Wag the Writer

I am very happy to announce that Breaking Rules Publishing has released my debut novel, Dawson Junior G3.

It’s a dystopian science fiction novella about an armed house capable of obliterating any threats or attacks.
Like most other citizens, Frank Mayfield lives in a weaponised house which can reject any dangerous parcels and protect him from any attack.
He also has two ‘Companions’ – robots indistinguishable from beautiful, flesh and blood women – who do all his housework and fulfil his every sexual whim and fantasy.
He must be happy! What could possibly go wrong?
You might well ask!
In a fast-paced and entertaining story with many comic moments, Wag’s debut novella confronts the questions ‘Where is technology taking us?’ and ‘How far can a decaying and corrupt society demand our loyalty?’

Very honoured that the July issue of The Scribe (Breaking Rules Publishing) includes my story Voices in its Feature Short Story slot. Big thanks to the editor Pattyann McCarthy, to the founder Christopher Clawson Rule, and to their team. Voices is a cynical re-imagining of the end of a much-loved fairy tale – no spoilers, you’ll guess it quickly enough! But there are lots of other great stories and poems here as well. Available from BRP by clicking on the picture above or from Amazon (Paperback version or Kindle for your phone or electronic readers) via the following: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scribe-Magazine-July-2020-Issue-ebook/dp/B08BQXTP56/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1593181941&sr=1-8

Here is a clip of me reading the beginning of Voices

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DwOh_Wgh2dWY%26fbclid%3DIwAR0nS_0L2oTE_gBGhp-rNSwPJBH4iEsksk9zs1kBUDirTQQfgeZ3eWMJP2w&h=AT0DQQH5YT0zj2xCaccOhabiWhEugUBbu3Gk3ecpYg-F5CyIcYy1V0hehNwSMU4WyTtZ8EFRXagcnqwnWqfJjeqvufzM-LkuotiuY1djLj1DzN4wJ1oWuiQ0PwoNrs7ccjpm&tn=H-R&c[0]=AT0zsPk-IM7Ny-rl_Sg8Vou_jw2WIe1gE_5nyHM3SYIIqdiJIoarhxokdH83g6guM6SQf7BLVEUC6uC7CPxGKzEKQGI-MPrTbkZ6e_gyr8hDxhkMyMg1S2dBabAoInUvf69fFvtQiQWQyVmNSVzq

I am delighted to announce that my story Daphne the Huntress appears in the June issue of The Scribe, from Breaking Rules Publishing. It’s a story of a middle-aged woman hunting for a man. Every time she is about to succeed, her friend Jasmine pounces and gets him at the last moment. Should she team up with Jasmine – lionesses hunt in packs after all? Or is there yet another way? You can get it from Amazon via this link:

Thanks to The Scribe (Breaking Rules Publishing) for including Whaleroadwanderer’s Quest, my favourite among my stories, in their May issue.
Sebastian is looking for love on dating websites, but has a problem. He is really Theseus, the Ancient Greek hero, in the guise of a middle-aged 21st Century Cambridge academic, but is worried about being locked up in a mental hospital if he admits as much.
See if he succeeds in his quest!
You can buy it on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B087SGC77P/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0…
If you would like a flavour of the story, here is a YouTube clip of me reading an extract
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QknuiK8EUbA
https://youtu.be/QknuiK8EUbA

A big thank you to Aditya Deshmukh of The Great Void for accepting my supernatural horror story The Boudoir of the Second Empire for the ghost story anthology The Shattered Veil. More details later on when it is available.

My story The Wrong Word appears in The Scribe Magazine’s March issue. It’s a story about a mother concerned (perhaps too much so) to prevent her small daughter from learning coarse language. It’s £10.77 in paperback from Amazon or £3.08 for the Kindle version, and you can buy it here:

Very happy to say that my Christmas story Seeing the Light, about a doubting priest at Christmas, has been published by The Scribe Magazine, (Breaking Rules Publishing, Florida), in their January 2020 issue. You can find the paperback of Scribe Magazine by clicking here, or the Kindle version here:

I am delighted to announce that my short story Powder for a Periwig is now published in Millhaven’s Tales of Adventure.

Millhaven Tales is back with a new volume of action-packed adventure tales for the winter. Inside you will find nine thrilling adventures which not only cross continents, but cross time as well. These tales span time from the “Dawn of Reason” through modern times…Not only are these tales full of adventure, but they are filled with interesting characters and exotic locales. The stories inside are each unique, but all have that interesting take on the genre which Millhaven Press is known for. You never quite know what you are getting yourself into when you pick up a Millhaven release, so sit back and enjoy the ride… Buy now on Amazon

And one lovely customer gave this five star review, and singles Powder for a Periwig out for praise! And no, I didn’t write it!

Read the latest post here

Welcome to my website and blog. Its purpose is to share my work with the world in the hope some of you might enjoy the story excerpts that I’ve included. Of course, I am also hoping that a savvy agent will happen upon these pages and be kind enough to offer to represent me!

My name is Brian Wagstaff but I am know by most as Wag. I have been working in education for more years than I care to share, and in 2014 I began a Masters degree in creative writing. I started the course to further my long-time-coming novel Anything For My Baby  which was in about its one hundredth draft. While studying I met many wonderful writerly friends and in their company I found renewed enthusiasm and enjoyment in the short story. As you can see, I have now amassed a small collection and excerpts are available here.

This blog will be used for announcements of publication, general musings on the creative process, and from time to time essays about writing, authors I admire, and book reviews.

I hope you enjoy your time spent here.