I’m the biggest critic of my own work, but sometimes you nail a chapter so good that you have to take a step back and admire that bitch. I reckon we should just decide on a year and stick with it. I’m not into this whole “move with the times” thing.

Jack laughed behind him, a mirthless sound from a man who had been on the wrong end of life’s ironies too many times. Misery was soaked through the place like the old beer soaked through its carpets. That’s why Twinkle likes the place so much, Scott thought, looking around at the faded wood veneer tables, and the faded souls drinking at them. Today I plan to smile a lot, only so people who know me will be freaked the fuck out. The craggy lines that made up the character in his face now seemed like scars of defeat, inflicted on him over time. Who says I don’t do Christmas? - R D Ronald

This faulty light fitting at the front door with the dangerously flickering bulb looks rather festive. The humour was only barbed if you sat on the outside, and now he was one of them. R D Ronald, The Elephant Treeĭecker smiled and shrugged off their laughter. The notion of time had become as absurd as the quietly glowing trees. Scott glanced at his watch but didn’t register what it said.

I tried it once but it just didn’t agree with me. R D Ronald, The Elephant TreeĪnyone who says “Trust me” is the last motherfucker you should ever trust. We were left with nothing because of a love like acid that ate its way through our entire family. Sometimes truths are what we run from, and sometimes they are what we seek. At least that’s the excuse I use for why I look so bad in mine. The best writers tend to look the roughest in photos. Will she survive the horrors of The Zombie Room? Are Mangle, Decker and Tazeem brave enough to follow her there, in an attempt to set her free? She soon realises she is in the hands of ruthless, violent people, who run an operation supplying girls to meet the most deviant desires of rich and powerful men. Their paths cross with that of Tatiana, who has left her home country for a better life in the West – or so she thinks. In their quest for retribution and justice, they put their lives on the line. The disappearance of a family member and the murder of a dear friend lead the three to delve deeper into a world of violence and deception. But when they stumble upon a sophisticated sex-trafficking operation, they soon realise that they are in mortal danger. Following their release, Mangle, Decker and Tazeem stick together as they return to a life of crime, embarking on a lucrative scam. A series of wrong turns and disastrous life choices has led to their incarceration. An unlikely bond is forged between three men from very different backgrounds when they serve time together in prison.

The Elephant Tree by R.D. Ronald