I have a favour to ask you, my readers! Please see the end of this post!
Thank you.
But first...a couple of video clips and a story.
At my book launch, I was asked several questions by Lucy Black, a published author of several books, a dynamic workshop presenter, an experienced interviewer, and a freelance writer.
I am sharing short video clips of this interview here on my blog.
See my previous blog post for two video clips entitled 'Why Writing?' and 'Meg Sheppard and Vicky Earle'.
Here are two more:
'Horse Racing and Scandal': https://youtu.be/LHWh8D90RKg
'Writing Process': https://youtu.be/x_KUfgFMjPE
This is a story I wrote for the most recent 'word challenge' held by the Uxbridge Writers' Circle. The words I had to incorporate were: heartburn; hybrid; hangover; hurricane; Harry Potter; handover.
I hope you enjoy reading it!
The Magic of Harry Potter
She was fed up with Harry Potter. She snapped the book shut and let it drop to the floor, knowing Marcia wouldn’t stir now that she was asleep. How many more of these ridiculous books would she have to read? She wasn’t sure and didn’t want to know. Hopefully, the next one wouldn’t be available at the library for a long time, and she’d be able to distract Marcia with something more sensible and relatable. But what that would be, she wasn’t sure. Her mind went blank, and no ideas bubbled up.
Thinking about bubbling up reminded her of the bout of heartburn she’d had that afternoon. It must have been the chicken filet sandwich, or perhaps the extra-large fries. She didn’t think it could have had anything to do with the super-sized chocolate milkshake. Anyway, it was now her ‘me time’. She picked up her phone and left Marcia’s room.
Nightnight, the cat, was very nearly kicked down the stairs—by mistake, of course. Andra couldn’t understand why the stupid black cat’s favourite spot to curl up was at the edge of the landing. Andra would forget this every night and she’d curse into the semi-darkness as her heart skipped a couple of beats. Neither Andra nor Nightnight changed their behaviour, so it was like a pitiable video loop.
Once safely downstairs, Andra pulled a bottle of red wine out of the rack while mumbling that she deserved it—it had been a rough day, and she felt stressed. A glass, or a bottle, of wine would be necessary to bring calmness to her mind, and relaxation in her body. This was no mean feat since Andra was disposed to tension and anxiety.
Her job was not a good fit for her. A sociopathic boss dealt out impossible deadlines. She’d have liked to quit but was a specialist in her field and the openings were severely limited. In any case, her boss knew everyone there was to know, and had blatantly told her he would give her poor references. Trapped.
Today was one of the worst. She was to oversee the handover of some top-secret documents to the Minister of Public Safety, but the computer file had been contaminated somehow. The egg landed on her face. How? Why?
Recollecting her ‘day from hell’ caused her to gulp a large glass of wine. She poured another. She didn’t care if she woke up with a hangover. It had happened before, and she’d managed fine. Marcia always helped prepare her school lunch and got dressed on her own. Breakfast was simple—just cereal, fruit and milk.
The heartburn recurred. This time it was more painful.
She heard a thump and a scream from upstairs but couldn’t respond.
There was pain in her jaw now.
She woke up. A small, warm hand was clasping hers.
“Mommy, are you okay?”
“I suppose I can’t be if I’m in hospital.”
“Mommy!” Marcia sobs.
“Marcia, I’ll be fine. Please don’t cry. Tell me what happened. I’m sure I didn’t trip over Nightnight and fall down the stairs, although I do feel battered and bruised.”
“Harry Potter saved you.”
“Marcia, you know that’s ridiculous.”
“No, it’s not. The ambulance man said it.”
“That’s silly.”
“Mommy, listen. I had a bad dream. It was something to do with broomsticks flying around my room. I woke up. I needed to go to the bathroom. I got out of bed and trod on the Harry Potter book and twisted my ankle. It really hurt so I wanted you to look at it. I went downstairs and you were lying on the floor. I thought you were dead. It was so scary. I did as you told me and they were so nice on the phone. I had to talk to them for ages, but they came before they stopped asking me questions. It was weird. So, the ambulance guy said if I hadn’t hurt my ankle on Harry Potter, you would have been a lot worse. See! That’s how Harry Potter saved you.”
“No, it was you. You did the right thing. You were very smart. Thank you, baby.” Andra kissed Marcia’s hand.
“They said I have to leave here soon.”
“You can’t stay in the house by yourself.”
“I’m at Linda’s home.”
“That’s nice of your friend.”
Andra and Marcia eventually returned home together. The house hadn’t been lived in for a while, but Marcia and Linda had visited every day to look after Nightnight.
“What on earth happened in the family room?” asked Andra. “It’s like it’s been hit by a hurricane.”
“The ambulance people had to move stuff, and that bottle got tipped over and the glass broke. I didn’t know what to do.” Marcia’s eyes watered.
“That’s okay, Marcia. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just a shock seeing it like this. It’s not your fault.”
“Are you going to go back to work?”
“Why are you asking?”
“It makes you grumpy.”
“Yes, it does. You’re right. I’ll think about it.” Andra hugged Marcia and treasured the moment. She realized she should embrace her daughter more often.
Andra did more than think about her job. She fought tenaciously and eventually got approval for a hybrid work situation. She worked at home three days a week and in the office two days. And focused on finding a new career path.
Nightnight continued to curl up at the top of the stairs, but Andra would remember to bend down and stroke him once she realized he wasn’t trying to trip her up—the heating duct passed underneath that spot.
In the meantime, she happily read the rest of the Harry Potter series to Marcia. She enjoyed her daughter’s pleasure in hearing the magical adventures of the crazy characters.
And Marcia still believes that Harry Potter’s magic saved her mother’s life.
Vicky Earle, Copyright 2025
Asking for a Favour
I am a founding member of shepherd.com.
I've mentioned this site before.
It's still being developed and improved, but it promises to be an exciting resource for both readers and authors.
For readers, the site aims to make it easy for readers to find books they will love.
For authors, the site aims to make it easier for their books to be discovered.
See my page here: https://shepherd.com/search/book/114778
Now, how can you help me? If you look at this page https://shepherd.com/bboy/2024/mystery you will notice that none of my books appear in readers' favourite mystery reads in 2024.
So, if you read one (or two or three!!) of my books in 2024 and enjoyed it, this is my favour: Please participate in shepherd.com's three favourite reads of 2024 and include it (or them).
Thank you so much!!
Happy Reading!
Vicky