So Long From McStorytellers
​AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT BY OUR FOUNDER
There's an urban myth (which I happen to believe is true) about old people with old dogs looking alike, both having grown fatter or thinner, lamer and white-whiskered as the years have gone by. I don't have a dog, but I do have a pet called McStorytellers, which I've nurtured and trained and cherished ever since it was a lonely wee pup almost exactly eight years ago. And in keeping with that urban myth, McStorytellers today looks very much like its master – old and tired and in need of a new set of teeth.
Right, that's the pet metaphor done to death, you'll be glad to know. It's now time for the serious business. After much soul-searching, I've decided that McStorytellers has had its day. The site won't go gentle into that good night, though; it will remain open indefinitely for browsing and reading. And there's one heck of an archive to browse and read – over 1,000 stories, together with a score of serials, contributed by more than 100 authors, not to mention some 70 books published on behalf of contributors.
If you've had stories or books published by McStorytellers, rest assured that they are quite safe. It's simply that no new stories and no new books will be published by the site.
I'm off now to write the Great Scottish Novel. Wait, I may already have done that. Anyway, all that remains for me to say on behalf of McStorytellers is: So long, and thanks for all the fish – sorry, I mean stories.
In the McStorytellers McSerial slot today, it's time for the frenetic concluding instalment of Barcelona-based writer John McGroarty's psychological drama, The Epigone.
Jimmy descends further into madness. Nothing is real any more. His life has become a fiction, his characters having taken it over. But can he find a way back to reality? Find out in Parts 11 & 12.
Missed any of the earlier instalments? Don't worry, you can catch up with them simply by tapping (or using your cursor to hover over) ​Oor McSerials in the left-hand sidebar and then following the trail.
In the McStorytellers McSerial slot today, it's time for the fifth and penultimate instalment of Barcelona-based writer John McGroarty's psychological drama, The Epigone.
After the break with Miriam, Jimmy goes on holiday where he finds the inspiration to write again. Then events take a bizarre turn and he fears he may be losing his mind.
​Read the full story today in Parts 9 & 10. Then get yourself back here tomorrow for the final instalment.
Grave Mistake
Bo'ness writer and poet Glenn Muir makes a welcome return to McStorytellers tonight with a wee ghostie tale, the moral of which is: Dinnae cut through a graveyard when you're bevvied.
Enjoy The Shortcut!
In the McStorytellers McSerial slot today, it's time for the fourth instalment of Barcelona-based writer John McGroarty's psychological drama, The Epigone.
Jimmy's plan to convince Miriam not to squander her gift develops into an obsession – an obsession that will jeopardise their friendship. Read the full story today in Parts 7 & 8. Then get yourself back here on Wednesday for the next instalment.
Argentinian Gold
In the first of our McSerial slots today, it's time for the third instalment of Barcelona-based writer John McGroarty's psychological drama, The Epigone.
Having persuaded Miriam to let him read some of her work, Jimmy discovers that she is a highly talented writer. He resolves to prevent her from wasting that talent. Read the full story today in Parts 5 & 6. Then get yourself back here tomorrow for the next instalment.
Forces Of Good
In the second of our McSerial slots today, it's time for the nail-biting concluding instalment of Wick-based writer Kevin Crowe's gripping debut novel, Behind Bars.
A disgraced priest. A straight copper. A pair of determined parents. Can their combined efforts succeed in banishing the bêtes noire in the lives of Brendan, Kathleen and Catriona? Read the full story now in Chapters Thirty-One & Thirty-Two.
And remember, you can catch up with all the previous instalments simply by tapping (or using your cursor to hover over) ​Oor McSerials in the left-hand sidebar and then following the trail.
Saving Miriam
In the McStorytellers McSerial slot today, it's time for the second instalment of Barcelona-based writer John McGroarty's psychological drama, The Epigone.
Having bumped into Miriam by chance, the failed Glaswegian writer, nicknamed Jimmy by a colleague, stalks her, imagines she needs help and decides to get involved in her life. Read the full story today in Parts 3 & 4. Then get yourself back here on Wednesday for the next instalment.
And in case you missed them yesterday, here are Parts 1 & 2 again.
Abandoned By The Muses
In the McStorytellers McSerial slot today, we're delighted to present the opening instalment of Barcelona-based writer John McGroarty's psychological drama, The Epigone.
An ageing Scottish author, having moved to Barcelona to start a new life, regrets that he has failed as a writer. Then he comes across Miriam at his reading club.
Read the full story today in Parts 1 & 2. And get yourself back here tomorrow for the next instalment.
As with today's instalment, subsequent instalments will be accompanied by stunning scenes of Barcelona photographed by John's partner Carmen Espinosa.
Nothing Is What It Seems
Announcing a brand new McSerial on McStorytellers from the pen of Barcelona-based Glaswegian writer John McGroarty.
Forged this summer in the cauldron that has been Barcelona and set in that wondrous city, The Epigone is the tale of a failed writer who wants to achieve success through another more talented writer.
But is it? Nothing is what it seems in The Epigone.
Intrigued? Well, get yourself back here next Wednesday and Thursday for the first two instalments of this psychological puzzle of a story. It's McGroarty at his best.