For our next submission in the Writers Open House, it is a pleasure to welcome back well-known author Sue Bavey.

You can read Sue's memoir story Termtime Transgressions here.

Sue Bavey is a British-born mother of two, now living in Franklin, Massachusetts, having moved to the US in 2003. Writing as S. Bavey, her book Lucky Jack (1894-2000) won the Readers’ Favorite Gold Award for Biography in 2023 and she followed up with her next book: Kookaburras, Cuppas & Kangaroos which tells the story of her mother’s three-year-long adventures in Australia and New Zealand in the 1960s. She also wrote a prequel to this book: A Yorkshire Lass, The Early Years which can be downloaded for free from her website: www.suebavey.com. In 2024, following a vacation to Iceland, Sue wrote a short travel memoir: An Icelandic Adventure: One Family’s Mostly Successful Quest for Puffins, Pleasure and Perfect Pizza.
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The latest contribution to the Writers Open House is the fourth this year from accomplished author and loyal supporter of this blog, Ronald Mackay.

You can read Ronald's story Christmas Postie here.

Ronald Mackay
 
Originally from Coupar Angus, Scotland, Ronald Mackay studied at Aberdeen University in the early ’60s. He paid for his studies by working Easter, summer and Christmas vacations at a variety of interesting jobs in London and in parts of Scotland.

He and his wife, Viviana, now reside in the Netherlands and 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” as well as a memoir in Spanish, “A Tenerife con Cariño”.
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Viviana and Ronald at Elzendreef, Voorburg, 29 June 2025

Our next contribution in the Writers Open House is another thought-provoking essay from a long-time supporter of this blog, Roger Knight.

You can read Roger's insights, Hope in the 21st century here.

Bob Sword is the pseudonym of the author of “Dignified Dining”, the next submission in this year's Writers Open House.

An RAF officer for many years, Bob served in Bomber Command as a bomber navigator on Vulcans during the Cold War. He and his crew frequently flew low-flying practice missions in Arctic Canada, took part in precision bombing competitions in the US, showed the British Flag in most commonwealth countries, and circled the world many times. Bob has many unforgettable memories from his career as an RAF officer as well as from his second career as an international public health specialist. Some of his stories, like this one, employ a wry humour.

You can read Dignified Dining here.

The latest contribution to the Writers Open House is the third this year from respected author and loyal supporter of this blog, Ronald Mackay.

You can read Ronald's story Earnest Encouragement here.

Ronald Mackay
 
Originally from Coupar Angus, Scotland, Ronald Mackay attended the Morgan Academy in Dundee from 1947 until 1960. In Scotland an “academy” was the equivalent of an English grammar school. Parents and teachers encouraged students to take their studies seriously because continuous and conscious effort are an essential key to success. This true story, “Earnest Encouragement”, illustrates how one new teacher helped sharpen his students’ concentration.

Ronald and his wife, Viviana, reside in the Netherlands and 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” as well as a memoir in Spanish, “A Tenerife con Cariño”.
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Ronald with brother and sister. The ties are Morgan Academy formal pupil.
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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.
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Ronald and Viviana - Voorburg, The Netherlands
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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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