Check out who’s following your girl on Reedsy Discovery.
That’s right, this man.
This man, who I had to look up online.
I initially thought it was Paolo Guerrero, a professional football player who plays in strike position for Ecuador. Paulo Guerreiro on the other hand, I have no idea. I think he’s a nobody.
Do I think this is a fake account? Yes. Do I hold out hope that a “somebody” in sport has taken interest in my work? I couldn’t possibly comment…
**
Rating: 3 stars
Headline: An informative guide for those with pre-existing knowledge of the corporate world
Review:
I cannot count the number of times I have sat through episodes of the television show “The Apprentice” with my head in my hands. Speaking specifically on the British version, the series routinely includes a particularly challenging episode where prospective investment candidates undergo multiple gruelling interviews where inevitably everyone’s business proposals gets ripped to shreds. Watching through my fingers, all I can think is “do these people even know what a business plan is?”
I have these toe-curling scenes playing in my head as I reach for How to Write a Business Plan. A fellow British national, Alessandro Bosasco even refers to the television show “Dragon’s Den” (the UK version of “Shark Tank”) as another example of people being very publicly grilled before deciding whether or not to invest in a start-up business. This book is intended as an antidote to the condition of poor planning, a no-nonsense guide to writing a business proposal from calculating turnover projections to the basic structure of what a business plan should follow.
This is informative book is assisted by a large number of illustrative spreadsheets and screengrabs, produced for a fictional case study (a business in the catering industry). While there is a lot to digest here…there is also a lot to digest here! Personally I found it difficult to read and interpret the spreadsheets and data sets, having to scroll back and forth between pages to interpret the wording in bulky paragraphs and match it with the visual content. While the portrait orientation of books can be space limiting (especially for Excel spreadsheets), it can be equally difficult to interpret on a digital device when the same images are flipped horizontally.
Good for those already possessing a level of business acumen, more fresh-faced readers may struggle when it comes to How to Write a Business Plan. Another level of granular detail, annotated images and breaking down the workings out between certain figures would have made it more accessible. With a few revisions I can see this being a highly popular guide in future editions.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “How to Write a Business Plan” by Alessandro Bolasco
Purchase Link: “How to Write a Business Plan” by Alessandro Bolasco (Amazon)
Author Website: https://www.bolasco-consulting.com/
**
This one comes from the Alice archives, from a time when I was channel flicking and came across this beauty of a clip from the Channel 4 reality TV show, “Celebs Go Dating”. I recorded it on my phone, hence the iffy quality, but it’s still a classic.
**
**
Rating: 5 stars
Headline: All the best parts of an extended internet search, rolled into one handy to use guide
Review:
Science has come a long way in recent years when it comes to the treatment of illness and disease but, needless to say, it still has a long way to go yet, not least with conditions that disproportionately affected women and girls. As someone who has been diagnosed with endometriosis, I very much know the feeling of being lost in the Wild West of that prescriptive medicine can offer.
Janett Juwien, a trained cosmetic scientist, aesthetician and owner of both a bachelor of science and multiple renowned beauty salons in Germany and Australia has turned her years of expertise into writing in her new self-help guide, The Truth About Melasma. Melasma is a skin condition that affects skin pigmentation, usually on the face and, in the majority of cases, women (although it is worth noting about 20% of those with the condition are male). In this handy guide that comes in at just under 200 pages, Juwien analyses both the causes of the condition and the treatments that can help alleviate symptoms. This includes not only medicated options but also lifestyle changes and vitamin supplements that are cheap and readily accessible.
There is a lot to like with this book. It is highly visual, with colour illustrations and tables to bring to life some of the dryer facts and figures. Coming from a very much non-scientific background I have to take the book’s guidance on face value, however every single assertion made in The Truth About Melasma is fully supported with research footnotes that provide the ability to conduct independent research. That, coupled with the author’s own scientific knowledge and experience provides a needed dose of reassurance to any reader.
