This year, regular contributor Ronald Mackay has treated us to the first two parts of his fiction series 'WINDFALL' (with a third in the pipeline).

Today it is an honour to feature his first contribution to the 2023 Memoir Showcase.

You can read Ronald's latest story “Sailing By” Part 1 by clicking here.

Ronald Mackay has had to good fortune to have worked in many capacities from the time he was a schoolboy until he retired in 2012. His formative years were spent in Scotland, the country of his birth. Scotland is a farming and fishing nation and Ronald has enjoyed the periods he has spent working in these areas. He and his wife, Viviana, have lived in many countries, especially in Latin America, and recently left their home Canada to settle in the Netherlands.

Ronald contributes short pieces to Fred’s Blog and has also written the books “Fortunate Isle, a Memoir of Tenerife”, “A Tenerife con Cariño” and “The Kilt behind the Curtain”. 

I am sure you will join me in giving a warm welcome to Judy Middleton, a newcomer to our writing features on Fred's Blog.

Judy's contribution to the Memoir Showcase is called To the Tune of a Fire Alarm and you can read it here.

Judy Middleton has had many diverse and fascinating positions over the years including that as a general laborer and a slurry pumper at a cement factory during the 1970s when women were just stepping in to mostly male jobs. She is a former pediatric nurse who has taken care of children with cancer and blood diseases and has worked as a visiting nurse in a rural county of the bucolic and verdant Pacific Northwest. Perhaps the most unique position she has had was that of a chaplain to crews on cruise ships. This is kind of a reverse traveling situation where the staff stay in their own country and crews from all over the world and all walks of life come to a place where they are fed hot home-cooked meals, are able to use computers for touching base with loved ones, can visit a small store and library onsite and are offered many other opportunities. To hear their stories left an indelible mark.

She is currently working on her memoir about the adventurous time of rebuilding their home after Florida’s historic 2004 hurricanes and is also writing a cookbook. She is an avid memoir reader, active in the We Love Memoirs Facebook group, loves to cook, and finds great satisfaction in hiking, beach walks and bird watching. 
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We are fortunate today to be able to feature the third part of a moving series of memoir stories from Tina Mattern.

You can read Tina's contribution The Nightmare - Part 3 (A Tornado Touches Down) here.

A warm welcome back to Robyn Boswell with her second contribution this year in the Memoir Showcase.

​You can read Robyn's story A Visit to the ‘Murder House’ here.

Robyn Boswell

I was very lucky to spend my childhood years in the 1950s in Parua Bay, a bay on the Whangarei Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. It was there that I developed my lifelong passion for the sea and my love of the outdoors. When we weren’t at school, we had free range over the countryside and made the most of rambling over farms, through the pine forest across the road and all along the bay. My Dad was Head Teacher at the tiny school – which grew from 12 to 60 pupils in the 12 years he was there. It was a great life, except for one thorn in our sides. A couple of times a year, we had to go by bus into town to spend a day at the ‘Murder House’ – the school based dental nurses - at a big school in the city. 

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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