#WeekendWritingWarriors #SnippetSunday - The Matchmaker's mare

Weekend Writing Warriors 

Eight Sentence Sunday

                                 Snippet Sunday Facebook  Group

Don't forget to visit the other authors at the link above, there's something for all tastes.

Hi folks, 

This is from the draft of my current 'work in progress' unpublished fantasy romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare' which takes place in Wales. The  story is told from three p.o.vs. and two time-lines. 

This snippet starts a few lines from the previous one. Megan and Glyn have become good friends, sharing a common love of animals.Glyn piques Megan's curiosity by hinting that the cottage might be haunted. As you see, if you've been following this from the start, we've sort of come full circle, so I'm going to leave it here - I may post a bit more if I ever get it finished and published.

 (This is only a rough draft to give the gist of the novel, and is subject to change and edits - and improvement on the creative punctuation which is needed  to adhere to the ten sentence rule!) Any feedback gratefully received.

 SNIPPET

 “As you must be aware, Wales is full of myths and legends, and this area has more than its fair share, and one old tale concerns a young woman called Rhiannon, who lived in this cottage long ago.”

“Go on,” she prompted, as he hesitated once more.

“Apparently, as well as being the village matchmaker, she also cared for all the sick and injured animals the villagers brought her. She loved animals and especially, her little mare, which the villagers whispered, had the power of flight; others said this was just a rumour put about by folk with an overactive imagination.

 

 “So what happened to her?” Megan asked.

“Sion Sienco, a local gypsy, was in love with Rhiannon and forever playing tricks on her to try to gain her attention, but to start with she would have nothing to do with him. Sion would do things like causing her milk cow to go dry, or spiriting away her beloved pony and hiding the animal in the woods.”

She grinned at him over the rim of her mug. “I’m not surprised she spurned his advances if he did things like that.”

He smiled ruefully. “I suppose men sometimes do silly things when they’re in love, and of course it was a very long time ago, and stories become distorted in the telling."

Show Australia Some Love

As I mentioned last week,  The Wild Rose Press, and 48 authors have published three volumes of short stories to raise funds to help those affected by the devastating wildfires. As of this moment, in the state of New South Wales alone, there are 60 separate bushfires burning, of which 20 are out of control. The weather forecast over the next few days is soul destroying as it's expected to be in the low 40's C - about 105 in F with strong winds. In some rural areas, those who have not left their homes have been told it is now too dangerous to move - there is no way out. They must stay and defend their houses.

The print volumes can be purchased from:
 
https://www.thewildrosepress.com/product-category/writers-shop-cat/special-release-paperbacks

The ebooks  can be found on Amazon as well as any other distributor where you purchase ebooks. They're available now for pre-order and will be released on 14th February. Print  versions are also available from Amazon but Amazon will take their cut, whereas all of the money raised on the Wild Rose Press will go to the charity.

My contribution is in volume 1 and is an historical western - a change from my usual SF/Fantasy romances.
 
https://www.amazon.com/Australia-Burns-Show-Some-Love-ebook/dp/B0848W2HQT

 Please, if you can, purchase at least 1 volume to help our Australian friends. Thank you

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

#WeekendWritingWarriors #SnippetSunday - The Matchmaker's mare - " ...is there something you're not telling me?

Weekend Writing Warriors 

Eight Sentence Sunday

                                 Snippet Sunday Facebook  Group

Don't forget to visit the other authors at the link above, there's something for all tastes.

Hi folks, 

I'm continuing snippets from the draft of my current 'work in progress' unpublished fantasy romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare' which takes place in Wales. The  story is told from three p.o.vs. and two time-lines. 

 I'm skipping ahead several chapters. Megan and Glyn have become good friends, sharing a common love of animals. The mysterious pony's owner has still not turned up and Glyn's son Huw is the only one who can ride her. Megan has painted a portrait of Huw and the pony and invites them both to the cottage for a meal and to give them the painting.

SNIPPET

After the meal  they chatted about painting and Huw’s schoolwork and the pony, for a while, and Glyn again complimented Megan on the painting. Then he glanced around the room and gave her a very direct look.