This guide feels like all the best parts of an extended Google search on Melasma, rolled into one handy to use guide. That considered, The Truth About Melasma is something I would recommend to anyone, male and female, who suffers with this skin complaint. With some of the guidance in this book, you cannot go far wrong.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “The Truth About Melasma” by Janett Juwien
Purchase Link: “The Truth About Melasma” by Janett Juwien (Amazon)
Author Website: Ecvilibria – Holistic Beauty Confidante
**
For anyone pondering ideas for any future birthdays, Christmases, other religious occasions…celebrating your teacher (actually, maybe not the celebrating your teacher), but for everyone else, there is this:
Title: “Little Rock Looking At You”
Description:
Created exclusively for the RA Editions programme, this new sculpture by Marina Abramović Hon RA is based on a drawing made by the artist whilst living in Australia.
Produced as an edition of fifty in cast and blackened iron, Abramović has painted the eyes individually by hand, giving each rock its own unique character. The sculptures are initialled and numbered on the base and presented in a stamped cedar wood box. Each is accompanied by a card signed by the artist, as well as a certificate of authenticity.
Due to the hand-finished nature, each sculpture is unique.
Retail price: £2950* (*as of May 2024)
£2950?! 2.9.5.0?! Are you actually kidding me? As per Mumma B’s general steer on art, “if Alice could do it, it’s not ‘Art'” and ladies and gentleman, I am quite sure this is something I could do.
Now, before we all start jumping in our cars and heading for the nearest beach, it is worth noting that the creator of this artwork is Marina Abramović. Marina Abramović, as in, the Serbian artist who makes visitors walk between naked people to gain entry to her exhibitions. Marina Abramović, who drinks water more seductively than Nigella Lawson on a Christmas cooking extravaganza:
Marina Abramović, who just basically gets her kicks from performance/shock art.
I was going to add another video to prove my point, but every one ended up with a naked Marina Abramović, or some other woman flashing me, and no one needs that without at least a trigger warning. In the space of thirty minutes I viewed enough of Marina Abramović’s body that it both ruined my related videos feed on YouTube and led to some very awkward suggested adverts.
Goes to show, if you call it “Art” then anything goes.
Purchase link (in case you don’t believe me): Little Rock Looking At You – Royal Academy of Arts – Shop
**
Rating: 2 Stars
Headline: Too much in too few words: this short story is wounded by its lack of descriptive text
Review:
Matthew Howard’s story Following the Boar: An Ancient Historical Fiction Short Read (hereafter Following the Boar) is a short read and to the point. It tells the story of Borvo, a Scottish warrior, who must prepare for battle against a strange and fearsome enemy who has been massacring the local population and invading lands. As the clan travels toward the battlefield, Borvo and his father rally additional comrades to join the fight, including warriors who swear allegiance to his uncle, Breenus. Together the combined forces travel on in a climatic battle with the enemy of steal.
The main problem I have with this short story is in the quantity of content. In Following the Boar, the author, Howard, has attempted to pack in far too many events into too a short space of time, at the detriment of the descriptive text. Reading through this story I get no sense of place and I struggle to follow the movements of the characters. It is impossible for me to visualise the appearance (and number) of warriors coming from the different fractions; so much focus is made on the three central characters I kept forgetting they were there until suddenly they appear on the battlefield. The protagonist Borvo has no development; even in short stories the reader needs strands of insight to help flesh out the image of the main characters, their personality, drivers and beliefs. Sadly there is none of that here.
One example – the story starts with Borvo waking up on the floor. Why is the protagonist sleeping on the floor? His father is the chieftain of the clan, he even asks his son about his “first taste of poverty”, so what was the cause to place Borvo in humble surroundings?
Without the essential sprinklings of insight and description, it is hard to comprehend why characters make the choices they do and the reader is left feeling disengaged with what limited action takes place. When the ending occurs, somewhat abruptly, it leaves for only feelings of dissatisfaction, as opposed to clamouring for more.
Howard should take this short story as a pause for reflection. The existing story arch would make a good basis for a historic novel or, with elements removed, could be refined into a succinct short story. Improvement needed, but within the muddy battlefield there are glimmers of potential.
AEB Reviews
Links
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – Follow the Boar: An Ancient Historical Fiction Short Read
Purchase Link: Following the Boar: An Ancient Historical Fiction Short Read (Amazon)
**
Alas, “the emergency Bentos” at the back of my cupboard has expired. This is indeed this is a very sad time for all…so who wants to watch me struggle to dispose of it?
