milliethom

One Last Run – Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers

Published on March 13, 2015November 24, 2015 by milliethom25 Comments

Flash Fiction for for Aspiring Writers is a writing challenge, kindly hosted by Priceless Joy. The challenge asks us to write a piece of fiction from the photo prompt provided in around 100- 150 words. It encourages participants to comment, constructively, on other entries, so supporting each other’s writing. If you’d like to join in with this challenge, follow the link in the title of PJ’s, blog: Beautiful Words to see what to do. The challenge runs from Wednesday to Wednesday every week.

Here is this week’s photo . . .

. . . and this is my story:

Mickey Riordan passed the security officers supervising the boarding passengers at the top of the Bavaria’s gangplank, and grinned. He’d done it again! This final stop at Cologne, one of the Rhine’s many ports, had resulted in his fifth little bag of diamonds.

Back in his cabin he locked the bag in the safe with the rest, all to be delivered to the ‘big boys’ once they’d docked in Amsterdam. Then it was off to the airport for his homebound flight. With the payoff from his third and last ‘run’ he’d be able to buy that big house with the swimming pool in London.

Contemplating a hot shower, the knock on the door startled him. Probably the steward with the extra towels he’d ordered …

‘Mr. Riordan?’ one of the two burly policemen asked.

Mickey nodded, visualising the next ten years in clink. He could kiss that posh house goodbye.

Word Count: 150

If you’d like to read other entries, click here.

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Published on March 11, 2015November 11, 2015 by milliethom33 Comments

I am very very grateful to Jocelyn Leahy for nominating me for this Award last week. Her blog at tribalmysticstories is one of the most inspirational I follow. Not only does Joycelin share wonderful stories of her early life in Papua New Guinea, but many posts about various types of art and writing. Jocelyn is both an artist and writer herself and shares interesting information about both. Additionally, she writes about environmental, political and topical issues of real interest. Her blog is versatile, inspirational and very informative.

I agree with Joycelin when she says that ‘blogging is fun, but often not easy‘. My blog was seven months old at the end of February – not exactly a baby any more, I suppose; more like a toddler. I’m definitely still finding my feet. Like Joycelin, I think it’s hard to know what to post, or not. Right now, I’m doing several flash fiction challenges whilst fitting in posts about aspects of history, traditions and writing. My blog is entitled, ‘Bringing History to Life’, after all. I write historical fiction, but I enjoy lots of other genre as well.

So, the rules for this Award are as follows:

1. Display the award on your blog.

2. Link back to the person who nominated you

3. State 7 things about yourself

4. Nominate 15 bloggers, link to them, and notify them about their nominations.

Right then, I’ve done the first two, so now I have to get on with the third and divulge seven things about myself. Just bear with me if they cause a yawn or seven . . .

1. I/we have six children. I know that’s on my About page, so is no secret, but I thought I’d say a little about them today. Only last weekend, a blogger I follow asked me whether I ever wrote about my children on my blog – which I don’t, as a rule. So I’ll mention a couple of things here. My children have been a part of who I am for 42 years now. Despite teaching and being with young people on a daily basis, I still suffered from ‘empty nest syndrome’ for years after they’d all left home. I was Mother Hen no longer! Well, that said, I/we have four sons and two daughters: girl-boy-boy-girl-boy-boy. Very neat. They all have similar looks and colouring but very different temperaments – and careers in life. My second daughter also has a WordPress blog. She is a great photographer and writer, and writes some lovely stories and poems: a real ‘Fairy Mind’ you might say. (I’d better not say anything else about them or I might not get my choccies and flowers on Mother’s day next Sunday!)

2. Millie Thom is my pen name, derived from my parents’ names, Millicent and Thomas. My own married name is far too boring to use as a writer – although my editor strongly disagrees! He thinks our surname is ‘joyful’! No more about that.

3. Eggs are my favourite food (as well as cheese) – which is just as well, considering my husband’s a vegetarian. If I so much as grilled a lamb chop when we were first married, he’d have to leave the house! He’s become immune to most meaty smells over the years, as all the children eat meat. He lives on egg, cheese and nutty dishes and, fortunately, we all love lots of fruit and vegetables.

4. I’m an Aries. I’m very impatient and impulsive – much to my husband’s annoyance. If something needs doing, I have to do it NOW. My impulsive nature is under control nowadays (mostly) but in my younger, single existence many moons ago, shopping and me didn’t go together at all. I bought so many things – including clothes – that I hated once I got home. I don’t believe in horoscopes, by the way. This is all just coincidental. For a start, I don’t lose my temper very often, which is not an Aries trait. Aries is a fire sign, but my ‘fiery’ temper is rarely more than a spark.

5. I miss living by the sea, despite having been away from it since I got married 45 years ago. I miss the smell of it and the sound of it, and being able to paddle in it when I took the dog for long walks. The Irish Sea is always freezing, but I did venture in for a few dips – swimsuit and all – as a child. And I loved to watch the sun setting on the western horizon.

6. I love doing research and tend to get carried away with it when doing it for my novels. I suppose I just enjoy learning new things, so I spend hours following links which have nothing whatsoever to do with what I started to look up in the first place.

7. The four seasons hold a fascination for me and I can’t imagine living in a place where the landscape looks the same all year round. Every season in Britain is wonderful and it’s amazing to see the changing colours. I know many places worldwide enjoy similar seasons, and I also know that people find wherever they grow up to be beautiful and ‘normal’. For me, the year is all about the seasons.

Lastly, Number 4.

I find many of the blogs that I follow inspirational, for various reasons. Many of them have either already had this award or state that they’re An Award Free Blog. So here are some I really like which, I hope, don’t fall into either of those categories. I have looked, but I could have missed something.

* Forestwoodfolkart

* 1874: First Impressionist Exhibition

* Diana George Marcos

* Farindanaz

* Mara Fields

* Alex F.

Wine and Women – Monday’s Finish the Story

Published on March 10, 2015November 24, 2015 by milliethom39 Comments

It’s time to have a go at Monday’s Finish the Story. This is a flash fiction challenge which asks that we write a story in 150 words from the picture and first line prompt provided by the host, Barbara W. Beacham.

Here is this week’s photo . . .

. . . and this is my story, including the first line prompt:

On March 9th, 2015, three objects were reportedly seen in the skies over the Borracho Todos los Tiempos Vineyards.

Harry Hobson attempted to focus on the lights moving across the pre-dawn sky, unable to decide whether there were five flying saucers or three, and took another swig from his near-empty bottle.

‘What d’ya make of them, Fred?’ he asked the figure slumped beside him against the boulder. ‘D’ya think we’s bein’ invaded?’

Fred belched, opening his heavy eyelids a fraction.’ Nah’, he slurred. ‘Wars bin over more’n sixty years.’

‘A wa’n’t thinkin’ o’ Jerries, Fred. Them’s flying saucers …’

Fred wobbled to his feet and stared up at the sky. ‘Hoo cares about saucers – and we ain’t on ’oliday to look at lights. Wine and women’s all I …’

Harry watched, agog, as Fred drifted up into the sky, surrounded by a bright beam of light. Bleedin’ typical of Fred to go off without him.

‘Make sure yer back afore the vineyard store opens at ten,’ he yelled.

Word Count: 150

To view other entries, click here.

Fifteen Minutes Late – Picture it and Write

Published on March 8, 2015November 24, 2015 by milliethom19 Comments

Picture It and Write is a weekly writing challenge, posted every Sunday by Eliabeth, the author of Ermiliablog. The challenge is to write a piece of fiction or a poem in response to the photo prompt supplied by the host.

Here is this week’s photo . . .

and this is my story . . .

‘You have got the ring …?’

‘You asked me that two minutes ago, Rob, and my answer hasn’t changed since then.’ Adrian grinned at his brother, the jittery bridegroom. ‘What kind of best man would I be if I left it behind?’

Robert tugged at the unfamiliar bow tie at his throat: it seemed to be driving him insane. Adrian knew it was all down to nerves; standing before the altar, all eyes fixed on him. The lad from the Council Estate was marrying into money – big money – and was feeling somewhat overawed …

Adrian glanced behind at the wedding guests. The bride’s family were blatantly snubbing the lesser mortals to their right. Adrian hated their supercilious sneers and wondered how Robert would cope with it all, particularly as Anthea’s parents seriously disapproved of her choice of husband.

‘She’s fifteen minutes late already,’ Robert croaked.

‘Probably changed her mind … run off with the butler …’

The sudden commotion put an end to Adrian’s jest. Anthea’s chief bridesmaid was hurtling down the aisle towards the bride’s parents …

Robert yanked off the ridiculous bow tie as all was revealed, a look of utter relief on his face. Anthea had simply changed her mind and run off with the new chauffeur.

‘Drinks are on me,’ Robert yelled, heading towards his smiling mum and dad.

If you would like to read other entries click on the link here.

Word of the Week (WOW) – Filigree

Published on March 7, 2015June 25, 2020 by milliethom12 Comments

Word of the Week (WOW) is a weekly meme created by Heena Rathore P. It’s a fun way to improve vocabulary by learning new words every week.

To participate, simply do a post with your word and leave the link as a comment on Heena’s WOW post.