  “How are you enjoying living here?” he asked. “You seem to have made this old cottage very cosy and comfortable.”

“Oh yes, I love it,” she told him, “I wouldn’t go back to London if you paid me.”

He grinned, “That’s good.” Then all at once, he looked serious, “you’ve not had any problems, strange noises or anything?”

Megan frowned wondering what he was getting at, that was the second time he’d mentioned strange noises. “No, not really, nothing I wouldn’t expect from a cottage this old anyway  - you asked me that before, is there something about this cottage you’re not telling me?”

 (This is only a rough draft to give the gist of the novel, and is subject to change and edits - and improvement on the creative punctuation which is needed  to adhere to the ten sentence rule!) Any feedback gratefully received. I probably won't post too many more snippets of this, as I just want to get on and finish it now.

Show Australia Some Love

If you subscribe to my Newsletter you'll already know about this, but for those who don't, my Publisher, The Wild Rose Press, and 48 authors have published three volumes of short stories to raise funds to help those affected by the devastating wildfires. As of this moment, in the state of New South Wales alone, there are 60 separate bushfires burning, of which 20 are out of control. The weather forecast over the next few days is soul destroying as it's expected to be in the low 40's C - about 105 in F with strong winds. In some rural areas, those who have not left their homes have been told it is now too dangerous to move - there is no way out. They must stay and defend their houses.

Volume 1and 2 have  just released and are available to purchase on our website in print form. Volume 3 will be available shortly.
 
https://www.thewildrosepress.com/product-category/writers-shop-cat/special-release-paperbacks

The ebooks can be found on Amazon as well as any other distributor where you purchase ebooks. They're available now for pre-order and will be released on 14th February.


My contribution is in volume 1 and is an historical western - a change from my usual SF/Fantasy romances.
 
https://www.amazon.com/Australia-Burns-Show-Some-Love-ebook/dp/B0848W2HQT

 Please, if you can, purchase at least 1 volume to help our Australian friends. Thank you

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

#WeekendWritingWarriors #SnippetSunday - The Matchmaker's mare - Megan needs to watch herself...

Weekend Writing Warriors 

Eight Sentence Sunday

                                 Snippet Sunday Facebook  Group

Don't forget to visit the other authors at the link above, there's something for all tastes.

Hi folks, 

I'm continuing snippets from the draft of my current 'work in progress' unpublished fantasy romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare' which takes place in Wales. The  story is told from three p.o.vs. and two time-lines. Today's excerpt is again from Megan's P.O.V. 

She has dropped by Glyn Phillips' farm in time to see his son, Huw, riding the strange pony that mysteriously appeared in one of his paddocks, and seemed to be unrideable. Skipping ahead a few pages, Glyn takes her into the kitchen to see how his old dog is doing, and the younger dog jumps up at her, almost knocking her over.

SNIPPET

“I'm so sorry, I try to stop him jumping up at people - he’s only young, as I said, and he gets over excited.”

 “It’s okay,” she said with a grin, giving the collie a hug, “I love dogs. We always had dogs when I was a child and I really miss having one now.”

“You should get one then, there are plenty in the rehoming centre looking for a good home. I wouldn’t be without a dog, myself.”

“Oh, I’d love to,” she said, giving a little sigh, but it wouldn’t really be fair, since I’m at work a lot of the day. I’m thinking about getting a cat from the rescue centre though, although I’m really more of a dog person really. Perhaps one day, if I come into money and can retire…”

Glyn chuckled softly. “Sometimes if we want something enough we can find a way to make it happen.” 

Hmm, the man was a philosopher too, as well as devilishly handsome. She’d have to watch herself. It would be easy to fall for his gentle manners and good looks, and she wasn’t ready to commit to another relationship yet. It was rather satisfying to be completely independent, and to be able to organise her life to suit herself without having to consider someone else’s arrangements. Besides, she’d fancied herself in love once before and had her feelings and her trust betrayed. She wasn’t about to allow it to happen again.

 (This is only a rough draft to give the gist of the novel, and is subject to change and edits - and improvement on the creative punctuation which is needed  to adhere to the ten sentence rule!) Any feedback gratefully received.








