About my (NEW)SHORT STORIES — and their 'Raison d'être ...

One of the main reasons why I decided to write SHORT STORIES based (in the main) on selected chapters already published in FLASHING LIGHTS is that I recently became conscious that the title Jim Wyllie's FLASHING LIGHTS didn't in many ways do justice to the type of book that it really is.

I recently became aware that it was very easy for people to take a look at the title, its cover and descriptive 'blurb' and (understandably) come to the wrong conclusion about its content ... or at least, selling it short in their own mind. I understand how very difficult it is for autobiographical writers (myself included) to be totally objective about how to write their book — and how this work is then perceived, both by the publishing industry as well as potential readers.

The misleading nature of 'judging a book by its cover' was never more correct than in this instance.

It is a fact that my (working) lifetime had been spent 'under the flashing lights' of clubland — however, this is purely as a backdrop to the story, and it isn't restricted to the sort of story normally associated with the image of this lifestyle.

I only realized this when I eventually read the (paperback) book myself — usually I had just been editing my own work from the manuscript file—and not reading it as a reader—and that I had missed a lot about the story I had written. I soon realized it was a lot better, and in a way, 'cleverer' read than I had (mentally) given it credit for —and that there was so much more about it from a general interest perspective as well as being a lot less 'niche' than its emitted feel (both by title as well as the way the book is presented) resulting for me reasonably subjectively, in a broader, more mainstream and appealing read throughout the entire story and with so many different facets to each individual chapter.

I also noticed that pretty much all 16 chapters were really just individual stories within their own right — with only myself as the common link/thread throughout — and not all of them had clubland at 'front and centre'. However, clubland did constantly have its part to play — but on occasion this was limited purely to a background supporting role.

Each chapter, sometimes obviously, sometimes quite subliminally, sometimes by accident, sometimes purposefully, have quite thought-provoking discussion points contained within them which have nothing whatsoever to do with the 'usual suspects' of clubland—to quote that marvelous old pub/punky 'rock n roller' of the 70s Ian Duty (RIP) "Sex and Drugs and Rock 'n Roll" ... or the contrasting (posey) nature of my old mate Stringy (Peter Stringfellow RIP) with his 'mwa_mwa' peck-on-the-cheek greets of pretentious clubbing of the 80s and 90s.

(By the way, I was more of a 'tongue and throat' type of club greeter myself).

When I became aware that, post publishing, I had considerably undersold the natural honesty and openness of myself (in writing) I decided to market the book from my end in another way (my publishers get on with their own marketing plan for 'FLASHING LIGHTS' in whatever way they see fit) and that the correct way for me, from now, was to extrapolate various core passages from a cross section of individual chapters, expand on these in my usual truthful autobiographical style and release them as a limited selection of free-to-read SHORT STORIES in their own right.

I believe that this (for me) is the best way of explaining the book's content rather than through corporate-style marketing messages, press releases, social media posts etc. (the vast majority of which are never believed by a sceptical general public in any case). The stand-out exception to this is reviews—but unfortunately, and quite rightly so, that is not in my hands.

Finally, if someone chooses to pay me the compliment of reading any (or all) of these SHORT STORIES, they will quickly get a better and more first-hand credible, handle on the type of book it genuinely is.

To buy or not to buy? ... As ever, the answer to that is entirely your decision—but at least if you have sampled any of these stories, you will be better informed about the (non-niche) variety of its content, its regularly changing subject matter and an overall feel for how it is written from chapter to chapter throughout the autobiographical, and true story of Jim Wyllie's "FLASHING LIGHTS".

And that completes (my thinking behind) the 'raison d'être' of these SHORT STORIES.

Currently, I have completed just the 4 of them — but there may well be more to come.

(I have an idea for SHORT STORY #5 — but I must keep it under wraps for now).

Watch this space!

Cheers

Jim

NOTE: You can access these stories on my "FLASHING LIGHTS" dedicated account on www.facebook.com/jimwyllie98 (open public access).

SHORT STORY #1 "DANCES WITH DAFFODILS" Scamps Discotheque, Newcastle upon Tyne (1972).

SHORT STORY #2 "THE STRANGE MAN" South and Central London (1988).

SHORT STORY #3 "THERE AIN'T NOWT AS QUEER AS FOLK, JIMMY BOY" South and Central London (1997).

SHORT STORY #4 "I TOLD YOU SO" West London (1984).

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