ABCtales (@abctales) — Bluesky Profile

22 hours ago

I loved being a part of this anthology!! Thank you so much for the shout-out, Ben 🐉

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19 hours ago

Wonderfully imaginative, Marandina's story unfolds in this chilling Pick of the Day. Please do share if you can
www.abctales.com/story/marand...

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1 day ago

A new pome "Homecoming" posted over on X/Twitter for #TopTweetTuesday. There's a video of me reading it (along with my cat Shelley in the background) over there if you can stand my Brummie drawl

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1 day ago

My latest story: Prophesy: The Immortal Witch (13)

The Village and the Beast

www.abctales.com/story/marand...

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2 days ago

Thrilled to have a new poem in the fabulous @bloodhoneylit.bsky.social! 🩸

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1 day ago

No L-plates required here (see collection title for this piece). This is intriguing and deft poetry and that's why it's our #PickoftheDay today. Do please share this on your SM, if you like it too.
#Poetry
www.abctales.com/story/scozen...

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3 days ago

Review:
Lizzy
***** Verified Purchase
Lovely
Reviewed in the United States on 6 March 2026
Format: Paperback
A wonderful and lovely book. Very thoughtfully written, clearly a byproduct of a great deal of love and reflection. A superb addition to anyone's personal poetry collection.

Just found a lovely new review for In the Shadow of Gods.

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4 days ago

Reposting this for March.

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4 days ago

‘Rachel Deering writes with scalpel-sharp precision’

@brionycollins.bsky.social on @racheldeering.bsky.social ’s ‘In the Shadow of Gods’

www.blackboughpoetry.com/rachel-deering

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3 days ago

Terrence Oblong's 'The War Museum' is a deliciously absurd piece of fantasy. We hope. www.abctales.com/story/terren...

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3 days ago

Pick of the Day - only 104 years on and a nice echo of Waste Land for our times www.abctales.com/story/yutka/...

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4 days ago

Our Friday Pick is Lille Dante's 'Never Gonna Give', another episode in the wonderful series about Julie and Danny. Please do share! www.abctales.com/story/lille-...

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5 days ago

Painting of small plane in clouds and blue sky.

You think you know something about your family history. And then you don’t.

Spiral Descent by Mark Say is our Pick of the Day.

Please give it a read.

www.abctales.com/story/mark-s...

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5 days ago

Another mercurial, interesting and keenly written missive from his homeland.

Turlough’s monthly diary entry ‘The Aromatherapist of Kozloduy’ is today’s Pick of the Day.

Do read both parts!

www.abctales.com/story/turlou...

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6 days ago

On fly tipping, sharing good news, some good news and a book festival. Someone has dumped a fridge outside my flat.

New substack is up.

On fly tipping, sharing good news, some good news, and a book festival.

#IndiePublishing
#Books

substack.com/@drewgummers...

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6 days ago

And look what Leicester Libraries have shared on Instagram. ☺️. Me as Dennis the Menace on #WorldBookDay supporting National Year of Reading.

@renardpress.com @beardedbadgerbooks.bsky.social

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5 days ago

Happy World Book Day! 📚

I’m proud to have two little pamphlets out in the world and I still have signed author copies available! 🌊 ☕️

Walrussey is for fans of ecopoetry and Circulaire is for those who love love!

Just drop me a comment, £10 via PayPal, and I’ll cover p&p! 💛

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1 week ago

Meet Danny in this first part of a brilliant story from Lille Dante, which is Pick of the Day! Please do share if you can, and there are two more parts posted for you to enjoy
www.abctales.com/story/lille-...

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1 week ago

Walrussey, my debut pamphlet of ecopoetry, is now back in stock at the @blackcatpress.bsky.social shop! 🌊

Each copy is signed and you can grab yours here: www.blackcatpress.co.uk/product-page... 😘

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1 week ago

‘D is for Deficiency’ from my latest pamphlet, Circulaire 💛

If poetry about the joy and messiness of existing in a body is your jam, then you can grab a copy here: writtenoffpublishing.com/shop/p/circu...

I also have signed author copies available, just drop a comment! £10 via PayPal) ☕️

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1 week ago

A tiny woollen flamingo stands on a shelf holding a sign.