**
Rating: 4 stars
Headline: Destiny is on the cards in this simple to navigate guide to Tarot reading
Review:
About six years ago I went through a phase when I was obsessed with reality TV. During an episode of “The Real Housewives”, one of the women invited a practitioner into her house to perform Tarot card readings. I was fascinated by it (less so by the women, who for the whole five minute segment, wouldn’t stop screaming).
Intuitive Tarot 101 would have been perfect for me back then. Written by Claudia Amendola Alzraa, who herself proudly boasts years of extensive Tarot reading experience (starting back when she was twelve years old), this guide aims to give its audience an introduction to the basics of Tarot card reading. Built specifically on the Rider Waite style of card design (the most popular style used by readers), Alzraa opens with a clear set of objectives. These include (but are not limited to): learning the foundation of each card and the hidden symbolism in each, trusting intuition and building those all important reading skills. The book takes readers on a journey to explain the process of Tarot reading (aka “the journey of The Fool”), accumulating in a frequently asked question section towards the end, where the author addresses some of the finer points around the act of Tarot reading (e.g. knowing when and how much to charge clients for services offered).
This is a straightforward guide, with comprehensive tables used to break down the symbolism of each card in a clear and direct manner. At just under a hundred pages in length it really is the definition of a ‘introductory 101’ for new joiners to the world of Tarot. The nuance around symbolism would have benefitted with accompanying visuals, as the book makes the assumption that anyone reading it will already owns a deck of Rider Waite cards.
A nicely packaged guide overall and an interesting area of spirituality I enjoyed reading on. That said, I don’t see The Real Housewives trying to book me for their Tarot readings anytime soon.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Intuitive Tarot 101” by Claudia Amendola Alzraa
Purchase Link: “Intuitive Tarot 101” by Claudia Amendola Alzraa (Amazon)
**
I’m very excited to announce that my short story, “Bee Happy”, has been selected for inclusion in Swindon Writing III.
A locally championed publication, Swindon Writing III showcases and celebrates the broad range of creative talent which exists from within Swindon and further afield. I’m told the standard was incredibly high this year, with an unprecedented number of submissions, which is all the more reason to celebrate this achievement.
This comes following the news that another of my works, “How the Dressmaker of Bournemouth Feeds her Family”, will be published by Dithering Chaps in their first anthology, Lines in the Sand.
As you can imagine, this update has put a further spring in my step and made my heart sing. I can wait to see my words in print and share with you a snippet of my creative mind.
Swindon Words III is published today, 30th April 2024. Details of where you can purchase the anthology will be shared as soon as I know more!
**
**
Rating: 5 stars
Headline: Whether poetry is based on true events or the work of utter fiction is irrelevant when it’s as captivating as this
Review:
Penned by the biracial, bipolar and bisexual poet Quazaye Konkel, Bubblegum heart & other elastic things is a collection that take readers on a story of love won and lost. Beginning with the initial feelings of passion and lust that come with any fledging relationship, Konkel moves through the lines of the opening poem “venus de milwaukee” with ease. These joyful moments are shown in subsequent poems, perhaps peaking with “bubblegum heart”, a midpoint piece where the narrator declares their love for an unnamed individual. By the time readers reach “jinx” there is already a sense that something is going wrong, that the relationship is unravelling and spiralling out of control.
“I didn’t mean to jinx it // when I asked if you were // okay… // I only meant // to kiss it // better”
But even in the lows there is much to be grateful for. In “seasons of loving”, readers are presented with an individual reflecting on the positives of a failed relationship as much as the negatives that ultimately led to its deterioration. It is beautifully written and fitting closing poem for this charming collection.
There is a lot to like with Konkel’s collection, particularly in the strength of the narrator’s voice which follows through all of the poems. The reader is transported on a journey and in doing so builds a strong relationship with the narrator, almost as much as the narrator does with its unnamed love interest. The pacing is good and the varied use of poetic forms keeps the mood and tempo engaging.
It is not often a collection of poetry focuses on one narrative voice working through a linear journey but Bubblegum heart & other elastic things succeeds in captivating readers in a story of joy and struggle. Whether poetry is based on true events or is the work of utter fiction is irrelevant when it is as captivating as this.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Bubblegum heart & other elastic things” by Quazaye Konkel
Purchase Link: “Bubblegum heart & other elastic things” by Quazaye Konkel (Amazon)
Author Website: Quazi Writes – thoughts. feelings. poetry.
**
My Housemate's a Mermaid 