Justice? (250-word fiction)

Goldilocks was our favourite bedtime story when we were kids. In that age of schoolyard bullies, I guess we liked the idea that thieves would ultimately get their comeuppance – that you couldn’t just walk into someone’s home and break their favourite chair and eat all of their porridge without consequences. No: you would be caught out. You would have to answer for your actions. Papa Bear would be stern and enraged, Mama Bear would shout, “for shame!”, Baby Bear would cry his eyes out, and you would be struck by the deepest remorse.

You certainly wouldn’t smirk and whisper some disparaging remark to your lawyer when the victim impact statement was read out, that’s for sure.

The Ballroom Project, Chapter Two (3,600-word fiction)

Alilah must reach her brother. She must. She can’t quite see him – it seems to her that he is standing at the other side of a vast, unfamiliar hallway, his silhouette barely visible – and she is running to reach him, yet the faster she moves, the further he slips from her view. She…

See Yourself / Your Solace 🌼 (spoken word poetry)

Soul healing for those who feel misunderstood, out of place … holding a vision that is yet unsteady on its feet. ❤️ See Yourself Drop your burdens and let dawning light caress your face.You hold a vision that is yet unsteady on its feetamidst rushing lines of traffic,the clicks and taps of impassioned argument. You…

Grace (a short story)

Grace remembers it well. It’s one of the few things she remembers. Her mother used to put a drop of brandy in her sister’s bottle to help her sleep. She no doubt did the same thing for Grace, and why wouldn’t she? In that dusty room, in that falling-down old house, the walls covered in grime and soot from the Franklins’ fire downstairs. Her mother had tried to give them both the best life she could, Grace can see that now.

He acknowledges her with the briefest of nods (880-word fiction)

Albalia’s sharp gaze takes in Alilah’s dress and cape – Alilah sees her checking that the ancestral gems are correctly arranged – then she nods and turns away. “Come. Eat, and we shall then prepare the grounds. I will go to the kitchens first, I must consult the chefs…” Downstairs, Eitrem is seated at the…

She has not inherited the striking beauty of her mother (1,000-word fiction)

She is considered pretty, charming, and in possession of the pleasing manners that any noble young woman of Orsthai is expected to have. Yet she has not inherited the striking beauty of her mother and her mother’s kin. Her presence shall never be as commanding, her force of will shall never be as strong, and she has always known that Albalia resents this.

Your mother saved me (540-word fiction)

The poor child is only sixteen years old. Guenneth can well remember what it was to be that age: how a romance can light up your every waking moment and make you believe, somehow, that even as a downtrodden peroi girl, your life might be blessed with some measure of joy.

It is no bad thing to be dowdy and dull (370-word fiction)

It is no bad thing, Guenneth believes, that she is now regarded as too dowdy and dull for most men of high standing or wealth to acknowledge. In her younger days, she was sometimes pursued by the wealthy sons of those who visited or worked with her employers, but she found herself becoming more and…

Sweet Comfort (250-word romantic fiction)

When the man of your dreams asks if you want to catch a movie on Friday, be cool. Don’t yell, “oh wow, sure, yeah, thanks Jeff, that would be great” at a million decibels. Don’t get so embarrassed that you whip back round at breakneck speed, forgetting the fresh bread rolls balanced precariously on the…

Reigniting The Creative Spark: My Favourite Old Paintings

Painting has always been a refuge for me. When I’m in my little painter’s bubble – concentrating on nothing but the image that is taking form through my hands – I am at peace. When I am lucky enough to receive a commission from someone, it is an absolute honour to bring through an image…