Lily Joseph

  I wrote a very Christmassy flash fiction story this December, so thought what better time to publish it on the blog. I was really delighted that this was short-listed out of 1200 entries in the Australian Writers' Centre Furious Fiction competition. Wish   'Come with us.' In the gossamer thin veil between asleep and awake, Alice left her bed and opened the window. Below, in the dim blue glow of moonlight upon snow, a parade of carriages and sleighs slipped down the street, festooned with holly wreaths and swags of red ribbon. Candlelight burned within the carriages and the voices beckoned her along, although nobody else appeared to hear. Alice felt no fear at all as she climbed down the ivy and ran after them. The snow underfoot did not sting her bare feet and her nightgown felt as cosy as when it was warmed by the fire. The stationary last carriage glowed like a pumpkin and she stepped up inside to meet its owner. 'You made a wish, Alice,' said the litt...

In amongst wrapping, baking, pre-cooking and the last few hectic days at work, I managed to squeeze in another festive read - Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. Synopsis Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) adores Christmas. It's always the same – Mum and Dad hosting, carols playing, Mum pretending she made the Christmas pudding, and the next-door neighbours coming round for sherry in their terrible festive jumpers. And now it's even easier with online bargain-shopping sites – if you spend enough you even get free delivery. Sorted! But this year looks set to be different. Unable to resist the draw of craft beer and smashed avocado, Becky's parents are moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch and have asked Becky if she'll host Christmas this year. What could possibly go wrong? With sister Jess demanding a vegan turkey, husband Luke determined that he just wants aftershave  again , and little Minnie insisting on a very specific picnic hamper – surely Becky can manage all this, a...

  'It's the most wonderful time of the year...' So goes the song. I'm sitting here as I write, popping Stollen bites into my mouth at thirty second intervals and admiring the sight and smell of my Christmas tree. It really is a nice feeling - the twinkly lights, the warm glow of knowledge that I'll get to spend a special few days with my children, and the excitement of what will be under the tree for them when the 'Big Man' has been. The only scratch on the bauble is that the 'Big Man' is inevitably me. As much as I'm enjoying these Stollen bites, eating them is somewhat like an athlete squirting an energy gel down their throat after finishing the London Marathon. It's both a reward and a vital replacement of nutrients to combat complete and utter exhaustion. Many people will feel the same at this time of year, and although there are a lot of families out there where Dad or other significant males are doing the donkey work, the majority of th...

  Thought I might add a mini book review to the blog every now and then, starting with a Christmassy read: One More For Christmas by Sarah Morgan.  Synopsis Gayle is a highly successful and motivated business woman, but her success has come at a price – she hasn’t spoken to her daughters, Ella and Samantha, for years. But when Gayle has an accident at work, she realises she needs to make amends with her family. And so she invites herself to join Ella and Samantha for their Christmas in the beautiful Scottish Highlands. The sisters are none too pleased that their mother has inserted herself into their Christmas plans. They have each other – and don’t need their mother back in their lives. Or so they think… As they embark on their first family Christmas together in years, will the three women learn that sometimes facing up to a few home truths is all you need to heal your heart? What I Thought...  This was more than just a fluffy festive read, dealing with family dynamics, ...

  Last week I was really pleased to be shortlisted in Reedsy Prompts' weekly creative writing competition. My story 'Small Acts' was picked as one of seven shortlisted out of over 900 entries, so I was pretty chuffed. Today I thought I would post it to the blog, and would love to hear any feedback from readers! Small Acts   The milkman always leaves the bottles right in front of the door, right where Esther could trip over them, so I make it my job every delivery day to move them to the side of the step. I leave the house at six every Monday morning so that I can do this, sliding the basket carefully to the side so that the bottles don't clink together. Today I notice that the hanging basket above the door looks a bit dry. I'll come back later and sort that out. One thing less for Philip to do.             It's a warm summer morning, already light, but the curtains are still closed upstairs. It's   a bit late, I...

  A few years ago  I got talking to a woman at a wedding, someone that I recognised from the village I live in but had never spoken to before. It was late in the evening, tucked away in a shadowy corner of a converted barn and I'd lost count of how many drinks I'd had. The conversation turned to social events in the village - I  knew this lady to be quite involved with the community, the type to appear on the village Facebook on an almost daily basis and be a member of various committees. She mentioned that she runs a book group once a month for local women.     'Oh, I don't think I'd fancy a book group,' I said, wine lubricating my brutal honesty gears. 'I absolutely love reading, so I don't really need ideas or inspiration, to be honest.'     'Well, I'm sorry to say, we haven't room for any new members.'     'That's fine,' I said, not sure if she'd heard me right. 'What I mean is, that's great there's a b...