The Fairy Chimneys (Short fiction for young children)

It was early on a Tuesday - half past eight, to be exact - when Laura met the fairy.  She was was on her way to school when she saw him, hiding behind a road sign.  The fairy was a small fellow, no more than a few inches tall.  He didn't look like the kind of fairy you see on TV or in other stories.  Rather than a wand or wings, he had tanned skin, long hair and a small pointed hat.

When he realised that Laura could see him, the fairy tried to run away.  But he wasn't very fast or nimble, and he tripped over his own feet.  When she got closer, Laura could see him sitting down, looking quite upset.

'Hello,' Laura said.  'It's okay, you don't have to run.  I'm not a scary person.'

The fairy said.  'Are you sure you're not scary?'

Laura knelt down next to him.  'Quite sure.  Are you okay?'

'I scraped my knee,' the fairy said.  'But I'll be alright.  So, if you're not scary, what are you?'

Laura wasn't sure how to answer that question, but she did the best she could.  'My name's Laura and I'm a human being.'

The fairy rubbed his chin and said, 'I've heard of human beings, but I've never met one before.'

'That's strange.  Human beings are everywhere.'  Laura looked around for other people, but it was a quiet morning in her small village and just now, no-one else was around.  'Well, most of the time they are.'

The fairy nodded.  'Well, that's nice for you.  It's good to have lots of friends!'

Laura did have lots of friends at school, and her mum and dad had lots of friends of their own.  She liked to meet new people.

'I should probably be going,' the fairy said, picking up his hat.  'I have to get home.  It's already morning and I'm very late.'

'Oh.  I'm sorry for keeping you,' Laura said.  But she was too curious not to ask one more question.  'Before you go, can you tell me where fairies come from, please?'

'Fairies come from Turkey.  Everyone knows that.'

'Really?'  Laura had never been to Turkey but she knew it was another country far away, across the sea.

'Yes.  We all live in houses underground.  Our fairy chimneys poke through the surface.  I'm told that human beings come to Turkey to see them.'

'That's nice,' Laura said.  'Perhaps I'll come to see them one day.'

'You should,' the fairy said.  'And now I have to go.  Bye!'  Laura watched him run over to the verge and begin to dig quickly with his hands.  In no time at all, he had disappeared beneath the earth and only a small mound of soil was left to show he had ever been there at all.

Laura was about to finish her journey to school when she looked at the mound of soil and saw a small gem on top of it.  It was a sapphire, as blue as the sky.  It sparkled in the light like a star.  Laura realised that the fairy must have dropped it when he was leaving.

Quickly, Laura bent down to pick up the sapphire and put it safely in her pocket.  She had to go to school now, but when she got home later, she spoke to her mum, who agreed they had to visit the fairy chimneys straightaway and return the gem to its rightful owner.

Fortunately, the next day was Saturday and Laura didn't have to go to school.  Her mum had already been online to book flights, so they were able to leave straightaway.  It was a very exciting day for Laura.  First, they got a train to the airport, and when they got there, Laura had fun exploring all the different shops.  Then they caught a plane to Turkey. 

It was very hot and sunny when they landed.  Laura's mum made sure she had a hat to wear so that she didn't get too hot, and then bought them both sweets as a treat.

Laura slept through the last part of the journey, which was a taxi ride to the chimneys.  When they arrived, the sun was going down and Laura knew that she had to find the fairy and return his gem before it got dark.


She saw a guide standing near one of the chimneys and asked him, 'Where are the fairies?'

The guide looked around but couldn't see any movement.  'They're a little bit nervous of humans.  I think they must all be hiding from us underground.'

Laura was disappointed that she couldn't see her new friend, but she knew what she had to do.  She went to the nearest chimney and placed the sapphire on the ground there.


'Hello,' she called out, feeling a little nervous herself.  'I met one of you yesterday, and he left this behind by accident as he was leaving.  Perhaps someone could return it to him, if that's okay.'

As Laura watched, the ground opened up underneath the gem and it vanished beneath the surface.  She couldn't see him, but she got the new feeling that her new fairy friend was grateful.  She held her mum's hand, waved at the chimney and got back in the car to leave.  As they were driving away, she watched until all of the chimneys had disappeared into the distance.

When all was silent and it was dark outside, the fairy popped his head up from a hole, holding his sapphire carefully so he didn't lose it again.

'Thank you Laura, that was really kind,' he said, and even though she couldn't see him, he knew she would know that he was waving back at her.

Five New Year Plans

Following on from a shameful reversal of my year-end weight loss efforts at Christmas, I've decided to make a quick list of my 2016 writing goals.  I've never been a big fan of resolutions, so these aren't so much set in stone, but I know from experience that when I set myself targets, I achieve far more than if I just laze around the place, napping and eating biscuits.

