Books, Rod Fleming's World, Page 2

18/12/2024

Irrational Unknown: Fear of Madness

Originally posted 2016-10-25 13:17:01.

When I was a child, madness was the most terrifying affliction I could imagine. The idea that I might not be able to control my own life was bad enough. But to think that I might be controlling it, yet in ways that my conscious mind would never allow, was enough to give me nightmares. The irrational unknown inside me was terrifying.

The notion that I might be someone other than the sane person I thought I saw, when I looked into the mirror, was simply horrific. The idea of losing rationality and, with it, my central core of me, that hub around which my life revolves, has always been more frightening than anything else I can think of.

This sense of horror is not unique to me.

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18/12/2024

The Man Who Would Be Queen

Originally posted 2016-05-17 12:53:54.

J Michael Bailey’s seminal book, The Man Who Would Be Queen (TMWWBQ) sparked huge controversy when it was published in 2003. The furore it caused, while small in focus, was spectacular in its incandescent rage at the author. This was categorically different from the conservative reaction to works of other controversial authors like D H Lawrence, or even Vladimir Nabokov’s deeply unsettling study of male attraction to pubescent girls. In those, the hostility was principally against the work; not so here. It was J Michael Bailey in person who was vilified.

And to cap that, TMWWBQ is not a work of fiction, but of popular science. It is well written, in non-scientific language, is easy to read and deeply sympathetic to its subject. So what on Earth happened, to provoke such a furious backlash? It included entirely spurious attempts to end Bailey’s career, personal slurs and threats of violence against him. His attackers even accused him of sexually molesting his children.

The campaign against Bailey, coordinated by a small group of internet bullies, amounted to nothing more or less than a blatant attempt at censorship associated with a virulent personal attack on the author. It’s time, now, to revisit this book and see why it caused such a storm in a latte cup. Continue reading “The Man Who Would Be Queen”

18/12/2024

Baklas, sex and motorcycle maintenance

Originally posted 2020-10-02 18:30:19.

I’m at the local motorcycle repair shop where Sherwyn, a most competent mechanic and pleasant cove, is replacing a brake master cylinder on the Blaze. He first thought to replace only the seals, but he can’t find the right size. A new cylinder is 400 pesos, just under six quid, an unwell encephalopod. I just tell him to get on with it. Sherwyn works in the open space outside a motorcycle parts shop, where he seems to buy most of his stuff, although, as today, sometimes he has to go further afield. While I wait I sit on a wooden bench in the shade and observe the street life. Baklas soon begin to appear; it’s like they’re in the woodwork.

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18/12/2024

Poaching the River in English!

Originally posted 2013-06-22 15:02:15.

Poaching the River cover — Poaching the River

Poaching the River is back on the shelves, both physical and virtual, so I have been addressing the next issue.

Poaching the River was written only partly in English, or at least the Scottish version of it, and all the dialogue is in authentic Mearns Doric. That is my native tongue of course, although I didn’t really know it until I was at school.

The book was written as a homage to that culture, but it is a sad fact that there are few of us left who understand Doric, or can speak it. Ever since Poaching was first published I have had requests to translate it into English, something I have always resisted, for a number of reasons.

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11/12/2024

Ice (Part One) science fiction by Rod Fleming

Originally posted 2020-04-12 07:48:27.

I was in the middle of my steering watch when suddenly a blinding streak of white light whizzed at us from over to the right.

I knew what it was, of course, stinger missile, aimed straight at us. Eosha had her eyes glued to the Infra-scopes, as usual, and she saw it coming before I did. I pulled the control stick and turned the anti-grav tank towards the missile, to reduce the target area, and stood on the mag-brakes, bringing the tank to a halt under the shelter of a small hillock of ice and setting it down.

[ebook_store ebook_id=”18652″]

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11/12/2024

Ma verra first deider

Originally posted 2019-09-26 09:59:36.

