Cheryl Burman's Blog: Blog posts for readers and writers, page 14

At last the dustbin man arrived

The hot weather made it worse. The stench oozed through the old sheets which swaddled the bulky, oddly shaped packages, soaking into every corner of the laundry room. She would need to wash it all down, afterwards, with gallons of vinegar and water. Bleach perhaps. Or even carbolic, like they used in the olden days for such situations.

She couldn’t open the window, in case the neighbours caught a whiff and wondered … But she did keep the door to the kitchen tightly closed and wished she owned a s...

Open your hand

Open your hand is one of two parts of today’s prompt, taken from Sylvia Plath’s works.
The other is And dissolve of sorrow
They were part of a random selection chosen blind at a writing workshop. This is my response from that session.

‘Open your hand.’
Her tone demanded instant obedience so he opened his hand. It was what you did when you were eight and your older sister had that look on her face.
And her hands behind her back.

‘You’re not going to make me close my eyes?’ he said. They were the wor...

The Boy at the top of the Mountain John Boyne

A more characteristic Boyne than Echo Chamber, this brilliant book is a different take on World War 2 and Hitler.

The orphaned and very bright six year old boy in question arrives at Hitler’s hilltop house when he is taken in by his aunt, the housekeeper there. Gentle, innocent, raised by his parents to be open-minded and fair, the journey of French Pierrot to fully-fledged Nazi Pieter is disturbing and emotional. And hard to put down.

A very different POV from which to write a war novel, a...

He started to cross the street

The rain had stopped, leaving a translucent fogginess as a reminder of its presence.

He peered out the window, debating. Should he ride his cycle to work? Or stick to the rainy day plan of catching the bus? It was times like this that he longed for the old days, when he had a real job, a well paid, senior executive job, and he would jump in his car (parked in the attached garage) and drive to work listening to classical radio, or BBC4, park in the multi-storey in the glass and steel building...

Man smoking in snow picture prompt

He knew she wouldn’t come. Not because of the weather. They had walked in far worse than this, whispering their love, their plans, their tomorrow days …. Snowy rain was a small price to pay for a promised sunshine future. But still, he might have forgiven an excuse of the weather.

She wouldn’t come. Not because of discovery. He conjured her, locked in her room, her brother prowling the hallway, her father at the base of the stairs, rifle in his arms. In case the man who dared, dared furthe...

She gasped with delight

And we are at the end! Longish today but all wrapped up.

Sophie swung about, heart thumping.

An enormous green giant filled the cavern entrance. He held Pixie in one massive, calloused hand, and Fairy in the other. Their heads lolled, their eyes were closed.

Dead? Sophie turned to Janet. Simon remained on the throne by the healing green stone. All three stared at the horrific sight while the Goblin King danced in front of the giant demanding the monster release the little folk.

‘You’re dead!’ Ja...

The Mysterious Disappearance of Mr Darcy Kelly Miller

The Mysterious Disappearance of Mr Darcy is the latest addition to Kelly Miller’s Regency Romance Pride and Prejudice variations. They are always popular, and this book will be a definite to add to existing fans’ libraries and to make new fans.

In this tale, Elizabeth and Darcy are happily married and Elizabeth is being introduced to the (dubious) joys of the London season and members of the ton.

She’s doing fine, until Darcy disappears, leading to a wave of gossip and innuendo, some of whic...

By the end she was smiling

Sorry … it was getting too long to wrap up, and too easy for our adventurers, so I’ve thrown them another challenge.

Last time Janet was here, it had been snowy, and gloomy under the trees. Today, the gloom prevailed again, despite it being summer. She gazed at the trees, frowning. The leaves which should have been a rich green were pale, translucent. The whispers which had followed them last time, were silent.

‘The trees.’ Sophie, walking behind, nudged Janet’s shoulder. ‘They’re fading, like...

It did not go away

This story – it did not go away! This might or might not be the penultimate episode … if only I knew.

Janet surveyed her motley army.

Sophie, gazing at the king and queen, wide-eyed that these beautiful, solemn people could be her grandparents.

Simon, even more wide-eyed, obviously believing he was in a dream, or had accidentally inhaled an hallucinogenic drug. Janet noted his beard had thickened over the one day she had known him, that he held his shoulders back and chin up. She rather liked ...

Luck of the Irish Cozy Mystery Anthology

A great way to support a worthy charity.

The authors of these short cosy mystery stories have done a wonderful deed in this anthology to raise money for the children’s charity RAICES Texas, which seeks to help interned children.

As expected from the title, the stories are all Irish themed, with leprechauns, Saint Patrick’s Day, lucky coins, green beer and gold featuring across the tales, all of which entertain and amuse. Oh, and there are snakes – or vermin eaters as we prefer to call them be...