In recognition of Black Friday, each book from the Protectors of the Elemental Magic collection is on sale for 99¢ for one day. Make sure you get your digital copies of this urban fantasy, filled with adventure, romance, sisterhood, and so much more! If you don’t have a Kindle, remember you can READ ON ANY DEVICE using the FREE Kindle APP
A PRISONER WITHIN will be on sale for 99¢ for one day only. Be sure to get your digital copy today – UNIVERSAL LINK – If you don’t have a Kindle, remember you can READ ON ANY DEVICE using the FREE Kindle APP
I am not cook and couldn’t cook at all when I first married back in 1980. Luckily, my new mother-in-law took me under her wing and taught me how. After that, I learnt by default by having my own family and having to get creative to feed them.
When I saw it was Cook Something Bold day, I couldn’t, but I could write something bold and this is a short humorous piece that appeared in my book The Magic of Stories. It enabled me to flex my fingers as write different genres. Details of the book can be found at the end.
I like cooking, so I cook for Brian. He enjoys it, and then I enjoy him. Can I say that? Oh well, I just did. Dr. Brian was hot and likes his food hot.
“Cook me a curry,” he’d say, and I always obliged. Afterwards, Brian will oblige, too.
Sex is like cooking. Take boil for example; he brings me to the boil and calls me his little tart. Okay, so I have two hobbies and Brian is my man of the moment.
Yes, there have been a few others before him, but so what? Men have lots of conquests so why shouldn’t a woman? That doesn’t make her easy, does it? Ah, well, so what.
Things came together nicely. I’d returned from a holiday in South America, and that’s when I met Brian.
On our first date, I cooked at his flat. I made him coffee and put in salt instead of sugar. Not a good start, but he forgave me, and we’ve now been together for 6 months.
I try more adventurous recipes and he rewards me with more adventurous sex. It works for both of us.
Then he said he wanted someone to cook for me and it was my turn to be spoilt with good food at a restaurant. I hadn’t the heart to tell him I was feeling unwell. I was nauseous and kept excusing myself to visit the bathroom. Eventually, when I returned, Brian had paid the bill, and we were on our way home.
Usually, after a good meal, we’d work off the calories, but I had hardly eaten anything, and Brian looked at me with concern. The following morning, the pain had subsided, but I still felt ill. I was shocked when I looked in the mirror. As I came out of the bathroom Brian did a double take. He whisked me away with great speed.
Actually, he saved my life; his swift action caught my yellow fever in time. When I come home, I will cook him the best curry in the world. Afterwards, he said, he’d show me how to spice it up and I can’t wait for that!
I am not a superstitious and if something happens to me on Friday 13th then it’s just a coincidence. Recently I was looking through an old box I found in the loft and in it was a story I had typed called Terror in the Office and how the date had terrible consequences for all those working in there.
I would have completely forgotten about it had I not found the box. Reading the story with fresh eyes. It’s clear it’s based on the people I worked with at the time and the offices we resided in. I was a bit of a practical joker and on one particular day I decided to pretend the office was haunted. I had everyone feeling jumpy and scared. It was very funny, and I can see that’s where the story originated from.
Another interesting fact that came from it was the workings of an office in 1980s. There were no computers or mobile phones, so it was really interesting remembering what it was like. We could even smoke at our desks. Fancy that! It’s hard to imagine now.
Here is a small excerpt:
As if a bright light had been turned on, Mavis’s eyes snapped open. Mr. James and Sharon gasped in horror. They were as black as a bottomless pit. Her beautiful features distorted with the ugliness of her eyes. This was no longer Mavis Purvis, it was something evil and menacing.
The thing raised up its arms and shook its hand. The entire room shook and swayed. Sharon found her voice and screeched, “No!” It threw back its head and emitted a chilling laughter.
Doreen tried to pull open the door leading to the corridor, but it was jammed shut. The only form of escape was to drink herself into oblivion. She couldn’t believe it was happening, and the laughter was wicked, terrifying, and crazy. It was like one hundred laughs, all being an echo of each other. It was both high and low, hoarse and loud. The most unearthly sound Doreen had ever heard. She thought she must still be sober for she couldn’t get rid of it all, the sensation of thousand icy fingers ran over her body.
The thing stepped down and moved to Mr. James. He could only watch in terror as it placed its icy fingers on his cheek, kissing him full on the mouth. It sucked him in, taking his mind and soul together. When it pulled away, he fell into a heap on the floor. Turning its attention to Sharon, it did the same thing. Throwing its head back, it shrieked with its hands raised high to the ceiling. Bolts of electricity hit the roof. The noise rose, joined by howls, screams, and laughter, as voices filled the room.
