Annie’s body clock is ticking and she still wants to have children of her own. Advertising in the paper to find a lifelong partner is all very well, but these things take time and time is the one thing she doesn’t have. Maybe she could skip the lifelong part, but that still leaves her with advertising…

A Test of Friendship

“Do you have a better suggestion?” Annie poured another glass of chardonnay and sat back on the settee. Her lustrous brown bob framed her grinning face. She angled the fluffy white teddy to wave his paw at her friend.

“You’re bonkers. You could adopt.” Karen shook her head in disbelief. “And telling me that Bear needs a pair of little arms to hold him is no justification. You could have left him in the store.”

“It’s all right for you. You have men queuing up, with your blonde hair and blue eyes. I’ve tried internet dating and where did that get me? And you know I can’t walk past a Mothercare store without going in.” Annie threw the newspaper down on the table. The page was folded so that the advert was uppermost.

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A change is as good as a rest. When the summer holidays come round if you can’t afford a swanky holiday maybe there’s another way to bring about change. Lizzie thinks she’s found the perfect solution to amuse her while her friends are off in the sun.

Changing Places

“I haven’t even asked you yet what you’re doing for the ‘ols?” Lizzie grinned at her friend as the conveyor belt between them slowed to a stop.

“I’m off to Lanzarote tonight, just self-catering, mind,” shouted Dora, pushing her overall into her bag. “What about you?”

“Let’s just say I’m ‘oping to pick up a good last minute deal,” Lizzie replied, removing her hairnet from her greying brown hair. She’d been saving as hard as she could, but there was very little she could do with the sort of money she’d put by…

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‘Essence of Humour’ is a collection of short stories which brings together the best of humour writing from 17 authors across the globe.

Working in a customer facing role when you don’t suffer fools gladly was never going to be a success for Jenny, but how else could she earn enough money to visit her boyfriend in Paris? This job was going to be different, until a lady wants to place an advert for her lost dog, Trixie!

Paris

“If you’re away from your desk or can’t take a call, don’t forget to sign out of your phone. And what are the circumstances in which you can be away from your desk?”

Jenny hated these little pep talks from Mr Clarke every week at the sales meeting.

“Death and authorised holiday.” Craig rolled his eyes.

“That’s right Craig. Now team it’s almost 8 o’clock. Remember your December targets and there’s a weekend in Paris for the one who sells the most. Now, go team.”

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Isabella is not like other princesses, she has a successful career, but seems to have missed out on the happy ever after. After a long absence, her fairy godmother arrives on the scene, but can she be trusted to get things right?

Princess Isabella and the Tale of the Three Wishes

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. She had buck teeth and thick-lensed glasses, but she was a beautiful princess none the less. Isabella had tried to find her prince charming, but it hadn’t gone well, so she booked herself on a city break to Nice.

Normally, fairy godmothers aren’t the sort of people you see much of. They appear occasionally for birthdays and Christmases. Generally they’re conspicuous by their absence. You can imagine Isabella’s surprise as she sat enjoying a glass of wine in the sunshine, when who should arrive, but her fairy godmother, a tall, elegant woman, who oozed brisk efficiency.

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Iris has been faithful to the memory of ‘her Jim’ for many years. She would do nothing to disrespect that memory, even if that meant forgoing the chance of happiness in her later years. But do the two things really have to be exclusive?

Shadow of the Past

His was the fourth name down as I looked at the page headed ‘6th September’ in the Book of Remembrance at the Crematorium. I knew the entry by heart, but read the words aloud, as though performing some sort of ritual. In a way, I suppose I was. ‘James McCreedy my darling husband. Love as always Iris.’ I still felt numb as I looked at the page and there was always that same cool air and almost musty smell, tinged with the scent of flowers. The lighting wasn’t bright in the Remembrance Room, adding to the impression of faded reverence.

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The Appearance of Truth charts one woman’s search for identity. Following the death of both her parents, Lisa Forster has little idea of her family history, but it is only at the age of thirty, when she begins to research her family tree as part of a bet with her friend Pete Laundon, that she discovers that her birth certificate is really that of a baby who died at the age of four months old. She is faced with the questions of: Who is she? Why was she never told? And who was the baby?

