Raymond G. Taylor
Bio
Author living in Kent, England. Writer of short stories and poems in a wide range of genres, forms and styles. A non-fiction writer for 40+ years. Subjects include art, history, science, business, law, and the human condition.
Stories (619)
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A macabre profession
I crept into the crypt intent upon a grim and grizzly task. Having scaled the walls of the cemetery after darkness and prized open the door to the vault, I crouched just inside, silently waiting and listening for any movement outside. I could hear nothing but the wind in the distant trees and saw no sign that my nocturnal visit had been noticed. Leaving the door open a fraction, I cautiously covered the crack with my coat before lighting a small dip and venturing further inside. I did not want any patrolling rozzer to look through the graveyard gates and notice a flickering light from within.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Fiction
Learning to fly
It was a crisp Autumn afternoon as I drove past the airport building and around to the side road where the private aircraft were kept. Biggin Hill Airport is a former RAF base just outside of London and you could still see some of the wartime barracks and the airmen’s chapel beside the more modern air terminal. I wasn’t interested in any of that. I was there for a flying lesson. My first ever flying lesson. An 18th birthday present from Mum and Dad.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Fiction
This week's reviews ONE
I love to review books and love to read short stories. To date, I have only reviewed books but I thought it would be nice to have some brief reviews of a few of the wonderful short stories posted here. There are so many to choose from that I have simply chosen some recent ones and given my own one-liner views. Please don’t take my word for it, though, go visit the authors and check their stories out for yourself. Please leave encouraging comments. While you are at it, please take a look at some of my stories and do let me know what you think. I write on a wide range of subjects, themes, and genres. Just for fun, I have included one of my 100-word stories, or drabbles, at the end of this review. Please let me know what you think.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Journal
Dark clouds gather - part two
Continued from part one: As Spaemann arrived home, he saw the jeweled case lying on the table, his black cat, Trinity, curled up before it. The ornate tooled-leather case was a thing of great beauty, adorned with swirling silverwork of breathtaking artistry and encrusted with every shade of gemstone. He marveled as he lifted the lid to reveal the Sword of Avalon.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Fiction
This week's reviews FOUR
Each week (or whenever I feel like it) I review a choice selection of some of the best fiction and other short stories and episodes to be found in Vocal communities. If you would like me to review one of yours, please let me know by commenting at the end of this article.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Journal
How not to plot
Thinking up the plot for a story seldom comes easy and it is sometimes a struggle to dream up something that will captivate the reader. The following is from the author C. S. Forester, who is quoted in Bryan Perrett’s introduction to his biographical work: The Real Hornblower: The Life and Times of Admiral Sir James Gordon GCB.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Journal
