The conversation was interrupted by the reappearance of Violetta, alone this time. "Oh I'm so glad you're still here, I wanted to talk to you without Stephen." Sophia and Connor eyed her with foreboding. "You see, I really want one of those dresses you're making for the other girls. It will be so much fun …
Millie carefully picked her way down the stairs, only looking up at her destination when she was halfway down. What she saw had her staring in amazement. The hollow was a tiny, piled up village, gathered back against the hill, to face a grassy square and an open view to woods and trees beyond. The …
Mav was first with the news, Rory supplying added colour and commentary. "Lady Rosarina is livid! She's the one who sent her father down here to give you a telling off and now he's yelling at her for inappropriate behaviour and being rude to a foreign diplomat." Rory was bubbling, "Of course her tantrum when …
I was sent a brilliant quote in an email newsletter recently. The author of both the newsletter and the quote is a guy called James Clear: "Slow and steady often wins because it keeps you motivated. Take on manageable challenges and you'll get frequent signals of progress. Bite off more than you can chew and …
The laughter was an unexpected relief. "An interesting assumption to make soldier, why do you think he's mine?" The flushed and mumbled answer was cut off by a furred fist punching through the ceiling, then hooking back to tear the hole larger. As with the one on the shutter, this creature added teeth to claws …
Mrs Gresham asked, "Around your age, thinning blond hair and a green coat?" Lexi looked puzzled, "No, age is probably about right but dark hair and his jacket is black or near enough." "Hmm, not the usual one then. Michael, when Steven arrives, tell him to bring the photographer lurking outside with him. They should …
It’s what you’re told, time and time again, when you’re thinking about getting into writing as more than just a pipe dream. You have to write every day. It needs to be a habit, a compulsion. The challenge, of course, is creating the habit. Frankly, when it comes to this sort of thing, I have …
She found Mercury lurking outside, still sulking, when she left the house. At her querying look he grumpily admitted he'd been charged to see her safely back to work after the appointment. Calypso sighed, "For a bunch of people who are so adamant about my being independent, they're awfully protective." "It wasn't the Fates, Athena …
It was a relief to see lights and buildings after the hours of nothing but trees. On the other hand, buildings meant people and she was in no state to meet anyone. Liam's family lived elsewhere, she knew that much from the day's conversation. Tonight she would be meeting the senior forester, John, and his …
I’ve been noting books and bookmarking online courses around writing and storytelling for a while now, and, given the current situation, I may even get through some of them. One I’ve already made a good start on, because it’s brilliant, is the Pixar in a Box course on Storytelling, provided free by the Khan Academy. …
The DNA of Stories 