As she begins to search for information with Pete’s help, Lisa faces one dead end after another. Do her answers lie in finding Uncle Laurence, the uncle that was never mentioned by her father? Or is the truth contained in the hunch of Matt Kirby, photographer with the Southingham Express?

Lisa’s story is intertwined with the moving tale of her parents and the baby whose birth certificate she has.

An archaeological dig in a quiet Yorkshire village turns up some unexpected treasure from the Crusades. However, Annabelle Thomas, the presenter of TV’s ‘Digging up History’ has other ideas than to let, producer and ex-lover, Johnny Bryant take the credit.

The Dig

“Cameras, action!”

“Welcome to Digging up History. I’m Annabelle Thomas and this week we are in North Yorkshire at a site that has been at the heart of much speculation and rumour. Originally thought to be the site of a great battle, we’ve come to ask the question ‘Whose remains are these?’”

“Cut. That was great Annabelle. From there we’ll swing round to the area that’s already been excavated and talk about the age of the bones you’ve found.”

Johnny Bryant, the director, showed no signs of his previous relationship with Annabelle. Twelve years cast aside as though it was just another pile of sand to be brushed off some ancient relic.

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In his final days a grandfather teaches his beloved grandson to see the world with his heart and soul and not just his eyes, as his grandson learns that those we love will always be with us.

The Embers of the Day

“Stop fussing Freda. Let the boy come in.” Papa lay back against the pillows wheezing, his skin looked paper thin, his frail hand reaching across the bedspread, quilted by his wife all those years ago. He remembered its many blue and white pieces and the hours it took her to stitch it, in the early years of their marriage. The breeze from the open window was a welcome sensation across his face.

“But you heard what the doctor said Papa, you need to rest.” Freda tidied the covers of her father’s bed and took his hand. It was hard to see her father like this; he had been such a strong support for her over the last few years. Even since the old man’s eyesight had failed, he hadn’t stopped taking care of the family.

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Matthew Wilbright wants a divorce from his childless marriage to Laura. Given it is because he still wants the chance to have a family heir, Laura might be forgiven for being a little resentful. Her response is to devise the ideal solution to her problems. But perfect plans don’t always go quite as intended!

The Perfect Crime

“Laura, thanks for looking after my little darlings while I was away.”

“Don’t mention it, the pleasure was all mine.” I smiled down the phone. If only Rebecca knew what I’d done.

“I was quite worried about you before I went. You seemed very low. Is there anything I can do?”

“I’m fine now. Really I am and believe me when I say I appreciate everything you’ve already done.” Every little thing! I grinned.

“Well if you’re sure. I’ll see you next week.”

“Yes, bye.” I put the phone down and nodded to myself, yes I was fine.

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The Queen feels that she has been wholly misrepresented in her dealings with Snow White. It’s always hard for a step-mother to get a fair hearing and when the child is a real ‘daddy’s girl’ it’s going to be harder than normal. Tom, the reporter who has the chance of interviewing the Queen, to put her side of the story, is almost taken in – Almost!

The Queen Bites Back

“It’s all very well that we step mothers get a bad name,” said Ariadne, fluttering her eyelashes and swishing her raven black hair into place. “A doe-eyed child cries foul and their dear daddy believes them. Well things are never as simple as they seem and Snow White wasn’t the perfect little miss that she’s made out to be. Oh, she could act the part when it came to visitors, but living with her was an altogether different matter.” Her eyelids descended slowly as a look of sadness fluttered across her face.

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When Elsie moves home the most important thing to sort out is the wall of shoes. The shoes are never more essential than when one of her new neighbours dubs her a batty old woman and takes exception to her range of friends. Her other neighbour is wise enough to ask Elsie what it all means and is humbled by the reply.

The Wall of Shoes

“Don’t stand on ceremony, come through. I was just putting the kettle on. If I can find it amongst this lot.” Elsie laughed as she led Anne and Sylvia through to the kitchen.

“We just wanted to welcome you to Highfield Close. It’s a very nice area. We do hope you’ll fit in.” Anne looked sternly at Sylvia who held out the flowers to their new neighbour.

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