A collection of stories both humorous and horrific, brimming with stygian absurdity and unexpected twists, Weight of Sin will haunt your dreams long after you’ve finished reading the final page…
Whether it’s the pathos of a fading music hall star reflecting on his career, the droll elderly couple who harbour a dire secret that has locked that in an inescapable routine, the mysterious civil servant in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, or the not-too-distant, dystopian future UK that’s chillingly easy to visualise, these tales are a rare and devilishly delicious delight to be savoured and enjoyed, but beware, they’re not for the faint of heart or those of a nervous disposition.
Read them if you dare, but don’t say that we didn’t warn you…
Don't expect light-hearted tales of tea shops, campsites and castles, ‘Weight of Sin’ is more Nick Cave than Nik Kershaw, full of dark, twisted humour and strange journeys into a myriad of possible yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows…
“A delight to read - but don't let that fool you into expectations of a collection of lightweight, heart-warming, feel-good fuzz. This writing has depth and darkness.”
Born in London and raised in Hertfordshire and Suffolk, Ray was drifting through high school until he discovered punk rock. From then on, he spent his time nurturing a singular lack of musical ability, until realising too late that exam success might have been a better option. Despite his abysmal school results, he went on to forge a career as a nurse, such was the desperation of the NHS in the early 80s. In 2016 he and his wife Alison decided to leave the rat race, so they sold their home and spent the year living in a motorhome. Life on the road reignited a desire to write that had never been entirely extinguished despite the best efforts of his teachers. His previous writing experience includes company annual reports, a punk rock fanzine and forging notes from his mother to excuse him from PE. In 2018 he published his first book, Downwardly Mobile spending the best part of 2016 working at festivals and discovering the UK from the vantage point of their motorhome called Mavis. After moving to the Isle of Mull and living in their motorhome Ray published the next instalment of his Still Following Rainbows. It documents the highs and lows of adjusting to life and work on a Scottish island, with snippets of history, vivid descriptions of the landscape and plenty of humour.