Here is my WOW for this week:

Word: Filigree

Part of Speech: Noun

Adjective: filigee or filigreed

Verb: filigrees, filigreeing, filigreed

Pronunciation: fil – i- gree (fili, gri)

Meaning:

1. Delicate ornamental work of twisted gold, silver or other wire, widely used since antiquity for jewellery

Artigianato_sardo,_oggetti_in_filigrana — Jewellery. Image from Wikimedia Commons. Attribution: Shardan

2. Any fanciful, delicate ornamentation (not only applicable to jewellery, as sentences below illustrate)

Synonyms:

wirework, lace, lacework, lattice, tracery, fret, fretwork, grillwork, threadwork

Antonyms:

None

Word Origin: C17 (1685-1695) from earlier filigreen -> from the French, filigraine -> from Latin filum (thread) + granum (grain)

Use in a sentence:

1. Mrs. Carmichael wore a beautiful filigree brooch. (Or, to use the adjective: Mrs Carmichael wore a beautiful brooch of filigreed gold.)

2. Sunlight filtered through the branches, casting filigree patterns on the earth beneath.

3. A shoal of tiny, colourful fish swam close to the reef , fins of intricate filagree.

4, The pine needles were draped with a delicate filigree of mist.

5. Filigrees of frost adorned the meadow.

Silver-174642 — Image from Wikimedia: Filigrees of burnished herringbone patterned, spinel-twisted silver crystals covering a greenstone matrix plate. From Bonanza Mine, Port Radin, Great Bear Lake, Mackenzie District, Northwest Territory, Canada

450px-Flickr_-_archer10_(Dennis)_-_China-6474 — Image from Wikimedia Commons: The artist pinches and curves copper filagrees into delicate flower patterns, pasting them onto the copper metal.

shutterstock_247563355 — Chinese lantern: dried fruit decorated with filigree pattern

I love this word and could spend some time writing several more sentences about filigrees of frosting on cakes, or various objects decorated with jewels and filigree. But I think I’ve said more than enough already . . .

If you’d like to check out more interesting words then visit Heena’s page:

Word Treasure

Moonlit Walk – Flash Fiction For Aspiring Writers

Published on March 5, 2015November 24, 2015 by milliethom44 Comments

This is the third week of Priceless Joy’s challenge, Flash Fiction for for Aspiring Writers. The challenge asks us to write a piece of fiction from the photo prompt provided in around 100- 150 words. It encourages participants to comment, constructively, on other entries, so supporting each other’s writing. If you’d like to join in with this challenge, follow the link in the title of PJ’s, blog: Beautiful Words. The challenge runs from Wednesday to Wednesday every week.

Here is this week’s photo . . .

and this is my story . . .

The November evening was darkening rapidly as Mary traipsed along the woodland path, weary after hours of cleaning his Lordship’s house. Eerie shadows patterned her way, cast by the rising moon. She knew she had nothing to fear; she’d walked this way home since leaving school last year …

Yet tonight, something caused Mary’s skin to prickle: a snapping twig, perhaps? She pulled her shawl close about her shoulders, the evening chill adding to her unease. Her skirts swept the leaf-strewn path, rustling and crackling beneath her quickened tread.

Large, strong hands suddenly grabbed her, one clamping over her mouth to stifle her screams as she was hustled towards the trees.

Her assailant buried his face in her neck, his amused chuckle unmistakable.

‘Got yer there, dint ah girl?’

Mary turned and clung to Daniel, his silly prank forgiven. Her beloved brother had returned safely from the Great War.

Word Count: 149

If you’d like to view other entries, click here.

Unleashed – Picture it and Write

Published on March 3, 2015November 24, 2015 by milliethom25 Comments

Here is this week’s photo . . .

and this is my story . . .

The river roared across the unsuspecting land like an unleashed beast: a raging, untamed torrent, devouring all in its path. The mid-March air had lost its penetrating bite, snowmelt in the hills resulting in the river’s angry swell.

Sweating after miles of rapid flight, Culann stared at the frothing water, the stepping stones engulfed by vengeful, swirling eddies. There was no possibility of him going back – nor was there any way of crossing.

He jogged on, following the river upstream, the land gradually rising as he neared the hills. The first sounds of the tracker dogs intent on ripping him to shreds reached him …

Panic surged and he bolted, ignoring the painful stitch in his side. As the gradient steepened the river plunged over a series of rock-strewn rapids, but beyond, the stream narrowed and became shallower, its flow less turbulent. Culann removed his shoes, tucked them under his arm and scrambled down the grassy bank. He waded in, gasping at the water’s glacial embrace, and headed slowly upstream.

