The Goodreads Reading Challenge is a great way to motivate yourself to read more in a given period. Though I know what you’re thinking – who needs the motivation to read? Back in early January, I set myself a target to read 24 books in the 2017 Goodreads Reading Challenge. I’ve already posted my first […]
Free Winter Fiction – Winter’s Bride
Marianne huddles in the corner. Only her hands and nose are visible beneath the heap of moth-eaten blankets in which she swathes herself. The winter chill of December seeps through the old fabric, sinking into her bones. A stub remains of her last candle, and she holds her hands either side of the flickering flame, […]
Between Worlds: Folklore and Fairy Tales from Northern Britain (Review)
Northern Britain is a strange place. England’s northernmost counties, Northumberland and Cumbria, sit along the border with Scotland. Land in both counties has been both Scottish and English throughout the years. Hadrian’s Wall once marked the boundary with Scotland. It now cuts through Newcastle upon Tyne to end in Wallsend. Such places nudge up against […]
Should you always write stories in the right order?
The way people choose to write stories can be a personal choice. So hang around any writing forum, blog or Twitter chat for long enough, and talk will inevitably turn to a debate as old as writing itself… Are you a plotter or a pantser? The plotters want you to meticulously detail the contents of […]
Skulls: A Free Short Horror Story
I stumbled across the window full of skulls quite by accident. Indeed, one should never seek out such a window with the explicit purpose of doing so. I discovered them whilst walking through the university grounds, passing a small nook beside the art gallery. Having passed that way many times previously, I wondered that I […]
Where do our weird Halloween customs come from?
Halloween is almost upon us. In the US, families will decorate their gardens and turn their homes into haunted houses. In the UK, lots of people will turn off the lights and pretend to be out when little kids come to call. Don’t get me start on the plethora of ‘sexy’ costumes we’ll see this […]
