Leslie W P Garland
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Leslie Garland was born in 1949, qualified as a Chartered Civil Engineer and worked for several years on projects in the UK, the Far East and Africa. During this period he won the Institution of Civil Engineers “Miller Prize” for a paper on tunnelling. Changing times resulted in a change in direction and after qualifying as an Associate Member of both the British Institute of Professional Photography and the Royal Photographic Society he started his own stock photograph library and wrote for the trade press. An unexpected break in his Internet connection fortuitously presented the time to make a start on a long cherished project of a series of novella length stories, and the first story of “The Red Grouse Tales”, was drafted. Three more tales have followed and he is now working on a second batch of tales. He lives with his wife in Northumberland, England.
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The Little Dog (A Red Grouse Tale)
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Speculative, Literary Fiction
The Little Dog: A story of good and evil, and retribution. Two foresters find a little dog sitting beside the forest haul-road way out in a remote part of the forest. What is the little dog doing there? As the narrator, a young Bill, tries to ascertain who is his unsavoury workmate, the little dog disappears. Then suddenly events take an unexpected turn and our young naive Bill starts to learn some awful truths. Adult speculative literary fiction for those who like to think about what they are reading. (Warning to sensitive readers: this tale does contain a tiny bit of bad language and references to sex.) Sample Chapter Review Quotes 
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The Golden Tup (A Red Grouse Tale)
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Speculative, Literary Fiction
The Golden Tup: a dreadful tale of paradise being cruelly taken by latent evil. As the tale opens we learn from Verity that a few years previously a young couple were arrested for killing their new born baby. How could such a nice pair have done such a dreadful thing? Through a series of flashbacks she tells how they bought an old derelict farmhouse and commenced renovating it - creating their own paradise - but the felling of an old tree changed everything. Gradually their paradise was lost, their relationship fell apart and as we already know, they killed their own child. What dark secret was lurking there? Adult speculative literary fiction for those who like to think about what they are reading. Sample Chapter Review Quotes 
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The Crow (A Red Grouse Tale)
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Speculative, Literary Fiction
The Crow: a poignant tale of misunderstanding, dying, bitterness and blame. A dying and embittered old Irish priest, Mad Father Patrick, recounts the school days and subsequent rise of a local councillor and of his involvement in the construction of a dam which flooded a valley. The increasingly mad tale is told with a blend of biblical quotations, philosophical musings and wild fantasy, but how does his story end and just why is the old priest so bitter? Adult speculative literary fiction for those who like to think about what they are reading. Sample Chapter Review Quotes 
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The White Hart (A Red Grouse Tale)
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Speculative, Literary Fiction
The White Hart: a happy ghost story, if there can be such a thing! Told by a likeable male chauvinist, bachelor and keen fell-runner, Pete Montague recalls three strange incidents which he initially thought were unconnected. The first is his encounter with a little albino deer. The second is of a chance meeting with a beautiful, but somewhat enigmatic young girl in a remote chapel. And the third …… Adult speculative literary fiction for those who like to think about what they are reading. Sample Chapter Review Quotes 
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The Bat (A Red Grouse Tale)
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Speculative, Literary Fiction
What is true? What is truth? An adult, speculative, spiritual and philosophical coming of age story. A now sceptical Thomas recounts the events of his last term at school when his class returned to a new beautiful class teacher, a donation of stuffed animals and birds by an eccentric benefactor and the increasingly strange events which followed. Zoological specimens appeared to be not quite as dead as they looked. A bell-jar which had contained a stuffed bat shattered during an exorcism, after which what had been strange events turned to being sinister and frightening. As a naive Thomas searched for the truth, he found himself, questioning ‘good and evil’, realising that his task is not as simple and straightforward as he would have wished and in so doing loosing his innocence and having to accept that belief may have as much to do with truth as do facts. A tale for those who like to think on what they are reading. (Warning to sensitive readers: the story is an adult one and so does contain references to sex.) Sample Chapters Review Quotes 
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The Red Grouse Tales: The Little Dog & other stories
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Speculative, Literary Fiction
Comprising four intriguing speculative literary fiction novellas, which contain a hint of the supernatural, together with a passing nod towards philosophy and religion - though in these modern fairy or folk tales the fantastic doesn't happen in some remote fantasy world, but right here in this one, in very ordinary, almost everyday circumstances. Adult speculative literary fiction for those who like to think about what they are reading. The Little Dog – a story of good and evil and retribution. Two foresters find a little dog sitting beside the forest haul-road way out in a remote part of the forest. What is the little dog doing there? As the narrator, a young Bill, tries to ascertain who is his unsavoury workmate, the little dog disappears. Then suddenly events take an unexpected turn and our young naive Bill starts to learn some awful truths. The Golden Tup - a dreadful tale of paradise being cruelly taken by latent evil. As the tale opens we learn from Verity that a few years previously a young couple were arrested for killing their new born baby. How could such a nice pair have done such a dreadful thing? Through a series of flashbacks she tells how they bought an old derelict farmhouse and commenced renovating it - creating their own paradise - but the felling of an old tree changed everything. Gradually their paradise was lost, their relationship fell apart and as we already know, they killed their own child. What dark secret was lurking there? The Crow - a poignant tale of misunderstanding, dying, bitterness and blame. A dying and embittered old Irish priest, Mad Father Patrick, recounts the school days and subsequent rise of a local councillor and of his involvement in the construction of a dam which flooded a valley. The increasingly mad tale is told with a blend of biblical quotations, philosophical musings and wild fantasy, but how does his story end and just why is the old priest so bitter? The White Hart - a happy ghost story, if there can be such a thing! Told by a likeable male chauvinist, bachelor and keen fell-runner, Pete Montague recalls three strange incidents which he initially thought were unconnected. The first is his encounter with a little albino deer. The second is of a chance meeting with a beautiful, but somewhat enigmatic young girl in a remote chapel. And the third …… (Warning to sensitive readers; some tales do contain a tiny bit of bad language and references to sex.) 
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