Vanessa Rigg

Totally unexpected, thanks John. Need to go and put my thinking cap on.

A Coat of Many Colours

Her debut frock had been remarkable enough. Clouds upon clouds of fragrant petals laced together with birdsong; an ode to spring. Dressed for the occasion, she rose from her slumbers to a reveille of golden trumpets, gathered in bands around her heels, and coloured the air with fragrance … though the show soon moved on.…[Read more]

Congrats John and HMs, and thanks Ath, for the challenge and kind feedback.

Thanks for sharing this, Philippa. What a journey!
And I would just like to add, for the record, that while Philippa was going through all this, and working (and crying) so hard, she has continued to be ever-generous in giving support and encouragement to others. Much appreciated.

Yin and Yang

A gurgle of whiskey titillated the silence, ending with a full stop tap of glass on glass. Darrol picked up the tumbler and drifted over to the window, mind still emersed in his Yin and Yang infatuation. Her long blond hair against his dark skin; her crystal cry above his leather groan, their lovemaking uniting them – like the i…[Read more]

Well done, Athelstone. And thank you, Squidge.

Thanks, all. I think from now on I won’t reply to form rejections. Certainly I shouldn’t have done it so long after I received them. It was just that tweet making me think I’d been rude! Perhaps she wasn’t talking about form rejections.

I daren’t book anything until I’m given a clean bill of health, which may be too late for this one. Hope you both get the recognition you deserve there x

Well done, Kate! That’s great news.

Tortoiseshell Specs

It was always worse when you first entered the house – the smell that made you want to hold your breath till you’d opened the windows, and the stuffy heat because she wouldn’t let you.
‘She’s asleep, the poor love,’ Thelma picked up her bag. ‘Call me if you need me.’ The door clicked shut behind her.
Mum’s knitting was in h…[Read more]

The cell was as dark as it was damp, and it would reek all the worse but for the bitter cold. There were others in here, though Robin could not count them, in his head or by his fingers, which he could not see when placed in front of his face. The brief light that had the poor wretches holding their hands to theirs, told him there had to be ten or…[Read more]

Congratulations, Kate, John and Seagreen. And thank you, Sandra, for an excellent competition that compelled me to return to entering. I didn’t envy your task of decision making.