‘Waiting for you’ can now be downloaded on Ether books. This is a short story about a mother waiting for her daughter to come home late one night.
I found Bridget Whelan’s guide to suspense ‘Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid’ in her Back to Creative Writing School book very useful in getting the mood, pace and tension just right. Thank you, Bridget!
Too Much Soda developed from a short piece of writing that I posted previously. It was inspired by a photograph of my grandmother outside a wash house where she worked in Aberdeen.
Toasted Cheese published the story in June.
Despite my lack of blogging I have been writing! I struggle to do both.
In June ‘From the rooftops’ was published by Riptide. I was asked to read the story at the launch of the collection at the ‘Cultures of the Suburbs Conference,’ at Exeter University. It was great to meet other talented writers. Thrilled that Michael Rosen wrote the Foreword.
Kitsune, is a short story about Freya, who licks the bones of a chicken and forages for gifts to bring her husband at the end of the night. It has been published in the latest issue of the New Writer.
You can now buy You, Me and a bit of We, published by Chuffed Buff Books as a paperback or to read on your Kindle. It is a celebration of writing in the first and second person.
My story Cockle Shells is included in this collection and explores how a young girl comes to terms with her grief through the passage of time.
A celebration of writing in the first, second and third person.
A garden full of Gazanias.
Dean Martin Sings (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Marlene tapped her feet and shimmied her shoulders to the song on the radio, as Helen O’ Connell, her voice as sweet as a teaspoon of sugar, asked Dean Martin how he’d like his eggs. He wanted them with kisses and hugs. But who wanted love when you were cooking breakfast at six o’ clock in the morning?
Marlene slid the eggs into the middle of the frying pan with a silver spatula, but she pierced the yolk. The runny smooth yellow clashed with the crispness of the white. Now the yolk would cook too quickly. The smell of the eggs made her shudder. It didn’t matter whether they were in a sandwich, a cheese omelette or soaked into a piece of fried bread, her stomach churned. A drop of oil spat out at her – she hissed back and screwed her nose up at the pan.
She tried to picture herself swooning in Ernie’s arms – it was difficult.
‘Breakfast’s ready,’ she shouted up the stairs.
‘Coming! Don’t rush me I’m putting on my tie.’ Ernie was probably standing in front of the mirror fiddling with his collar, and smoothing Brylcreem over his greasy grey hair. Hers was thick and curly, everyone said it was smashing.
She’d put the toast on too soon, it had almost burnt. Marlene doubted he’d even notice; he was a bulldog with a droopy lip and protruding teeth. He opened up his mouth and the food went in. She had to turn away so that she didn’t have to watch his jaws moving up and down as he chewed. She wondered if he tasted a thing.
Marlene took a vase of pale mauve lilac and put it on the breakfast table. She’d picked them from the garden late last night whilst Ernie was dozing in his armchair. She hoped the scent would mask the smell of the eggs.
The song was coming to an end, and Dean and Helen were satisfied with the world.
Ernie came in and sat down at the table, an early morning scowl on his face. She buttered the toast and then slid the eggs from the pan, one by one onto the white china plate. He liked them kept separate.
‘Didn’t you hear me say I fancied a poached egg today, Marlene?’ He stabbed the first egg with the prongs of his fork.
Marlene threw the frying pan onto the lino and let the oil go wherever it wished.
‘Bloody hell, woman……’ He jumped up, knocking his plate of eggs onto the floor. ‘Now I‘ll have to put a new shirt and tie on.’
‘Whatever you like, Ernie.’
Marlene did a twirl as she swept out of the kitchen to the last beat of the song.
Inspired by How do you like your eggs? sung by Dean Martin and Helen O’Connell.
And Bridget’s Whelan’s Monday exercise. Thank you to all!
English: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
New Flavours was recorded by Elizabeth Bower and is now on-line at Great Stories with Heart to listen to or download. If you like rum and raisin, tutti-frutti and cherry ice-cream this maybe to your taste.
I was lucky enough to win the Sophie King Prize with this short story.
I am attempting to curb my overuse of the word ‘just’. Have failed entirely in creating this post!
Pair of classic black leather Dr. Martens boots, with distinctive yellow stitching around sole. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Yvonne wants Carl to notice her; she has managed to get away with wearing fish net stockings to school. She props up her geometry book so that her hands are hidden from Ms Elwood, then picks up the pair of cold metal compasses, admiring her cherry red nails, and with the sharp point etches his name deep into the wooden desk. With her fountain pen she follows the letters, letting the ink meander between the grains of oak. Carl gets up to sharpen his pencil. As he swaggers past, Yvonne knocks down her book and reveals his name – he looks straight on. In front of the black board he creates long twirls of shavings as he rotates the sharpener and informs Ms Elwood that she looks good today. Then he comes back down the aisle, grins, and nudges Shelley’s stilettos with his black Doc Martens. For the rest of the lesson Yvonne traces her fingers through his name until they turn cobalt blue.
Thanks to Bridget Whelan for inspiring me with her Monday Creative Writing Exercises. This is my offering for the Friday Flash senseless challenge – touch.
Stories and Musings by Deanna Schrayer
Shooting photographs, drawing lines...
Where observation and imagination meet nature in poetry.
A Writers Journey
CRIME WRITER
Photography, Animals, Flowers, Nature, Sky
Photography. Observations. Adventures. Let's talk.
The search for meaning, one page at a time
Writer
for writers and readers....
fiction writing
Simone Davy 