I canna hink A wis muckle mair nor fower or five year auld the verra first time A clappit ma een on a deider. Noo ye maun hink yon’s a gey queer-like wey tae open a bookie siccan this een, an hink tae yersel, by, whit’s this lad hinkin aboot? But A says to youse, that gin a bookie’s tae be an honest bookie, an no jist a pile o havers, then we maun set aff on the recht fit, an be honest wi wirsels fae the aff. An sae it is; fan A hink on ma childheid, death aye seems affy close. But this parteecular deider, A’ll hae tae explain mair aboot.

If you like this writing in genuine Scots from Angus, you’ll just love Poaching the River, available in paperback and as an e-book!

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11/12/2024

A Kiss For Christmas: A John Macmaster Novel

Originally posted 2021-03-17 17:33:03.

Christmas 1981: Europe is in turmoil, the Human League is top of the charts, it’s pissing stair-rods in Paris and Johnny Macmaster has just got back from Damascus with a load of smuggled blood diamonds he wants rid of fast.

The first book I completed, which nearly got lost but hey that’s another story.

Don’t you want me baby? Don’t you want me ohhh

Harry, the most notorious fence in Paris, offers Macmaster a special surprise: Hermann Goering’s gold-plated 9mm Luger, along with his Blue Max and a wad of cash. Johnny accepts the deal and goes back to the bar to pay his tab. He gets another surprise: a round from a suppressed Ruger .22. That’s when his world explodes. Calling on his ex-lover Irene, Johnny goes back to work. The plot line criss-crosses Paris to a spectacular climax.

This book contains scenes of violence and sex. Plenty of them.

Paperback

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Plashmill Press (November 15, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 210 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0956500773
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0956500779

Buy The eBook:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

11/12/2024

The Spring Run

Originally posted 2021-03-16 23:07:09.

A hilarious romantic comedy, by Rod Fleming, set in a tiny village in Scotland. Follow the adventures of the protagonists as the they fuddle their way through to a climactic finale.

Spring is coming to the village of Auchpinkie on the east coast of Scotland. With it, women’s minds turn to romance and men’s to something else — poaching. But it turns out these are actually very closely related. A charming romantic comedy set in a world full of larger-than life characters.

Publisher: PlashMill Press

ISBN: 978-0-9572612-5-9

Buy the eBook HERE:

11/12/2024

French Onion Soup! A Mad Scotsman in France

Originally posted 2021-03-16 21:20:07.

French Onion Soup! tells the story of a mad Scotsman (me) taking his family to live in France.

It’s full of hilarious anecdotes as well as lots of useful information that you’ll need if you are planning something similar. Most of all, perhaps, there is lots of humour…because moving to a different country will make you laugh or cry, and laughing is a lot more fun.

Brilliantly funny tales of the life of a mad Scotsman, his wife, children, two dogs and a cat, who escaped the rat-race to live their dream in a country house in France. In 1993, photographer, journalist and Francophile, Rod Fleming and his artist wife bought a house in France. French Onion Soup! is the first in a series of books describing their life in France.

Published by: PlashMill Press

Print ISBN: 978-0-9565007-3-1

Amazon

Buy the eBook:

Buy on Amazon.co.uk

Buy on Amazon.com

27/11/2024

The Warm Pink Jelly Express Train: transsexual lives

Originally posted 2018-09-26 06:30:05.

On the tenth anniversary of completing the first draft of The Warm Pink Jelly Express Train, I am republishing this article about it. It describes an affair between a Brazilian transsexual prostitute and a Western straight man.

The Warm Pink Jelly Express Train was a very difficult book to write. Compared to my previous one, Poaching the River, it required profound reflection and much research.

Poaching is essentially a romanticised memoir; The Warm Pink Jelly Express Train is nothing like that. It is far deeper and more introspective and writing it, shaped my current world view.

My ideas about gender in particular were formed by the research and writing of The Warm Pink Jelly Express Train. Although it is a breathlessly-paced romantic adventure, it required me to dig deep into the natures of gender and sexuality, something I had never done before.

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