So here are the big five writing goals for the next twelve months!

a)  FINISH WRITING A DAMN NOVEL.  I honestly can't say this one loudly enough.  So many people I know have now published novels that it was actually a bit embarrassing seeing my picture in the paper next to theirs when the November Nano stories came out.  I've redrafted my novel four times now, and I'm thinking that I probably won't ever be fully, absolutely, 100% happy with it.  So for this reason, the final draft will be the last one, and then it'll be coming to a Kindle near you in 2016. 

b)  Read a bit more.  I know people who claim to read 200 books a year.  While I salute their efficiency, pretty much my only time not spent working or sleeping is spent gaming and writing, so my reading time is generally at a premium.  That said, I've read some of the books I've been planning to read for a long time in 2015 ('Dune', by Frank Herbert, 'Bright Lights Big City', by Jay McInerney, 'Rivers of London', by Ben Aaronovitch) and I've already met my two favourite authors (Jeff Noon and JM Coetzee), so I'll be looking to new places for inspiration. 

I'm therefore setting myself a loose target of 25 books, at least 12 of which will be sci-fi.  On my list to read so far are:

'Dunes over Danvar', by Michael 'Pennsylvania' Bunker;
'Jar Baby', by Hayley Webster (thoroughly lovely local author whose work has been described as, 'powerfully sensual, gorgeously grotesque, grimly funny');
'Risk of Rain', by Andre Brink (more post-Apartheid fiction from South Africa);
'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?', by Philip K Dick;
'Shantaram', by Gregory David Roberts;
'The Broken Road', by Patrick Leigh Fermor.

c)  Blog a bit more.  You're worth it, dear readers, and it encourages me to do more things so I have more things to talk about.

d)  More short stories!  This is a biggie for me - anthology work is fun, reliable and great for boosting a profile.  I've always been a fan of short stories, and I'd love to release an anthology of my own work.  I've written prize-winning short stories before, and I think there could be a decent market for these online (I've certainly sold a fair few copies of 'Girl, Running' on the Amazon store at a pound a pop.)

Plus, you don't win competitions without entering things, and it's a big boost to the confidence to win an independently judged contest.  It's good for all aspiring writers.

e)  Make more money from writing than I did in 2015: Thanks to my anthology work and a few short stories, the pre-tax sum total of my writing income for this year is around £200.  While that's a nice bit of extra money, with a bit of commitment, I don't doubt I could have earned much, much more.  So this year I'm going to make that commitment, take jobs that I would have previously turned down, do more editing work, teach or run workshops if anyone asks me to, and generally aim for a more professional, more fun and higher earning 2016.

What are your 2016 writer goals?

Winter General Update

I realise it's been a little while since I last posted, so I think I'll do a quick update about the last few weeks and some forthcoming things I'm involved in.

First of all, Cressy's book launch was very successful, and very well-attended.  I was involved in a Nanowrimo meet-up that night, so could only sneak in towards the end, but everyone was having a lot of fun, not least Cressy herself.  The book seems to be very popular, so I'm really pleased for her.

Nanowrimo itself was very successful, and after a couple of years where I've been doing other training, it was nice to return to writing again in November.  This year we had a fantastic group with some great  ideas and some really lovely people, and I'm hoping we can get together again in the new year for editing sessions.

I made the 50k with two days to go, having quickly abandoned the literary work I was going to produce in favour of something that was a bit more light-hearted.  I'm producing a novella set in a future America where distant nuclear events and climate change have led to desertification and a struggle for resources.  So it's basically hillbillies with lasers in the Wild West. I'm enjoying it, and hopefully when it's finished, you will too.

By coincidence, I happen to be reading 'Dune' by Frank Herbert for my reading group, and while it's nice to fill in one of the key gaps from my sci-fi education, I've found it pretty hard going.  The story is fun enough, with some nice touches, but the complete lack of a chapter structure and the POV hopping all over the place to explain each character's thought process is really grating on me.  I can't help feeling that if it was released today, it wouldn't be regarded as the classic it is.

Some of the people close to me have mooted the idea of a fifty-book reading challenge for 2016, an ideal that appeals massively to me and my poor, underworked Kindle.  I probably won't have the time for 50 novels, but I might well be able to do 25.  It remains for me to think carefully about what I'll read, and what effect it'll have upon my writing.

Finally, my first piece of work for the new year will be writing for and editing the forthcoming 'Shadows at the Door' anthology!  I'm very much looking forward to this.  The Black Shuck legend that my story focuses on is one of those that every town seems to have, but this one will have a distinctly Norfolk twist.  I'm very much looking forward to sharing it with you!

