We wish to thank the West End Library and staff for their assistance and support in launching the book. The book is now available in Brisbane City Council Libraries. Please note that Michael, we really have to talk is available in hardback at the Avid Reader Bookstore in West End and online in e-book and hardback at Amazon.… Go to Article
Category: Bernie Dowling
Get a lawyer, a real Godot one
We Australian taxpayers kindly bought attorney-general George Brandis a copy of the Samuel Beckett play Waiting for Godot for the bookshelf of his Canberra office.
… Go to Article (That’s Brandis’s office. Godot has not been seen in the national capital for a long time; some say never.)
It worked this way. Brandis, between January and June 2013, suggested Godot was an indispensable addition to his departmental literature and those who approve such an acquisition on taxpayers’ behalf concurred.
Noir thrills in Brisbane
Bent Banana Books has all its titles at Bewdiful BargainBasement prices this festive season starting with Bernie Dowling’s neo-noir novel Iraqi Icicle at .99c.
Check back regularly at www.bentbananabooks.com.au click on books in our gallery and see what bargains are on offer.
The Iraqi IcicleeBook bargain begins on December 7 at Amazon US.
Man trouble is murder for Annie
Annie: Bernie, what are your thoughts
on my character?
Bernie: Funny you should ask, Annie…
FREDERICK Lee Brooke could be creating a new literary sub-genre – the relationship thriller.
Like all good thrillers, Collateral Damage crackles along at a merry pace while the reader eagerly awaits the denouement of Annie Ogden’s entanglements with three men.
… Go to Article Always Gai and often chatty but Mum’s the word now
Gai Waterhouse clams up though the boys John Singleton Tom Waterhouse and Andrew Johns have their say
Gai Waterhouse was an actor but she was not in this film.
Angelica Huston and John Cusack played Mother and Son
in this one.
The young woman on the right was not one of John Singleton’s six wives.
… Go to Article Instant karma got me
Publisher’s Weekly reviews Iraqi Icicle as karma stalks the aisles of Woolworths Supermarket
IT was beaut to see a review of my novel Iraqi Icicle in the prized review pages of Publisher’s Weekly.
Perhaps that is why I returned the free groceries to my local Woolworths supermarket.
I WAS shopping for the family groceries today, Sunday in Oz.
… Go to Article Book lovers warm to Iraqi Icicle
No Life of Pi at Pine Rivers Art Gallery Launch of Bernie Dowling’s Iraqi Icicle
Bernie Dowling launched his neo-noir novel Iraqi Icicle at Pine Rivers Art Gallery on April 20, 2013.
It was not quite the fanfare you might associate with Life of Pi it does have the memorable background of Amada Van Gil’s touring exhibition In Between Places.
… Go to Article Lennon and I are miffed
JOHN Lennon famously returned his MBE in protest about the war in Biafraand the Beatles single Cold Turkeyslipping down the charts. I won’t be receiving any Australia Day (January 26) award to return but I am mightily miffed at my novel Iraqi Icicle slipping down the charts.
The Beatles single Cold Turkey rose to number 14 on the UK Singles Chart on November 15, 1969.… Go to Article
The whole world loves freedom
Handmade notebooks from Libre Livre
I TRY not to trouble myself unduly with matters of commerce.
For five days next week, I am giving away my enovel Iraqi Icicle. I do this not because I think it makes a lot of commercial sense but because others tell me it does.
… Go to Article When Rusty snapped
Toytown: photograph by Russell Brown
RUSSELL Brown is an Aussie newspaper photographer.
He and I have worked on the same newspapers, the Pine Rivers Press and the Northern Times for more than a decade and we live in neighboring suburbs in the Pine Rivers district of Australia.
Because he is Australian, Russell has been honored with the nickname, Rusty.
… Go to Article Rain of humour among dark clouds
4.0 out of 5 stars
By
Bernie Dowling (Australia) – See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Dark Clouds (Kindle Edition)
This is the second I have read in the series with reluctant spy Rudi Flynn at its centre.
Like Weimar Blues, Dark Clouds easily stands alone as Flynn is once more conscripted into the secret service of Britain, and, for good measure, the United States, this time round.
… Go to Article Please warn Grandma
Festive Fun
A shout-out from my favourite witch
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun book for the person who loves journalism!
Bookish Witch “Heather” (Kentucky)
This review is from: 7 Shouts (My Shout) (Kindle Edition)
Bernie Dowling has compiled years of journalistic endeavors into one compendium, along with pictures (some of them quite funny), and has thus given readers “7 Shouts”.
… Go to Article Aussie thriller sings and zings
Brother reviews brother. Oh, Brother!
4.0 out of 5 stars
THIS novel is an epic detective story of more than 400 pages.
Private investigator Steele Hill is a larger than life character who has the happy knack of being there when the action is happening.
Iraqi Icicle excerpt
The comic detective novel Iraqi Icicle is being released at Pine Rivers Art Gallery Queensland Australia on December 20 in a multi-art event as part of the world-wide A Big Project.
Here is an edited excerpt.
It was a week before I saw the cops again. They tried to kick down the door of my flat, which is on the floor below My Cucumber Natalie and not 800 metres from my beloved Brisbane racetracks.… Go to Article
Laughs amid the turmoil
Book Review by Bernie Dowling
Weimar Vibesis a most humorous novel on a very serious subject.
Anti-hero Rudi Flynn is a former tabloid journalist, reformed cocaine abuser and practising alcoholic.
