Sandra

*content warning for a bit of gore down at the end*

All Woods

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. One led to autumn, calm and chilly, its last bronzed leaf picked by a wind still echoing with residual birdsong. The other to darkness, cloaked in mist, where naked trees loomed overhead like a canopy of murderers, intentions ill. The signpost…[Read more]

Halfway through the month and still loads of time to get an entry in to this month’s comp.

If you have a setting waiting to be explored, a weird and wonderful character aching to be brought to life, a misbelief to be addressed, or general mayhem, murder and malice, now’s your chance.

Don’t be shy…

You know, I’m always surprised when I win the monthly comp (not that it happens often!) but never more so than this time. Such strong entries – I did feel mine was a little lightweight in comparison.

Thank you, @Libby, for hosting the comp and for such fabulous feedback, and thanks to Ath, Sandra, Squidge and Knicky for making me work harder to…[Read more]

Thank you for hosting this month’s comp, Libby, and for your thoughtful words on my piece. And congratulations, Seagreen, I thought your piece was wonderfully evocative. I enjoyed each entry for this month.

@Libby Grit was about my rather difficult pregnancy, and how the only peace and pleasure I found (from the daily waves of nausea and hostile…[Read more]

Libby, thanks for a super topic and the fabulous reviews. Seagreen, a well-deserved win.

EMERGENCE

You stand alone, in the northwest corner of the cellar deck, gloved hands resting on the handrail and face tilted to the sun.

Breathe in.
Breathe out.

Above you, clouds rag-roll an azure sky, while beneath you, an aging platform sways to the rhythm of the North Sea.

Breathe in.
Breathe out.

Solitude. It catches you unawares,…[Read more]

It was the same every year.

She took as many precautions as possible, wrapping everything carefully, keeping the box closed tight until the right moment came, making sure her hands were washed clean when it did.

And then…

Ordering everyone to sit down, sit still. Questioning each participant in turn to make sure she knew their exact r…[Read more]

Wowser…beta reading…

As a beta reader, I do try to find something good to say as well as making suggestions for improvements. I don’t think I go into it with a checklist per se – I use gut feeling a lot as to what feels ‘right’ to me as a reader. But I sometimess feel that I’m not an objective enough beta reader – I don’t always ‘get’ other…[Read more]

Phew! Nothing new to add to add really. I don’t spend much time here because I’m spread way too thin as it is – life is crazy trying to keep a travel business alive during this time and also publicise book one and edit book two and I genuinely struggle with fitting it all in and not burning out.

However – when I do have time and inclination,…[Read more]

Grit

The crunch of ice between my teeth – cold edges, agitated nerves, sabulous sensitivity. All coalescing into sharp points of pleasure in my body, my brain. Soothing. Assuasive. Momentary. Cup after cup of chipped ice; happiness only until they are empty. Nausea quickly returning.

The grit of sand and salt and soap beneath my fingers, the…[Read more]