Author: markswritingcorner

Mark Ahern was born in 1979 and is from Ireland. He attained a Degree in Commerce from UCD in 2000 and a Masters in European Studies in 2001. He has written three novels to date encompassing science fiction and thrillers. At times Mark has used his experiences as an individual with a disability to write from a truly unique perspective. "Chronicles of Martan" which is his sole science fiction work to date, is an epic space odyssey inspired by his love of Star Wars. This was followed by "Not the Usual Suspect" and "Paradigm". His current project is called "The Irish Ripper" and should be available late 2019.

A Covid Romance (Pt. 5)

Serena wasn’t quite sure when it exactly happened that she found herself pining for Sean to text. They had begun texting each other back and forth each day, ostensibly to ensure they were both doing okay, at least that was the charade that she told herself.

But, then she found herself looking forward to receiving them and to think that he only lived next door. At times, she just wanted to tell him that she would just come on over, But the advice was adamant, you were not to mingle with other people. In truth, she would have just ignored that advice if he wasn’t in a wheelchair, making him that much more vulnerable.

She had never been with a disabled man before, all she knew was that he was handsome and kind and that she wanted to wrap her arms around him. Not that she had told him that yet.

  • Chat tomorrow x

Her heart fluttered for a moment. Was the “x” too soon, too presumptuous?

  • Yes chat then x

What did his “x” mean? Did it mean anything at all?

Oh, this felt like a strange form of torture. She wanted to touch, to put her fingers through his hair. She couldn’t remember quite feeling like this before. Perhaps, her mind was playing cruel tricks on in her, in her isolation.

  • I’d love to talk face to face, well with the two metres.
  • Yeah that would be nice. Maybe out the back. You could talk to me over the dividing wall.

With that, their first date was set for later that day.

Review of “Extropia: Mind Game” by Robin Bootle

Dear Readers, I have just finished reading this excellent, epic novel today. “Extropia: Mind Game” is science fiction bordering on fantasy, set in a virtual world. It has excellent pacing and it keeps the reader engaged throughout. It is the first in a series.

Edward, the main protagonist discovers his father and brother are not dead as he had believed, but are trapped in the virtual world of Extropia. Despite much danger, he sets out to free them with the help of an FBI officer called Elizabeth from the evil game character Doefol whose exploits now threaten the real world. A sub plot is Edward’s unresolved issues about his mother’s death that had damaged his relationships with his brother and father while they were still with him.

At first, he faces the Virtual World as if it was just any other game, but the characters in Extropia use artificial intelligence, and they have their own thoughts and feelings. At times things are far too real. Virtual death is reality death too.

The writing is slick and there are beautiful descriptions of the different settings and great battles. At times, it has a real “Lord of the Rings” feel to it.

It also raises some fundamental questions about interacting with AI. Is it okay that the virtual characters were created to feel pain and anguish?

Is it acceptable to keep reality from them?

What the novel does lack is a bit of romance. A relationship could easily have developed between Edward and Elizabeth. It would have add added a further layer to the story and spiced things up a bit.

Overall, I give this novel four stars out of five.

As always please subscribe and let me know your thoughts.

A Covid Romance (Pt. 4)

Sean found himself anxiously waiting for Serena’s return. He was hungry when she left, but now he was positively starving. Perhaps, he thought to himself, he should have given her a smaller list so that she would return faster. Then his mind quickly switched to how pretty she looked in her mask, with her shoulder length blond hair. The memory of her sweet rose tinted perfume drove his mind wild. Perhaps, he just needed to be round women his own age more. Just as quickly, his mind switched back to food and thoughts of a tasty burger. He could almost taste it.

He switched through the different tv channels trying to find something interesting to take his mind off his predicament but they all taunted him with food advertisements. Then, there was a flicker of light outside emanating from the house next door. His heart started to beat that bit faster as he wheeled towards the front door.

It still took another few minutes before she rang the doorbell giving Sean enough time to put on mask. He hated having to put them on, but it was what was recommended and made him feel that bit safer.

“Hi Sean, here is your shopping. Will I bring it in for you?”

Sean hesitated for a second. It wasn’t ideal for her to enter to enter the house, but he was unsure if he would be able to carry all the stuff inside himself.