Under normal circumstances, he would not be first choice as an operative of Her Majesty’s Secret Service but here he is enlisted to thwart a takeover in Britain by the extreme right.
… Go to Article Australian/ Italian film maker talks about his Youtube opus
They say the book is always better than the movie
IT is kinda weird when we authors post up videos supporting out novels.
I mean why would someone want to watch a vid we cobbled together for a few bucks when they could take a squizz at a cool-song video which had a budget stretching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions?
… Go to Article Amazon declares me profane
Amazon thinks we are profane.
They said my profile was unacceptable because it contained a profanity. WTF! I carefully re-read my profile and tried a few changes but the message came back: PROFANE
I deleted the only remaining thing I could see they might object to. Sure enough, the new version passed muster.… Go to Article
Richard like John in his own write
Day 4 of the Book of Paul tour is here.
Today we have a guest post from the author Richard Long.
Welcome to the Save the Book blog, Richard.
Make yourself at home. Can I get you a cup of coffee?
No, you want to get started. Fire away!
Guest Post by Richard Long
Laura gave me my first tarot deck.
… Go to Article Day Two in the Life of Paul
YES, it is Day 2 of my part in Richard Long’s Blog Tour of The Book of Paul.
It is Day 2 and I already have to apologise to yesterday’s readers for misleading you about your opportunity of winning all these fabulous prizes. It seems you all have the opportunity to win as you will discover when you read on.
… Go to Article More than just a naughty boy: the life of Paul
This week, Save the Book is part of a whirlwind blog tour in support of Richard Long’s novel The Book of Paul. I am not sure what the tour badge is about. As I understand it, only the bloggers can win the prizes. WTF, they give me badge: I’ll wear it
There will be some generic stuff from the tour organiser, but you know we have to do our own thing, as well.
… Go to Article Critical readers have their say about 7 Shouts
By Jane.S
Bernie Dowling has a unique voice that really brings his columns to life. I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys Australian humour. Even if you don’t laugh you will be entertained and informed. My favourite is the Slanguage chapter. For the record I say ‘marown’.
… Go to Article What’s hot these days?
A MAN who has been dead for 30 years, an 80-year-old car and a teenager are the hottest tickets of the week.
More than 160,000 readers of British music magazine NME voted John Lennon as the greatest rock icon of the past 60 years.
The top 10 are
John Lennon
Liam Gallagher
David Bowie
Alex Turner
Kurt Cobain
Amy Winehouse
Jimi Hendrix
Morrissey
Noel Gallagher
Ian Curtis
For the record Ian Kevin Curtis (July 15, 1956 — May 18, 1980) was the lead singer and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division.
… Go to Article 10 annoying things in fiction
“I know nothing about him,” I murmur.
“…Thank you,” I murmur.
“Um. Actually –” I mutter.
“Raising the ordinary to the extraordinary,” I murmur.
“It’s shrewd business,” he murmurs.
“Very well,” she mutters, then exits.
“Oh I’ll bear that in mind,” I murmur.
– All the above quotes are from Chapter 1 of Fifty Shades of Murmuring and Muttering
10 annoying things in fiction
10.
… Go to Article Gates swing better
THE mainstream Olympics are done and dusted and it is time to turn our passion to popular science.
By popular science, I mean knowledge to help people. If it can compete in the media with Brad, Angelina, Jen and that other bloke, all the better. More dollars may befall science.
Today, two great scientific endeavours crossed my path.
… Go to Article Mohamed we adore you
Olympic Rant #18 On the fourteenth day God resumed work
THE squabbles and rancour of this year’s Ilympics were run into the ground on Day 14 as Great Britain, Jamaica and the United States turned in memorable performances.
Britain’s Mohamed Farah was stunning as he held off Ethiopia and Kenya to take gold in the 5000m.
… Go to Article Phoney war on drugs
Olympic rant #16 Journalism 101 Create a furore
THE Bolt v Lewis drug brouhaha was a classic media beat-up. It raced across international television screens and newspaper front pages with a speed worthy of the central characters.
Carl Lewis points the finger
only to have it bitten off
There was little to the yarn and it was hardly news but, by the time the egg-beater had a mish-mash, it came out thicker and messier than chocolate pudding.
… Go to Article Daily Mail arrives every 24 hours
Olympic Rant #15 The Mailman delivers
OLYMPIC coverage by the U.K. newspaper the Daily Mail is ranging from traditional adolescent-male nonsense to the downright weird. Extremely talented GB cyclist Victoria Pendleton is physically attractive and this has not passed across the Mail eagle eyes without notice.
The Mail loves pedalling Vicky
Condoms in the athlete’s village were gold for newspapers throughout the world but the Mail brought to the yarn its personal touch – horny adolescent male meets Monty Python.
… Go to Article Winners and sinners
Olympic Rant #15 Third-rate Stuporpowers declare war
THE rivalry for Olympic medals between Great Britain and Australia is difficult to understand if you are not from one of the two countries. It is impossible for the surprisingly large number of Americans who think Australia is a European country near Germany.
Jessica Ennis helps GB leap over Oz
Australia which is my home country was invaded by England in the 18th century to establish a penal colony.
… Go to Article Run up for Jah
Olympic Rant #14 Celebrate Jamaican Independence
OLYMPIC athletes Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake provided a thrilling prelude to today’s Jamaican Independence Day with a combined four medals in the marquee 100m sprints.
Fraser-Pryce and Bolt completed back-to-back golds, an uncommon feat in the 100m dash. Campbell-Brown took the bronze and Blake the silver behind their illustrious team-mates.
… Go to Article