A Notepad and a Dream - Cressida McLaughlin

In a series I call 'A Notepad and a Dream', I interview up-and-coming authors about their books, their writing process and their future plans. If you have a book shortly due for release and would like to take part, or know someone else who would, please let me know via the 'Contact Me' page above.

In this episode of 'A Notepad and a Dream' episode, we'll be meeting contemporary romance author Cressida McLaughlin.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your novel?

I originally come from London, but moved to Norwich to study English Literature at the University of East Anglia. I fell in love with the city and never went back. I’ve always loved books, but was only ever interested in reading them until I had the opportunity to try a free Adult Education course. I picked creative writing, and caught the bug.


Like lots of authors, my route to publication has been long and littered with rejections, so I’m over the moon to be approaching publication date for my first novel. It’s called 'A Christmas Tail', and was first published as four eBook novellas during 2015. It tells the story of Cat Palmer, who gets fired from her job at a nursery after taking a puppy into work, and decides to set up a dog walking business in the seaside community where she lives.

Have you always wanted to write romance novels?

I love reading all genres, and am a huge fan of a good crime novel, but when it comes to writing I love the will-they-won’t-they element, and the challenge of creating that and making it work over the course of a whole book. There’s nothing more satisfying than reading a really hard-won happy ending, and that feeling is multiplied when you write one. There’s also so much more to the stories than the romance element – there are no restrictions on plot or style or humour, and I love that freedom.

The success of romance novels is typically dependent on the chemistry between the central characters. Is creating this chemistry something that you've had to practise at length in order to perfect, or something that comes naturally to you?

I think it’s a mixture of both, but it’s something that I’ve got better at through years of writing, and also reading other books that do it brilliantly. It’s one of the most fun aspects of creating the story, keeping the tension alive so that it keeps readers interested and doesn’t become too predictable. It can be a real challenge, but it’s one that I love and don’t think I’ll ever get bored of.

What advantages do you think the traditional model of publishing offers you over those who might be thinking about the indie/self-publishing option?

There were a few occasions on my publication journey when I thought I might try self-publishing, but I never went ahead with it and held out for a traditional deal.

I think for me it’s having all the support that comes with traditional publishing; a great editor who values your writing and spends time helping you make it better, the marketing and publicity teams who know exactly how and where to promote your books, and then of course that amazing moment when you get to hold a copy of your own book, complete with pages and a cover and that great book smell, and know that it will be in bookshops.

I know you can buy in elements of this when you’re self-publishing – editors, cover-designers, publicity – and some people love the autonomy of being able to do everything themselves, but over the last year I have really loved, and valued, having an amazing team who have worked really hard on my book and have helped it to look and be the best it can be.

What would you say is your main strength as an author?

I think one of my main strengths is being open to ideas and prepared to learn. You never stop learning as a writer, whether that’s from editors, agents, other authors or readers, it’s important to be willing to take comments on board and work hard to improve. I want to keep writing, and being published, for years to come, and I want each book to be better than the last.

What will your next project be?

I’m writing my second book at the moment. It’s called The Canal Boat Café and will be another romance novel, again published in four eBook novellas before the paperback comes out next summer. It’s great to be exploring new characters and a brand new setting, and I hope readers enjoy reading it as much as I’m enjoying writing it.

Cressida McLaughlin will be hosting the launch of her book at Waterstones Norwich at 7:30pm on 4 November 2015.

Girl, Running

With a week to go before Nanowrimo begins, I'm pleased to present my latest story which is now available for purchase on Amazon: 'Girl, Running'.

Originally part of Samuel Peralta's 'Z Chronicles' anthology, the story follows Elie and Little Shrew, two disenfranchised American teenagers fleeing the apocalypse.

Clocking in at 6,000 words, 'Girl, Running' is available now for just 99p, or if you are part of the Kindle Unlimited programme, you can borrow it for free.

Excerpt

Little Shrew is still calculating in her mind – speed versus distance versus pain in joints – when Elie says, 'Okay, in five seconds, we're going to run for the Harbour building.'

'Elie, no. I'm in a lot of pain.'

'Sweetie, we can't wait, you know that, right? The soldiers aren't going to shoot because the sound will bring even more of these...people...over. There's not enough of them there to hold the place as it is. If the fence comes down, the military are going to close the doors and sail away.'

Little Shrew is incensed by Elie's steely calm observations. She's not sure whether the pain she is in is stopping her from thinking straight, or her inability to think is somehow contributing to the pain.

Elie slaps her on the back and practically pulls a salute. 'Time to shine, Little Shrew. This is where that time on the track is going to pay off.'

'Two more minutes,' Little Shrew pleads.

Elie vaults the wall in a single movement, graceful as a cat. One of the shamblers nearby is more alert than the others, and takes a three-iron to the temple for its trouble.