Scottish Tales

By Liam Leddy

A collection of Liam Leddy short stories. How much help can we offer before it becomes unhelpful?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Liam Leddy
• Release date: Nov 26, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301005437

Liam Leddy

See my website www.liamleddy.comThe two novels Body Language and Bad Form I have written to date are Glasgow sixties crime fiction. Raw , uncompromising Glasgow sreet crime , warts and all. Twists, turns, surprises and violence abound. In conjunction with my numerous short story collections both sell very well indeed in bookstores and to libraries and of course my readers in general.This month alone, December 2012, I have been filmed by Scottish Television re my work. This will be screened by STV mid January. I have also done telephone interviews for television companies about my work in December together with Library presentations. Looking for more exposure as always particularly to Scottish ex-pats the world over. I believe thoughts will always stray to the land of your birth. Or city of your birth. In this case Glasgow. Beautiful, generous, humour filled and lovable. Also, on occasion, dark and very, very scary.My latest short story collection "Tales of Dedication" is now available on Smashwords together with all my usual outlets. I have always been of the opinion that the short story form is sadly neglected in favour of the novel. Short stories are not short novels and vice versa. How many times have I heard the words he/she has "only written" when applied to the short story author. Not true in my case. And certainly not true with the vast majority of world famous authors. I love to read and write short stories and believe that all libraries are missing out if they do not have a separate section for short story collections and anthologies Just updating my new all smiling photo of me on Smashwords because that`s the one I use on my fabulous brand new website. This new site is so user friendly it confuses me. Not a hard thing to do granted.My first novel Body Language is being re-formatted by my new publisher Authorhouse and will very shortly be available in all major print outlets globallyAs of now Tuesday 23/06/15 my books are available in on request from either Amazon Createspace Authorhouse Barnes & Noble Abe Books Books a Million.... In short almost anywhere globally. My books sell in USA UK Germany Canada Italy and surprisingly enough - to me at any rate - Brazil. Now seeking Scottish expat readers globally and book readers in general who may or may not be familiar with Scotland and particularly Glasgow. Watch my videos on Youtube Stage 32 and VimeoMost readers- because of my neglect in updating my Smashwords bio for so long- will be unaware of how many five star reviews my work is receiving at present. Check them out on my author pages at both Amazon and Authorsden. Then buy them wherever you choose. Smashwords for example. The same books are all here!Check my books out. Recently had six accepted for Premium Catalog. Note the entire Lassiter series to date is now in Premium

Book preview

SCOTTISH TALES

Written by Liam Leddy

TICKET PRICE

If ye're gonnae get intae this scrammel ye better be able tae fight. That big bastart Bell thinks he kin but we'll do him.

Tommy Lassiter turned to see two identical faces staring cooly back at him. He was ten years old and although he'd never seen either of these two before knew with the certainty that children have that he'd just met kindred spirits. Late fifties Drumchapel, the Glasgow housing estate where he lived with his parents and two older brothers and sisters was a perfect place for most people to bring up children then. The Glasgow overspill of population had produced these housing schemes and they had not yet developed the their reputations for violence and gang warfare which developed later.

The identical twins grinning at Lassiter were identically dressed in white tee shirts and black jeans and with their curly black hair and faces tanned by the long hot summer they were having looked vaguely Italian.

That shit's fur weans, grunted Lassiter, nevertheless turning back round for the expected appearance of the bride and her father who would enter the waiting car, wind down the window and scatter a collection of pennies, threepenny bits, tanners and the odd shilling, two-bob bit or half-crown to the jostling, expectant children outside.

Minutes later Tommy and his new found friends emerged from the melee with fag money and money for something else. They also left behind a boy called Bell who had a broken nose and blood streaming from his mouth which the twins had taken turns at kicking. After they bought the cigarettes the twins introduced themselves as Billy and Drew Wilson and suggested to Lassiter that they go for the other very important thing he discovered that day. At the local football pitches Billy spoke to an older relative who produced a large green bottle from his inside jacket pocket. Lassiter was still very naive and assumed it was lemanade or ginger, which was the collective noun for all soft drinks. From the moment he tasted the cheap wine he loved it. But that was only the rich brown taste. It was the effect of the alcohol that he really enjoyed. All of a sudden he was invincible. He knew it. All three were on their way.

For the next twenty years they were close and went through the Glasgow gang scene together and loved every minute of it. They prided themselves that they were hard men, not liberty takers the common expression for those who used unnecessary violence. They shared many experiences good and bad and but as they got older the violent lives they led became more of a necessary requirement for their lifestyle than the excitement they once craved.

The twins were absolutely, physically identical but Lassiter could tell them apart. Billy was violent but Drew's violence bordered on sadism. He had a mad look in his eyes which wasn't in Billy's. Eventually he did kill someone and went to prison on the reduced charge of culpable homicide. Billy went straight and Tommy Lassiter went to