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. 
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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.

Although the 2024 Creative Writing Showcase is now closed, we received one last entry yesterday evening before the deadline. It is in the Fiction category and is from Liliana Amador-Marty.

You can read her contribution Red Door here.

Liliana Amador-Marty is a Colombian-American writer, dancer and teaching artist. She has been journaling nearly five decades honing her writing skills at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater. Liliana holds a Master of Fine Arts in the Performing Arts from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and continued post-graduate work in Memoir Writing at The New School in New York City where she wrote her first story, In Caring for my Ficus published in 40 Inspirational True Stories, 2021 Edition by Robert Fear. While living in London, United Kingdom, Amador-Marty wrote and developed personal narratives, travel stories and poetry with an international collective of women writers, Primrose Pens. Her travel story, Blood Memory was published in Robert Fear's 2020 anthology, 40 Memorable Life Experiences and In Clearing in his 2022 Edition, 40 Life Changing Events. Liliana's personal narrative, Gypsy Curse is on Instagram @thecreativesoulcollective. Liliana Amador-Marty is working with The Inner City Ensemble, the same organization that trained her in the arts as a teen, launching a Playmaking program for teenagers at the Great Falls Youth Arts Center in Paterson, New Jersey.

Photograph by Rodney Pedroza Portraits
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With only a few hours left in the 2024 Creative Writing Showcase, it is a pleasure to feature a contribution from Sue Bavey in the Memoir category.

You can read Autumn reminiscing here.