Today we are privileged to feature three wonderful memoir contributions in the Writers Open House from author Cherie Magnus.

You can read Cherie's stories by clicking on the titles below:
The Monarch Milagro
The Worlds of Xochimilco
Barging In Single

Cherie Magnus, born and raised in Los Angeles, was a dance research librarian in the L.A. Central Library and a dance critic for local newspapers before moving to France, Mexico, and finally Argentina. Many of her articles on dance, travel and international culture have been published in magazines, professional journals, and several anthologies. The author of a memoir trilogy, Death Dance Destiny, and a fantasy novella, she returned to live in L.A. in 2014.
 
Cheriemagnus.com

The next contribution in the Writers Open House is another classic memoir piece from accomplished author and loyal supporter of this blog, Ronald Mackay.

You can read Ronald's story Cold War Confusion here. 

Ronald Mackay
 
Originally from Coupar Angus, Scotland, Ronald Mackay served the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne from 1970 until 1974. His responsibilities included assessing the English language proficiency of all non-native speakers of English arriving as students or scholars. During those years Ronald met several visiting professors from the USSR and its satellites. He had worked in several of these countries and had experience of their repressive political systems and had encountered their covert security agencies.

In “Cold War Confusion” he shows how the Cold War engendered suspicions in the mind of a visitor from the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, at that time, an integral part of the USSR and occupied by Russian troops.

Now, Ronald and his wife, Viviana, reside in Voorburg, the Netherlands. They spend winter months in Buenavista del Norte on Tenerife’s north coast.

Ronald enjoys contributing to Fred’s Blog and is author of “Fortunate Isle, a Memoir of Tenerife”, “The Kilt Behind the Curtain”, and “Windows On My Worlds: A Collection of 31 Short Stories”. He has also written a memoir in Spanish, “A Tenerife con Cariño”, and is soon to release a second.
​

Ronald and Viviana - Voorburg, The Netherlands
​

For our latest feature in the Writers Open House, Sue Wald brings us a haunting piece of creative non fiction based on 'Ripper' lore.

You can read Sue's story The Canonical Five: Their Last Moments here.

Sue Wald - About the Author

As a Thursday Child and multilingual language teacher, she has helped enough school children (and a few adults) on their way to be able to look back on a life not wasted and heave a sigh of relief, while enjoying the scenery and the cool breeze drifting in from the ocean.

Under her Nom de Plume 'Sue Wald', she has put together 'A Day in the Life', an Anthology comprised of the Very Short Memoir 'Players' (as featured in Robert Fear's Anthology '25 Treasured Memories'), which takes the reader on a journey through time from the 1990's in Nürnberg in Franconia, Germany, to her granddad's hometown Zwittau in Sudetenland, now in the Czech Republic, in the 1920's, offering glimpses into her grandfather's life before, during, and after WWII, including an entertaining lunch encounter with the Oskar, as well as peeks into her own life and ghosts of the past; a small collection of poems: 'Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea'; a fictional Short Thriller: 'Faith Value', set in the present and in her chosen neighbourhood, the lush Cantabrican coast of Galicia; several semi-fictional Tristan Stories: 'Tristan Radler's Opinion of Life' (as featured on Fred's Blog Fiction Showcase '24); as well as 'I might actually have lost the plot': a Collection of more Very Short Stories (some of which are also featured in Robert's Anthology and on Fred's Memoirs Showcase '24).

​A big fan of London since her teenage years, 'Ripper' lore hasn't lost it's gory appeal and over the years she has come to a new understanding: the 'Canonical Five' represent the plight of women in a merciless society, while the 'Ripper' is its avatar...

Our latest contribution to the Writers Open House is an interesting essay piece from a long-time supporter of this blog, Roger Knight.

You can read Roger's insights, 'Why the stories we tell and write about ourselves really matter' here.

Roger Knight

Since retiring I have begun writing short stories, prose/ poetry and the odd essay. Some of these have appeared in various anthologies and magazines as well as the publication of a poetry collection, ' Poems of Passage. '

I would describe myself as an apprentice writer and enjoy shaping and recalling my story through the medium of words in their best possible order.

Our next contribution to the Writers Open House is from well-known author, Malcolm Welshman.

You can read Malcolm's fascinating collection of memories, Entranced by Trees, here.

