Published inAbout Me Stories·PinnedMember-onlyAbout Me — Patsy CollinsThe travelling writer — Before I do anything else, let me tell you about my free short story collection Not A Drop To Drink. You can download it from Amazon or Apple here and from other retailers here.About Me5 min readAbout Me5 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·10 hours agoMember-onlyWaiting For An AnswerA 2,900 word story — “No, no, no,” I wailed as I saw my grades for the essay I’d done on the Mayor of Casterbridge. Apart from a short time when I thought there weren’t enough, there have always been too many Thomas Hardys in my life. …Fiction12 min readFiction12 min read
Published inWriters’ Blokke·2 days agoMember-only‘Must Read’ BooksA 1,800 word story — Heather sank gratefully onto a seat on the train. Thank goodness she’d reserved one! The way her day was going, if she hadn’t this fairly empty train would have been full of football supporters, Girl Guides on a day out or another unexpected large group of people. She ran her…Fiction8 min readFiction8 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·3 days agoMember-onlyGoodnight, BertA 2,900 word short story — An insistent, high-pitched scream echoed from the newly opened bookshop. Pulses of blue light sent eerie shadows hurtling down the High Street. Someone, or something, had triggered the alarm. Again. In the safety of her car, Lauren took a few calming breaths. It was early and she was alone. Like…Fiction12 min readFiction12 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·Dec 1Member-onlyWishing WellA 3,000 word story — “Kelly! It’s so good to see you!” Aurora hugged her best friend. “Oh, sorry, I’ve covered you in flour.” “Don’t worry about that. Thanks to the terrible trio,” Kelly gestured at the three angelic-looking little girls, aged from three to six, “a dusting of flour is neither here nor there…Fiction12 min readFiction12 min read
Published inGardening, Birding, and Outdoor Adventure·Nov 29Member-onlyMaking the most of flowers cut from the gardenGathering plant material from our own gardens is the most cost-effective way of creating flower arrangements, but we still want to get the most from every bloom. 1. Pick in the early morning or evening, not the hottest part of the day as they may wilt then. 2. In dry…Flowers2 min readFlowers2 min read
Published inWriters’ Blokke·Nov 27Member-onlyAll For The BestA 2,700 word story — I’ve known Melanie forever. We’re more like brother and sister than friends; even our parents rarely saw us apart during school holidays. We learned to ride bikes together, fly kites, throw snowballs. We were never really bad kids, but sometimes we played too loudly or where we weren’t supposed to…Fiction11 min readFiction11 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·Nov 24Member-onlyThieving MagpiesA 2,000 word short story — Lewis was keeping watch from his bedroom window. Usually he looked down into his garden, or across the fields to the small patch of woodland, so he could enjoy the sight of wild birds, rabbits and foxes. He was so lucky to have been able to retire to a cottage…Crime Fiction9 min readCrime Fiction9 min read
Published inWriters’ Blokke·Nov 21Member-onlyLove Will WaitA 2,900 word story — Julie met Kieran during her first week of secondary school. He proposed on their last day. It never occurred to sixteen-year-old Julie to say no. They were blissfully in love and had so much in common. They’d been friends for five years, dating for two. Her family liked him, his…Fiction12 min readFiction12 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·Nov 17Member-onlyHonestly, Mother!A 2,000 word story — I don’t steal things. At least not on purpose. Despite being a few years past retirement age, I’m not going senile either. I want to get that straight from the start, just in case you’ve been talking to my daughter. Shelley’s opinion of me just lately is a lot lower…Fiction9 min readFiction9 min read