Positive Flamingo
I may be a tiny flamingo, but 1 believe in you!
Go do your thing
Stand Tall and Be Flamazing

"Drew Gummerson is one of the funniest writers around - the PG Wodehouse of the flophouse.
Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel is a riot. A crazy pink tribute - the most under of underdogs."
Rónán Hession, author of Leonard and
Hungry Paul
٨٠٨
"A gut-wrenching masterpiece of booze-sodden tragicomedy and a genuine cult classic. Drew Gummerson is an incredibly skilful and versatile writer, coming across in Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel like the ghost of Charles Bukowski with a rainbow flag hanging out of his arse pocket."
Stu Hennigan, author of Ghost Signs
"Probably the most original, exciting and creatively invigorating book I've read this year - like On The Buses meets lain Banks." Jamie Mollart, author of Kings of a Dead World
DREW GUMMERSON
SEVENNIGHTS# FLAMINGO HOTEL
"This is it.

You are awake.
Hotel Flamingo's
resident dishwasher."

If you missed it the first time, the flamingo is back.

Be more flamingo.

Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel

Bookings open:

www.beardedbadgerpublishing.com/online-store...

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1 week ago

Islanders' Book Club • Join
Bob Inasip • 29 Apr 2025 • O
Drew Gummerson's previous novel, Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel was a laugh riot.
My sense of humor is quite strange so, generally, a book which is said to be funny and makes me laugh once is a feat. Seven Nights had me going on continuously.
I'm glad to say that Saltburn, Drew Gummerson's latest has made me do the same. As an added bonus every single page just had me going on non stop. That's not only a good sign, it's a near miracle. The second I read the line about a group of kids covering themselves in ketchup in order to pretend that they have suffered from radiation burns set me off.

Saltburn is a collection of interconnected short stories. All take place in the aforementioned actual town (and a couple in France) Although each story features a different character. lots of details crop up, Namely a ruling business family called Evans, a carnival, an aquarium and a gift shop where the store owner displays an ever shifting list of prices. In the meantime you have seals, mermaids, an endless amount of surreal TV shows, one particular is called You Can Beat it - which consist of people running naked in a forest. Suspicious fishermen, Muppets and deep sea divers. I'm just skimming the surface. This is the kind of wall to wall wackiness seen in Voltaire and Isabel Waidner.

However. like the two authors above, there is a method to Drew Gummerson's madness, Underneath the yuks (and some yucks) there are some pretty serious topics being examined. The first story may be a surreal coming of age story but there are weighty topics like gay aversion theory, parental loss and mental illness. Other stories will focus on mass consumerism, homophobia, social class and media manipulation. As l mentioned though, these issues are heavily disguised under dollops of slapstick. This is first class satire.
Saltburn is an absolute pleasure to read. I cannot help but mention the humor but it does take a lot to make me laugh, and yet this was done so effortlessly. I've always stated that humour, when used properly, is a powerful weapon. In this case Drew Gummerson has created one bazooka of a book.

As Saltburn’s 1st birthday approaches here’s a pretty fine review.

“This is the kind of wall to wall wackiness seen in Voltaire and Isabel Waidner.”

renardpress.com/books/saltbu...

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1 week ago

On mania and creativity. I have some new glasses.

On Mania and Creativity.

New substack up.

Written before work, dogs staring at me, wanting walk. The usual.

open.substack.com/pub/drewgumm...

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1 week ago

Painting of Hannibal crossing the Alps on elephants. C17th. Attrib to Nicolas Poussin.

Our Pick of the Day is an excellent poem by Angusfolklore. It’s called Hannibal's Last Hotel (182 BC) and you can read it here: www.abctales.com/story/angusf...
Do share it too.

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1 week ago

Story and Poem of the Month | ABCtales Our Story and Poem of the Month for February, very kindly chosen by Marandina:

Story and Poem of the Month for February now live on ABCTales!

www.abctales.com/blog/insertp...

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1 week ago

Our brilliant Pick of the Day "On Achill Island':

www.abctales.com/story/turlou...

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1 week ago

Over the moon to have been commended in the @vervepoetryfest.bsky.social competition, judged by Victoria Kennefick, a poet I so admire! 🎉

Honoured to be on this list with so many poets and friends ❤️

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1 week ago

#PoetryAlert Marked for silliness and occasional rhyme, enter at own risk
www.abctales.com/story/ewan/n...

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1 week ago

‪My latest story:

'Prophesy: The Immortal Witch 12'

The creature in the cave

www.abctales.com/story/marand...

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1 week ago

Our Pick of the Day is a brilliant piece of writing from Lille Dante, The Mythic Embassy. Do read and share it.
www.abctales.com/story/lille-...

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