Adelaide Literary Magazine

By Adelaide Books Publishers

Adelaide Literary Magazine is an independent international quarterly publication, based in New York and Lisbon. Founded by Stevan V. Nikolic and Adelaide Franco Nikolic in 2015, the magazine’s aim is to publish quality poetry, fiction, nonfiction, artwork, and photography, as well as interviews, articles, and book reviews, written in English and Portuguese. We seek to publish outstanding literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and to promote the writers we publish, helping both new, emerging, and established authors reach a wider literary audience. We publish print and digital editions of our magazine four times a year, in September, December, March, and June. Online edition is updated continuously. There are no charges for reading the magazine online. (http://adelaidemagazine.org)

A Revista Literária Adelaide é uma publicação trimestral internacional e independente, localizada em Nova Iorque e Lisboa. Fundada por Stevan V. Nikolic e Adelaide Franco Nikolic em 2015, o objectivo da revista é publicar poesia, ficção, não-ficção, arte e fotografia de qualidade assim como entrevistas, artigos e críticas literárias, escritas em inglês e português. Pretendemos publicar ficção, não-ficção e poesia excepcionais assim como promover os escritores que publicamos, ajudando os autores novos e emergentes a atingir uma audiência literária mais vasta. Publicamos edições impressas e digitais da nossa revista quatro vezes por ano: em Setembro, Dezembro, Março e Junho. A edição online é actualizada regularmente. Não há qualquer custo associado à leitura da revista online. (http://adelaidemagazine.org)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Adelaide Books Publishers
• Release date: Nov 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370722075

Adelaide Books Publishers

ADELAIDE BOOKS is a New York based independent company dedicated to publishing literary fiction and creative nonfiction. It was founded in July 2017 as an imprint of the Adelaide Literary Magazine, with the aim to facilitate publishing of novels, memoirs, and collections of short stories, poems, and essays by contributing authors of our magazine and other qualified writers. We believe that in doing so, we best fulfill the mission outlined in Adelaide Magazine – “to promote writers we publish, helping both new and emerging, and established authors reaching a wider literary audience.” Our motto is: We don't publish classics, we make classics. All titles are published in paperback and eBook format and offered through our distributors for bookstore distribution in the US, and through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and other major retailers for online sale worldwide. Optionally, we do hardcover editions with or without dust-jacket. Additionally, we offer the possibility of translating books into Portuguese and Spanish and publishing short-run paperback editions for distribution in bookstores in Portugal and Spain. We offer to our authors two unique publishing contract options which guarantee full transparency of the pre-print and post-print publishing process, and generous royalties paid in a timely manner. We are members of the Independent Book Publishers Association.

Book preview

Adelaide

Independent Quarterly Literary Magazine

Year I, Number 4, September 2016

Revista Literária Independente Trimestral

Ano I, Número 4, setembro 2016

New York / Lisbon

2016

Adelaide Literary Magazine is an independent international quarterly publication, based in New York and Lisbon. Founded by Stevan V. Nikolic and Adelaide Franco Nikolic in 2015, the magazine’s aim is to publish quality poetry, fiction, nonfiction, artwork, and photography, as well as interviews, articles, and book reviews, written in English and Portuguese. We seek to publish outstanding literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and to promote the writers we publish, helping both new, emerging, and established authors reach a wider literary audience. We publish print and digital editions of our magazine four times a year, in September, December, March, and June. Online edition is updated continuously. There are no charges for reading the magazine online. (http://adelaidemagazine.org)

A Revista Literária Adelaide é uma publicação trimestral internacional e independente, localizada em Nova Iorque e Lisboa. Fundada por Stevan V. Nikolic e Adelaide Franco Nikolic em 2015, o objectivo da revista é publicar poesia, ficção, não-ficção, arte e fotografia de qualidade assim como entrevistas, artigos e críticas literárias, escritas em inglês e português. Pretendemos publicar ficção, não-ficção e poesia excepcionais assim como promover os escritores que publicamos, ajudando os autores novos e emergentes a atingir uma audiência literária mais vasta. Publicamos edições impressas e digitais da nossa revista quatro vezes por ano: em Setembro, Dezembro, Março e Junho. A edição online é actualizada regularmente. Não há qualquer custo associado à leitura da revista online. (http://adelaidemagazine.org)

Published by: Istina Group DBA, New York

e-mail: [e-mail] phone: [phone]

Copyright © 2016 by Adelaide Literary Magazine

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the Adelaide Literary Magazine Editor-in-chief, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

FOUNDERS / FUNDADORES

Stevan V. Nikolic & Adelaide Franco Nikolic

EDITOR IN CHIEF / EDITOR-CHEFE

Stevan V. Nikolic

[e-mail]

MANAGING DIRECTOR / DIRECTORA EXECUTIVA

Adelaide Franco Nikolic

[e-mail]

GRAPHIC & WEB DESIGN /

Stevan V. Nikolic

PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE EDITOR / EDITORA PORTUGUESA

Adelaide Franco Nikolic

BOOK REVIEWS

Heena Rathore

Jack Messenger

Ana Sofia Pereira

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

João Franco

Christina Borgoyn

Keith Madsen

Mehreen Ahmed

Paula J. Roscoe

Pedro Abreu Simões

John Nicholl

Kathryn Esplin - Oleski

Samuel Robert Piccoli

Mike Walton

R. Leib (pen name)

Doug Oudin

Jody Rawley

Anna Aizic

Manuel Neto dos Santos

Jearl Rugh

Robert J. Lowenherz, Ph.D.

