Monday, July 31, 2017

The next story in Coastal Yarns should be up tomorrow---and then------

I hope to 'post, 'Connected,' tomorrow. Once again, there are some real truths in the story, with a 'twist.'
Then----get ready for a series of three chapters about the wild goings on of a group of  'friends.' The sprites are called 'Girl's Weekend, One, Two and Three. At the book launch, way back, it was asserted that the NZ wine industry should have been sponsoring me!'
Are the stories true? I shall leave that over to you to decide. BUT---in many stories, there is a bit of 'us,' is there not?

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Coastal Yarns, Chapter 4---'It wasn't me.' A dog's story!

I am sure many of you who are happy owners of a fur baby can relate to this story. Please download my other books from my website. (www.authorneilcoleman.com)
Now---read on--click on the image to enlarge.
















Monday, July 24, 2017

Is it true that 'I dream my stories,' for my books? (Coastal Yarns, Roskill, and Talk To Me)

Well yes, and no or ----sort of. I dream and some of those dreams are ---on the edge. You know that state of 'awakeness' and being asleep. It is different for each of us. It is a state that represents me coming out of a deep sleep, a time when I am 'getting it all together,' for a new day. It is a collage of my thinking, my fears, my hopes---a mish mash of my experiences, be they real or those of others.

The stories in Coastal Yarns are snippets of reality, based on real places and fantasy places. Some of the stories are about real events, told to me by unsuspecting 'story tellers' who had no idea that I would take their conversations to stimulate my tales, but who when told, laughed at the partial accurateness of my 're-telling.' Of course I embroidered them and twisted them, to hide identity and to add pleasure in the 'reading.' I had FUN!

Some of them are real and mean a great deal to me. (Mum's Beach, for example) Others are based on a feeling I had at a certain time (Connected) and others represent pure delight, as told in the three linked stories. (Girls' Weekend)
So my dear readers, please enjoy the stories from Coastal Yarns as I release them for free. The responses I am receiving are encouraging me to begin writing again. It may come down to 'Crowd Funding,' because self-publishing is no longer an option, now that I am 'mostly retired. If that doesn't happen, I shall just release future books for free, as I am doing with Coastal Yarns. I cannot stop writing. It makes me feel ALIVE!

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Coastal Yarns: Chapter 3. 'Mum's Beach.'

This story is very special to my family. We all know about the beach in the story and we often visit it when we return to the 'Naki!'
Don't forget my other books. ('ROSKILL' and 'TALK TO ME') You can access them via my website as either downloads or hard copy (ROSKILL) Feel free to contact me at (neilcolemanauthor@gmail.com) if you wish to buy the hard copy at a cheaper price.






Saturday, July 22, 2017

'Multi-tasking is the domain of----oops, but 'RETRO-tasking' is way better! Having a Jack Russell helps though!

I have no doubt that some of my readers will have somewhat strident opinions about my 'header,' but that concerns me not. They can waste their words and emotions, arguing how superior such a stance is when faced with the following scenario. I care not.
Having failed miserably, yesterday afternoon, upon my arival back home; the result being the cost of the loss of my car key---you know the type---the extremely expensive electronic ones that cause anxiety when lost! I suspect I was in for a very high bill, maybe between $400 and $600 dollars.
It all came about during the unloading of my car, when in my impatience to get everything inside, including Perdy (my very tried Jack Russell) plus trying to avoid getting even more soaked by an unrelenting downpour, I somehow dropped the key. Well, that is what I thought when I espied just one key sitting in the place where my two keys normally reside!
Sure I could have planned the exercise far more efficiently and even taken the time to bring things to their 'proper' places and not faced the stress of searching high and low, inside and out,' for my escapee key. I could have multitasked---but I DID NOT!
I tried to put the future cost out of my thinking, but it lurked like a bad smell, sort of like Perdy leaving a 'secret deposit,' as she did in her younger days, for me to discover 'later!' Bringing Perdy in as an excuse suits my purposes and shifts the blame.
I slept well and made plans to inquire about having a spare key cut, that could operate the car---manually. I do not know if that is possible.
Today, I searched the house and the ground outside. I fingered through the pockets of any clothing that I may have left my key in and I looked in every nook and cranny that I may have visited. Yes, I even looked in the toilet bowl, Hell---I flushed that almost immediately when I came home, so that was a silly idea!
I escorted Perdy for two walks and during that time, my mind travelled to many places, touching on a myriad of explanations, retro-thinking the events of the previous day. I KNEW the key had to be somewhere between the car and the lounge because that is the pathway I took! I even asked Perdy to help jog my memory. I asked her to 'retro-think! She tilted her little head and cast her gaze in the direction of the rubbish bin.
'What,' I uttered incredulously. 'You are  not going to eat that rubbish.'
I had cast some stuff in that receptacle that I would not feed the chooks, never lone Perdy. It was then that I decided to search the bin. My hands explored forgotten residue from four days ago, prior to leaving for Wellington. Do not tell 'you know who, that I had not emptied the bin before leaving!
My hands came upon something solid,  not squishy and stinky like the other contents of the bin.
RELIEF muchly!!!!!
I rest my case and my anxiety. Retro-tasking really does work and is a far superior quality than the much vaunted 'multitasking.' Well---it was THIS time! BUT---try not to take my words too seriously. I don't!

