Agony

Thanks so much to you all for your well wishes.

While my back has recovered, our male cat, Borage, went missing last night and we hardly slept, couldn't eat and I feel like I've got raw potato in my stomach.

It is completely out of character for him, as he is rather timid and loves his food so he comes home lots. He's inquisitive and likes to play and is comical and affectionate. Last night was one of the coldest this winter...

Don't feel at all like writing...

Can't concentrate on anything...

I'll be back blogging properly soon, I hope.
The toys all scattered around the conservatory are constant reminders of his lovely personality and we missed his mews and trills in his cute-kitten way (he'll be 3yrs this year) Then our minds imagine all sorts of horrors and scenarios and then we try to tell ourselves he'll be fine. He'll be home soon. And then...

Hoorah he's been found. The neighbour who told us they hadn't been in their garage all day yesterday then found that actually he was in their garage sitting on a pile of cloths on a shelf.  "Sorry they forgot they had been in there, once, in the afternoon"


It's one way to get me to exercise. I haven't walked so much in ages (all around the neighbourhood).

One thing, though, it did give me food for thought for a creepy thriller story...

Back Again!

Sorry, I can't stay on the computer long as my back has been playing up, something awful, again.

I will catch up with all my commenters soon. Promise.

WELCOME to all my NEW SUBSCRIBERS &
Hi to all my existing subscribers.

Non Blog Writing

STOP PRESS!  I've switched back to the pop-up comment window as the embedded comments option was freezing up all the time and preventing access.

I’m so out of condition. I rarely exercise these days and Tuesday I vacuumed and washed my car; then yesterday I went for groceries and after I’d put them away I dismantled my oven door and gave the whole oven a thorough clean, which took an hour as the grime gets in between the glass and sticks on hard. I find using bicarbonate of soda with vinegar works wonders. Then I had to defrost the freezer. Now I’m aching all over!

I've also been doing some non-blog writing and reading. Hoorah!

And I read a Writing Magazine article about whether writers should have a blog or  if it interferes too much with more serious writing time and although the author doesn't have a blog because it interferes too much with more serious writing time, they recommended blogging!

So how's your non-blog writing going?

RFW New Years Resolution

Now is the time to amaze us all with your New Year's Resolution prose or poem or prosetry! Did you all make a New Year's Resolution? Yes, No, Maybe. It's your character, or the focus of your poem, that we're interested in for this prompt. Did his/her New Year's Resolution get the hero/ine in trouble? Did it set them on a golden path? C'mon, tell us about it.

Check out the other entries at Romantic Friday Writers

Here's mine:

Burning Resolve by Madeleine Maddocks

I chew my lip and stare down at the hand set in my warm palm, willing it to beep or ring, as I sit on the edge of my bed. My bedside lamp gives a yellow glow across the darkened room. The lacy bedspread and curtains are comforting and cosy, but I’d rather be out, instead, with Duncan. Just the sight of him makes my insides quiver like a bouncy castle full of excitement. He said he’d phone. I recall his warm breath against my cheek as he asked me for my number and his warm eyes like soft fudge smiling at me when I sent him the text business card. So why is he taking so long?

I begin gnawing at my lip again, my heart is pattering like a wind-up toy and my stomach feels as though it’s all at sea. My thumb hovers over the buttons of my phone. No, I promised myself I wouldn’t be needy. It's my first ever New Year’s resolution. From now on I’ll never do the chasing ever again. I’m going to play it cool, play hard to  get and this time make Duncan do the running. My heart can’t take another battering, not after James. What is it with people like James? That when you’re kind and considerate they see it as desperate and needy and take advantage.

I recently read that the person with the most power in a relationship is the one that has the least to lose. So I figure I’m going to take control, be the hard-hearted bitch if necessary, rather than get hurt again. If only I felt stronger and more determined. Instead the resolve churns about my insides like a virulent virus and I know the antidote would be to call him now, get it over with. But I mustn’t. I just can't give in. I must try. I’m worth the wait. I’m worth the wait, I chant.

I jump as the phone trills and vibrates in my hand like an excited puppy wagging its tail.

“Hello Duncan” my voice is husky with excitement and anticipation.

“Hello Gorgeous!” he says “Did you miss me?”

My girlish laughter fills the room.“It’s only been a couple of hours since you brought me home!”
“Seems like an eternity to me”

(382 words)

Writers for Animals

Writers For Animals Competition Closing date: 31st March 2012
Here's your chance to get your animal story selected for inclusion in a compilation book that will be sold to raise funds for animal welfare. There are no prizes. If chosen, however, your writing will be published and the proceeds of the book will go to a worthwhile cause.

Wanted: True-life stories about animals who've touched people's hearts, and the people who help them. Plus fiction stories for adults and teenagers that have some kind of animal theme.


For full submission guidelines, please email the editor: Entries before 31st March 2012.The 'Writers For Animals' book will be around 200 pages of stories about animals, animal issues and people who help animals. It will be a balance of true life and fiction and every story will be heart-warming, thought-provoking or just escapist, enjoyable fun. The target audience will be everybody from teenagers to elderly people who care about animals.

Designers and illustrators will also work on the presentation of the book. 'Writers For Animals' are quite well connected with book distributors and attend a lot of events such as animal sanctuary open days, book fairs and vegan festivals, where we can sell the book. It will also be listed on Amazon and sold through campaign groups' merchandise catalogues.

Please save your stories as a Word, Open Office or any plain text file and email as an attachment to this address: writersforanimals@live.co.uk before 31st March 2012. Please don't use docx format or PDF.

Have you got an animal story you'd like to submit?

BTW the photo is of Borage, our 2 yr old cat, looking rather woeful for some reason, as he looks out of the kitchen window.