Continuing with the Chronicles of St. Mary’s by Jodi Taylor. I’m not sure I can really do reviews of these any more, but I’m sure you’d like to know where I’ve got to! No Time Like the Past (St. Mary’s #5) by Jodi Taylor St Mary’s has been rebuilt and it’s business as usual for the History department. But first, there’s the little matter of a seventeenth-century ghost that only Mr Markham can see.

Muddy Stars is another Chuck Wendig title prompt. I occasionally wonder how my asteroid miners are managing, in their world which I managed to completely cut off from the rest of the galaxy in Zanzibar’s Rings. This may be five years on or thereabouts; it’ll take at least another five years for the galaxy to come knocking on their door.

I would never have imagined my September 26 wrap-up would be like this. A memorable month for all the wrong reasons. As I start this I struggle to remember the first half of the month… but eventually, it returns. This is a post as part of Natalie’s Monthly Wrap-up meme. Do visit other participants! Plans for 2027 pt 1 At the start I was wrapped up in anticipation of craft fair dates for the next year.

Temporal Contingency is book 4 in Joseph R Lallo’s Big Sigma series. You have to hand it to the author: three seven-book series (along with Free-Wrench and the Book of Deacon) that all grabbed my attention from the start. Interestingly, he states somewhere at the start of this book that the series brought all that he learned from the previous series, and helped him produce the one he likes best.

Song for the bird, another Chuck Wendig title prompt. I’ve had time to grow ideas, since I’ve been in hospital since Saturday, being well looked-after. It’s a pulmonary embolism, I’m on blood thinners, and so far it all looks fine. Hopefully home early next week. I moved from A&E (now known as ED for emergency department) to a support ward for ICU.

So, I asked Michael Forester if he'd like me to review one of his books on my blog. Michael is one of my colleagues in the craft and gift fairs. We see each other probably every other weekend. I considered his Walks in the New Forest/Mindfulness books, and his comedy and thrillers. Michael suggested to go for his autobiographical If It Wasn't For That Dog!

Tiger, Burning is another of Chuck Wendig’s random titles. I didn’t really know how to write this one, I just had a vision of a tiger walking through flames. This is how it turned out, at just over 500 words. As I couldn't locate my own photo of a tiger (pre-dates my move to IOS), I've borrowed one of Dani's superb prints.

Wolf Hall, by the late and thoroughly lamented Hilary Mantel, and The Siege of Krishnapur by J G Farrell. Both Booker prize winners, both historical fiction, both redolent of the sights, sounds, smells and gore of their respective centuries. They kept me well entertained over the long, hot summer. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel Tudor England. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir.

Today’s inspiration is a quote from J Lenni Dorner which he used when commenting on my August Wrap-up post. I must check out where it comes from! It’s a short one today, only 250 words. But sweet 🙂 “As the alluring song of September begins to whisper in my ear, my passionate spirit yearns for the splendor of its promise.” — Peggy Toney Horton…

Joseph R Lallo’s epic fantasy The Book of Deacon continues with The Great Convergence, and nominally ends with The Battle of Verril. But 3.5 is Jade, which he describes as written before Verril, but set long after as a sort of distant future. He reorganised it to become no1 in the Book of Deacon Sidequests. And there are more to come, but maybe I’ll leave that for a few months…at least six!

The Apocalypse Ticket is another from Chuck Wendig’s prompt lists. I stored them for posterity under the Flash Fiction menu here. I confess that I have blurred memories of two short stories from the sixties or seventies here, possibly by Fred Pohl or John Brunner. One of them had a habit of writing nasty systems to sort out the overcrowding problem.

Reveal my ignorance? Surely I am all-knowing? Sadly not, as you will discover as I answer this month’s question. And don’t miss the birthday offer at the end. Kate Larkinsdale, SE White, JS Pailly, Olga Godim, and Natalie Aguirre Revealing my Ignorance Do you have a favourite character archetype you tend to gravitate toward in your writing? Iwsg september 26…

It's time to join the August 26 version of the Monthly Wrap-up with Natalie the Explorer. And, if you're in middle or southern England or Europe, it's been hot. Again. Most places had some hot days, although Scotland went a bit cooler and wetter. We would have loved both down here. Rain has been noticeably absent since early June through to about a week ago.