“Yeah, brilliant If you could just leave things on the kitchen table for me, that would be great. I’ll just reverse and get out of your way a bit, to keep the two metres.”

With that, she walked past not quite giving him the distance that he had hoped for. It may have been somewhat lost in translation.

Sean noticed that she wasn’t wearing any gloves as she put his second bag down. His Personal Assistant had been wearing them for some time. It almost seemed erotic to see a naked hand. He wondered what it would feel like to touch, would it be cold from being outside? Then the sound of her voice brought him back to reality.

“So, will you be okay now? Your change is there on the table.”

“Yes, that will be fine, thanks a million.”

“Ring me, if you need anything or to talk. It’s good to talk.”

Sean nodded in agreement and with that she left.

It took quite some time for Sean to pack everything away and get something to eat. But, he did enjoy that burger.

As he lay down in bed he decided to send Serena a text message.

  • Thanks so much for earlier. Was a huge help.

Her response was almost immediate.

  • No worries, did you cook something nice.

With that, they began to text each other back and forth about their jobs, the pandemic and what food they enjoyed into the late night.

A Covid Romance (Pt.3)

Serena was cooking a bigos, a traditional stew dish of meat and vegetables from her native Poland. Anything to take her mind off things. It was best just to ignore the crisis, at least for now. The constant worry and fear was too much. Better to do something she loved, even if she was the only one who was going to get to eat it.

Then she heard the buzzing sound of her phone. Thinking that it was probably someone from work looking to talk about the pub being closed, she didn’t check the caller id.

“Yes, Serena here.”

“Eh, this is Sean. I live next door to you. You called a few weeks ago.”

For a moment Serena wasn’t sure who it was. But then she realized.

“Oh yes Sean, how is everything? Do you need my help with anything?”

“Well, you see my PA is not able to come and she usually gets my groceries. And well, I’m not really supposed to leave the house and -“

“You want me to shop for you?”

“Eh yeah, please. That would be great.”

“Okay, I will call over in an hour. You can give me the list and money.”

“Grand, see you then.”

Serena put down the phone.

After her meal was cooked and eaten, she wondered if she should go and put on some make-up. She went to the mirror and was less than impressed with what she saw. Her hair was unkempt and her eyes looked dull. She hadn’t worried much about her appearance when she was meeting “the couple” but somehow this felt different. Maybe cause he was a man and much closer to her own age. He actually sounded quite sexy on the phone and anyway it was important to look good. So that was that, her decision was made. If she didn’t hurry though, she would be late and it’s not like she could blame the traffic.

Finally, when she felt presentable and walked out the front door. It was wet and breezy, probably undoing much of her good work getting ready.

Within seconds she was knocking at his front door, feeling an unexpected tinge of excitement.

Sean opened the door more fully this time. Even though a mask covered half of his face, she could tell he was handsome and found herself gazing into his piercing brown eyes He was wearing a denim short and trousers. Now that she could see him better she reckoned he was in his early thirties just like herself.

“Here is the list and thirty euro should cover it.”

He reached out and handed it to her.

“Right, I will come back with your groceries and change once I’m done.”

With that, they gave each other a little wave goodbye.

A Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you

Well readers, this is my 97th post and I thought I’d give everyone a quick update. That and I have a day off from work. Unfortunately I’ve been very busy at the day job, so my output has been somewhat reduced recently. Hopefully, that will change in the next few weeks. Never thought I’d be so busy during a pandemic. What can I say? It’s a very strange world.

I’ve made no progress whatsoever in my latest novel. My comedy section has also not been expanded. I have written a few short romance stories, and they have been well received. I will be back working on my latest one “A Covid Romance” later today. I have a few more ideas too.

This year overall is going very well with my number of views still increasing. I have a long way to go to make things even slightly profitable though. Such is life, I would happily do it for free for the rest of my life. It’s a good form of escapism.

For the future, I think I need to come up with a good logo for the website. A photo of myself, as pretty as I am is just not going to cut it. Do let me know what ideas you have (maybe go naked?). I’m always open to suggestions. I’d also like to make some youtube videos, maybe talk about my different novels or something.

Till next time and stay safe everyone.

