Why am I uncomfortable with this question?

Daily writing prompt
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
View all responses

I think it might be the word ‘things’? Or, maybe it is that I can’t answer this question very easily. I can’t reliably go for one activity and say ‘Ah! That makes me happy every time’. The truth is, everything is a little different each time experience it. To take an example.

I am learning to play classical guitar. I play it most days but, whilst I often enjoy the learning process, it is also difficult, and I get frustrated with my mistakes. Also, it’s hard. It’s rare I play a piece and think that I played it spot on, and that made me happy. I enjoy performing in public, but I haven’t done that for a few years now. I think because I can’t be bothered.

The company of my wife often makes me happy. We make each other laugh. The same goes for my son. But, of course, we may worry about our loved ones from time to time. I like a nice beer, and I’m going to have one in twenty minutes while I’m making pizza. And I do like pizza? Sometimes more than others. I like cycling, but I prefer going down hills to up them. I like a nice cup of tea, but I wouldn’t say it brings me happiness.

A beautiful view! Yes. That always makes me happy. I never tire of beauty in nature. One down, four to go. I’ll dig out a photo of Valtos beach in Parga, Greece. Now for that beer…

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The Gospel according to Utnapishtim.

What change would you like to make in the world?

My book ‘Following Gilgamesh’ is really a gospel and manifesto. Utnapishtim is the character from the Sumerian myth, ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’. The Biblical character, Noah, is based on Utnapishtim.

The heart of my story is an old truism; the love of money is the root of all evil. In our times, the myth of meritocracy enables injustice and corruption under the guise of fairness.

So, the billionaires at the top can buy democracies. The people in the middle believe they have earned their place and look down on those below for being feckless. The VAST majority of those at the bottom are trapped. Their voices are drowned out by the media owned by the wealthy.

The problem with the world isn’t money. It’s that too few people have way too much and yet want more. They are addicted to greed.

The solution to the world’s problems is to tax every penny of personal wealth over $50 million. The rich will still be rich. The poor will be less so. Then democracy cannot be bought.

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Following Gilgamesh

A corrupt professor cons two young archaeologists. They think they are going to fly through space to a distant planet. In fact, Nanshe and Bandaka will travel forward through time.

Their desperate government sends them 700 years into the future to discover why their society faces extinction. As they go searching for ancient artefacts and texts, they do not realise that the peaceful world they are exploring has replaced their own dysfunctional technocracy. A wise guide befriends them and tries to protect them from hidden mortal dangers.

Click image for link to Amazon. £1 for Kindle.

Following the oldest road trip known to humanity, they learn the solutions to the problems of their own era. As this book is a novella, about half the length of a regular novel, I have priced it pretty low at £1 for the Kindle edition. The paperback costs £7.39 though that will fluctuate a little as it’s tied to the American dollar.

This was such fun to write, so I hope it’s as much fun to read. I think it’s one of those books that will ‘stay with you’.

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The Luck of the Crane

Click image for link to Amazon. £2.42 for Kindle

‘The Luck of the Crane’ tells the story of childhood friends Joe and Grégoire growing up in rural Rwanda. By 1995, they are teenagers and set against one another by a brutal genocide in which a million people are murdered. This is an amazing and heart wrenching tale of struggle against incredible odds. In a world which today seems threatened by darkness, Rwanda’s history is a modern, real, parable of why good people must never give up.

‘The Luck of the Crane’ is informed by extensive research and conversations with genocide survivors. It was a Quagga Literary Prize Winner in 2016. The Kindle edition costs £2.24 and the paperback costs £8.94.

Click for link to the extract.

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Atheists for Jesus

‘Atheists for Jesus’ is a short book that grew out of a drunken conversation with some friends on holiday. I mentioned Jesus had brothers and sisters and my mates were gobsmacked. To be fair, Christian Theologians have failed to make some basic points widely known. So, this little book will:

  • Outline the main historical facts about Jesus of Nazareth.
  • Explain how this Jesus became the Christ of Christianity
  • Offer some thoughts on how Christians can view the Christ of the gospels in a realistic and fruitful way in the 21st century.
Click image for link to Amazon. £1 for Kindle.

The goal of the book is to assist atheists and non-Christian discuss ‘Jesus the bloke’ without becoming bogged down in irrelevant stuff like ‘faith’.

It’s not a lengthy book and only costs £1 for the Kindle edition or £3.97 for the paperback.

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Head Hunted

When popular headteacher Pamela Flowers announces her retirement, the lunatics are queueing up to run the asylum. Oozing ambition and mediocrity, the wannabe heads have ten months to impress for the top job.

Devout Catholic, Conor Flanagan, company man Jason Buckingham, and underdog Jessica Kimble, find themselves on an assault course littered with obstacles to trip the unwary. Will the school choose the class act or the class clown? Let the games begin.

Click for link to buy. £2.42 for Kindle

Informed by John Poulton’s thirty-year teaching experience. ‘Head Hunted’ is the story of how the serious business of education degenerates into comic farce. The Kindle edition costs £2.42 and it’s £10.99 for the paperback.

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