… and I helped the dogs find their forever home — I’ve written before about how I worked at a dog rescue to help me deal with the grief of my own dog’s sudden death. …

Melissa and her mother try bringing her bereaved grandfather some Christmas cheer (Pure Fiction Winter Competition) — “Why do we have to spend Christmas with Grandad? “C’mon Melissa, we’ve talked about this. He’s all alone since Nanny B died. He’ll be sad and lonely, and perhaps us being there will make him feel better.” Mum trailed off, as if she wasn’t convinced by her last statement. Melissa…

Tanya’s beach find is beautiful, but may not be an ordinary shell — The children came home from the beach, hungry and tired. Their hair was tangled by the salty sea breeze, and their feet and legs were caked with sand. …

Mystery Crew to the Rescue with 1 man down — [Fanfic /an homage to Scooby Doo’s cartoon characters] Freddie paced the floor, twisting his ascot in sweaty hands. Daphne glared at him, too annoyed to remember frowning would give her wrinkles. Daphne: Sit down Fred, I can’t plan with you fidgeting. Fred stopped momentarily to gaze at his handsome face…

The inception of Thoraminta and Friends — Now they know I’m a writer, family, and friends will sometimes ask if they are the inspiration behind the characters in my stories. I confess the answer is yes! I don’t use everything about an individual, but take strands. …

A prompt inspired me to write outside my comfort zone — I am the kind of fantasy writer who enjoys reading and writing about enchanted worlds that exist alongside ours, places inhabited by other-worldly creatures, fantastic beasts and legends handed down by the oral tradition of story telling. …

Her escape plan failed, so Thoraminta turned her mind to revenge — Beads of sweat were already gathered on Roberto’s brow when he drew the cart to a halt at the castle gates. Knowing Princess Thoraminta was hidden aboard, he had been conscious of every bump and ridge that his cartwheels hit. …

A Tasty Cake that’s full of fruity goodness — I personally don’t like eating soft bananas. I love fruit but bananas don’t make the top of my list, that would be strawberries … or raspberries … or fresh pineapple. But I’m a fan of sliced banana topping my muesli or peanut butter on toast, so they have their place. …

Florrie’s 14th year — #6 — Read all Florrie’s earlier adventures here: Florrie's 14th Year She receives the mysterious diary - & what follows *This series is suitable for children*jacinta-palmer.medium.com “See you later!” Florrie stood at the door with Toby beside her. The youngster, who was fiercely baring his teeth, was dressed as an orange dinosaur. “Want to do a jigsaw, or play Connect 4?” …