Occasional Ravings – Don’t let the old man in

Last night I re-watched the Clint Eastwood movie 'The Mule'. Now, I don't buy the premise that a charming nonagenarian should be forgiven for running drugs that destroy millions of people and make the scum of the earth rich. But the film is worthwhile on many levels, including the central theme of family being more …

Occasional ravings: The write sexuality

Dear editors of Hairy Nosed Wombat Magazine I have read your submission guidelines and note that you only accept the work of writers that identify as being somewhere on the spectrum of sexuality that doesn’t include traditional male and female role models, aka LGBTQI2S+, or are Persons Of Colour or have a disability. Before I …

Guest blogger – Sue Vincent

Please take the time to check out Sue's excellent work. Flash Fiction | Sue Vincent's Daily Echo (scvincent.com)

Blog Battle Spotlight

I'm honoured to be asked to be the first person spotlighted in the re-vamped 2021 version of Blog Battle. I'm sure you are dying to ask me a curly (or straight) question, so fire away. 🙂 Doug Jacquier in the Spotlight | BlogBattle (bbprompt.com)

Occasional ravings – The mysteries of submission

Like many of you, I occasionally submit to story and poetry sites and enter writing competitions. Like many of you, I find that success is rare. This is fully understandable, given the volume of submissions and entries that many of these calls receive and that most, if not all, rely on volunteer and/or low-paid judges. …

Short-listed at last !

Please excuse the minor piece of self-promotion but I've just made the short-list of 30 for the Better Read Than Dead annual short story competition in Australia, which had 200 entries. There could even be a cash prize if I make the top 3. Like many writers, I fling my work into the literary universe …

In celebration of women who make my heart sing

Apologies to those that may have read this in another (now defunct) blog life of mine but worth reviving I think. I've always been a sucker for women singers across a wide range of genres in a way that their male colleagues have never quite achieved. Of course I have my favorite male singers and …

Occasional Ravings – Charities and the cycle of funder abuse

This is a bit seriousy so you might want to skip it if you only like my funny bits. 😉 For many years I worked in the charitable/not-for-profit sector, including periods on both the funder and fundee side of the negotiation table. Despite all the funding appeals you see, it is now extremely rare for …

Currying disflavour

In my impending dotage (and you can stop that sniggering in the back row), I’ve discovered cooking and a penchant for adventure.  I found a recipe for squid stir-fry and imagined a song of praise from my goodly spouse. ‘Perfectly cooked squid, on an eclectic bed of seasonal vegetables, conjuring the exotic flavours and aromas …

Shoulda woulda coulda

The older I get, the more inclined I become to putting should on others and less inclined to put should on myself. Doug Jacquier 2020