I'm excited to welcome today the fantastic Nick Wilford and celebrate the release of his new collection, A Change of Mind and Other Stories. I've already had the privilege of reading his book and loved it. Here's my 5 star review.
And here's another reason to celebrate. For today only, Nick's awesome collection is only 99 cents!
Thanks for hosting me, Christine! Today, the MC of A Change of Mind, Reuben, is making a high-profile TV appearance on a show that aims to recognise underrated office workers. I’ll now hand you over to the host, William Fangleman.
Fangleman: Well, good evening, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another edition of “Unsung Office Heroes of the Land” with me, William Fangleman. Today I’m pleased to be joined by Reuben Timsbury, a hardworking systems analyst with Harbinger Industries. Hello there, Reuben. I’m pleased to meet you.
Reuben: No one’s ever pleased to meet me.
Fangleman: Oh come now, I’m sure that’s not true. You seem like a very interesting chap. Why don’t you start by telling the audience a bit about yourself?
Reuben: What’s to tell? I work at a big office – you know, Corporate Central, fat cat boss – writing mind-numbing reports. I’m good at my job, not that I ever get recognition for it.
Fangleman: Well, let’s have a bit of recognition now. How about a big hand for Reuben and his report-writing skills!
(Audience goes wild)
Reuben: (goes bright red) Errr, thanks. I’m not used to being applauded. It was weird, but nice, I guess.
Fangleman: Now, what sort of people do you work alongside in this office? Do you get along well with them?
Reuben: (grimaces) Are you joking? They delight in making my life a living hell. This one big oaf, Borderman – he asks to borrow my stapler every day. And every day I never get it back, and I have to buy a new one. At £4.99 a day, that’s quite a big wodge out of my paycheque.
Fangleman: Well, why don’t you just stop giving him staplers?
Reuben: Hmm... you know, that’s never occurred to me. When you’ve been pushed around by people your whole life, you do as you’re told. Second nature, I guess. And who’s to say what he could do to me with those staplers?
Fangleman: They’re pretty lethal weapons, I’ve heard. Now, just so our audience aren’t left in total doom and gloom... is there anyone at all you like in our office? Someone who could brighten your day just a tad?
Reuben: (shuffles feet) Weeelll... There’s Minerva, from accounts. She doesn’t even work on this floor, so I don’t see her that often. But she’s a radiant vision, a Greek goddess in name and in how she moves. But what are the chances of her noticing a schmuck like me? She doesn’t even know who I am.
Fangleman: Oh, don’t do yourself down. You’re a handsome chap, it sounds like you just need a dose of confidence. Well, that’s all we have time for on “Unsung Office Heroes of the Land”. Another big hand for Reuben Timsbury, folks!
(Applause) Reuben grins sheepishly while staring at the floor.
* * *
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
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.
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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