Victoria Ray NB

NO CLUE - It's A Kind Of Magic... Living in Sweden. Writing (not so often) - absurd, pulp noir, surreal humor, comedy, satire, thriller, crime and burlesque. Reading and sharing nonfiction: all about health, spirituality, growth, psychology, science, self-help. My blog is for people with a NO CLUE mindset.

A lot can change in the editing room

It’s challenging to write a great police procedural; that’s why I decided to mix crime noir and thriller with a bit of humor and see where I’ll end up. My novel – Eyebrow Killer – is about a serial killer with a dark personality or, simply, a dangerous, clever, manipulative sociopath… I’m not sure if I have so much darkness...

Continue reading...

Bullet’s Adventure: Chasing Sobekneferu

 Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, for the most mind-bending, hilariously chaotic absurdist comedy you’ve ever laid eyes on! Introducing “Bullet’s Adventure: Chasing Sobekneferu!” Picture this: a small-town guy named Bullet, whose middle-class life takes a wild turn as he constantly finds himself knee-deep in trouble and dangerous situations. Oh, but that’s not all! Bullet has his sights set on...

Continue reading...

Susan Sontag and Celebrating Camp

By Clara Godwin-Suttie  The concept of camp has long been regarded as famously undefinable, famously decadent, and famously gay, with a noticeable presence throughout history and contemporary times. Susan Sontag, a brilliant queer woman who understood sexuality and gender identity through a progressive perspective of celebration and creativity, wrote the seminal essay that is credited with defining camp and bringing it...

Continue reading...

The Satirical World of Evelyn Waugh

 If there’s one thing writers and readers love, it’s satire. Since the dawn of time, people have been laughing at each other, at society, at their leaders, and at their values. So it’s no surprise that this was going on in, arguably, the most chaotic and fast-paced century in recorded human history. Into this context enters Evelyn Waugh: the horny,...

Continue reading...

Who is your hero?

The true hero of the novel or story is always the one who has the more exciting journey. What will really fix the life of that hero? What are their problems, and how is it affecting their days? Who is the most resistant to change in the book? These are the questions to ask yourself if you want to create...

Continue reading...

Forgotten Comic Actresses

Technology is complicated. Sure, we sent people to the moon, which is impressive, but we also have Instagram influencers who’ve probably been sent here to torture each other and us. I can tell you are excited… your hands are stretching to check the latest Stories updates.   Similarly, many people were thrilled when films started featuring people’s voices, but this meant...

Continue reading...

This moment is as it should be – Malta

Malta, sea, Gozo

Six weeks in Malta…  I’m usually starting my day at 8am with a 10 min walk around Piazza Tigne with my dogs; then I prepare breakfast and re-watching some old-fashioned crime tv shows (right now, it is Midsomer Murders with the Chief Inspector Barnaby). After that, I always go out for a coffee – I need a break, lol – with...

Continue reading...

The Camusean absurdism vs. Sartrean existentialism

Why am I here? What is the meaning of my life? What should give my life purpose or value? These are tough questions – ones you’ve likely confronted at one point or the other in the past. But don’t be mistaken; you’re not alone. Nearly every thinking person in history has faced the same philosophical quagmire. Questions about the meaning...

Continue reading...

The Ultimate Guide to Absurdist Comedy

Absurdism is, in a philosophical sense, the idea that there are no gods, higher purpose, or order to things. At least, that’s what Wikipedia told me. With that in mind, it’s pretty easy to find humor in the mundane. For example, consider a rubber duck. Humans tend to be highly sociable but frequently feel self-conscious; hence the substitution of human...

Continue reading...

Welcome to the truth: Dostoevsky

 We used to believe that Dostoevsky had always been the beacon of Russian literature. How else could it be? He’s always belonged to the pantheon of great Russian writers: Tolstoy, Gogol, and Chekhov. Well, not everything is as it seems. Great recognition only came to Dostoyevsky and his books after a delay of a hundred years. However, the beginning of...

Continue reading...