For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

#WeekendWritingWarriors #SnippetSunday - The Matchmaker's mare

Weekend Writing Warriors   

Eight Sentence Sunday

                                 Snippet Sunday Facebook  Group

Don't forget to visit the other authors at the link above, there's something for all tastes.

Hi folks, Hope you all had a good week - how are the New Year Resulutions going? (or not)

I'm continuing snippets from the draft of my current 'work in progress' unpublished fantasy romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare' which takes place in Wales. The  story is told from three p.o.vs. and two time-lines. Today's excerpt is again from Megan's P.O.V. 

Megan has inherited an old cottage and started a new life, and a new job at the veterinary surgery, Her nearest neighbour is Glyn, a single dad and his young son, Huw. A mysterious pony has appeared in Glyn's horse paddocks and even his experienced horse breaker, Evan, can't seem to handle her. Meanwhile, objects have been disappearing and reappearing at the cottage, and Megan isn't sure if she's imagining things. In the last snippet, she is surprised to see Huw riding the supposedly unmanageable pony

 (This is only a rough draft to give the gist of the novel, and is subject to change and edits - and improvement on the creative punctuation which is needed  to adhere to the ten sentence rule!) Any feedback gratefully received.

SNIPPET

Megan shot a glance at Evan Griffiths, leaning against the fence with a bemused expression on his face. 


“She trusts him, see,” the man said in answer to her unspoken question, “that’s the only way to explain it.” He paused, “p’raps she’s one of those horses which prefer children to adults, some horses do, you know.”

“We only discovered Huw was riding the pony the other day, and I can’t get him to tell me how long he’s been riding her or how he managed to gain her confidence,” Glyn added.

“Well he seems happy,” she replied, “and so does the pony for that matter.”

The boy must have noticed her arrival, and cantered up to the fence, patting the pony’s neck, he drew her to a halt and jumped down from the saddle.

“Hello Miss Johnson, did you see me jumping -- how d’you like my new pony?”

“Your pony now, is she?” his father said, and Megan could not help noticing the twinkle in his eye.

“You seem to be doing really well with her,” she said, stepping back from the fence a little, as the pony snorted and tossed her head. She hoped Glyn Phillips hadn’t noticed

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

#WeekendWritingWarriors #SnippetSunday - The Matchmaker's mare - and some memories of Christmas just gone!

Weekend Writing Warriors   

Eight Sentence Sunday

                                 Snippet Sunday Facebook  Group

Don't forget to visit the other authors at the link above, there's something for all tastes.

Hi folks, 

I hope everyone who celebrates it had a lovely Christmas and that the New Year will bring you much happiness, health and contentment. I've been away from here longer than I intended, so many apologies.

After a trip to my beloved homeland to visit family and friends, just before Christmas, we spent a day at a local 'stately home', Waddesdon Manor.  Every year they decorate the grounds with lights in the trees, and illuminated models. There is a Christmas Market, with lots of beautiful craftie things, and food, and the inside of the house has several rooms all decorated for Christmas to a special theme. The theme this year was Christmas music. Forgive me for going back in time, it's been less than two weeks but I know Christmas now seems like an age away already, and I wanted to share some pictures with you.

This is the entrance to what used to be the stable yard,but it is now shops and cafes, with outdoor seating. There were two enormous illuminated baubles in the yard, which were quite spectacular - one could wander in and out of them.

 There were many decorated rooms, each with a gigantic Christmas tree, to celebrate Christmas songs, from While Shepherds watched their flocks by night' to The Nutcracker. I immediately thought of ED - and his great Christmas SF romance, ALIEN CONTACT FOR A CHRISTMAS NUTCRACKER!

Anyway, back to today!

I'm continuing snippets from the draft of my current 'work in progress' unpublished fantasy romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare' which takes place in Wales. The  story is told from three p.o.vs. and two time-lines. Today's excerpt is again from Megan's P.O.V. 

Megan has inherited an old cottage and started a new life, and a new job at the veterinary surgery, Her nearest neighbour is Glyn, a single dad and his young son, Huw. A mysterious pony has appeared in Glyn's horse paddocks and even his experienced horse breaker, Evan, can't seem to handle her. Meanwhile, objects have been disappearing and reappearing at the cottage, and Megan isn't sure if she's imagining things.The next snippet finds her about to deliver some medication from the vets for Glyn's dog.