Malcolm Welshman is a retired vet and author. He was the My Weekly vet for 15 years and has written many features for magazines such as She, The Lady, The People’s Friend, Cat World, Yours, and newspapers such as The Sunday Times and the Daily Mail. He is the author of a memoir and five pet novels, the first of which, Pets in a Pickle, reached number two on Kindle’s bestseller list. His third novel, Pets Aplenty, was a finalist for The People’s Book Prize 2015. Jim Wight, James Herriot’s son, says of Malcolm’s writing, A most enjoyable insight into a fascinating life. Malcolm has also been an international speaker on cruise ships, having completed 54 such engagements over an eleven-year period. He currently writes a bimonthly series, Dora’s Diary for the online website www.sixtyplusurfers.co.uk and is in the final stages of completing his sixth vet novel, Pets on the Prowl. His current children’s book, Beasts in my Bedroom, can be found at www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1035851792. His website is www.malcolmwelshman.co.uk. 
​

Our third feature in the Writers Open House includes two entertaining travel stories from travel writer and photographer, Jeremiah A. Gilbert.

You can read Jeremiah's first contribution, Rushed Ruins in Split here and the second one, Slow Boat from Macau here. 

Jeremiah A. Gilbert is an award-winning photographer and travel writer. His travels have taken him to over a hundred countries and all seven continents, while his photography has been published internationally and exhibited worldwide. He is the author of four travel books, including Can’t Get Here from There: Fifty Tales of Travel, From Tibet to Egypt: Early Travels After a Late Start, and On to Plan C: A Return to Travel, which documented his return to travel post-COVID and was the first to include his photography. His most recent, Around the World in Eighty Photos, is out now.
 
www.jeremiahgilbert.com
@jg_travels

Our second entry in the Writers Open House is a wonderful piece of memoir from accomplished author and loyal supporter of this blog, Ronald Mackay.

You can read Ronald's contribution Getting By here.

Ronald Mackay

Originally from Coupar Angus, Scotland, Ronald Mackay lived in Dundee while attending the Morgan Academy from 1947 until 1960. At that time, Dundee was known internationally as the city of the three “Js” – jute, jam and journalism.

Ronald draws significance from his own memories and occasionally from those of others who ask him to. He and his wife, Viviana, reside in Voorburg, the Netherlands. They spend much of the winter in rented accommodation in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and in the rugged municipality of Buenavista del Norte.

Ronald is author of “Fortunate Isle, a Memoir of Tenerife”, “The Kilt Behind the Curtain”, and “Windows On My Worlds: A Collection of Short Stories”.

Ronald and Viviana - Voorburg, The Netherlands

Our new feature, Writers Open House, begins with a powerful fictional story from respected author and publisher, Shane Joseph.

You can read Shane's contribution The Merchant of Death here.

Shane Joseph is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers. He is the author of eight novels and three collections of short stories. Shane’s second novel, After the Flood, a dystopian novel of hope, released in 2009, won the Write Canada Award for best novel in the futuristic/fantasy category. His short fiction and non-fiction have appeared in literary journals and anthologies all over the world. His blog at www.shanejoseph.com is widely syndicated, he has a monthly column in The Sri Lankan Anchorman journal, and is the Book Reviews Editor for Devour Art & Lit Magazine. His most recent novel, Victoria Unveiled, was released in September 2024.

Shane is the owner and publisher of Blue Denim Press (www.bluedenimpress.com), a literary press he founded in 2011. To date, the press has published over 50 titles (fiction and non-fiction) in paperback and e-book formats.  In particular, Shane loves editing to release the story from within the words.

More details on Shane’s work, blog and book reviews can be found on his website at www.shanejoseph.com.  He maintains an active presence on social media via Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Linked-In, Twitter and Goodreads. He has a growing collection of You Tube videos produced by him on literary topics.

Exciting news.
 
After a decade of inspiring writing competitions and showcases, I’m launching a brand-new feature on Fred’s Blog – Writers Open House – starting April 1st.
 
This initiative invites writers of all levels and genres to share their short stories. Unlike previous years, where we focused on memoir and some fiction, Writers Open House is open to all genres, giving even more storytellers the chance to shine. As always, entry is completely free, and selected stories will be showcased on the blog. They may also be included in a future anthology.
 
Whether you’re a seasoned author or a first-time writer, I’d love for you to be part of this exciting new chapter. Submission details can be found here.
 
Get ready to share your creativity with the world.

Great news.

The 2025 Edition of 25 Treasured Memories is now available on Amazon.
 
The Kindle version is on pre-order for release on December 1st, but the paperback is already published. Here is the link to both: mybook.to/25TM

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the 2024 Memoir Showcase and congratulations to those included in this new book.

I look forward to publishing more of your excellent stories next year.