A Covid Romance (Pt.2)

Sean had watched the nightly news with increasing alarm each night. The virus was getting closer and closer. The death rate was somewhat uncertain, but he knew that for someone in his poor physical health it would be much higher. He already lived the life of a hermit, which was now a good thing. His aide Thelma, an elderly woman in her sixties was a concern though. She worked about two hours per day, usually during the mornings cleaning up the house and doing errands for him like getting the shopping. Those two hours were vital. He knew that it was a major vulnerability, not only in that she could carry the virus to him, but also that she might be too scared to come help him. There was little he could do about it though.

As if having become paralyzed through a car accident wasn’t bad enough, now he had to face a pandemic. He wished he had relatives close by in case things went pear shaped but his mother had died during the very same accident and he had never known his father. At times, it felt like nobody else knew he existed.

Still, he tried to put his worries to the back of his mind. But, that became impossible after hearing the Taoiseach’s announcement that Ireland was going into lockdown. Nobody was to go to work the next day.

It didn’t take long for his phone to ring. He knew it was Thelma, and this was almost certainly not going to be good news.

“Thelma?”

“Sean, have you seen the news? They don’t want want people to leave their homes. What will I do?”

Her voice was trembling.

“I’ll be okay. Don’t come tomorrow, hopefully we’ll get some clarification on things, if we wait a day or two.”

“Are ya sure?”

He wasn’t.

“Yes, I am. Talk again tomorrow ok”

With that, the call ended. He immediately rolled over to the kitchen and checked his fridge. There was enough for a day or two. He needed a plan in case he didn’t see Thelma for a while. Then it came to him – that Polish woman, but did he still have her number?

A Covid Romance (Pt 1)

Serena shuffled from side to side in her bed, restless and unable to sleep. Normally, she would have no problem sleeping but usually, the News didn’t have her so fearful. The images from Italy kept going through her mind; the faces of people gasping for breath. China had been a distant place in her mind, but Italy really wasn’t that far from Ireland. Ireland played them at the rugby each year and Irish people regularly went there on holidays. She knew that from work. It was inevitable that the virus would now reach here now. She tried to stop thinking about it, it would do her no good as she needed to work the next day.

Despite her difficulties sleeping, she made it into work. It was tough to work behind a bar when you are tired though. The place was bustling as usual with orders for food and drink flying in. But the same topic of conversation was at every table. At one point a chill went down Serena’s spine when she heard that a whole region in Italy had just gone into lockdown. She felt like she had been transported into a horror movie.

The first thing she did when she got home was to turn on the news to see the latest developments. Things were indeed as bad as she had feared. The Chief Medical Officer of the country Dr. Holohan said that it was now only a matter of time before there was a recorded case in Ireland. Serena’s thoughts turned to all the people who were about to die. She thought of her vulnerable neighbours. An elderly couple lived on one side of her and a guy in a wheelchair lived on the other side. She hadn’t interacted with them much till now but she resolved to call into them that night to let them know that she was there if they needed anything. It was the least she could do and it would take her mind off worrying about herself. At least, she would be doing something.

She went to the elderly couple first. Their names were Alan and Mary, both in their late seventies. And wow, could they talk. At first, about the virus then about their grown up children and finally about the forthcoming warm summer they were praying for. Finally, Sabrina managed to say her goodbyes, promising to check in on them if things deteriorated.

Then it was time to check in on the man that lived the other side of her in a row of bungalows. She didn’t know much about him and had only every seen him in the distance since she started renting her house three months previously. It was a very different experience. She buzzed the doorbell and waited. Just as she was about to leave the door opened slightly.

“Sorry, do I know you?”

“Oh! My name is Serena. I’m from Poland but I live next to you.”

“Oh right! Sorry, didn’t recognise you. Hope you don’t mind but I’m in quarantine with this virus and all.”

“Yes, that is why I am here. In case, you need anything. All you have to do is ring me. Okay?”

With that, she put a crumpled page with her name and number on it through the letter box sensing he didn’t want her close.

“Bye, don’t forget to ring if I can be of help!”

“Ehh, thanks.”

With that, she left.

Review of Milkman by Anna Burns

First things first, if you’re not from Ireland, or at least from some part of the UK I have no idea how you’ll understand what’s happening in this 2018 Booker prize winning novel. The city along with the different characters are not named, rather described. To an Irishman/woman/other, there is no doubt that the setting is 1970s Belfast and the novel is rife with its intricacies. This was a time of intrigue, suspicion and death.