SNIPPET

The late afternoon sun shone golden through the lush canopy of trees lining the drive up to the house. as Megan  drew up at the gate to Hafod farm. She opened the gate and parked in front of the house and breathed in the warm, earthy-scented air. There was something about a balmy spring afternoon like this, which made one glad to be alive. A host of birds chirped as they made their way to their roosts for the night, and somewhere an owl hooted.

There didn’t seem to be anyone around, so, clutching the package of medication for Bob, she walked down to the paddocks.She stopped in her tracks and blinked. Glyn Phillips and the stable hand, Evan Griffiths stood as if mesmerised. The chestnut pony, which was supposed to be un-rideable, trotted sedately around the schooling area, with Glyn’s son, Huw, on her back.

She shaded her eyes against the glare of the sun to make sure she wasn’t mistaken. As she approached, Glyn turned and beckoned to her to come and stand beside him and she obliged, trying to hide her amazement as the boy cantered the pony up and down, made a few circles and figures of eight, and then took her over a series of small jumps situated along one side of the school. It hardly seemed like the same pony she’d watched unseat Evan a few weeks earlier.

 (This is only a rough draft to give the gist of the novel, and is subject to change and edits - and improvement on the creative punctuation which is needed  to adhere to the ten sentence rule!) Any feedback gratefully received.








For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

#WeekendWritingWarriors #SnippetSunday - The Matchmaker's mare

Weekend Writing Warriors   

Eight Sentence Sunday

                                 Snippet Sunday Facebook  Group

Hi folks, I'm continuing snippets from the draft of my current 'work in progress' unpublished fantasy romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare' which takes place in Wales. The  story is told from three p.o.vs. and two time-lines. Today's excerpt is again from Megan's P.O.V.  

Don't forget to visit the other authors at the link above, there's something for all tastes.

 (This is only a rough draft to give the gist of the novel, and is subject to change and edits - and improvement on the creative punctuation which is needed  to adhere to the ten sentence rule!) Any feedback gratefully received.

SNIPPET

A Welsh Cottage, A single horse loving dad, trying to build a future for his son, a young woman who has sworn off men and is hoping to make a new start, a matchmaking ghost and her truelove, desperate to get these two together ...and a chestnut pony mare who might just be the means to an end.

Much as she enjoyed her work, and the extra money from the additional hours which was very welcome,Megan sometimes felt so tired she  didn’t feel like doing more than having an early night and reading a book in bed. On a couple of these occasions she found the quilt turned back invitingly, when she could have sworn she’d made the bed properly that morning.

Once or twice she put her keys down on the little table in the hall, and when she went to fetch them they weren’t there and she had to search high and low to find them, usually on top of the refrigerator, or the table in the kitchen. She chided herself for being so absent minded. Another time, she spent a fruitless half hour searching for her comfortable walking shoes and eventually found them in their usual place beneath the hall table, this was the first place she’d looked for them and she had no idea how she could have missed seeing them the first time. 

She put it down to being overtired, perhaps she should try to get some more early nights but there was so much to be done in the hitherto neglected garden, now spring was well underway. She also wanted to find time to work on her sketches and painting. She cleared most of the weeds and brambles from the garden but there was no sign of any lavender, just a few sad looking roses. She took a trip to the nearest garden centre and purchased a few of the shrubs, along with some flowering perennials

That's it for this week - have a great week, everyone and for those of you who've just celebrated Thanksgiving, I hope you had a wonderful time!


For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

#WeekendWritingWarriors #SnippetSunday - The Matchmaker's mare - Is Megan letting her imagination get the better of her?

Weekend Writing Warriors   

Eight Sentence Sunday

                                 Snippet Sunday Facebook  Group

Hi folks, I'm continuing snippets from the draft of my current 'work in progress' unpublished fantasy romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare' which takes place in Wales. The  story is told from three p.o.vs. and two time-lines. Today's excerpt is from Megan's P.O.V.  She's just returning to her cottage after visiting Glyn Phillips and witnessing his young son handle a supposedly unrideable pony.