Finding Greyfriars Bobby is the sort of title that will mean nothing to Gen Z, and everything to Gen 1948-65. And if you’ve never heard of Greyfriars Bobby, but you like dogs, stories of loyalty, Scottish history, film anecdotes, or a bit of a puzzle, them you’ll enjoy this. If you saw Disney’s Greyfriars Bobby, it’ll break your heart all over again, but in a good way.

The Day of the Snowflake. It's a title drawn from Chuck Wendig's lists of prompts... pick one word/phrase from each of two lists. I was reminded that I had saved these for posterity under my 'Flash Fiction' menu bar when talking to a short story enthusiast at Romsey last weekend. I explained about the themes and the few yet unpublished, that I hoped to bring out in some sort environmental-climate change edition.

The Anomaly sounded different. I like my sci-fi to be different, so I was very grateful for the chance to review an ARC from the publisher. And it’s among a slew of new releases on 15th August, which is a Saturday, which suggests it’s aimed at ebook readers. The Anomaly by Robert G Williscroft Four lives. Three centuries. Four deaths.

The Woman in the Water is inspired by a real artwork, The Solomon Siren, featured in a Guardian newsletter earlier this month. I was very taken with it. You can read more about it here. I apologise for any infringement of copyright. Hopefully I can amend by sharing the donation link…here. This piece of dystopian flash fiction is just under 550 words.

For some reason I didn’t review Beyond the Fetters straight after I read it. I think it got squeezed out by the new books I tried to get in around their publication time. Whatever the reason, this lovely book has stayed with me, and I’m glad to champion it now. Beyond the Fetters by Balroop Singh Some babies are born with invisible fetters.

Clandestine Ops is a very poorly researched story I imagined based on connecting two books together. In Roald Dahl’s Going Solo he speaks of the odds the RAF were up against in Greece, and in Sinclair McKay’s The Secret Listeners, the same action was linked to the landing of some radio operators off the coast of Greece by flying boat. And I thought, well, those flying boats must have come from Cairo…where my dad was working for Imperial Airways, station superintendent for the flying boat service…

The opportunity to read an eyewitness account of that event in Hiroshima came just as I finished The Secret Listeners, with its tale of WW 2 via morse code interception. Fittingly, it was published on August 6th. I couldn’t set the review for that day, but I dithered between the 8th and the 15th, which is VJ Day. I did not realise it took ten days for peace to break out after the horror of the bombs.

Trenchcoats, Towers and Trolls is the third in Rhonda Parrish’s Punked-up Fairy-tales anthologies. She says in the introduction that she went wider than the official brief, because there were so many astounding stories received in the call. But I enjoyed them, possibly the best of the series. Trenchcoats, Towers and Trolls (Punked-up Fairytales #3) edited by Rhonda Parrish What do you get when you take the high tech/low life settings of cyberpunk and sprinkle them with the magic and possibilities of fairy tales?

A picture prompt for you today, mainly because for once I was a passenger going past some stones in a field last Sunday. It’s about 300 words… enjoy! Digging up the Past The archaeologist examined the piece of rock. ‘Hmm. Twentieth century carbon-composite sandstone, I’d say. Take it over to the scanner for proper analysis, please.’ ‘Do you think we’ve got it?’ The Time Team Revisits… anchor man, one Robin Antoine, was hopping from foot to foot.

This month's IWSG question asks about our regrets. So I racked my brains and came up with something. I'd rather sing 'my way' though! Shannon Lawrence, Diedre Knight, Liza, and Pat Garcia Question of the Month As a writer/author what is something you regret? Or something that you wish you'd done differently in your writing process? IWSG August 26 I suppose number one would be: I wish I hadn't believed the 'friend' who told me I couldnt write fiction for toffee, and don't even try.

Lady Amelia Smallhope and Pennyroyal (no other names given...by him, at any rate) are back, in A Family Affair. After I read the first, I set about the series that spawned them…the Chronicles of St. Mary’s, which is a serious historical research organisation. Yes, well… to give herself extra freedom, author Jodi Taylor took two occasional misfits, and started a series just for them.

