Cheryl Burman's Blog: Blog posts for readers and writers, page 8

Jack keeps swimming

Jack keeps swimming is a writing prompt taken from my 2023 short story collection Who can believe in witches?

They wander the yellow beach under a sun which heats Elsie’s cheeks despite her hat. She ties her cardigan around her waist, rolls up the wide legs of her trousers, and gives her shoes into Ted’s outstretched hands. He stays out of reach of the waves, watching over Elsie as she paddles in the lacy froth of the shallows. A soft breeze gently promises summer.

‘Almost warm enough to ...

Dotty cried all the way

Dotty cried all the way is a writing prompt taken from the short story No Hodding, in my 2023 collection, Who can believe in witches?

Uncle Jim told Mam the rumours and the price o’ coal dropping, and said t’was easy to see bad times coming. Mine owners’ greediness and them in government not understanding. How could they? Uncle Jim tugged his beard. Never seen the outside of a mine more likely, least of all swing a pick in a foot and half of puddling blackness with a candle for light for twel...

The tangle

The tangle is a writing prompt courtesy of a Dean Writers Circle writing workshop

The tangle of emotions which played in her head might overwhelm her. Daphne scrunched further into the cushions, wanting to make herself small, a baby rabbit crouched in the furthest corner of the burrow.

What had just happened? The phone call. Until the phone call, Daphne had been contentedly getting on with her day. She had woken at her normal 7.30 am, slipped from her bed, dutifully bent and stretched for te...

Her troubled dreams

Writing prompt courtesy of River Witch and here is the extract it comes from.

Her troubled dreams have pulled her here, to the place on the clifftop where the man hauled her from the nymphs’ arms. Below her, stunted trees jut from rocks to spread their wind-twisted branches above the summer-glazed river. Sabrina’s whispers rise and Hester strains to hear above the shouts of sailors, barge owners and fishermen all battling for space on the river’s wide reaches.

Be wise, be strong, do what y...

His lips twitch

His lips twitch. It’s a start.

In the year she’s been learning, Aaron has chided her from time to time about her insistence on secrecy. It’s Hester who sulks then.

‘Don’t you want me as a pupil?’ she will cry. ‘Are you bored with me? With teaching?’ She will run a hand over the rapidly filling leather journal containing the results of her lessons, together with delicate illustrations of herbs and flowers and neatly inscribed lists of their uses, mainly medicinal, some more spiritual.

‘D...

The girl melts into the fog

The girl melts into the fog, her laugh echoing along the path. Jem chuckles, admiring her slim, sinewy form and the wild black curls she rarely covers, leaving a man to imagine the silkiness of them in his hands – or on his naked chest. A spirited maid, one to tame as he’s tamed the river which bends to his will these days, and nights, unlocking its riches. It’ll be the same with the girl.

He strides up into town and down the other side, to the Kings Shilling where he drinks a pint with his o...

The Haunted Carousel K L Small

The Haunted Carousel is an engaging read from the get go!

A taut, pacy read which will have kids and adults alike turning those pages. I sat down to begin reading this third book in the Brass Ring series and didn’t look up until I finished a couple of hours later.

When Rusty’s best friend offers him a free ticket to Halloween Horror Night, his mum’s permission to go is much tarnished by having to take along his nine-year-old sister Sarah. Bad enough, but when Sarah disappears, Rusty’s world is...

The Lightbody Bequest Carolyn Ruffles

The Lightbody Bequest, the standalone sequel to The Lightbody Legacy, is a tense, pacy read.

A year on from the tragic events in Wickthorpe, not a lot has changed. Old hatreds and suspicions still run deep, with the nasty piece of work Enid Green manipulating those she can into wreaking vengeance on Deborah Ryecroft. Enid is certain Deborah is the latest incarnation of the Wickthorpe Witch and carries the curse spoken by Martha Lightbody 400 years ago as she prepared to be drowned as ...

Stroud Book Fair 14 September

Having had a great day recently at the local Bream Book Fair, I’m looking forward to heading all the way across the river to Stroud to attend the Stroud Book Fair 14 September to tempt readers with my books.

Here I am at Bream last Saturday. Very pleased that lovely readers bought something of everything, with River Witch proving the most popular overall. I suspect it’s the local appeal. It was brilliant to catch up with other local authors and a lot of good friends from the Forest too.

I...

They trudged through the heavy snow

They trudged through the heavy snow is a writing prompt taken from Winter of the White Horde. The book is the standalone sequel to my middle grade (read that as aged 9 to 90 in terms of the small but enthusiastic fan base) Guardians of the Forest series. The section the prompt comes from is shown below.

Winter of the White Horde, and the other four books in Guardians of the Forest are all on sale at 99c/p throughout August, for the summer holiday. Find them here. (You need to scroll down the ...