A short story for Christmas – and a Dalmatian called Jemima

Well I did it! I hit ‘send’ on my second Much Winchmoor novel on the due date, so as promised in my last blog post, I’m posting this short story by way of celebration. Also, it’s a thank you to all you lovely people who have followed my blog during my stumbling journey towards and beyond publication of my debut crime novel, Murder Served Cold.

It is not a Christmas story but one I enjoyed writing very much as it features a Dalmatian called Jemima – and here’s a photograph of the dog that inspired it. She was a sweet natured, gentle dog and was very much loved.

This story is dedicated to her and all the other dogs we have been privileged to share our lives with.

edited 28th March, 2023

When I originally published this post back in December 2018, I included the story, Mail Order Husband,, below.

Since that time I have compiled an anthology of some of my favourite short stories, entitled “Selling My Grandmother – Confessions of a Story Teller” which I shall be publishing through Amazon shortly. (Just as soon as I can muster the necessary courage to hit the send button!) The anthology includes this story and, according to Amazon’s rules I am not able to publish a story that has previously been published elsewhere on the internet. So, sadly, I have had to take it down.

But it is available in the anthology which is a collection of 15 heartwarming stories, along with the ‘stories behind the stories’. Over the course of my writing career, I have used my family, friends and neighbours shamelessly and this collection is, indeed, the confessions of a story teller.