No flash fiction this week (unless I pop a short one in). It's time to join the July 26 version of the Monthly Wrap-up with Natalie the Explorer. And, if you're in middle or southern England or Europe, it's been hot. Most places has some hot days, although Scotland went a bit cooler and wetter. We would have loved both down here.

The Secret Listeners is another from my bookshelf. At this rate, I’ll have space to put some more on it from the piles scattered around the house! This, though, definitely was bought in Norfolk, when the revelations about Bletchley were at their peak. It makes a nice companion to the Bletchley Girls, even if the author has written his own account.

Hogging it came out of nowhere, since I suddenly realised I needed a short story for today. I have a longer one for next week… but that's another story altogether. This one is under 300 words. Hogging it The summer had come early. It seemed no time at all from waking up, finding plentiful slugs and worms in the gardens on his nightly route, then the warmer evenings, then the dry grass… and no food.

I reviewed the first two books in the Harbor Pointe series a few months ago, and continue to review them in pairs, since they are novella length. Each one is by a different author, several of whom are familiar to me. The Destination (Harbor Pointe #3) by D L Finnn The Harbor Pointe Inn has loomed on California’s cliffs for generations of Hawthornes.

Lord of the Forest is a topical story, as we continue the longest heatwave recorded, surpassing the summer of 76. I had a touch of heatstroke this week. That’ll teach me to believe the forecast 28 degrees and take a walk, even staying in the shade. This is one of a series I expect to work on for the rest of the year, as I identified nascent collections needing more stories.

Today, excitingly, I get to interview Seffi Wardwell, the hero (or heroine if you must) of Rebecca Douglass's Seffi Wardwell Mysteries. This is part of the Great Escapes Tour for the latest in the series to be published: Edited Out. There's a giveaway at the end if you need an incentive to read on, and my review of the book is here…

Triplanetary is the first of the Lensman series by EE 'Doc" Smith. This series is, for most scifi fans, the grand-daddy of them all. Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein... and Smith. This is a bit of a walk down memory lane. Will I want to read the whole of the Lensman series again, all seven of them? Well lets's start at the beginning.

Today I’m reviving the Haiku. It’s years since I did one every week, and an incident in the week got me counting syllables on my fingers. I’ve also been reading a memoir which was somewhat disturbing, so not too much creativity here today. Current Affairs The world backs Belgium Leaders should not interfere Sport plays by its rules © J M Pett 2026 Actually there are all sorts of current affairs I could rant about. But hey, it’s a writers blog, so I won’t.

Landlines was on my bookshelf. I thought I might have bought it in Norfolk, but it was only published in 2022. I conclude that my niece gave it to me one Christmas. She’s given me some great books! How better to celebrate July 4th than a walk through Scotland, England, Wales and England again. Landlines by Raynor Winn Some people live to walk.

When I decided to switch memes for Fridays, I planned to look back in the archives and see what pictures I could use as prompts. I found that July 14 I was at Camp NaNoWriMo, working on book 6 of the Princelings, Victor’s book. So, after a busy week, I decided an extract is in order. You can, of course, buy the ebook in Smashword’s July Sale (link at the end).

This month's question pegged something that really gets me... celebrities who write 'blockbuster' books. I rarely read them, although I have done, and reviewed them fairly, I hope. Most of the time I don't actually know who the celebrities are, anyway. Unless they are well past their mid-forties... Rebecca Douglass, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Cathrina Constantine, and Jacqui Murray.

We have reached the halfway point. Six months gone, six months ahead. Yes it’s my June 26 Monthly Wrap-up, part of a hop with Natalie the Explorer. The Books The book fairs went from ridiculous to sublime. It started with Marlborough, a venue I won’t be booking next year because in comes under my classification of ‘too difficult’. Lovely place, lovely people.

Okay, just what sort of pun is Moss'd in Space? A really good one, since it invents a whole new concept in organic space travel. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance copy. It is due to be published on Thursday. Moss’d in Space by Rebecca Thorne USA Today Bestselling author Rebecca Thorne delights in a brand new cozy science-fiction series...for fans of Martha Wells and Olivia Waite!

