These short stories have been included in order to show my progress as a writer (if any). I had been a scribbler since my schooldays in the mid thirties, jotting down little tales for my own and my pals’ amusement, although none of those were worth keeping. It was not until the late sixties that I had the urge to write for publication, and as you will see, very few of these stories were accepted, but I never threw any away. An apparent influx of aspiring authors cropping up then, it grew harder and harder to have anything accepted, and I gave up, promising myself that I would try again once I retired.
It was around 1985, aged sixty-three, before I got round to making another attempt, by which time I was set on writing a novel. It was 1989 before I was successful, when the fourth book I had written, The Brow of the Gallowgate, was accepted, and was published in 1990. Luckily, I had stored the other three, in order of writing Time Shall Reap, The Road to Rowanbrae, Jam and Jeopardy, which have all been published since then.
If any aspiring authors are reading this, take heart. Do not give up if no publishers seem to be interested. Make some improvements and try again, but - one piece of advice: - DO NOT OVERWORK ANYTHING. This leads to lacklustre prose, as does having too many long, unfamiliar words, which break into the actual plot.
Feel free to make your own judgement as to whether or not my writing has improved over the nineteen years since I wrote the first of my fifteen novels. Does practice really make perfect?