Cheryl Burman's Blog: Blog posts for readers and writers, page 28

The flowers faced east

Lucy knew her flowers. As a florist, it was pretty important. She knew which blooms were in season when, which lasted longest in displays, which blended with others in a bouquet and which were the vibrant stars.

More than that, Lucy knew where her flowers came from. Not necessarily came from immediately, as most were grown locally in large greenhouses. Lucy knew her flowers’ native countries and she loved to show this off in her florist shop in the way she arranged the buckets of blooms.

...

Hooded figure: picture prompt

The spirits answered Aidan’s prayers by sending one of their own, it seemed.

Ravens announced its arrival from within the green-misted trees, a dozen or more flapping about the figure’s bent, hooded head. Their raucous cries set Aidan’s teeth on edge. As did the wolf which skulked by the figure’s cloaked side, although it eyed Aiden more with cautious curiosity than, he hoped, ill intent.’

The figure bore the sword.

Aidan recognised it by the skull embedded in its tip. Foretold in prophe...

Its inquisitive eye

The camera never lies

‘Do you buy second hand cameras?’

The man laid a scuffed brown leather satchel on the glass counter. The strap was rubbed blond with handling, and its brass clasp bore the patina of age and use.

Ellie’s heart skipped a beat at the thought of what it might contain. She looked up from the satchel to the potential seller. Dressed in a white tee and smart, casual jacket, Ellie guessed him to be mid 30s. Blue eyes frowned in question from a tanned face beneath short, ...

What’s your muse?

What’s your muse indeed!

‘Inspired’ by something that came up recently, I tracked down this post I wrote for Women Writers Women Books at the beginning of the year.

Inspiration is a word much bandied about by writers. There’s a good reason for this. We want to feel inspired to write, because then the words flow, snatched from the ether in alluring combinations. We feel like real writers. We feel, well, inspired!

But here’s a little secret. Sometimes it doesn’t work like that. Sometimes it’s a ...

Girl in meadow: picture prompt

(This little tale can be read as the sequel to yesterday’s, with the prompt to use the three words: Pain, Veil, Stillness. Or it works perfectly fine as a ‘standalone’

Girl in meadow: picture prompt

Heaven turned out to be a wildflower meadow in summer lit by a bright, white sky. Like the light which had beckoned her while men in orange suits cut her out of the mangled metal of her car.

Heaven turned out to be a wildflower meadow in summer lit by a bright, white sky. Like the light w...

Pain Veil Stillness: use these three words

Welcome back to the daily prompts. The third for this week.

Pain Veil Stillness: use these three words

He waited, back turned, staring at the elaborate cross which hung above the far altar. Music softly played, tunes he didn’t recognise, tunes she had chosen. She had tried to involve him, made him listen to endless pieces of classical music as they drove from wedding barn to castle to fancy hotel, contemplating which would best capture their happiness, and deciding in the end to risk a mar...

She looked like a fairy

Welcome back to the daily prompts. The second for this week.

She looked like a fairy

Anna was turning six and her excitement spilled over to family, friends and school mates. ‘I’ve never seen her so wound up,’ her mother told the other mums at the school gate.  ‘Is there something special about turning six?’ The mums laughed and said no, but all the kids were looking forward to the party.

‘Picnic in the woods,’ Anna’s mum said. ‘She insists.’
Anna wanted to tell everyone why she insisted on ...

A character changed by someone they meet on a journey

Welcome back to the daily prompts. The first for this week.

Write about a character who is changed by someone they meet on a journey

Another work trip.

‘I’ll be away two nights,’ he told his wife who raised her eyebrows, grunted ‘Uh uh,’ and returned to her television program.

He knew she wouldn’t mind if he was away two weeks and he could hardly blame her. Even when he was home he had little time for her or the kids. The family were used to his absences, lived their lives without him.

Well, ...

If I were invisible Lily Lawson

Lily Lawson again delights young readers – and their mums and dads, grands, older siblings etc  – with her latest kids’ poetry book.

How fantastic to be invisible! To do all the things you ever wanted to do and no one would know it was you!

Find it here.

All the chocolate you can eat, be a little naughty at the playground, go anywhere all by yourself – ahh! All by yourself. Are there downsides to being invisible?

A fun romp with a gentle lesson, a vibrant main character, and beaut...

Sneak preview?

Draft of the opening chapter to the sequel of Guardians of the Forest

Sneak preview – testing it out – let me know what you think… Aiming to have the book out in the autumn.

Chapter one

This night was a new beginning, a rebirth. Twenty years she had toiled for this, nurturing the ashes of her magic, burned by that self-righteous king and his brat of a son.
Melda ground her teeth, reliving the humiliation. Skulking from the harbour at Etting – home to another enemy, one who betrayed his ...