Cheryl Burman's Blog: Blog posts for readers and writers, page 33

Kindle Unlimited – a good thing for authors?

KU (Kindle Unlimited) is an Amazon subscription service which allows readers to download up to 20 books at a time for about £10/$10 per month. Amazon encourages authors to put our books into KU, and when we do, we get paid a small amount for every page read.

Many authors angst about going into KU for two reasons. Mainly it’s about the exclusivity. If an eBook is in Kindle Unlimited, it can’t be on any other platform, such as Kobo, Apple, B&N. Having your eBook on other platforms is refer...

The Heart’s Invisible Furies – John Boyne

Catherine Goggin is 16 years old, pregnant, and lives in a small Irish village in 1945. In a vicious display of righteous (and as it turns out unjustified) indignation, the priest publicly humiliates her and banishes her from her home and family. But Catherine is made of stern stuff. She makes her way to Dublin where she finds somewhere to live and – passing herself off as a war widow – a job in the tea rooms of the Irish Parliament. In a well executed plan, she gives up her baby boy for adoptio...

The moon had an ethereal quality

Today’s writing prompt and my response.

The third prompt for this week. Use the prompts however you like, one at a time, or pen a short story over several of them.
The moon had an ethereal quality

The moon had an ethereal quality, other worldly. It was appropriate for why we were here on the cliff top, for hadn’t we come seeking help from the spirits? After all, hell was already below us in the villages along the river. Men with swords and pikes, in full armour, their giant horses rear...

Human and dolphin

Today’s writing prompt and my response.

The second prompt for this week. Use the prompts however you like, one at a time, or pen a short story over several of them.
Human and dolphin: picture prompt

I can tell he is very bored. He spends his hours peering out through the bars of his cage, hands in pockets, coffee cooling on the shelf. I try to cheer him up, swimming past each day to smile, say hello. But humans are strange creatures. It’s hard to communicate with them. He stares past m...

We arrived at a crossing …

Today’s writing prompt and my response.

The first prompt for this week. Use the prompts however you like, one at a time, or pen a short story over several of them.
We arrived at a crossing …

We arrived at a crossing, with no sign posts. I looked at my companions, questioning.

Beside me, on the bench seat of the truck, Daniel rested his palms against the cracked vinyl of the dashboard. Beyond Daniel, by the window, Laurie pressed her fingers to her head, massaging her scalp to ease eithe...

Wait Nature Dancer

Today’s writing prompt and my response.

Day six and the last for this week. Use the prompt however you like, one at a time, or pen a short story over as many as you like.
Wait Nature Dancer: use these three words

‘So you want to be a dancer?’

The skinny lady addressed Lucy with a friendly smile. Her long-fingered hands were clasped neatly in front of her, her slim legs in their black tights appeared relaxed. Her feet in their ballet slippers rested in what Lucy knew was a normal dancer ...

The air smells different

Today’s writing prompt and my response.

Day five for this week. Use the prompt however you like, one at a time, or pen a short story over as many as you like.

Note that I will post prompts as usual, but may not respond over the Easter break – visiting family, walking and food!

The air smells different

Deep in the warren, safe in their burrow, the rabbit licks her kittens. They are old enough to complete their weaning and she shifts from their approaching suckling. They mewl, com...

The Heart’s Invisible Furies

One man’s quest to make peace with his ‘unnatural’ desires

Catherine Goggin is 16 years old, pregnant, and lives in a small Irish village in 1945. In a vicious display of righteous indignation, the priest publicly humiliates her and banishes her from her home and family. But Catherine is made of stern stuff. She makes her way to Dublin where she finds somewhere to live and – passing herself off as a war widow – a job in the tea rooms of the Irish Parliament. In a well executed plan, she give...

Silky Interrupting Surprise: use these three words

Today’s writing prompt and my response.

Day four for this week. Use the prompt however you like, one at a time, or pen a short story over as many as you like.

A note on this one – I came across the image when I was planning the prompts and decided it would be my own inspiration for these three words, although how, I wasn’t sure at the time. A sweet, old-fashioned love story sounded about right.

Silky Interrupting Surprise: use these three words

‘Do you remember how we met?’ He leane...

Boat fish girl: a picture prompt

Today’s writing prompt and my response.

Day three for this week. Use the prompt however you like, one at a time, or pen a short story over as many as you like.
Boat fish girl: a picture prompt

I looked out from the rear deck as the ship surged into the cloud as if riding a wave, freed at last from the vast fish which had led us a merry dance – it and its fellows. They had circled us for days, nudging our ship this way and that across the ballooning ocean, but always south, ever south. A...