My Writing

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Short Stories

Verse

Posts about my books

A Year Before Christmas 

Witch Way 

The Godmother  Originally published here, The Godmother is now available from these outlets.

The Pond People  A revised Pond People is now available from these outlets.

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Short Stories (and other ramblings)

In reverse order of publication: most recent first…

Christmas Presence – earlier version published in a Following Wind and this version in Witch Way

Angels – a collaborative story featuring the mirlings. Written with Jane Pobgee,

The Last Night – link to my story published on 101 Words 22/11/23

A Right Pickle – a story about covering up.

A Stitch in Time (published as Making Amends in People’s Friend, May 21st, 2022)

The Laundry – in three parts, #1, #2, #3

Tommy (link) – winner of Eyrie Press competition 2021

Bunny – A story in three posts, #1, #2, #3

Windy Christmas – from aWhitlesey Wordsmiths’ Christmas anthology

Where does Santa Spend Christmas? – a three-parter that follows on from Christmas Presence (re-posted as an intro).

Bolt-cutter Blunder – discovery in an attic

Trick or Treat?   – flash fiction for Halloween

Doors Closing   – a very short story

Mission – flash fiction

The Unwanted Gift – a very short story 

Leaving Us – the death of young Digger

Danny Boy – a story written in 24 hours (or less…)

Roome Bay – on holiday with our dogs

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Verse

This is in order of publication: oldest first (just keeping you on your toes). I like to think it improves as it goes down – feel free to let me know what you think.

Christmas Wrapping – a seasonal verse

Puzzling it Out – a verse about…  puzzles

Fred’s Legacy – a verse about Fred’s campervan

My Call –  outsmarting the bigger guy

A Study in Red – editing

Comma Chorus – rethinking commas

Good Company – also ran

Into Each Life – falling rain

Default Mode – rhyming doggerel

The Humpty Verdict – a cautionary tale

Riding the Waterfall – a poem about mirlings

Hiatus – a villanelle

Pigs and Whistles – Tom’s career choice

Tigger’s Other Song – with aplogies to Disney

Drat! – another villanelle

Someone I Knew – ageing

Evolution – growing life

Now I am Old – with apologies to Jenny Joseph

Broken Blue – poetry challenge from a fellow-blogger

Fearless – new puppy

Boredom – another verse written for https://deadlinesforwriters.com/

But is it Poetry? – another verse on a monthly prompt

A Tale of Two Tails – seasonal schmaltz

Lockdown Christmas

Christmas in the Plague Year

Under My Feet (sung to the tune of Under My Thumb from the Rolling Stones)

Stand and Deliver – a comparison of rhyming and free verse (mine)

Diversion – sat-nav misdirection

Ekphrastic – yes, I had to look it up too.

Suburban Forest – A Forest I know well, in Autumn

Slip-up – a poem about… slip-ups.

End of Life – a poem about repair and recycling

Least Favourite Things – guess the tune

Piece of Cake – a villanelle

Lame Lyrics – for from the beginning poet (coming 15/12)

Goblins and Trollsa verse about abusive feedback

I Forgot – a rhyme of things to come?

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The Pond People

Chapters below are the original version of Pond People as they appeared first on this blog.

  1. Meet the Mirlings
  2. Flash Lightning
  3. Eddy and Flo
  4. Never
  5. Target Practice
  6. Responsibilities
  7. Training
  8. Tournament
  9. Missing
  10. Prizewinning Shot
  11. Goldie
  12. Setting Out
  13. Decisions
  14. Surrounded
  15. Seen
  16. Still
  17. Moving Day
  18. Settling In
  19. Home Impovements
  20. Dreams
  21. Holiday
  22. Scents of Home
  23. Happy New year
  24. Do something!
  25. Breaking Up
  26. Breaking down
  27. Fishing
  28. Home
  29. Raining
  30. Missing
  31. Cats and Dogs
  32. Memorial
  33. Riding the Current

Riding the Waterfall – a mirling poem

Editing the Pond People

Rethinking the Pond People

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The Godmother

1 The Godmother

2 The Uglies

3 Ballgowns

4 Harriet

5 Aunt Phemie

6 Euphemia Ffinch

7 Djarmin of Djalladin

8 Coming Home

9 Prince Alfred

10 Peacocks and Bullfinches

11 Catching Up

12 Sons of Royalty

13 At Fincham House

14 You Will Go To the Ball

15 Preparations

16 Anticipation

17 Lady Eleanor

18 After The Ball

19 Back Home

20 Out of Sight

21 Alfie’s Quest

22. What Are You Going to Do About Buttons?

23 All the Time in the World

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Whittlesey Wordsmiths’ Anthologies

I also have stories and verse published in our writing group’s anthologies, Where the Wild Winds Blow, A Following Wind, Windy Christmas, Jingle Bells and Tinsel Tales, and Three Sheets to the Wind from the Whittlesey Wordsmiths, available from Amazon