Josh Truxton

Parinitha Prasanna

Scott Kauffman

Jennifer Renson

Ryan Morris

Michelle Tin

Clara Roberts

Célia Correia Loureiro

Ivan de Monbrison

Edward Reilly

Elizabeth O'Neill

Rebecca McNutt

John C. Young

CONTENTS:

EDITOR’S NOTES:

THE SECOND YEAR

FICTION / FICҪÁO

PORTRAITS OF THE DEAD

By John Nicholl

THE KILLING OF JOHN, JOHN, AND JOHN 

By Elizabeth O'Neill

DANVERS, THE RECKONING 

By Rebecca McNutt

THE BLACK COAT

A short story by Mehreen Ahmed

TRUTH ACCORDING TO MICHAEL

Chapters 7, By Stevan V. Nikolic

SAT SUPEREST

A Short story by John C. Young

NONFICTION / NÁO-FICҪÁO

A DISSOLUÇÃO DO REGIMEN CAPITALISTA

Por Teixeira Bastos (1897)

POETRY / POESIA

CANTOS SAGRADOS 

de Manuel de Arriaga

HOMENAGEM AO MARQUEZ DE POMBAL

Por Alberto de Magalhães (1882)

INTERVIEWS / ENTREVISTAS

JOHN NICHOLL 

Interview with the author of Portrait of the Dead

ELIZABETH O'NEILL

Interview with the author of Killing John, John, and John

BOOK REVIEWS / CRITICAS LITERÁRIAS

TRUTH ACCORDING TO MICHAEL

A novel by Stevan V. Nikolic

THE GIRL WITH THE LOWER BACK TATTOO

By Amy Schumer

THE GENERAL vs. THE PRESIDENT:

MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War By H.W. Brands

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY / ARTE & FOTOGRAFIA

CONVENTO DE CRISTO EM TOMAR

By Adelaide Franco Nikolic

HAPENNINGS / EVENTOS

NEW TITLES / NOVOS TITULOS

HOMENS IMPRUDENTEMENTE POÉTICOS

de Valter Hugo Mãe

VATICANUM

de José Rodrigues dos Santos

LARGA QUEM NÃO TE AGARRA 

de Raul Minh'alma

THE SPY

by Paulo Coelho

HEARTLESS

by Marissa Meyer

SWING TIME 

by Zadie Smith

Editor´s Notes - THE SECOND YEAR

Stevan V. Nikolic

With four quarterly issues published, we are entering the second year of the Adelaide Literary Magazine. Over five hundred pages of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, book reviews, news, interviews, and art; thirty-six authors from nine countries on three continents; in two languages; printed paperback, eBook, and online editions; it has been a lot of work for our small team of editors, graphic, and web designers. It was the labor of love. Sounds like a phrase used too often, but it is true. Just flipping and scrolling through the pages of our magazines is enough to make us proud of our accomplishment.

Nevertheless, it is a work in progress. With every subsequent issue, we try to improve the general appearance of the magazine and the quality of the contents. We are not yet where we want to be, particularly with the commercial side of our literary project.

The magazine is almost not present on the online social media channels which make for the low visibility of the great reads our contributors offer. This, in turn, affects our funding. Being completely self-dependent in the financing of the Adelaide Magazine project, contributions from donors and subscribers are very important to us. Without proper marketing, it just won’t happen.

In the second year, together with the constant improvement of the magazine contents, we must work on the social media channels and marketing. One of the important tools of our marketing strategy – Book Chat Live is already set to go, but due to the conflict of schedules, never utilized. By moving it to Wednesday evenings, we hope to finally make it happen.

Regarding magazine subscriptions and sale, we will discontinue offering a subscription for our magazine and readers will be able to purchase only single copies of the issues through amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers. Also, we will offer e-book editions in all available e-book formats through amazon Kindle and Smashwords.com. And last, digital versions of our magazines will be available online for free for all of those who cannot afford to support us through donations or purchase of single copies of our publication. Furthermore, our website contains digital archives of all published works. So, all this together will enable us to have better visibility and more sustainable publishing environment, and give to our authors well deserved attention.

With our next issue, we will start Adelaide Magazine Literary Contest in several categories – short story, poetry, and novel. In addition, we will start with Adelaide Magazine Book of the Month Contest which will be completely based on the votes from our readers.

There is a lot of work ahead of us. Before we continue, I would like to thank all our authors, contributors, subscribers, and donors who helped us go through the first year. Everything wasn’t perfect, but as I said in one of the previous notes, it is a learning process. We strive to contribute our part to the literary world to the best of our abilities. Thank you and Godspeed.

