The September issue of Ireland's Own contains one of my short stories. Although Ethel, the lead character, has my mother-in-law's name she's not really based on her. When I write about people I know, I change the names!This Ethel has embraced some modern technology (as has my mother-in-law) but isn't a slave to it and … Continue reading Ethel and I.T.
Wednesday word of the week – Aphorism
An aphorism is a short statement of fact or opinion. They're often catchy and quotable. If you snooze you lose, All for one and one for all, Forgive your enemies but remember their names, Little strokes fell great oaks. Actually oaks feature quite a lot, From little acorns grow mighty oaks, Storms make oaks grow stronger roots, … Continue reading Wednesday word of the week – Aphorism
Seeds Of Success
I have a story in the current issue of The People's Friend Special. Just in case the title and beautiful illustration haven't given it away, I'll tell you that it involves sunflower seeds. Quite some time ago I'd written a different story about sunflowers. That's set in Little Mallow - the same fictional village as … Continue reading Seeds Of Success
Naming the rose
Thank you to the kind people who contacted me after my last post, to tell me the new name of my story in the People's Friend 2024 annual, and to share the illustration. The mine blurb used by The People's Friend goes like this 'Diane loses her beloved climbing rose, and struggles to find a … Continue reading Naming the rose
Hunky Dory
I have a story in the 2024 issue of The People's Friend Annual, which I understand is available now. As I've not yet seen a copy I don't know whether or not they've kept my original title of Roses Round The Door, nor what illustration they've used. However, I'm sure it will be pretty. Unusually … Continue reading Hunky Dory
Wednesday word of the week – Abnegate
To abnegate is to give up or deny oneself something, particularly a pleasure. It can also mean to renounce or reject something, such as a right or belief. I'm no abnegator; I believe I shall enjoy eating the rest of this cake as much as I enjoyed the first slice. (I grated the zest of the lemon into … Continue reading Wednesday word of the week – Abnegate
Wednesday Word Of The Week – Tab
Oddly my dictionary doesn't give either of the definitions I associate with these three letters. To me they stand for Take a Break. I'm not terribly keen on the weekly mag, but TAB's Fiction Feast is great. I have a story in the September issue, which is out now. My story, Sandcastles, involves a variety of … Continue reading Wednesday Word Of The Week – Tab
Five Star Freebie
I'm delighted to have had a 5 star Goodreads review for Not A Drop To Drink. The book is currently free to download, if you'd like to see if you enjoy it too. You can get it from Amazon or Apple here.
Not such a typical day
Yesterday I sent my new cosy crime novel to a small selection of publishers. The list was small, because there aren't very many publishers with good track records who accept direct, unsolicited submissions. That's totally understandable, as there's a huge number of authors hoping to get published. I know my chances of success aren't big, … Continue reading Not such a typical day
I nearly cried
I upload lots of short stories, and some articles, to the Medium website. It's a big site with loads of publications. The two I use most have several editors to deal with all the many submissions they receive. By now I do recognise most of their names, but it hadn't occurred to me that my … Continue reading I nearly cried