Michael O’Connor has published two books and an
e-novella and contributed to many
anthologies, including four of the earlier Bridge House ones. He has had
stories published in a large number of UK/North American print and online magazines,
two of which received Honorable Mentions in the tenth and thirteenth annual
editions of the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. He won first prize in Writers’
News Magazine’s 2011 ghost story competition. His website is at
www.mpoconnor.co.uk
Yet just a few
short years ago, I was a seven stone weakling. I had a dull run-of-the-mill
stuck-in-a-rut job, dry unmanageable hair, and I used to get sand regularly
kicked in my face by elderly ladies who carried some around with them for that
precise purpose, as I was always too frightened of water to go near a beach.
The computers in several dating agencies crashed when my personal details were
fed in to them, rendering me persona non grata in those most romantic of
places. I was an avid stamp collector and dedicated train spotter with leanings
towards bird watching, although I have to admit that I never actually acted
upon that particular avocation because I was afraid that too much exposure to
the open air would harm my weak chest. My proudest possessions in those days
were two complementary anoraks -- one for best and one for day-to-day wear --
and I enjoyed a case of acne which was quite astonishing for a man in early
middle-age.
It was not a very rewarding existence and I was, to say
the least of it, rather dissatisfied. Much of my ample spare time was devoted
to scrutinising those seductive classified "self-improvement"
advertisements in newspapers and magazines. I was constantly searching for a
way to transform my meaningless existence without actually doing anything
difficult or requiring the least effort or application on my part.
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1 comments:
Hi, everyone. I am very proud to have my story in this anthology and hope readers will enjoy it. Michael O’Connor
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