It is always an honour to feature stories from our latest contributor, Susan Mellsopp.

Her first story in this year's Memoir Showcase is called Baking and Other Delights and you can read it here.

Susan Mellsopp 

​Susan lives in Hamilton, New Zealand, with her cream Labrador guide dog Maya. She has always been an avid reader who has two talking and a kindle book on the go at once, as well as a digital magazine. She has often said she must have been born in a library.
 
Susan runs a writing group, and has recently started writing longer memoir essays. She enjoys going to classical music concerts, gardening-mostly roses, knitting and meeting friends at cafes. She has recently purchased a keyboard and is reviving her playing skills. She loves learning about new technology. Travel is a huge passion but this has been halted by covid. She hopes to travel again soon.  

It is a pleasure today to feature our next contribution in the Fiction Showcase. It is the second in the Windfall series from Ronald Mackay.

You can read WINDFALL:2  Balfour here.

Ronald Mackay was born in Scotland in 1942 and trained as a winter warfare operative while serving with a British Army infantry battalion. From 1967 to 1969 he worked in Romania and, briefly, in Bulgaria. He has recorded his memories in “The Kilt Behind the Curtain”. In the early ‘70s, he made several missions to Czechoslovakia and Poland. He is also the author of “Fortunate Isle, a Memoir of Tenerife” and, in Spanish, “A Tenerife con Cariño”.

In August 2023, Ronald and his Peruvian wife, Viviana, moved from Ontario, Canada to the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. Now, he is learning Dutch. They spend part of their time at home in Voorburg and part travelling and writing.

Viviana and Ronald in Voorburg, the Netherlands in May 2023
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As the second month of the 2023 Creative Writing Showcase enters its final week, it is a real honour to welcome back Tina Mattern with the second part of her latest series of contributions.

You can read The Nightmare - Part 2 (​The Blessing of Friends) here.

The next contribution in the Memoir Showcase is the second this year from Sue Bavey. Many thanks for your support Sue.

You can read her story Memories of Mudville here.

For our latest contribution to the Memoir Showcase, we have a fascinating memoir piece in poetic format from Syd Blackwell.

You can read The Travelling Home Trilogy here.

As a bonus, Syd has also provided us with a Highlights entry called Cooking Perogies, which is available here.

It is a real pleasure today to feature a contribution to the Memoir Showcase from Robyn Boswell. 

You can read Robyn's story Dad’s War here.

Robyn Boswell

​I live in the beautiful Far North of New Zealand. As a child I remember hearing stories about Dad going to a mysterious place called Bougainville during the war. Unlike many veterans he would sometimes talk about his experiences and share his souvenirs, which I found fascinating. When he was 96 I had an opportunity to interview him about his war experiences. His memory was very vivid as he shared what it had been like for him. I enjoy writing memoirs and have published one book – ‘Nine Weeks on a Shaky Bus’ about a trip to Europe. My second book, ‘Blue Came Too’ is very slowly growing on my computer.
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The latest contribution in this year's Memoir Showcase is from Kelly Reising.

You can read her heartbreaking story A Random Tuesday here.

The latest contribution in our Memoir Showcase is from Tina Mattern, a loyal supporter and regular contributor to the writing features on Fred's Blog.

It is an honour to feature Tina's moving story The Nightmare Begins. You can read it by clicking here.

Tina Wagner Mattern is a 72-year-old Portland Oregon writer who has recently published her memoir, “Butter Side Up, Thank God” and is currently at work on the sequel. She has been published numerous times in well-known anthologies such as Chicken Soup for the Soul, the Maine Review and most importantly, Robert Fear’s excellent anthology series over the last 4 years. This story is an excerpt from another of her memoirs-in-progress, “When Good Boobs Go Bad—What’s Up With That, God?” which she began 23 years ago and put on hold to finish Butter Side Up. Write to her at tinamattern@earthlink.net.
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To begin the second month of our 2023 Creative Writing Showcase, we have a very special treat for you.

Ronald Mackay is well known for his excellent memoirs, but now he has turned his writing skills to fiction. You can read the first in Ronald's new WINDFALL series, entitled Campbell,  by clicking here.

I am sure you will enjoy this story as much as I have.​

Ronald Mackay has been writing since he retired from the last of several different careers in 2012. He’s the author of two memoirs (“Fortunate Isle” in English, and “A Tenerife con Cariño” in Spanish) both about life in Tenerife, the Canary Islands in 1960/61. He’s also the author of “The Kilt Behind the Curtain”, a memoir in which he tells of his life in Ceaușescu’s Romania in the late 1960s. Ronald and his wife Viviana recently moved from Ontario, Canada, to Voorburg in the Netherlands. They plan to spend winters in Tenerife. 

Viviana and Ronald in Tenerife, 2022​

It is a pleasure today to feature Sue Bavey with her contribution to the 2023 Memoir Showcase.

You can read Sue's story Snow Plow! here.

Sue Bavey is an English Mum of two, living in Massachusetts since 2003 with her husband, two teenage kids, a cat named Midnight, a bunny named Nutmeg and a leopard gecko named Ziggy Stardust. She wrote her grandfather’s biography: Lucky Jack (1894-2000) during COVID lockdown and recently published her late father’s memoirs and poetry in a volume titled Daydreams & Narcoleptic Nightmares.
Lucky Jack (1894-2000): https://bit.ly/Lucky-Jack
Photos of Lucky Jack: https://suelbavey.wordpress.com/lucky-jack-photo-gallery
Daydreams & Narcoleptic Nightmares: 
​https://bookgoodies.com/a/B0BFTFJKPR
 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SueBavey
Facebook:​​ https://www.facebook.com/sue.bavey
Email: sue.bavey@gmail.com (Emails welcome)