Thoughts On Writing Outside Your Genre

If you’ve been following the blog, you probably noticed that most of my stories are fantasy, sci-fi or some form of speculative fiction. So you can understand my trepidation when I learned that the genre for the Jozi Shorts Anthology is contemporary fiction. Well, colour me challenged. The last non-genre story that I wrote was……

“Forgotten” now available!

You can now get Forgotten on Kindle and Kobo!

Fiction and behind the scenes: Scorched Earth

If you haven’t read “Scorched Earth” on my Patreon page, you can read it below. The ‘behind the scenes’ starts after the story. Scorched Earth I watched as smoke from the burning farmhouse furled into the sky. Arguing voices pulled me away from the ghost shapes in the smoke. Tante Maria was struggling to get……

Short Story: “Forgotten” writing update, part 2

You can read part 1 of Forgotten over here. Working on the rest of the novella Although I’ve now provisionally outlined most of the novella, the ending is still escaping me. I’m therefore planning to write the rest and then only when I get closer to the ending decide whether I am going to outline……

Flash Fiction: Calling the Rain

Inspired by a writing group prompt.  Calling the Rain  She worked at a desk in the corner of her upstairs room. Cogs and thin pieces of copper wire littered the wooden surface, the tiny tools she used taken from her clock workshop below. Tightening the last screw, she sat back and gazed at her creation.……

Random fiction: Stone and Butterfly

“Stone and Butterfly” was written quite quickly after the first sentence popped into my head. I hope you enjoy it! The original Afrikaans version can be found on INK or beneath the English translation. You can also check out my Instagram feed (I’m @CarinMarais1) to see how these look in my 2018 journal. Stone and……

Flash Fiction: Eisen’s Soul Capturing and Inspection Device

The steam coach bumped over the cobbled streets of the city. Here, in the better parts of the city, people had become enlightened enough not to refer to the belching machine as the ‘devil’s work’, doctor Gregory Smithson mused from his prime seat on the rambling coach. The man opposite Smithson handed him a folder.……

Flash Fiction: Last words

This story was written for last week’s Microcsms flash fiction competition. Last Words “We could barely speak each other’s languages, you know. Barely understand them.” James’ hand shook as he drank his tea, his eyes focused on a far-off memory of one of the battles of XP-269 – the colony before it even had a……

Flash Fiction: A Father’s Kiss

Father’s Kiss” was written for last week’s Microcosms flash fiction competition. The prompts were reporter, airport, and memoir. 

Flash Fiction and Character Sketches – May 2017

Which one do you think I should start with? Tell me in the comments!