Terror in the Office is just one of the creepy stories in this year’s Ghostly Rites anthology.
Unfortunately, the book won’t be published in time for the newsletter to go out and you have travelled for it. Bookmark this page, and when it publishes on 31st, the link will be added here.
Meanwhile, previous Ghostly Rites anthologies are available to download on Amazon UK and Amazon US. when this new one comes out, it will be free to download.
Tutankhamun took the throne aged just eight or nine under the unprecedented viziership of his eventual successor, Ay, to whom he may have been related.
The 1922 discovery by Howard Carter of Tutankhamun’s nearly intact tomb, in excavations funded by Lord Carnarvon, received worldwide press coverage. With over 5,000 artefacts, it sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, for which Tutankhamum’s mask, now in the Egyptian Museum remains a popular symbol. The deaths of a few involved in the discovery of the mummy have been popularly attributed to the curse of the pharaohs. He has, since the discovery of his intact tomb, been referred to colloquially as “King Tut”.
People have always been fascinated with him and the pyramids with some great films and books about them.
I recently read this one and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I would like to recommend an Electric Eclectic book written by Markie Madden who is also fascinated by this era.
The reign of Hatshepsut, the first female Pharaoh in Egyptian history, is threatened by the actions of her stepson, Prince Thutmosis. But Hatshepsut’s daughter, Neferure, takes matters into her own hands to ensure the path of destiny her mother began.
Read my review here.
We should be kind all the time rather than have a week for being so. But it isn’t about that as much. It’s more going that extra mile and doing something that you haven’t done before.
A couple of years ago my WI, (Women’s Institute) decided to put together bouquets of flowers and leave them around the village for people to pick up, take home and enjoy. We photographed them, and left our details. Some of those who picked them up put them on Social Media as having been found and enjoyed.
I’ve always thought that love is a far better way to live than hate. You get get much more lasting pleasure by using love and kindness than you do by spreading hate.
I wanted to convey this in one of my stories and I came up with a young girl called Tanya. She was passionate about making people happy and making life a joy. She knew from an early age that she wanted to help people and so joined an overseas aid agency.
At the time I wrote it in the nineties, Yugoslavia was at war as the country fractured. So I put Tanya in the midst of it doing what she believed in and helping those people affected by the consequences of war.
I revamped the story for an anthology called Love Ever After and called it Crossing Serbia. I doubled the word count and Tanya’s passion and kindness drives the story forward.
I was very lucky because the other tales in the book are equally compelling and it is one of the best anthologies I have read and been involved in.
If you would like to read more about the book, I reviewed all of the other eleven stories of them here. Otherwise, you can just buy the book or download it with Kindle Unlimited.
Description
Reunite with your soulmate on a ranch in Colorado; escape certain death with the love of your life in Yugoslavia; toast marshmallows by the light of the setting sun whilst you find the strength to carry on; or search for your lost love as the smell of fish and chips dances on the sea breeze. Something for everyone, each of these stories tells of love in all its form.A collection of short stories from authors you know and love.
OCTOBER 11TH, 2020 | 32:19 | E80
V speaks with Sahara Foley, who transformed her late husband’s creative work into a wonderful blend of Arthurian legends, science-fantasy, and paranormal plots.
I have always been a huge supporter of our public libraries. Ever since I was a little girl, I have enjoyed making family trips to the local library. It was a tradition I passed onto my own children, and not just because I love literature. It is because it is a place that encourages community as well as education.
Go and explore your libraries. They have so much to offer you. Even during COVID-19, there are many advantages to being apart of your local library. There are many online benefits you might not be aware of.
Check out these other blogs to learn more:
Mental Health has been looked at in many ways over the centuries. From ancient beliefs of demon possession to modern understanding of the medical and physiological issues behind it, this is a topic that needs further research, education, and awareness.
World Mental Health Day was first recognized in October 1992, but with the current COVID-19 pandemic taking away our ‘normal’ coping techniques, there has been a greater impact on mental health.
“Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization stated: ‘The world is accepting the concept of universal health coverage. Mental health must be an integral part of UHC. Nobody should be denied access to mental health care because she or he is poor or lives in a remote place.‘
This statement necessitates that under the current global health emergency no-one should be denied mental health care. Psychosocial support and mental health national plans need to address the mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on citizens. It is therefore of great significance and importance that the theme for World Mental Health Day 2020 will be:“
Mental Health for All
Greater Investment – Greater Access
Here are some book suggestions related to mental health. Some are difficult to read, but they are meant to bring awareness and understanding. Not all diseases, scars, and wounds can be seen…
