Hello, constant reader! I hope you’re enjoying the late summer weather; it’s been a bit tempestuous weather-wise in the UK, and it feels like our summer skipped a few tracks, but I don’t mind; I have several reasons to look forward to Autumn and the “Ber” months.

I love the sharp intake of breath that nature takes, heralding the advent of cooler, steadier weather. Fewer people are out and about, and this, with the lower sun in the sky and the constant light breeze seems beautifully melancholy to me. I enjoy the contrast between crisp mornings and the coming of the frosts, with the cosy warmth of indoors, and the anticipation of longer evenings and the holiday season. I’m a winter baby, and I always wave farewell to the summer easily.

Getting the Craic in Northern Ireland

Despite the weather we’ve had a few trips away, including a week in County Down, Northern Ireland. Last time we visited, I blithely set out to scale Slieve Donard, NI’s highest mountain, and was humbled at the half way point. This time I was more prepared, and we climbed to the top on a wonderful cool day, almost having the mountain to ourselves. The header picture was taken between the plateau and the last scramble to the peak.

County Down lies in the south east of Northern Ireland, and although its geography is less dramatic than the Antrim and Causeway coast, there’s loads of reasons to visit, not least of which are the many deserted stretches of its wonderful coastline. The Mourne Mountains, of which Slieve Donard is the tallest, are another reason to visit; sweeping down to the sea, they are rightly an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) and a UNESCO Global GeoPark.

All my favourite things converge in Newcastle, where you can take in the beach, the mountains, dunes and forests within a couple of square miles. and fabulous fish and chips shops and pubs too!

New Short Fiction

In between work and trips away I’ve been working on a handful of short stories. I’m drawn more and more to writing tales of psychological horror/thrillers, and in thinking why this is, I’d say its that this genre gives me space to explore themes of what it means to be human (or inhuman) and how our emotions, prejudices, history, and fears can shape our actions, but placed in a story or universe where anything is possible. I like to explore what would happen to characters in a world faced with their own personal horrors, untethered by our current reality. I’m writing a couple of stories for specific anthology themes and I hope my submissions do well!

My First Writing Commission!

Just before we set off for our break in Northern Ireland (great timing as it turned out) I was contacted by a creative media company asking me to create a couple of short pieces of writing for an upcoming exhibition with a particular brief focussed on somewhere very dear to my heart!

I was absolutely delighted and incredibly proud to contribute,and I want to emphasise to you, fellow writers and constant readers, I have questioned in the past the merit of typing out these posts; much as I love the long form nature of sharing my thoughts and journey, I wondered if this site had enough “reach”. I would say, if you are clear on your subject matter, genres and areas of expertise, you’re just a couple of Google searches away from someone looking for that skillset.

This prompted me to create a list of organisations that offer opportunities to contribute to cultural/education events within my area of knowledge. Although I write mainly fiction, my subject matter knowledge, as well as my writing, was what prompted this organisation to reach out to me. I hadn’t considered that my niche is a strength rather than a limiter, and that I have stories and experiences to offer that may be just what such organisations are seeking!

I’ll share more details in my next post, including the process of completing the commission. I’m so excited that I’m considering vlogging the event, as I’ll definitely be attending the opening. Stay tuned for more info soon!