(Site still under construction)
I had a brief foray into writing in the late-nineties, shortly after we left South Africa to live and work in Bavaria. At that time I was studying a writing course and I wrote mostly creative experiential non-fiction articles. I had some successes in various magazines, Cats World, Dogs Monthly, Lancashire Magazine and, to my surprise two articles in the Financial Times Weekend Supplement. When we returned to England mid 2000, I recommenced working in Human Resources and didn’t write again for ten years.
In July 2010 I started to write a novel and, needing advice from time to time, I joined writewords.org.uk where I was introduced to the concept of flash fiction. Sceptical at first, I quickly became interested in this medium through the weekly challenges which take place in the Flash Fiction forum, and it is in this field that I have had the majority of my work published. I learned a lot from the other writers on this forum, sufficient to realise that attempting a novel had been a tad premature so I put the 85,000 word unfinished manuscript on the back burner and set about learning to write. Again.
Index of Published Work
FLASH FICTION
Rescue (MicroHorror, September 2010) and to be published in anthology by Static Movement
Prussian Blue (MicroHorror, October 2010)
A Space to Die For (MicroHorror, October 2010)
Pipped at the Post (MicroHorror, October 2010)
Space Invader (Every Day Fiction, November 2010)
The Old Ways (Every Day Fiction, December 2010)
A Free Spirit (Backhand Stories, January 2011)
Missing (The Pygmy Giant, February 2011):
The Old Fox (Shine Journal, February 2011)
Jessica and the Rabbit ( Every Day Fiction, April 2011)
Hero (Short Humour, March 2011)
What Best Friends Are For (Short Humour, April 2011)
A Matter of Death and Life (MicroHorror, May 2011)
All He Wanted For Christmas … (The Short Humour Site, June 2011)
Your Turn to Come to Us …? (The Short Humour Site, June 2011)
Ouma and the Wood Pigeon (Every Day Fiction, July 2011)
My Dad Said … (The Pygmy Giant, July 2011)
The Invisible Woman (The Pygmy Giant, July 2011)
Hidden Depths (The Short Humour Site, August 2011)
Shaken and Stirred (The Pygmy Giant, August 2011)
Cyber Power (Bewildering Stories, August 2011)
Visiting Hour (Bewildering Stories, September 2011)
A Bit More Up Top (Bewildering Stories, September 2011)
Paying Attention (Apollo’s Lyre – Bouquet of Shorts, September 2011)
A Family Trait (Apollo’s Lyre – Bouquet of Shorts, September 2011)
The Cat That Disappeared (Every Day Fiction, September 2011)
The Sleep Thief (Eclectic Flash Literary Journal, Vol III, September 2011, page 107)
A Telling Tale (Long Story Short, October 2011)
The Bottom Line (Bewildering Stories, October 2011)
Just a Game (Flashes in the Dark, & MicroHorror, October 2011)
Indicium Aquae (MicroHorror, October 2011)
Hand Me Downs, (MicroHorror, October 2011)
The Force (5 Minute Fiction, October 2011)
Deep Down (MicroHorror, October 2011)
Waving Goodbye (Bewildering Stories, November 2011)
Vive La Danse! (Short Humour Site, November 2011)
Handshake (The Pygmy Giant, November 2011)
Faith Stealer (Bewildering Stories, December 2011)
Counting the Minutes (Bewildering Stories, December 2011)
Evening Class (Postcard Shorts, December 2011)
Trading Futures (Postcard Shorts, December 2011)
A Tribute to Jemima (The Short Humour Site, December 2011)
Biting The Hand That Feeds You (Every Day Fiction, December 2011)
The Two Swans (Bewildering Stories, January 2012)
One Good Turn … (Postcard Shorts, January 2012)
Interview with Flash Fiction Chronicles, (January 2012)
The Rag and Bone Man (Bewildering Stories, January 2012)
Another Life (5MinuteFiction, February 2012)
When I Were a Lad (Short Humour Site, February 2012)
The Change of Life (MicroHorror, February 2012)
Moving On (The Pygmy Giant. February 2012)
She Who Can Do No Wrong (Postcard Shorts, February 2012)
Payback (MicroHorror, February 2012)
Such A Cold Heart, (MicroHorror, March 2012)
Missing Her (Every Day Fiction, March 2012)
Wicked (Postcard Shorts, April 2012)
An Inappropriate Choice (Postcard Shorts, April 2012)
Four Play (The Short Humour Site, April 2012)
A Gethsemane Moment (5 Minute Fiction, April 2012)
Scarce Resources (Pygmy Giant, April 2012)
Another Day in Paradise (Bewildering Stories, April 2012)
Nemesis (The Short Humour Site, April 2012)
The Big Issue, (The Pygmy Giant, May 2012)
SHORT STORIES:
No Secrets Now (Bewildering Stories, May 2012)
POETRY:
Keadby to Cromwell Lock (Every Day Poets, January 2011)
The Tattoo (Every Day Poets, February 2011)
Monsieur Ragondin: (Every Day Poets, March 2011)
That day: (Every Day Poets, June 2011)
Ode to a Tom Cat: (Every Day Poets, August 2011)
Flight of Fantasy (Every Day Poets, January 2011)
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES:
Bin it, bag it or (glass) bank it? (Financial Times Weekend, March 1999)
We’re moving house again – Johannesburg Style (Financial Times Weekend, June 1999)
MAGAZINE ARTICLES:
Something Different (Lancashire Magazine, May/June 1999)
Memories of a Factory Cat, Part 1 (Cat World, May 1999)
Memories of a Factory Cat, Part 2 (Cat World, June 1999)
The Siege (Cat World, August 1999)
Hey there. I found your site via a comment you left on Every Day Fiction. Lucky you to have been published so much! I need to get writing! It’s true, writers do need to write…and then relearn how to, as many times as possible.
By the way, the link for “Hero” published by Short Humour is broken. I think there’s a missing colon after “http”.
Good luck getting your blog into gear. I’m also working on a blog; it’s for my editing service. It’s kind of fun.
Thanks for commenting Lauren, and bringing that broken link to my attention. ‘Hero’ was one of my favourite stories, and I’ve fixed it now. Good luck with your blog, and with your editing service.
Hello Sandra,
Glad you commented on my 100 words. It helps.
May I be personal and ask why you have abandoned your book; for which you had so many words already in place?
Do you find publishing your very good short stories (they are all short??) gives more satisfaction than perservering.
I too have that book in the bottom drawer and am only fishing for advise.
Liz
PS Where in South Africa were you from?
Hi Liz, thanks for dropping by. I originally put the book on the back burner because I seemed to be learning so much that I needed to incorporate into the book. Lately I’ve looked at it again, and decided that it’s the plot more than anything that it is too convoluted. Not sure what I will do with it now.
) though now and then I’ll find that a good idea simply can’t be handled in that format, so I’ll do longer stories, but not so often. I’d recommend taking your book out at regular intervals, and reviewing where you need to go with it. Or, if you can bear it, (I couldn’t), get someone else to read it and comment. Someone you trust.
I’ve enjoyed writing flash, (it just doesn’t seem like so much hard work
Re South Africa: we lived in Johannesburg when my husband was assigned to work there. Nowadays, when we go back, we usually go to Cape Town which is a particular favourite of ours.
Good luck with your book!