The Imagined Universe

On the eighth day, God created social networking sites.  “Go forth and network”, he said to all creatures.  Well, surely he must have ?
I met an aquantaince other day, and was shocked at the deep, dark circles under her eyes.  She was a new mother, juggling work and housework, and I could understand that she [...]

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Two surgeons were talking in a London hospital over a cafetaria lunch.
Dr. Rob was staring intently at his soup bowl as if he hoped to find Nessie in it. “I hate this new performance based bonus system” he said.
“You mean NHS’s idea of giving us a bonus for every patient who doesn’t die on the [...]

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How does an air hostess’s weight matter ?  Of course it’s vital, as any airlines will tell you. Air hostesses must be slim and young and pretty. Never mind if they are not courteous or speak such poor English that they do not understand what “toast” means.  That’s not what their job is about anyway.
The [...]

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Night wandered in through the drapes. She swept around the house, bringing a coldness to everything she touched. She spread herself around the house and settled into the corners.
In the living room, a lone lamp shone an arc of light. Saaya sat reading in a chair, silent, composed, watchful. She was waiting for Ravi. Waiting [...]

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Many times, first-time authors of fiction are asked whether the book is entirely fiction.  Is it at least partly autobiographic, they are asked.  Is the main character, or one of the other characters, based on you?
It’s true that first books can be somewhat autobiographical.  But in any work of fiction, you cannot divorce the author [...]

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The wind hit her first. Strong, sharp tongued and icy cold, it instantly brought tears to her eyes. She staggered the few steps from the car to the store and then rushed in the automatic doors. She shivered in the sudden gust of warm air, and made for the grocery aisle.
No onions [...]

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