Hi

I am a Dublin based creative writer who loves to write.

Me

I write on a wide variety of topics including fiction and science fiction.

Writing

Writing is like a vintage wine - it takes time to mature but it improves with age.

Now

You can buy some of my works through PayPal on the site or Amazon by clicking and following a few simple links.

books

ONLINE STORE

These are some of the past works which I have kept as examples of previous writing.

Click on the image to read an excerpt and click again to read the full document.

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short stories

Click on the image to read an excerpt of the story. Download a copy by clicking on the download button on the short story page.
collins

A little about me


I was bitten by the writing bug in my early twenties and have been a fan of writing ever since. This site is devoted to all my creations most of which are not published but each one taught me a valuable lessons in the craft and how to progress and improve.


The books are laid out in a gallery style and clicking in the image in the Books section leads to another page where an excerpt can be read.


Writing has been a challenging task as is getting published. It seems that far more people are writing these and yet there are many more writing outlets.


During my time writing the marketplace for publication has vastly changed with the onset of social media and the internet for online publishing. With this in mind I opted to publish online and not be too put off by publishers and agents. With writing like any entrepreneurial task it is vital to be self-motivated.

My writing skills

The life so short, the craft so long to learn (Chaucer) I am an enthusiastic writer and enjoy nothing more than creating fictive worlds of words.

Practically there are many demands on time in our busy world and writing can easily be relegated as a hobby or transient past time.

Still as someone once said about sking - I may not be the best skier in the world but I still love to ski.

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Overview

Scroll through the writing history as laid out below.

Book History

Feel free to browse through my past writing as listed in the chronology below.

His Place in the Sun

We are introduced to Nicholas Martin as he wakes. The opening scene is in his bedroom. We learn about him. We learn how he has reached thirty, dissatisfied and unsuccessful. We learn about his mother, who lives in Ireland and his neighbor. He goes to work. We spend a day with him at work. We meet some of the people who populate his working life, namely Tony, Ken, and Peter. We learn what he thinks about them. Nicholas reflects on his job, his life and love. After work he returns home. Sonia, his girlfriend, arrives. We learn that their relationship is reaching a critical point. Sonia wants a commitment that he is unwilling to give. They go out to dinner together. They sit in the restaurant, while at a nearby table, a couple are arguing. They leave and return to Nicholas' apartment. Sonia falls asleep as he ponders the futility of his life.

Success

Nicholas Martin, Fulbright scholar, graduate cum laude University of Chicago and, top producer, Stephen’s & Co was close to his goal. He woke before the alarm, deep in his queen-sized bed. He rubbed sleep-encrusted eyes, before tossing back the covers. The carpet was warm to his naked feet as he strode across the room. He glanced quickly through the balcony doors. A winter's sun was rising from the lake. He sat at his computer, massaging his nose, snorting loudly to clear phlegm from his throat. Trionics was unchanged. The market hadn't opened yet. He struck a key. A graph of the week's closing prices flashed up on the screen: a steady upward curve. Satisfied he got up and walked to the bathroom. The tiles were cold to the touch. He rested two suntanned hands on the washstand staring into the mirror. He brushed back short black hair with his hand. An irrepressible smile spread across his face. Another month, two at most and that would be it. Nothing could stop him now.

Young Dubliners

In the first chapter we meet John Martin, a cynical and disillusioned man with delusions of grandeur. We learn that he doesn't like his work, that he feels destined for better. We follow him on an average Monday morning. We learn that he is approaching a turning point in his life. And he must soon commit or decide what to do with Ruthy his girlfriend.

Jack & Cora

When I walked passed the café I often saw her in there. Often she was carrying her tray between the bar top and the tables, which lined up neat and in a row, a small aisle in between. The tables were set back in a balustrade area which led up to by a step. I knew this because I was often in there in the evening, though much to my regret she never seemed to work evenings.

Joe O'Malley

The story involves the main character’s struggle with mental illness and explores the relationships and personalities in his life that contribute to his condition. The story opens in a psychiatric hospital in Dublin and follows our protagonist as he tries to improve his lot. Set against our character are the crushing societal forces of family and church that combine to keep him innocent of his nature and arrested in an emotional dysfunctional manner.

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“ On either side the river lie
long fields of barley and of rye,
that clothe the wold and meet the sky;
and through the field the road run by
to many-tower'd Camelot; ”

Tennyson

“ And as he listened, o'er and o'er again
repeated, like a burden or refrain,
he caught the words, 'Deposuit potentes
de sede, et exaltavit humiles;' ”

Longfellow

“All that is gold does not glitter,
not all those who wander are lost;
the old that is strong does not wither,
deep roots are not reached by frost.”

Tolkien

“Measuring a summer's day
I only finds it slips away to grey,
the hours, they bring me pain.”

Zepellin

“Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond. ”

Pink Floyd

“Alas, my love, you do me wrong,
To cast me off discourteously.
For I have loved you well and long,
Delighting in your company.”

Greensleeves

“The minstrel boy to the war is gone,
In the ranks of death ye will find him;
His father's sword he hath girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him;
"Land of Song!" cried the warrior bard,
"Tho' all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!”

Minstrel Boy

Contact me


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