I have written short stories for many magazines and I particularly enjoyed the 1000 word stories with a twist which I wrote for Bella some of which appear in the collection: Cheque-Mate.
More recently I have written some flash fiction and am delighted that some of these have been prize-winners.
First Killing – published on Paragraph Planet 28/03/2020
You always remember that first killing. My victim was very much alive when I began chopping up the body. Bits wriggled increasing my anger and lending a new power to my blows. I wrapped each piece in newspaper and buried the parts in different places in the garden, as far away from one another as possible. There was no way they were going to find each
other and reassemble. Aged three I really hated worms.
The Jump – reserve winner January 2016 99Fiction.Net
The noise from the aircraft was deafening, even with ear protectors.
The instructor standing by the open door began the count from one to twenty. Each man jumping on a push after “and”.
Number four refused to jump. The instructor pulled him to one side and mimed to take off his chute and sit in the cabin.
Four and five and … he counted on reaching twenty. For a moment everything was still, silent in his head, waiting for his brain to make the connection between the number and the discarded chute.
One man fell to earth.
Eternal Love – winner March 2015 99Fiction.Net
I saw you again last night.
I knocked on the door with no hope of you answering but you did.
There you were greyer and thinner but definitely you. And you smiled and embraced me in a bear hug that seemed to last for ever and ever.
Later the feeling of your body against mine, your arms around me lingered. The warmth. The love helped me to let you depart. Forever. I knew you would never come back. But the fact that you did appear, just one more time, has made me smile through my tears.
Codewords – winner October 2014 99Fiction.Net
The first clue was in the book. Codewords. But I didn’t notice for nearly ten months. Then I realised she had given me two copies of the same edition. Two Christmases.
I opened one. Some of the letters had been filled in. Not my handwriting. With sickened heart I saw that the scattered letters spelled out: I NEED HELP.
I had missed the signs but would the outcome have been any different?
Picking up the tea tray, I walked into my aunt’s room. She looked up and smiled kindly.
“Are you new here, dear?”