Achieving an ambition and working on the next one!

#100RPM

Today a piece of my fiction is officially published.  It was selected for inclusion in an ebook by author Caroline Smailes and the resulting collection of flash fiction inspired by music is now available on Amazon to download to Kindle or PC.

I am incredibly proud of this.  I've wanted to write ever since I can remember.  I have a cupboard full of poetry and articles, children's stories and part finished novels.  My 'things to do before I'm....' lists have always included "get published".

So I am proud, chuffed and grinning inanely, and not sure whether to leap about the place or simply sit quietly embracing the achievement.

It's an item I can tick off my list.

And what do I do next?  Move on to the next thing on the list of course; and from a writing perspective that's got to be to achieve publication in hard copy format.  A book you can hold.  That was the original ambition.  The Internet's not that old and didn't exist when my publication dream first came into being!

And so, I keep an eye on those emails to see if the publisher that currently has a copy of my brilliant children's story decides they like it; and I continue to work on the novel, and I start to think about approaching magazines or newspapers to sell articles.

Because, you see, despite the fact that I love my day job, writing is something that writers just do; and I can't stop.


Click here for more information about 100RPM and it's publication to raise money for the charity One in Four who supply support and resources to those who have suffered sexual abuse or violence.  Please download it today!

99 Reasons Why. A controversial ebook with 11 endings!

#99RW on Twitter

I am honoured to be hosting one of the 11 endings to Caroline Smailes' new ebook, 99 Reasons Why.

It's a book with a difference.  It is only being published as an ebook and it comes with 9 different endings which readers can navigate using multiple choice questions on their Kindle (buy here), or via a spinning story wheel on their iPad or iPhone (buy here).

Another ending will be handwritten by Caroline and auctioned for charity.

But the eleventh ending will only be available on-line.  It will be shared by a selection of bloggers, of which I am very pleased to be one.
 
And so, without further ado, please find the eleventh ending.  Please note that it contains strong language.




99: the reason why I was only worth ninety-nine quid
It’s been six days since the little girl in the pink coat went missing and me Uncle Phil’s in me bedroom.
We’ve been watching the little girl in the pink coat’s mam on the news. She was appealing to the public for witnesses.
‘Didn’t realise she had a mam,’ I says, looking at me telly.
‘Everyone’s got a mam, pet,’ me Uncle Phil says to me.
‘She sold her story to The Sun,’ I says, looking at me telly.
‘Got a few quid,’ me Uncle Phil says to me.
I nod.
‘She wanted nowt to do with that bairn before all this,’ me Uncle Phil says, looking at me telly.
‘Do you know where she is?’ I asks me Uncle Phil.
‘Belle?’ me Uncle Phil asks me.
I nod.
‘She’s safe,’ me Uncle Phil says to me. ‘Your mam’s keeping an eye on her.’
‘Can I be her mam?’ I asks me Uncle Phil.
‘No, pet, you’re a filthy whore,’ me Uncle Phil says to me.
I nod.
‘Can you make Andy Douglas come back, Uncle Phil?’ I asks me Uncle Phil.
Me Uncle Phil shakes his head.
‘I love him,’ I tell me Uncle Phil.
‘Andy Douglas is your brother, pet. You didn’t seriously think Princess Di was your mam, did you?’ me Uncle Phil asks me.
I nod.
‘You’re a cradle snatcher just like your mam,’ me Uncle Phil says to me.
I nod.
‘Your mam miscarried when she found out I’d been banging Betty Douglas. Betty was expecting you,’ me Uncle Phil says to me.
I don’t speak.
‘When you was born, your mam went mad and I ended up buying you from Betty Douglas for ninety-nine quid,’ me Uncle Phil says.
‘Ninety-nine quid?’ I asks me Uncle Phil.
‘I paid a hundred but got a quid change for some chips for your mam and dad’s tea,’ me Uncle Phil says to me.
‘You bought me?’ I asks me Uncle Phil.
I’m a little bit sick in me mouth.
‘It was the right thing to do,’ me Uncle Phil says to me. ‘I got Betty Douglas pregnant straight away with Andy.’
‘I’m pregnant,’ I says to me Uncle Phil. ‘I’m pregnant with me brother’s baby,’ I says, and then I throws up on me purple carpet.
‘You’re a filthy whore,’ me Uncle Phil says to me.
‘What am I going to do?’ I asks me Uncle Phil.
‘You’re going to have the baby,’ me Uncle Phil says to me.
‘Have me brother’s baby?’ I asks me Uncle Phil.
‘Then I’m giving it to Betty Douglas to bring up,’ me Uncle Phil says to me.
‘You what?’ I says to me Uncle Phil.
‘It’s the right thing to do,’ me Uncle Phil says to me.
‘I can’t—’ I says to me Uncle Phil.
‘It’s either that or I’ll make you disappear,’ me Uncle Phil says to me.
I don’t speak.
I’m thinking, they’re all a bunch of nutters.

THE END

What's interesting about publishing one of eleven different endings, is how intrigued it made me about the rest of the book and what the journey towards this scene looked like.  To find out, buy it now!

You can find out more about 99 Reasons Why at #99RW on Twitter, or on Caroline Smailes' website here, along with more information on her other projects, news and events. 
 
I am fortunate enough to be involved in Caroline's other in-progress project; a collection of flash fiction, also for charity, and am very excited about that. Click here to read On the Ledge and for more information.
 

Flash Fiction! A Challange set by Caroline Smailes

And today we are going all creative!  

Flash Fiction is about writing short prose.  Capturing a moment, or even telling a story, in very few words.

Here's my first ever attempt at Flash Fiction; in less than 100 words.

He stood, his back to the rock, breathing heavily.  Adjusting his weight slightly his toe clipped a pebble that plummented 100 foot before bouncing on the tarmac.  He could see the upturned faces of those watching below; lit up by the lights the police had bought with them on this frightful night.

The rain soaked his jacket, and he flexed his fingers a couple of times to keep the blood flowing.

He inched along the ledge.

"Take my hand", he said to the young girl crouched terrified on the ledge.  He adjusted the clips on this harness.  "I've got you."

 The piece is  inspired by the UTube films presenting Micheal Buble's version of "Let It Snow".  Specifically the first two lines;  "Oh the weather outside is frightful.  But the fire is so delightful."  The clips (all snowy scenes unsurprisingly) reminded me of the film "It's a Wonderful Life", and subsequently the concept of the outside environment, in its coldest, wildest and most dangerous, being a relection of the state of mind of the characters, specifically where the main character in that particular film takes a walk over the local bridge.

And why the venture into creative writing? 

I've been slowly putting together a novel for years, and this blog is a great way to practise my writing.  But when I heard that Caroline Smailes is putting together a ebook to sell on Amazon and raise money for the charity "One in Four", I wanted to get involved.  They provide a voice for, and support to, people who have suffered from sexual abuse or violence.  Their name comes from research which has consistently shown that approximately one in four of all children under 18 years old will suffer.

The book will be a collection of Flash Fiction, and Caroline challenged writers to use lyrics from a song on UTube to inspire a short piece.  I will find out on Friday if it will be included.

Fingers crossed!