… there was a group of writers who didn’t know they were a group until they were called together by Nillu Stelter, a Geneva-based colleague who’d had an interesting idea. Do you remember the game we used to play at children’s parties and similar events – one person starts a story, takes it on to an exciting point and then passes it to the next person to continue? That was Nillu’s idea.  She started a story, and for the past couple of months it has been going round fourteen other writers, including me (I’m part six). Our group consists of fantasy, science fiction, romance, mystery, horror and literary writers, and no restrictions were placed on the genre of our story. We each wrote 300 words, give or take 10, and the result will be posted on Nillu’s blog over the next three Mondays.

I’ve read the first five parts, and I can’t wait to find out what happens to Will, our protagonist. He was in a bit of a mess when I parted company with him…

You can read the first part of ‘The Pact’ now on Nillu’s blog.

Another blog definitely worth a read this week is Jane Turley’s. Jane has been very supportive of our charity anthology Winter Tales. A couple of weeks ago I guested on her blog, talking about my own involvement in this venture, and today she has another guest, Derek LoRusso, a young man who is living with Cystic Fibrosis, cancer and Crohn’s Disease. Reading what Derek has to say is an eye-opener – his last words are ‘Keep smiling everyone’ and if he can, we can too.

Winter Tales is available in paperback and ebook. Click on the cover for details.

And last but not least, The Paradise Trees is on special offer on kindle over Christmas and New Year. So if you or anyone you know is expecting a kindle from Santa, now’s your chance to snap up a bargain!

Here’s the video trailer: