R.D. Pires's Blog

What: Patrick by Kirby Lighthouse

Available: Paperback, Kindle

Rating: 4/5

[image error]

When I read in the description that this book featured a man with a pumpkin pie for a head, I thought, “What a bizarre concept for a romance that’s otherwise realistic.”

That first impression proved true, but the titular character’s crusty cranium is more than just a quirky gimmick. It strikes at the heart of one of “Patrick”s core themes: accepting each other’s differences amid a judgemental society.

The story...

Hi everyone!

As I’ve recently mentioned, I just published my short story collection on ebook and paperback through Amazon. The whole experience has been so exciting and I’m really thankful for all the support I’ve received from people who’ve purchased a copy.

I’m hosting a giveaway now too! Starting Monday, November 12, you could win a free copy of the ebook. You can enter below. Thanks everyone!

Giveaway ends Nov...

Hello friends!

Exciting news! Last night, a paperback edition of my collection of short stories went live.

A Sky Littered with Stories is available on Amazon in paperback! The ebook will be available later this month. The collection includes all the stories I’ve posted on this blog as well as some others.

Click here for the paperback!

Dad didn’t want me to go. That was mostly because he had to stay home with mum, who was at the wrong end of a bad cold, meaning I would have to go by my lonesome. I offered to take Liza, but he said no because she was taking summer courses on a count of her bad marks at the end of last school year.

I didn’t mind going on my own. In fact, I preferred it to be honest. My family are like the wheels on a car. We’re four different things, but we’re all attached to the same vehicle going the same s...

James McGowan knew his voice was gruff and unapologetic. That’s how he usually got his way. “Tell us what happened.”

The boy continued to stare at his own hands, he couldn’t see anything else. McGowan couldn’t even tell whether he’d heard the question or not. The boy just kept staring at his damn hands. The officer rolled his eyes. One of these. And he swore, the sons of bitches got younger every year. Or maybe that was a sign of him getting old.

“Alberto?” his partner, Jean O’Hair asked. “Di...

They weren’t knocking on the door. They were threatening to break it down.

Alberto was shocked out of his slumber. Still groggy though adrenaline coursed painfully through his veins, he sat bolt upright. Half-immersed in his dream, Alberto spent a frenzied moment believing the room was collapsing around him before he heard the voices from the hallway.

“Open now, boys!”

“We know you’re in there!”

“No use hiding.”

They were going to wake up the entire dormitory if they hadn’t already. Alberto...

In the background, crowds of people chatter loudly. La Guardia Airport must be packed, which is understandable given that it’s about…5 pm there right now. Everybody’s heading somewhere at the same time my baby’s trying to get home.

“Marshall?” she asks, because I’ve been silent. “You still there?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I say and she laughs.

“I thought maybe you’d hung up.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I say, “Not ‘til we said ‘I love you’.”

She laughs again. “You are so ridiculous.” It sounds like a com...

When dawn broke, so did the clouds. Rain washed away sidewalk chalk and dirt. It cleared the pollen from the hoods of the cars and from the windows on the buildings. Upturned flowers collected water droplets in their petal cups. Cats shook the rain from their fur and took cover under bushes and vehicles.

As he left the house, he drew the collar of his coat tighter around his neck and opened the yellow umbrella. The weather changed from a feeling to a sound, drumming a soft beat on the nylon s...

Let me tell you about the day I almost died. 

At the time, I was working as a Lyft driver based in Sacramento, CA. Things weren’t too bad, and they definitely could’ve have been worse. In fact, recent times had been looking up for me. I’d decided to go back to Sac City College to work on that degree I’d never got, I’d taken up this new driving job, and I’d finally lain my on-again/off-again, stalled relationship of three years to rest. I mean, I guess I hadn’t really been the one to lay it to...

[Recorded by Bea O’Leary on 14 August 2016 in her home on Gillman Street in El Cerrito, CA. The following is a direct transcription.]

So, why don’t you begin by telling me a bit about yourselves?

Well, I’m Fabian. I’m a pin cushion collector originally from Arkansas. Been in El Cerrito for about seven years now—

Eight, dear.

Eight? Is it eight? Really that long?

Yes, remember the Obamas—

Right, Malia was ten. Yes, yes you’re correct, my love. So, I’ve been here for eight years. Then I met thi...