The story is told through “middle sister” who lives in a no-go area controlled by renouncers of the State (Republican paramilitaries). It is the story of her relationships and of her sexual harassment by a man in power.

That man is Milkman, who is high up in the republican movement and uses his position to insidiously prey on a vulnerable, young woman who is only eighteen years old and just trying her best to get by in very complex times. Gradually and methodically he takes away her support network, whether its her maybe relationship or longest friend. The community as a whole, including her own family almost pushes into the relationship rather than protecting her.

The novel is multi faceted and the writing is dense. It is beautifully difficult with memorable characters like strong willed Ma and Nuclear Boy. But, it took me a long time to get through it and in the end she’s just lucky to survive it all. There is no piece of ingenuity, just pot luck and I found that somewhat disappointing. It is the kind of book that I can imagine coming up in and English exam, and students complaining about being forced to read it.

All in all, this novel gets three stars out of five from me.

My friend Katy (Part 4)

Oh God, I can’t believe I’m bringing Tom back to my flat and that I was so forward about it! Hope he doesn’t think I’m easy. Not sure what to do now! He’s following in the car right behind mine. Fortunately, my place is close by but I need to act cool now.

It takes eight minutes to arrive at my flat. I pull up beside the door and he parks next to me. I get out of my car and watch his muscular body as he maneuvers onto his manual wheelchair. With that, we head into my kitchen and I get one of the bottles of red wine that I had stashed away for just such an occasion.

It goes down well and it’s not long till we’re both finished our first glasses. For a while, we talk about old times and he tells me that he had a massive crush on me when were younger. I can feel the sexual tension.

“I really did miss you Katie, when you left for Australia.”

Tom is now holding my hand.

“I thought about you all the time you were gone.”

With that, I feel him rubbing my hand with his thumb. It’s driving me wild with desire.

I lean across him, kissing him on the mouth, biting his upper lip. He kisses me back, briefly sucking on my lower lip. I feel his hands caressing my breasts, but the wheelchair is getting in the way. I take his hand and lead him to my bedroom where a double bed awaits.

We quickly take off our clothes and I take the initiative and go on top.

I’m surprised that he has erection, but say nothing and he enters me. Our bodies become a grinding whole for ten minutes, before an orgasm flows through my very being and I collapse beside him. Without thinking I then snuggle up to him and fall asleep.

My friend Katy (Part 3)

Katy looks stunning as she walks towards me. She is wearing a long, black dress, her bare shoulders caressed by her long, dark hair. Just as well that I put in a bit of effort myself. She leans down and kisses me on the cheek, giving me a whiff of her alluring fragrance before sitting down.

“So good to see you. It’s been a while!”

“Yes, it has,” she replies with a wide smile, “so, how have you been? I must say you’re looking very good these days.”

“Ah you noticed, yeah I’m doing a bit of weight training each night. I’ve been at it for the last eighteen months. I found that it helps clear my head, keeps me grounded. Other than that I’m working away at the accounting online. It’s been a life saver, makes my life so much easier. So tell me all about you and Australia! I really missed ya.”

Katie then told Tom about Australia, the heat and the lack of green. She had stayed in Perth, a place very different to Ireland.

“Are ya serious, the pubs close at 10pm?”

This is one place, Tom would never bother going to. Talk about boring.

By now, they were both enjoying their meal. Tom had gone for some salmon, whereas Katy gone had gone for turkey and ham.

In between bites Katie interjected.

“So, are you still seeing her?”

“No, it didn’t work out unfortunately. We decided it was best. How bout you? Were you a good or naughty girl over there?”

“It turned out Australians are not my type,” she replied with a small smile, while brushing her hair back with her hand.

Is she flirting with me? Nah it’s just me dreaming.

The conversation then switches to their families and how the different people they know are doing.

Unfortunately the time flew and it would soon be time for Tom to head home.

“What about a night cap? You can go in the morning? Come on, I haven’t seen ya in ages,” Katie said intensely looking right into his eyes.

Well, I was never going to refuse a night cap with a beautiful woman.

With that, we went out to our cars and headed to her apartment.