Monthly Archives: February 2017

February 24, 2017 · 2:57 PM

Top ten books loved by my 3 year old

Last year I posted the top ten books loved by my 2 year old, and the year before that the top ten books loved by my 1 year old. To keep up with the tradition, here are the books that are making the ‘read night after night’ list for my now 3 year old not-so-little boy.

1. Mega Rescuers by Christiane Gunzi

Every morning, before anyone else is out of bed, I’ll hear crashing and banging coming from our son’s room. He appears in the hall carrying a pile of six or more Mega books, all published in the 1990s and given to us by a friend whose boys were no longer interested in them. He drops one or two with an almighty bang on the wooden floors. Then once he’s got them all back in his arms again he’ll clamber up onto the bed, point to Mega Rescuers and say ‘I want you to read that one.’

Continue reading →

5 Comments

Filed under Top ten books

Tagged as ,

February 22, 2017 · 9:24 PM

The simple things (Friday Fictioneers)

Image by Sarah Potter at http://www.sarahpotterwrites.com

​Lookingforlove78 enjoyed snuggling in front of the fire with a bottle of red on a snowy winter’s evening. She said she was more of a beach person. Then he preferred long walks on the sand.

Chat$with$me had a BMW, a penthouse apartment and five Armani suits. She said money didn’t matter. He said he liked the simple things in life.

Hotstuff69 sent a photo that made her drop her phone in the sink.

Then there was Alex. Couldn’t stand wet sand. Rented a basic studio. Lol’d when autocorrect changed ‘duck’ into… well.

He was the one she agreed to meet.

*********

Friday Fictioneers is a challenge set by Rochelle each week where writers from around the world post 100 word stories based on a common photo prompt. For more information, and to read other stories, visit Rochelle’s page here.

32 Comments

Filed under Friday Fictioneers

Tagged as , ,

February 15, 2017 · 9:05 PM

Searching (Friday Fictioneers)

Image by Liz Young at http://lizy-writes.blogspot.com.au

​Eloise whispered, ‘I’ve never seen a raccoon before. Do they bite?’

Jay peered into the dumpster. Looking up at him was not a raccoon’s face but a doll’s. It brought back a flood of long lost memories.

A bag hidden deep behind his father’s coats. Inside, a knife, a compass, a crumpled photo of a woman on a station, a doll in traditional Latvian dress and five army badges with strange symbols on them.

He gasped as his adult mind remembered the symbols.

There was a crash of cans and Eloise shrieked. ‘It tried to bite me!’

Swastikas.

*********

Friday Fictioneers is a challenge set by Rochelle each week where writers from around the world post 100 word stories based on a common photo prompt. For more information, and to read other stories, visit Rochelle’s page here.

50 Comments

Filed under Friday Fictioneers

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

February 8, 2017 · 9:10 PM

Hands over ears (Friday Fictioneers)

PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz

Image by Ted Strutz at http://www.tedstrutz.com

His eyes lit up. ‘Check out that river! Reminds me of where Dad used to take me when I was little. Such good memories…’

He turned to her. ‘What was your childhood like?’

They’d known each other just over twenty-four hours. Should she describe how she’d sit in her room on a chair with her eyes tightly closed and hands over ears praying for her parents to stop fighting, or the cold nights curled in the backseat with her mum and sisters while on the run?

‘It was pretty good,’ she said. ‘But tell me more about those river holidays.’

*********

Friday Fictioneers is a challenge set by Rochelle each week where writers from around the world post 100 word stories based on a common photo prompt. For more information, and to read other stories, visit Rochelle’s page here.

51 Comments

Filed under Friday Fictioneers, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

February 1, 2017 · 8:36 PM

Nothing good (Friday Fictioneers)

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

Image by Roger Beltot at https://plus.google.com/u/0/107716760208067370787

‘There’s nothing good about the cold. Nothing!’

Eloise scowled at the snow outside.

Jay picked up his jacket. ‘Well, I’m getting dinner.’

‘I’m a beach girl. Hot sand. Hot sun. Sunburn. Soothing Aloe Vera…’

He shrugged. ‘Stay here if you like.’

‘Is that a threat?’

‘I honestly don’t care.’

The chill outside hit them hard as they staggered across the icy road. Large snowflakes fell around them and Jay noticed how some settled softly in Eloise’s hair. Without thinking, he put his arm around her shoulders and held her close. She pushed her face into his warm chest and smiled.

*********

I have exciting news to share that some of you lovely fellow FFs have been asking about. I received a Highly Commended in the Newcastle Herald Short Story competition for my story Bloodstained. Four stories were chosen out of over a hundred entries, so I’m pretty thrilled to be selected. The prize is 10 new books, a weekend pass to the Newcastle Writers Festival (hurrah!) and a Herald subscription. A dear friend from my writers group Diana Threlfo also made it to the Highly Commended list – check out her beautiful short story Unconstrained.

Friday Fictioneers is a challenge set by Rochelle each week where writers from around the world post 100 word stories based on a common photo prompt. For more information, and to read other stories, visit Rochelle’s page here.

62 Comments

Filed under Friday Fictioneers, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , ,