Monday, 8 February 2016

The Kind Hearted Man Killer Takes a Trip

 A few years ago I wrote a fictional diary of a young woman, which I set in the 1940s and 1950s.  This woman was labouring under a curse after upsetting the local “witch”, and the curse had the unfortunate effect of killing off every man that she came into contact with. A bit daft maybe, but I enjoyed myself and that’s the main thing.

Well, this being the 1950s, of course I couldn’t not include a visit to the Festival.  Here’s the extract:

27th May 1951
Managed to scrape a new outfit together for the trip to the Festival.  Got my bridesmaid outfit skirt altered and wearing it with a more comfortable and plain blouse.  Will take my angora cardigan too but it promises to be fine if this weather holds.  Shoes need repairs though.
I think Jenny might be a bit jealous but Joan is adamant that she wants it to be just us two.  She says she wants to ask me something.  I’m not going back to the café while he’s there.

3rd June 1951
Got my clothes all out ready and a pack of sandwiches.  Long day tomorrow, got to be up so early but don’t think I can sleep. Neither of us has been to London before.  Hope we don’t get lost and there are plenty of signs.  Joan came round this evening and we studied a map for ages.  Got our route from King’s Cross to the South Bank all worked out.

5th June 1951
What a day yesterday was.  Very long and tiring.  The train journey went without a hitch and we did well on the underground though I found it quite frightening.  I’m not rushing to go for a ride on that again. Now I know how a sardine feels – one that’s being cooked in its tin.  The Festival was marvellous although we spent a lot of time queuing, the worst of it being the queuing for drinks when we were so thirsty after the underground ride.  We picked a lovely warm day. And it felt so nice being with Joan again too.  It was just the journey home again that disturbed my holiday feeling.  Our train was quite a late one, and after Grantham we got the compartment completely to ourselves.  That’s when Joan told me that she’d been wanting to talk to me without any big ears flapping and now was her chance.
“I’m not happy, Lou.” She said to me.  “I’m at my wits end I just don’t know what to do next.”
“Bill?”  I guessed, and she nodded. I knew it.  She regrets the day she ever clapped eyes on him and certainly regrets marrying him so quickly.  She admits she’s been a complete fool and doesn’t know whether to be embarrassed or just plain miserable.  I felt ever so sorry for her.  I had thought she’d brought it on herself but I can see now what sort of a man he is.  One who has to have it his own way all the time and who bullies and coaxes until he gets it.  He wanted her money and went right out to get it. Daft Joan bought the house with her own money and put it in his name.  He’s taking the money that she earns at the café.  If she leaves him he’ll get it all.  It’s all so unfair.
So then we came up with our plan which I’m not going to write down now.  All to do with my curse.  It’s a bit distasteful for me I must say but I’ll do it for Joan.


Here comes the shameless plug that I’ve been working up to. You can download this book onto your Kindle for the festive sum of 99p by clicking


Or you can read bits of it on the blog here:


Unfortunately this is in reverse order, what with it being a blog. 


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