Friday, July 14, 2017

Coastal Yarns (Chapter Two: STUCK - an idyllic family holiday?)

Here is Chapter 2 of Coastal Yarns. I shall keep releasing them. Please download my other books (ROSKILL  and TALK TO  ME) or get hard-copy from me. Feel free to contact me at  (neilcolemanauthor@gmail.com)
Just go to my website and click on Neil's Books and follow the link. If you are reading this, you can download the books and use the free Kindle AP on my website (www.authorneilcoleman.com)





















Wednesday, July 12, 2017

This may be a bit random---but, here goes!

I was listening to talkback radio this morning and the usual menu of 'misinformed/righteous/certain of fact,' type callers, along with the host, were talking about how employers can't get skilled workers/tradesmen to build the houses NZ desperately needs. With the upcoming election about to be decided with this issue very much to the fore, let's look at the claim that there are simply not enough of the above 'people' to deliver on the 'promises' of those who are about to put themselves forward. Most political parties are 'staging' their ideas to resolve the housing problem.
There are those who would like to open the floodgates to immigration, bringing in so-called 'skilled practitioners of the desired trades. Whether they can deliver on this, is a moot point. Bringing in the tradespeople (and their families) may just add to the problem, some say.
Sure---bring some in, if they can be found. NZ is not the only country seeking skilled workers. But how about looking back to the 'resources,' the untrained resources that exist in NZ?
I can hear the replies to my suggestion. They will range from the usual 'the kids of today don't want to work, they lack the skills and attitudes and we can't afford to put the time into training them.'
What happened to the good old training young (and older) apprentices, where the young people went along and did block courses, then learned on the job? The employer (often just one builder and a few staff) put the time in and 'nurtured' the young person. Sure the trainee often left a few years later and the cycle continued. The employer saw it as a 'responsibility to invest in the future of the industry.'What has changed? Is it only about money now?
One of the callers, this morning expressed dissatisfaction with some of his competitors, in that whilst he was 'prepared to put the time into bringing on new blood,' his competitors were 'simply ignoring their responsibility and sponging on people like him, by not taking part in an industry-wide responsibility, to look to the future needs.' He is correct in his response.
I come from a sector of the economy whereby those wishing to get into that field (Counselling) go and do their training, get experience by working alongside other professionals, under supervision and gain the necessary skills, both theoretical and practical. If we did not work in this manner, how would young people (and once again, not so young) ever gain entry into this important field?
We need the same attitude in the building and other industries. If we are not prepared to 'invest' in the future by taking part in the nurturing of young people, then there is always going to be a shortage of skilled workers.
I do not believe that young people are 'ill-prepared' for this challenge. I do not take the anecdotal 'evidence' as expressed by some frustrated employers, in the form of stories about how some young people have not risen to the expectations, as the norm. That scenario has always existed and 'bad experiences tend to colour the views of someone on the 'wrong end of the ledger!'
Let's look to the huge resource that our young and others, already living in NZ represent, as the main impetus to filling the gaps, both now and in the future. I am NOT saying, that we should not top that up, using immigration, but I AM saying, let's get some balance into the equation.


Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Coastal Yarns, by Neil Coleman. (Chapter ONE: Tuis in the Mist)

Here is the scanned version of Coastal Yarns. I lost my original files, hence this process. I hope you enjoy the results. Please download my other books (Roskill and Talk To Me) or buy hard-copy from me direct. (neilcolemanauthor@gmail.com)You can access them via my website. (www.authorneilcoleman.com)










Monday, July 10, 2017

Coastal Yarns will be available--- free!

I am going to release Coastal Yarns, my first book as a free offering. I shall blog each chapter. All you will need to do is click on the 'download' and go from there. Coastal Yarns is a collection of 13 short stories. from various locations around NZ. Watch this space for the first instalment.
Hopefully, some of you will then download or purchase my other two books, ROSKILL and Talk To Me.

Monday, July 3, 2017

Perdy--the little star in 'Talk To Me,' by Neil Coleman.

For privacy reasons, Perdy changed her name in the book (TALK TO ME) she wrote, using the pen name of--- 'Neil Coleman.' When interviewed by a local radio station, Perdy said, 'I needed to change my name from  Perdy to Spot---yeah I know--not a particularly original name, but hey---notice how so many dogs share the same names. If I had anything to do with doggie-naming, there would be a complete overhaul!'
Perdy claims that the story, although a  bit off the wall, is a true reflection of the talk-back radio industry. She  says that 'humans are creatures of habit, usually misinformed habits and they often repeat past mistakes. Hell---even dogs learn more quickly that if something doesn't work, then change the approach!'
When asked about the 'plot,' Perdy replied, 'Well, I don't want to give too much away, but things get a bit hot for me when Gary, my so-called owner, takes way more heat from his listeners out there in the Lula-land of humans than he would wish for!'
'Go and read it. You will be surprised. You DO KNOW, I hope, that Talk To Me was nominated for the Ngaio Marsh Crime Writers Award.' Sure it didn't win, but I hope to pen another book soon. I just need to sell this book. How?  Go to my website and click on Neil's Books and follow the link. While you are at it, download the other book---ROSKILL or send an email to me (I mean Neil) at neilcolemanauthor@gmail.com and you will get a really good deal for a hard copy.
OK---dinner is ready---Possum Roll----yummmmmmm!'