One; Somewhere Quiet In The Suburbs

There is something about the term Sparrow's Fart that has always appealed to me.

Certainly having the last name Sparrow would have something to do with it, and no doubt being an Australian who enjoys vulgarity as much as the next bloke would play a part too.

For those of you that don't know, sparrow's fart, means early, as in 'up at sparrow's fart'.

So when I decided to keep a blog it seemed like the perfect title. Hopefully it doesn't tell you anything too detrimental about my opinion of blogs.

I've just moved into a new apartment. It's a nice enough place, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a good sized living room, decent kitchen, air-con, a sea-view, and most important of all, it's miles away from my old place, and nobody knows me here.

It didn't take me long to move in, on account of how I don't have any belongings. Well except the laptop, and a bag with the clothes I managed to stuff into it before climbing down the drainpipe from the second storey unit that until two days ago had been my home.

Fleeing for your life is an exhilarating experience let me tell you, though it does tend to leave you feeling paranoid. Even now, sitting on the floor in my empty apartment tapping away at the keyboard to stop myself from climbing the walls, I'm imagining them coming up the stairs to my front door, perhaps even looking though the spyglass at me, and preparing to kick down my new door, just as they kicked down my old door.

I know why they came for me.

Have you ever heard anybody say Australians will bet on anything, even two flies crawling across a table top.

You've haven't? Well you should get out more.

Anyway, I'm that Australian, I just can't help myself. And it's not even about the money, it's exciting, it's sexy, it's dangerous, there's nothing quite like it in the world.

Imagine putting everything you've got, your latest paycheque, next weeks rent, all of it on a horse, or better yet the toss of a coin, and watching, waiting, to see what happens next, knowing in the next few seconds you're either going to be jumping for joy or crying in your beer.

It is those few seconds that count, the adrenaline, the rush of it, it makes you feel more alive than at any other time in your life.

It is so exciting in fact, such a rush, that I have bet everything I ever owned, and more, and lost the lot. That's why I'm here, hiding from the people I owe money too, calling myself a stupid bastard and knowing I'll probably do it all again, and again, until one day, it finally gets me killed.

But then, knowing that is the biggest rush of all, waiting to see when that particular coin will hit the curb, and whether it'll show heads or tails.

Chapter Two

Contents Page

Chapter One; Somewhere Quiet In The Suburbs
Chapter Two; Weird Dreams
Chapter Three; An Open Door
Chapter Four; Crossing Over
Chapter Five; Leprechauns
Chapter Six; The Short Arm Of The Local Constabulary
Chapter Seven; Wine Gums Make It All Clear
Chapter Eight; A Trip To The Cells
Chapter Nine; Bocco The Big Blue Bear
Chapter Ten; Special Agent Bocco
Chapter Eleven; Mischief Makers
Chapter Tweleve; Zain's Plan
Chapter Thirteen; Zugar-Zipperat's Newest Celebrity Couple
Chapter Fourteen; Love Nest
Chapter Fifteen; Extra Anchovies
Chapter Sixteen; Ziggy Pays A Visit
Chapter Seventeen; The Note
Chapter Eighteen; The Sting
Chapter Nineteen; Mobile Phone Coverage
Chapter Twenty; Descent Into Ridicule
Chapter Twenty One; Teamwork
Chapter Twenty Two; Self Decapitation
Chapter Twenty Three; Bocco The Babe
Chapter Twenty Four; Freedom Fighters inc
Chapter Twenty Five; Test Eagle
Chapter Twenty Six; Getting Old
Chapter Twenty Seven; Random Decisions
Chapter Twenty Eight; The Known Universe's Finest Bourbon
Chapter Twenty Nine; And Just Who The Hell Are You?
Chapter Thirty; Jimmy Holmes
Chapter Thirty One; Jimmy Takes Control
Chapter Thirty Two; Kira

About This Blog

Well first of all, I should probably introduce myself.

I'm an unknown writer from Australia. I'm mainly interested in Fantasy and Sci-fi, and like many wannabe fantasy writers I have a fantasy series in the making – I'm currently editing the first draft of book one – and hope to one day rule the world with the written word.

Sparrow's Fart is a Blog novel (if anybody knows of a better way to put it, please let me know). I intend to update it every couple of days, perhaps more. I have no idea where the story is going, though I do know I only intend to write around 500 words a day, so the chapters are going to be short, real short.

One of the things that appeals to me about writing an online novel in this way, is the sense of immediacy. As any novelist can tell you, under normal circumstances you've got plenty of time to get it right. You spend months, even years, working on a piece in the hope that when it's finished you've dotted all the T's and crossed all the I's.

Ah, you know what I mean.

With a blog novel, that's not the case. You kinda need to get it right the first time, and that's the challenge, at least, for me.

Anyway, that's enough chit-chat, let's get on with the show.

Oh, and by the way, my real name isn't Jimmy Sparrow, but it'll do for now.

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