Now being worked on by my wacky mind

The lucky ones that have read 'Notty: Targaroo's Disgrace Bar-fly, bludger and sneak-thief turned unlikely hero' will know who George is. They will not know that soon after those events he became ensconsed in a forest on the NSW coast.

What mischief did he get up to? The book "SHARK BUTCHER", now being worked on by my wacky mind, will reveal all.

We have crime, two transvestite KGB agents, heaps of gratuitous sex, vicious murders, and one murder that you will all cheer about. And hopefully you will get some laughs through the story.

Keep your eyes peeled!

Here is just a littel bit:

In the two years that George had been gone from Targaroo, he had spent eighteen months in his new forest home. Like the Australian nomads of the past he camped light and left no, or very little, sign of his whereabouts.

George had befriended many of the forest creatures that would not scatter at his nearness, and who gave him more ability to roam unnoticed should any human happen to be in the area.

One such friend was a red-bellied black snake that George had found when it was a very small reptile, but now had grown considerably.

This snake he called Martha, and felt that no better name could be bestowed on a lowly creature of the forest.

Martha would travel with George on his wanderings, wrapped around George's neck and licking the air to take in different smells. George had come to 'read' the signs from Martha, and at times she had warned him of the presence of human activity.

George "Notty" Wormwood had become an accomplished bushman in the last year and a half. His need to seclude himself from humanity arose from the many rebuffs that he had in the last days at Targaroo. So called friends soon departed when they found out that Martha, his fat wife, controlled George's money, which forced him to revert to his old bar change stealing.

No thought of heroic deeds came to George's mind as he lay hidden near the clearing of 'torture'. Martha the snake, or other snake, as he often thought of her as, lay about his neck and licked the air as they watched humans at play.

Great Aussie Reads For Australia Day

From the desk of Pete's publisher ...

There are so many different Australian stories. One of the "classic" angles of Australian life, that carries with it themes of endurance, mateship and respect for the land - themes that break down barriers between the vast Australian experience - is that of the Outback tale. This Australia Day, 26th January, treat yourself to an afternoon reading of a story by Peter Rake.

My personal recommendation would be to inject a bit of humor into your afternoon with 'Notty: Targaroo's Disgrace Bar-fly, bludger and sneak-thief turned unlikely hero'. This is a cheeky tale about a town's no-hoper turning good just when it counts - or as good as he can manage anyway. Although there's nothing terribly outlandish in it, it's not one for kids, so if you want an Australian story that the whole family can enjoy, try 'The Coachman' which is the perfect length to read out loud to a small crowd as your Australia Day BBQ feast settles in ... or as you nod to the occasion from across the seas.

A taste of Notty ... smells of beer

Notty - quite the character

An excerpt from Peter Rake's debut short story, Notty: Targaroo's Disgrace Bar-fly, bludger and sneak-thief turned unlikely hero.

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Early mornings would see George leave his 'digs' dressed in his every day clothes of battered shoes, no socks of course, trousers that were three sizes too large and a coat that his brother had tossed out as rags ages ago, a coat now as filthy as the rest of the garb. This coat had one cuff burnt and shredded from being pulled down over a hand to retrieve a black billycan from a burning fire, for a cup of vicious looking brew that George called tea.

His trousers were pulled together at the waist and secured by a length of twine, the cuffs long gone to the constant dragging along footpaths and roadways. A shirt that had once, long ago, been white, but in line with the rest of his attire, was as filthy and foul smelling as the man himself.

Although Jack had allowed George to use the showers at the rear of the service station George declined this kind offer for most of the time. There were occasions that George would sneak into the amenities, have a quick shower and re-don the same clothes that he always wore. No one ever noticed that any ablutions had taken place, of course.

George showered when the urge took him, but it may be suggested that the slippery lather of the soap applied to certain parts of his scrawny anatomy was the attraction, rather than any sense of hygiene.

His 'home' depicted the man. A rough affair, scant furniture, but boasting an iron framed bed covered by a straw filled mattress that accommodated George in his nightly repose.

The dirt floor was a matter of safety for George as the open, often smoking fire, would throw sparks and coals onto the surrounding area, which lay smouldering to lifelessness without any concern from George.

One door and one unglazed window at opposite ends of the shack were the only ventilation that the building afforded, and in the summer heat and the cold of winter George suffered the deprivation without much complaint.

A wooden crate stood central in the one room building covered with spoilt food from many meals ago combined with the latest culinary delight that George had concocted for his repast of the moment.

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Aftermath of Notty

Things did not go too well for Notty after his marriage.  When he had reached the point where he was almost screaming with anguish at the way his life had turned, he did the most honorable thing he could think of in regards to his marriage commitment to Martha. He shot through without a word to anyone.

No doubt Notty will turn up somewhere else as he is not an old man, he still has his shifty ways to fall back on, a shiftiness that sometimes got him into trouble but a shiftiness that he treated as his life long trade, or career even.

Rumor has it that Notty is somewhere in New South Wales ...