PORTRAITS OF THE DEAD

By John Nicholl

Chapter 1

2:20 A.M. Saturday, 2 May 1998

Emma didn’t know how long he hid, silent and unmoving, in the large Victorian wardrobe to the side of her single bed. She didn’t know how long he peered out, salivating and drooling, between the two heavy dark oak doors and watched, mesmerized, as she slowly drifted into fitful sleep. She didn’t know what time he pushed the doors open and crept towards her in the drab grey darkness of the night.

But he did. She knew that he did. Emma woke with a start, tense, alert, and opened her bleary eyes, telling herself insistently that the dark silhouette slowly approaching her was the nightmare construct of her subconscious mind. But initial anxiety became blind panic as the inky shadow took on an obvious human form that suddenly gained pace and loomed over her. And then a hand, a large hot clammy hand, pulled the bedclothes over her head, clamped her mouth tight shut and silenced her scream before it materialised.

A myriad unwelcome thoughts invaded her troubled mind as he pinned her head to the pillow and raised his free arm high above his head, before closing his fingers tightly, forming his hand into a formidable weapon and bringing it crashing down, again and again and again, with all the force he could muster, rendering her unconscious and bleeding.

She didn’t know how long she remained senseless, or what he did to her whilst she slept. She didn’t know what time he lifted her from her bed and carried her from her student bedroom, down the creaking wooden staircase and out into the Welsh city street. But he did. She knew that he did.

When she first awoke from her enforced slumber, Emma thought for one glorious but all too fleeting moment that the events of the previous night were just a nightmare.

But, all too soon, the invasive throbbing pain seemingly erupting from every inch of her face and the congealed blood around her nose and mouth brought reality into sharp unrelenting focus, as she realised that one swollen eye wouldn’t open and reluctantly recalled events prior to the assault. Oh, God, it was real. It was all too real! Life had taken a dark and unexpected turn.

Emma fought to control her bodily functions as her apprehension escalated more and more rapidly and threatened to overwhelm her completely. The bed was too soft, the quilt too heavy, the room too warm, the total absence of light alien to her experience and terrifying, totally terrifying. There was no denying it, however tempting it was to try. She wasn’t in her familiar surroundings. Her memories were real.

Where was she? Oh, God, where on earth was she? What should she do? Should she shout out? Should she scream? Should she yell for help and continue shouting, louder, louder and louder, until someone finally responded to her plight? Surely she should call for help? But, no, hold on a second… What if he was there somewhere and hidden by the darkness? What if he was listening intently with eager ears and ready to feed on her fear like a rabid dog? What if he was poised, ready to attack and silence her as soon as she uttered the slightest sound? Come on, Emma, do something. Don’t just lie still, girl. You have to do something.

She ran her hands over her body and realised that she was naked, as she slowly eased back the quilt, sat upright, and climbed off the unusually high king-size bed, inch by cautious inch, with both her hands held out in front of her. Keep me safe, God. I’ll be a good girl, a really good girl. Please keep me safe.

Emma cried warm, silent, salty tears as she took her first tentative unseen step forwards in the gloom, then another, then another, then another, willing herself onwards, four steps, five steps, six steps, seven, until her probing fingers found a solid wall only seconds later. That’s it, Emma, that’s it, find a switch, you can do it, girl, find a switch. There had to be a light switch somewhere.

She sucked repeated gulps of warm stale air deep into her lungs in a forlorn and increasingly despairing attempt to calm her pounding heart, as she urgently ran the palms of both hands over every inch of the wall, in every conceivable direction. But she didn’t find anything of note, not a thing, nothing. Don’t give up, Emma. You’ve got all your life to live. You can do it, girl. Please don’t give up. It was much too soon for that.

She leant heavily against the wall, supporting her slight nine-and-a-half-stone frame for a second or two, before counting to three and forcing herself to move slowly to her right in a sideways motion, all the time keeping direct contact with the wall and hoping to locate a light switch, or better still an unlocked door through which to escape. But she found nothing on that first wall except for what felt like a large picture frame firmly secured to the hard, cool surface. Was she in a house? It seemed she was in a house… That had to be a good thing, didn’t it? Surely it was a good thing… Yes, yes, of course it was. If it was a house, there must be doors, there must be windows, there may be neighbours. There was a way out of there. She could feel her heart beating in her throat and the warm red blood surging through her veins and arteries. She was alive and relatively unharmed. There was hope. There was always hope. Keep moving, Emma. Be brave, girl, and just keep moving. There just had to be a way out of there.

She transferred her hands to the second wall and moved gradually to her right, one step, two steps, three steps, four, another picture frame, yet another frame, and then… a door. Yes, yes, yes! Surely it had to be a door. Come on, Emma, you can do it, girl. She’d be out of there before she knew it, wouldn’t she?

Adrenalin surged through her bloodstream as her hope of escape leapt and danced in her mind and left her as excited as an expectant child on Christmas morning. But her newfound euphoria was short-lived. The