Sharp pebbles gashed his bared feet and after only thirty yards he could bear no more. He clambered up the opposite bank, careful to leave no indication on the grassy slope.

Confident that the baying hounds would lose his scent, he embarked on the twenty mile trek to the coast. He just needed to convince the master of an outgoing ship that an extra hand would be useful …

The fat purse stolen from his brutal master sat comfortably at Culann’s belt. It ensured his passage home. And freedom: like that of the unleashed river.

If you would like to read other entries click on the link here.

Word of the Week (WOW) – Ethereal

Published on March 1, 2015June 25, 2020 by milliethom19 Comments

Word of the Week (WOW) is a weekly meme created by Heena Rathore P. It’s a fun way to improve vocabulary by learning new words every week.

To participate, simply do a post with your word and leave the link to it as a comment on Heena’s WOW post.

Here is my WOW for this week:

Word: Ethereal

Part of Speech: Adjective

(Adverb: ethereally. Noun: ethereality; etherealness)

Pronunciation: e – the – re -al (ih – theer – ee – uh – l)

Meaning:

1. Extremely light or delicate, especially in an unnatural way; refined

2. Of the celestial spheres; heavenly

3. Relating to, containing, or resembling a chemical ether

Synonyms:

1. ghostly, vaporous, wraithlike, waiflike, bodiless, fragile, frail, intangible, immaterial, incorporeal, diaphonous, non-physical

2. spiritual, sublime, divine, holy, Elysian, unearthly, otherworldly

Antonyms:

Substantial, earthly, worldy, corporeal, concrete, tangible, material

Word Origin:

First documented use in English 1505-15 > Latin aethere (us) > Greek aithérios

Use in a sentence:

1. Sarah gazed at the ethereal wings of a dragonfly.

2. Beyond the stars is the ethereal realm of the divine. (As in fantasy, mythology etc.)

3. Deborah was small, fair and ethereal.

4. The stained-glass windows gave the church an ethereal glow

Note. This word is not to be confused with ephemeral, which means transitory or short- lived – like a mayfly. I like both words and the ways in which they can be used.

If you would like to check out more interesting words then visit Heena’s page:

Word Treasure

Folk Tales – Friday Fictioneers

Published on February 28, 2015November 24, 2015 by milliethom37 Comments

Friday Fictioneers is a flash fiction challenge which asks that we write a story in no more than 100 words from the photo prompt kindly provided by the host, Rochelle Wisoff Fields. To join in with the challenge, or find out more about it, just follow the link on the challenge title above.

Here is this week’s prompt, copyright Dawn Q. Landau . . .

and this is my story . . .

Local folk claimed these woods were enchanted; magical creatures played in their midst. Faye smiled at that. She’d frolicked amongst these trees since she was a child, had playmates aplenty. But could they be considered magical …?

Occasionally, she’d emerge to wave at passing trains but the passengers never seemed to notice her. Perhaps the billowing smoke from the steam engines hid her from view. So she’d drift back amongst the trees … until the next tooting whistle.

The stray dog had become her newest friend. He’d follow her for hours, provided she didn’t flap her wings too hard.

Word Count: 98

If you’d like to read other entries, click on the little blue fellow below:

A Perfect Ace – Flash Fiction For Aspiring Writers

Published on February 27, 2015November 24, 2015 by milliethom35 Comments

This is the second week of Priceless Joy’s challenge, Flash Fiction for for Aspiring Writers. The challenge asks us to write a piece of fiction from the photo prompt provided in around 100- 150 words. It encourages participants to comment, constructively, on other entries, so supporting each other’s writing. If you’d like to join in with this challenge, follow the link in the title of PJ’s, blog: Beautiful Words. The challenge runs from Wednesday to Wednesday every week.

Here is this week’s photo, copyright Dawn Miller . . .

and this is my story . . .

’Deuce.’

David Jameson was sweating now. Two more points to his opponent and he could kiss the Regional Cup goodbye. Already two sets down, David served to save the match …

The ball bounced hard: a perfect ace.

‘Advantage Jameson,’ the umpire droned above the spectators’ gasps. David served again.

Another ace brought further gasps.

‘Game and third set, Jameson.’ The words were music to David’s ears. His smug-faced opponent was older, more experienced – had taken the Cup for as long as David could remember. This year it was his turn. He just needed to stay focused …

After some long rallies, superb lobs and backhand smashes over the next two sets, David emerged victorious.

‘Game, set and match, David Jameson,’ the umpire intoned as David’s opponent leapt the net to congratulate him.

‘Cup’s yours, son,’ Mike Jameson said, pride evident in his eyes. ‘Until next year …’

Word Count: 148

If you’d like to view other entries, click here.