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221 entries in this archive

Saturday 26 October, 2024

Taken by Storm (a ten-minute read)

We have just returned from Mallorca after ten nights in Puerto Pollensa, an end of year Winter Sun break.

Sitting on our veranda early while my Princess slept on, I tapped this tale onto my iPad then cleaned it up back here at home.

I had been working on another story (Snatch!), not yet published here. The November Writers’ Circus theme for Snatch! was: ‘A Stormy Night.’

This entirely fictitious story follows the same theme.

It recounts a tale of misadventure by a group of young men, Venture Scouts, who attempt to climb Ben Lomond on a day when a storm if forecast.

Read on and discover what happens.

Spoiler alert: not all stories have happy endings.

Monday 7 October, 2024

Russian Dolls ( a novella, a longer read)

This is another Maisie Kaywood romp.

Maisie is a modern-day Robin Hood character, choosing for herself what wrongs she chooses to put right.

Yes, it is fantasy fiction but I hope it may entertain.

The first three chapters set the scene after which Maise and her XCD Team from Lab 5 at Global Bio-Genetics spring into action.

I suggest you give it a whirl. I hope it may grab you.

This complicated tale started writing itself a few years ago and go mislaid in the editing process. I found it again a few weeks ago and polished it using the “Read Aloud” tool in Microsoft Word. If you find errors, please use your best judgement as to spelling or meaning. Thanks.

(Please also check out the other Maisie Kaywood stories and “Living with Myra”, the story about Maisie’s mother.

Note:

I have added a Table of Contents which enables readers to navigate to each chapter.

Sunday 29 September, 2024

Last Chance Saloon

This story crept into my mind while I was thinking about two friends who have had recent spells in hospital.

Apart from a two day spell in the Victoria Infirmary as a three-year-old to have my tonsils removed, I have been fortunate never to need hospitalisation. Long may this situation continue!

This short piece is purely from imagination.

Make a coffee and have a delve.


(This was previously called Pastures New.)

Saturday 21 September, 2024

In Pastures New, (5000 words, a fifteen minute read)

This story was written in response to a Writers’ Circus challenge to create a story inspired by a song or piece of music.

The story started with me listening again to Paslm 23, The Lord’s my Shepherd, sung to the tune Crimond by the long defunct Glasgo Orpheus Choir under the direction of Sir Hugh Roberton. This choir’s SABT rendering is in a distictive Kelvinside accent and has long been a favourite of ours.

It stirs me, often to the edge of tears.

Here is the hyperlink:

https://youtu.be/7BciFYFtmbY?si=oLWu9LnpwSEUgqgA

We have just returned from a short stay at Siverdyke Caravan park, Anstruther where the the first version of this tale was tapped out on my iPad, becoming one of a small batch of stories created by a similar process.

Without further ado, I invite you to read on.

Wednesday 11 September, 2024

Family Tree --- a seven minute read.

This tale arose from a Writers’ Circus challenge ---- “Autumn Leaves”.

In the years before the wide-spread use of contraceptives and vascetomies, infidelity leading to children born out of wedlock and ‘accepted’ by the marriage partner were much more common occurences than in modern times.

Or are they?

Thursday 18 July, 2024

The Crimson Scorpion ( a novella, a longer read)

This story has its origins from a ‘sighting’ on a train journey to Oxford, long before Covid.

Our train was diverted to Banbury and a lady joined us at a four-seater table.

She was wearing and unusual brooch.

At Banbury, we changed to a bus which took us on to Oxford. They lady went her way and we went ours.

The story began in my head and then I started to tap it out on my iPad and, as happens from time to time, it was ‘lost’ among other snippets to be completed.

Well, here it is at last, perhaps eight years later?

It opens in Harrogate then tracks the life of a girl from Glasgow to Leeds.

To discover more, you must read on. . ..


00000


This story has been self-edited using ‘Read Aloud’ in Word.

Since there are around 40,000 words there must be errors and if you find one, please make your best judgement and read on.

Thanks.

Note: I have added a Contents listing which enables readers to move directly to a Chapter heading with a single CLICK.

Friday 21 June, 2024

Twingling, (20 minute read time)

This story began about six years ago when ‘a certain person’ mentioned the word Twingling as we headed back to our hotel room after breakfast.

It is another Maisie Kaywood story involving her XCD team as they strive to right wrongs and dispose of the baddies.

To learn more about Maisie her XCD team (and her mother Myra), try at this website under ‘Maisie Kaywood Stories’.

Essentially this is a romance involving two clever people trapped in a dilemma involving viscious industrial espionage.

Make a coffee and delve in!

My thanks once again to Kareth Paterson who edited the original, pre-Covid version.

This version was finalise using Read Aloud. If you spot an error, please make your best judgement and read on. Thanks.

Note: I have added a list of Contents which enables readers to move directly to Chapters by one CLICK.

Monday 17 June, 2024

Living with Myra - a novel, a long read.

At this website under “Writing”, there is a section called “Maisie Kaywood Stories”. These are about a Robin Hood type character who rights wrong by taking direct action against bad people, sometimes very bad people.

“Living with Myra” is part of Maisie Kaywood’s history, chronicaling the life of her mother, Myra Kaywood (nee Gallagher), a very clever girl from Yoker, one of the poorst areas of Glasgow at that time.

The major part of the action takes place during the WW2 era (1939 to 1945).

The story begins when Myra is approaching her tenth birthday and continues until her death when Maise is eighteen, ready to take on her mother’s role in the modern era.

I hope you will find it readable and interesting. I ask that you give it say, three chapters and see if it grips you. I hope it will.

*****
My thanks must go to Kareth Paterson from our Writers’ Circus group who kindly edited this 162,000 word ‘monster’ in its original very raw form.

This story has been evolving for around eight years and over the last month I have revisited it using “Read Aloud” in Word to complete a Final Edit which you can read here.

Over these many years I have enjoyed being in Myra’s company, learning about her complex character and ‘living’ with her during her exploits.

Throughout I have tried to avoid anachroisms and keep the text faithful to my idea of what it would be like to live in those far off early days.

Dear Reader, if you find errors, and there simply must be some, please make your best judgement as to what I intended and continue to read.

Thank you.

Note: I have added a Contents list which allows readers to go direct to Chapters by CLICKING on the chapter heading.

Monday 10 June, 2024

Night Flight ( a ten-minute read)

In early June 2024, we spent a very windy week with our ancient little caravan at the Camping and Caravan Site at Dunbar.

This was our first proper visit to East Lothian. It is a very attractive part of Scotland and I am sure we will be back to explore further, and soon.

On this trip we visited the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune Airfield, a visit I strongly recommend.

There is a Concorde which you can board to inspect up close plus two other huge hangers with dozens of vintage military and commercial aircraft which depict the hisory of flight.

Please do not miss the Vulcan V2 bomber. If you can find Duncan, he tells this aircraft’s amazing story quite brilliantly. Thank you Duncan!

One of the other aircraft on dispplay is a Bristol Beaufighter, a truly amazing WW2 workhorse - fast, flexible and very tough.

Night Flight tells the tale of two ‘transfer pilots’ assigned to deliver a refurbished Beaufighter to RAF East Fortune in September 1942.

It is entirely fictional.

Monday 20 May, 2024

Wendy (five minute read.)

This piece came from a Writer’s Circus topic:

“Sandwiches.”

Mercifully, this is a shot story!

make yourself a coffe and give it a go.

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