New! Micro Story

During our Uxbridge Writers' Circle meetings, we select a photo or card and write whatever story comes to mind. We are limited to ten minutes of writing, so they are very short stories, and are not edited! I will be sharing some of these on my blog.
The prompt for this story was "When I Wake":

When I wake, things will be different. They have to be. Everything I've done so far has led to failure and loss.
It all started when I dropped out of university to join the army. It was fun at first. I was good at the physical stuff, wasn't so good at following stupid orders, but managed to play the game. I made some friends, some good friends, got strong and fit, and felt good about myself.
Then we were sent to Afghanistan. I'd never been out of Canada before, so it was a big shock. All that desert and heat, and blowing sand which stung your face.
I started to slip when I saw two of my friends, fellow soldiers, blown up into pieces in front of my armoured vehicle. I fell apart too, although my broken pieces weren't visible. I tried to glue myself together, but it got worse when we found children's lifeless bodies strewn in a village which had been bombed. That was it.
I don't remember much more until I came home and was discharged from the army. I went to see some therapist but I didn't need help, did I? It went downhill from there.
But when I wake up from this heart operation, I'm going to get help. I'm going to be strong enough to ask and I'm going to be fit enough to get myself back on track so I can be the father I need to be to my baby son.
Vicky Earle

Three New Short Short Stories!

Check out the Uxbridge Writers' Circle page (click on header above) to read three new short short stories. These stories include words that had been selected by the members of the Writers' Circle - the words are shown in italics. Have fun and see what stories you can create using those words as prompts for ideas!
I've also added videos of the two races which Lions Bay has won this year - click on "Recent Wins at Woodbine Racetrack" above. They are both exciting wins!
Soon to come on my blog: micro-stories!

New short short stories!

I've added two short short stories, "The Binder" and "Lulu" to the Uxbridge Writers' Circle page (click on this above). My latest story is called "Poison" and you can read it here:

  

Poison

June 2016

            Josephine is stuffing her suitcase with a random selection of clothing, without thought or planning, just hoping that there’ll be something that’s right for each occasion. The only item she is careful to select and fold, placing underneath the rest of the jumble, is her plain, black dress. She dreads the unexpected flight back across the Atlantic, and as she thinks about what she’ll be doing there, she feels as if she’s being sucked into quicksand. Nowhere to go but down.

            She got the call from her older brother the day before. And his news shook her, making her tremble like an aspen tree for the rest of the day. She couldn’t focus on anything, nothing in her life seemed important any more. Pangs of guilt surged through her. She should have stayed in England with her two brothers, rather than come to Canada to study.

            Despite the turmoil in her head, she managed to get a flight, for sooner than expected. But her living brother said he couldn’t put her up, so she had to find somewhere to stay, and rent a car so she could get there from the airport. There’d be no-one to meet her.

            Scrunching up her favourite sweater and thrusting it into the corner of her suitcase, she contemplates her younger brother and the musical legacy Blair leaves behind. If you listen to her older brother Geoff, Blair chose to live below his potential. Giving yourself up to music is not something Geoff is capable of understanding, and Josephine knows that Blair’s lifestyle filled him with disdain. There isn’t a lyrical bone in her older brother’s body.

            But the irony is that, Blair, after several years of dedication and creativity, made it into the big leagues. And, much to Geoff’s chagrin, he made a lot of money. Geoff, meanwhile, was struggling as a pharmacist, ending up working in a supermarket. He resented Blair’s success and openly displayed his anger at life, for its unfairness, for rewarding art instead of hard work. At least that’s how Josephine believes he saw it.

            Josephine chucks a toothbrush into her washbag, remembering the earlier phone call from Geoff. He’d told her that Blair was on drugs and was in bad shape, and that he’d found out that Blair had an appointment to see a psychiatrist. Josephine wondered why the phrase ‘blood is thicker than water’ had no relevance to Geoff’s feelings towards Blair. In fact, his feelings were more vitriolic towards his brother than to anyone else that Josephine is aware of.

            What Geoff told her didn’t make sense, so Josephine texted Blair. And he phoned her right away, denying any involvement with drugs. He dismissed Geoff’s accusations by making a couple of jokes about his brother, suggesting that Geoff must be the one smoking something. Blair sounded upbeat and enthusiastic about the record he was about to release, and told her about the video he was making. He was also going to make a debut appearance at a theatre in London the following week.

She followed up with Geoff, who told her that Blair’s condition was obviously serious and that he could be suicidal. Those who are determined to commit suicide talk about the future, he said, and share their concocted plans, to make sure that no-one is alerted. But Josephine thought this was ridiculous mumbo-jumbo, and attributed it to Geoff’s wishful thinking and the ongoing poisonous jealously which was eating away at him.

            But two days later Geoff phoned her to say that Blair had, indeed, committed suicide just as he’d predicted. An overdose of something. This was to be expected, of course, blah, blah, blah. Josephine was shaking too much to take it all in. Something was terribly wrong with this picture. So Josephine is packing frantically, not just because she has a funeral to attend, but because she wants to find out how Geoff managed to poison her little brother. 

And, yes, I'm working on the sequel to "What Happened to Frank?"! 

New stories added!

You can find two new mini-stories on the "Uxbridge Writer's Circle" page. These were written for the Circle's word challenge assignments in February and March.
Happy reading!
Have fun writing your own stories with the words (the assigned words are shown in italics).
Yes, I am working on a sequel to "What Happened to Frank?" (which is now available in paperback).
I'll keep you posted!

My cozy mystery novel is now available in paperback!

Several readers have asked when my cozy mystery novel will be available in paperback. Great news! You can now purchase my book, "What Happened to Frank?" as a paperback through lulu.com. Just click on the top image of the book cover (on this blog) and you'll be taken to the information on my book. You can still buy the e-book at Smashwords.com. Just click on second image of the book cover. And if you're not sure you'd enjoy the book, please read the reviews on Smashwords, including this one, written by Bill Bell: "This book reminded me of why I like a good "whodunit." The tight writing and fast pace quickly drew me in and didn't let go of me until the last page. Move over Hercule Poirot and Inspector Banks - there is a new sleuth in town!" Enjoy!! (A huge "thank you" to Leah and Jonathan Earle who did all the work (as a Christmas present!) in setting the book up on lulu-com).

Check out my new mini-stories!

I have added three new mini-stories. There were written for fun, in response to the Uxbridge Writers' Circle monthly word challenge. To check them out, click on "Uxbridge Writers' Circle" at the top of this page. Enjoy!