Europe writes itself. Again. And we are thrilled to have you here to read it.
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Trails- Page 5

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

November 3, 2026
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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 Crown of Boughs

September 18, 2026
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One grey morning, a silent wolf entered the royal chamber. He came from Calais, carrying a heavy iron axe. The falcon looked from the wolf up to the King. She understood then that the jewels, the lands and the golden perch had never truly belonged to her…
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Update the Dummy

September 18, 2026
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Nigel stared blankly at his kitchen counter, nursing a mug of synthetic tea. Having a smart phone, smart TV, smart fridge and smart thermostat had seemed cutting edge two decades ago. Back then, the realisation that he was officially the dumbest object in his own living room felt like a…
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A Huge Potential For Doing Nothing

September 17, 2026
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Leonidas watched him with profound detachment. To a man whose father had spent forty-nine years waking up at three in the morning to battle the Aegean Sea for a handful of sardines, the concept of a Tuesday afternoon spent entirely in repose wasn’t laziness; it was a hard-won evolutionary triumph.…
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When Life Gives You Books

September 16, 2026
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That evening, sitting amidst tower blocks of Victorian drainage history, Phineas realised Mrs Brown was right. Lemons were versatile. Books were heavy, flammable and stubbornly dry. But as the rain began to drizzle over the hill, he decided that if life refused to give him citrus, he would simply have…
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We Need More Meaning

September 15, 2026
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It is time for literature to move beyond the superficial noise of the contemporary moment and deliver the rich, transformative meaning that readers so desperately need…
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The Lazy Club

September 14, 2026
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The afternoon sun hit the vinyl couch at precisely the angle required to make getting up feel like a crime against physics. In the living room of Maisonette 4B, the founding members of the Lazy Club were in peak operational form. This meant they were doing absolutely nothing. Leo was…
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One Last Weather Chant

September 13, 2026
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Ninety-year-old Þorvaldur sat on his weathered wooden bench, watching the tide pull the grey foam away from the basalt cliffs. In his lap lay a small notebook, its leather cover worn smooth by decades of calloused thumbs. He uncapped his silver fountain pen and wrote three words: báru / ljós…
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The Haunt Hunters

September 13, 2026
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The damp autumn air hung heavy over Sick-a-Moor Castle, a crumbling Victorian pile that smelled entirely of wet spaniel and damp wallpaper. Philomena adjusted her tweed flat cap, checked the readings on her EMF scanner, and cleared her throat. ‘Right then, Sean,’ Philomena said, tapping the plastic casing of her…
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Keep the Grammar Sane, for Word’s Sake!

September 12, 2026
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Scholars say that language is a living entity, constantly shifting to reflect the society that speaks it. Yet, there is a fine line between dynamic evolution and unnecessary unravelling. In recent years, major style guides and lexicographers have approved sweeping changes to traditional English grammar rules. While proponents argue that…
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The Jungle Dominoes

September 11, 2026
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It all started with a hiccup. Ppopo, an unusually pristine hippopotamus, was wallowing peacefully in the Upper Mud Bogs when an unexpected bubble of swallowed air lodged in his chest. The resulting hiccup was so violently muffled that it sent a shockwave through the lily pads, startling a tiny poison…
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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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