Mapping the Realms Part 2 follows directly from last week's flash fiction post, you can see that here if you missed it. In summary, Fred and George have been given the task for making an initial map of the northern part of the Realms. North of Castle Edin, in fact. As Castle Palatine is missing from Fred's current map, he's going to have to do a bit more to join the two 'halves'!

Poetic Justice is part of author Dan Antion’s Rascal Todd mysteries. I wish it wasn’t because she’s enormously irritating, but in a prologue the author explains why the main character is Brody Thompson in this one. I'm happy to get this review out to celebrate Poetic Justice's first anniversary! Already! Poetic Justice: a Rascal Todd Mystery with Brody Thompson by…

Mapping the Realms is a first attempt at a new flash prompt. Writephoto is now long gone, others have been attempted, I enjoyed a year of CCC, but it took me back to Norfolk each week, and I really didn't need that. I'm exploring a prompt that Willowdot uses, but meanwhile... I thought I'd use a random picture shown by my iPad.

Trouble is the last in Michael Wills’ series of WW2 adventures for younger readers. The children are evacuees from their homes in London, Surrey and Portsmouth, anywhere in danger from German bombing. They make the best of things at Clifftop Farm, on the Isle of Wight. Trouble by Michael E Wills The lives of the four children at Clifftop Farm become very difficult and dangerous when their beloved collie, Billy, gets into serious trouble.

To give its full title, Wild Cities: Discovering New Ways of Living in the Modern Urban Jungle, is a book that lives up to its name. Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the review copy, although it was published over a year ago now. Wild Cities: Discovering New Ways of Living in the Modern Urban Jungle by Chris Fitch…

The Gift of a Thistle as a title for this week's Crimson’s Creative Challenge sprang out at me. The trouble was, the story in my head was not 150 words. The book sales at the craft fairs have been slow these past three Saturdays, so much so I've been reading my short story volumes. Read most of one each Saturday... offered them around...

Continuing with the Chronicles of St. Mary’s by Jodi Taylor. For the time being I’m not including the additional stories in the timeline. Not sure if this will turn out to be a mistake, but I haven’t bought them yet! A Second Chance (St. Mary’s #3) by Jodi Taylor St Mary’s is back and nothing is going right for Max. Once again, it’s just one damned thing after another.

The title of this week's Crimson’s Creative Challenge reflects the attractive roses around the window of this cottage. For some strange reason I thought I had to keep it to 50 words. It’s about 59… but I was in a hurry so didn’t restore the 60 I’d already cut… ccc89 - Roses around the Window “Oh, look! It’s gorgeous!” “No. Those roses need regular pruning; you won’t bother.”

This month’s Insecure Writers question is basically: where do ideas come from? Victoria Marie Lees, Sarah Foster,Natalie Aguirre, and C. Lee McKenzie Question of the Month Do most of your story ideas come from one place (the news, dreams, etc.) or do they hit from all over the place? Iwsg June 26 I was going to reply ‘none of the above’, but I realised they all come from one place; my head.

May was a busy month which turned from March to August on the day we returned from our holiday. Most of the month was taken up with planning for and returning from the week’s holiday. Life’s like that when you have three guinea pigs to consider. I thought I’d covered every angle, but as I sat in the cottage on arrival, I realised things were not as I’d hoped.

The Harbor Pointe series is a set of short novels by different writers set at the Harbor Pointe Inn, and covering a timespan from 1887 to… well, we’ll find out. I came across it last year, liked the idea, and added all the books to my TBR. Then I added them all to my Kindle! Judging from these I’m glad I did.

My instant reaction to this week's Crimson’s Creative Challenge options was a rant at Hempnall’s Say No notice in the Post Office window. And then I couldn’t get my mind off it. So, with apologies, I decided to give my instant reaction, rather than being more creative. Late, and with no wordcount. ccc088 - Instant Reaction So, what is behind the notice announcing Hempnall says no to a solar farm?

Cast Away, or the Surprising Adventures of Alexander Selkirk, to give it its full title, is a reimagining of the life of the shipwrecked sailor on whom Daniel Defoe modelled Robinson Crusoe. My thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance copy. It was published on 21 May. Cast Away by Francesca de Tores How big must a man's folly be, that it can cost him the whole of his life?