cobra nightly into submission. Each one with a backstory of pain, heartache and skeletons locked away. In 1962, as Sam lies dying, his circus family pay homage. Revelations unravel, fate unearths a secret, and life takes a twist. For some, everything changes, but for most, the show must go on. |
CYBERSOUL
As the world descends into chaos, a young cyborg tightens the noose around his neck. How could life spiral down into such a black hole? The cyborg terrorist revolutionaries attacking the clones; the riot police retaliating with public hangings; executions being streamed live across the entire sector; and true love failing. The new world order brings a class struggle, social unrest, and injustice where an interracial love has no hope to survive. Watching over these proceedings is a trio of guardian angels, the Soul Sisters, who are there to remind us that everything and everyone are connected through the universal energy of love. ‘Without love, you ain’t nothing but a Cybersoul!’ Originally written as an allegorical stage musical, Cybersoul was inspired by the U.S. black civil rights movement and soul music of the 1960s. Here, the songs inform each chapter and add a lyrical poetry to the story. |
CRIPPLES AND CREEPS - short stories & a poem
Among these energetic and highly entertaining stories: a suicide victim sits in a Spartan window-less waiting room eager to share his rage with God; a transgendered spy must remain in hiding and navigate the constrictions of a mental institute; a spurned lover has an unexpected liaison with his sexy voiced Satnav; and two old men discover an unlikely friendship as each faces their imminent demise on a hospital palliative ward. Throughout these ten highly imaginative stories Cripples & Creeps reflects the struggles, epiphanies, desperation, loathing and simple joys of the everyday lives and not-so-everyday lives of people around us, ultimately revealing the layers of humanity in us all. The final story, Luck, ties the entire collection together in an unexpected and original way and reminds us of the fragility, serendipity and sometimes seemingly random nature of the world we live in. No luck, no hope, no choices. Another round? Oatmeal? Choices. People make them every day. Except for the cripples and creeps. |
UNCERTAIN HEAVEN
From first picking up a guitar, to writing songs and discovering a connection to the universal source of creativity, Uncertain Heaven is a rock ‘n roll memoir that tells the story of one man’s creative path, a journey that becomes inextricably intertwined with a search for the meaning of our existence and mankind’s relationship with God. A story of record deals, songs heard by billions on syndicated television shows, the highs and lows of an indifferent music industry, the painful reality of playing ‘music-by-the-yard’ and the sheer joy of putting your finger up into the ethos and downloading a song - just like Keith Richards. After years of following the muse wherever she leads, an existential crisis leads the author to peel back the mysteries of life itself, follow what surely seems meant to be, only to find himself standing on the precipice at his own potential demise. Jude Davison is the creator of twenty critically acclaimed albums, two screenplays, a stage musical and a book of short stories. His music has been heard around the world in films, TV, and on radio. This is his story. |