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Trails- Page 15

Once upon a time... Six book lovers, united by their disappointment in what they read, vowed to rewrite the literary landscape. Armed with pure willpower, they put pen to paper, fingers on keyboard, and crafted their own stories. Yet, authorship wasn't enough; they now faced the daunting task of selling their creations.

PSYCHIC EYE

I read the sign and climb a stair. The office door is smoky glass. Inside, a radio plays jazz. I go in. He points to a chair. He’s shabby, but he don’t look dumb. His voice is booze and cigarettes: a weary voice, full of regrets. A gumshoe, laid back, chewing gum. I tell him: “You’re a Psychic Eye. I…

Beyond Blank

Literature lightens the inborn loneliness of existence, reminding us that our deepest…

The Wife of the Sea

June 14, 2026
The old men at the docks watched with furrowed brows as she hauled the heavy longlines onto the deck. Her muscles burned in fierce protest against the weight, but she refused to slow down, even if she could feel their judgment. And worse, their appetite for her failure.…

The Barista God

June 12, 2026
He bought single-origin beans from places he couldn’t even spell. He bought a small digital scale to weigh his grounds to the nearest tenth of a gram, and began describing his morning shot as having “notes of sun-dried hazelnut and a whispered promise of blueberry.”…

My Alpha Reader

June 11, 2026
I took a photo of him today, right in the middle of an intense brainstorming session next to my keyboard. Look at that intellectual gaze, those wide, supportive eyes, and that vibrant, unmistakable neon complexion.…

The Parable of the Prodigal Sun

June 5, 2026
A star called Sol suddenly emerged from the computer screen without the slightest warning. ‘You might have knocked,’ muttered the writer, at last lowering his gaze towards the blindingly bright orb. Then, extending his left hand, he carefully adjusted the cosmic thermostat. He offered the star a cushioned chair, a…

Bram, an Updated Sherlock?

May 31, 2026
The standard recipe for a commercial thriller has remained stubbornly unchanged: a grizzled detective with a drinking problem, a string of murky clues, and a frantic race against a ticking clock. But every few years, a book arrives that completely rewrites the rules of the genre...…

A Global Spotlight on King Arthur’s Court

May 29, 2026
The Clermont-Tonnerre Grail is currently in central London, being prepared for a historic public sale at Christie’s auction house. An exceptional late 13th-century illuminated manuscript of the greatest of all medieval romances: the epic tale of the quest for the Holy Grail, the story of Merlin and his diabolical birth,…

The Sterile Muse

May 28, 2026
Famously attributed to Saint Peter during his encounter with the risen Christ along the Appian Way, the Latin question Quo vadis? /“Where are you going?” has always been prompted by crisis. It is a demand for reflection at both a literal and a moral crossroads.…

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About Me

Former diplomat and globetrotter, Dan Costinas is a versatile contemporary writer, translator, and editor. A true polyglot, he has authored and contributed to several dozen books spanning mainly fiction, essays, aphorisms, reviews and criticism, journalism, and poetry.

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Books of Our Continent

From the quiet shelves of forty-four national archives and ancient university libraries to the cosy corners of independent bookstores and modest home…

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