Don't forget to visit the other authors at the link above, there's something for all tastes.

 (This is only a rough draft to give the gist of the novel, and is subject to change and edits - and improvement on the creative punctuation which is needed  to adhere to the ten sentence rule!) Any feedback gratefully received.

SNIPPET

She started, as what seemed to be a shadow moved in the darkened window of the kitchen,  as she left the car and fumbled in her bag for her keys. She couldn’t shake off the feeling she was being watched, although when she looked around she couldn’t make out anything suspicious in the shadows.

She tried to stop her hand trembling as she turned the key in the lock and cautiously pushed open the door, wondering what she could use as a weapon if she disturbed an intruder. She swallowed hard, her heart thudding and a slight feeling of panic rose and tightened like an elastic band around her chest, she switched on the light and gazed across the hall to the dining room. The door into the room was closed, as she had left it, there was no sign of anything being disturbed. She knew she hadn’t left any windows open and both front and back doors had been securely locked, logic told her it was unlikely anyone would have broken in without there being some sign of damage. Pentrebont was a  peaceful, rural area, she’d never seen anyone wandering around at night, nor felt uneasy about living there alone. The cottage being out in the sticks as most people would call it, had never bothered her, in fact, she welcomed the peace and tranquillity after the hustle and bustle of the city, so why was she now jumping at shadows?

Taking a deep breath, Megan opened the dining room door, the room was empty, everything in its usual place, the peaceful atmosphere she always felt in the cottage settled over her and she relaxed under its calming influence; she went back and double checked the locks on the doors though, just in case there were any strangers prowling around outside.

She made herself a cup of tea and switched on the television, still slightly unnerved; after flicking through several channels she switched it off again, her mind wandering back to Hafod Farm and Glyn Phillips and his wild pony, his rich Welsh accent reverberating in her mind.

Hmmm, better not start getting any ideas, Megan Johnson, your last relationship didn’t end so well, did it?

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

#WeekendWritingWarriors #SnippetSunday - The Matchmaker's mare

Weekend Writing Warriors   

Eight Sentence Sunday

                                            Snippet Sunday Facebook  Group

Hi folks, I'm continuing snippets from the draft of my current 'work in progress' unpublished fantasy romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare' which takes place in Wales. The  story is told from three p.o.vs. and two time-lines. Today's excerpt is again in Glyn's P.O.V.  


Don't forget to visit the other authors at the link above, there's something for all tastes.

SNIPPET

 (This is only a rough draft to give the gist of the novel, and is subject to change and edits - and improvement on the creative punctuation which is needed  to adhere to the ten sentence rule!) Any feedback gratefully received.

Summary: Megan, new to the village, is delivering some medication from the vets where she works, to her neighbour Glyn Phillips. He is  alarmed when a young boy walks across the paddock leading the pony which has just thrown his horsebreaker, Evan.

SNIPPET

“Huw—Huw my boy, what are you doing - hand the reins to me, son, gently now, don’t startle her.”

(Working Cover)

“But Dad, she’s not dangerous, she won’t hurt me.” So saying the boy walked straight past him toward the paddock gate, the mare followed him through, walking quietly behind him like a gentle children’s pony, instead of the raging little demon who had just bucked off the most experienced horse breaker Glyn had ever known.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes in exasperation -

stubborn as his mother.” For a moment he’d almost forgotten his visitor, he glanced toward her and then nodded in the direction of the stables with a wry smile.

“I’m sorry,” he said, reluctant to appear discourteous, but desperate to make sure the boy didn’t get injured, “I’d better go and make sure he’s all right with that pony."

“Of course I’ll be on my way then, goodnight, Mr Phillips.”

she said,  turning to cross the yard back to her vehicle, with a quick wave of her hand. 

Glyn sprinted toward the stables, he needed to make sure Huw didn’t get hurt by that wretched pony. At the same time he cursed himself for his abrupt dismissal of Megan Johnson; poor woman, she must think he was completely neurotic, but Huw was his only son, after all, and he couldn’t help being protective.

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join