The Cards Never Lie…. (flash fiction)

With a heavy heart, she climbed the rickety wooden staircase that led up into her grandmother’s attic spell room. It was her spell room now that she had inherited the wonky cottage and its contents. The cottage had been in the family for nigh on five hundred years. Every school holiday had been spent with her grandmother at the cottage learning her craft. With infinite patience, her grandmother had taught her and tested her in order to define what kind of natural witch she was. The findings had always been inconsistent. Magic came easily to her and her natural talents allowed her to combine elements that were never meant to be a natural fit.

For the past few days, she had been focusing on manifestation. It was the final technique that her grandmother had been teaching her before she died unexpectedly in her sleep.

Once at the top of the stairs, she walked across the well-worn floorboards to her worktable. She had laid out all the items she needed the night before after scouring the family grimoire for help. With a silent prayer to the goddess, she lit a candle then sprinkled the carefully selected dried herbs into the flame. They crackled as they combusted. Next she selected three crystals from the velvet drawstring bag that sat beside her then added a clear quartz crystal to amplify their energy.

With trembling hands, she picked up her grandmother’s oracle cards, feeling the old woman’s residual energy flowing into her hands as she shuffled them. Keeping a clear vision of the life she wished to manifest for herself in the centre of her mind, she drew three cards from the deck and placed them on the table beside the three crystals. Past, Present and Future lay before her.

Turning over the first card that represented her past, she smiled. The cared indicated that there was complexity in the situation but the presence of a bright sun indicated hope. A hope that she had clung onto for a very long time.

The second card represented her present. It showed two people at a crossroads. Decisions needed to be made together otherwise they risked parting for ever.

Keeping her eyes closed, she turned over the third and final card. Her future. Whispering the words from the grimoire, she held her left hand over the card for a moment or two before she opened her eyes. When she saw the card and the child depicted on it… her child…their child.

Her concentration was shattered by her phone ringing. Without having to look at the screen, she knew who was calling.

The cards never lie….

(image sourced via Google – credits to the rightful owner)

Spreading your wings….all in good time

I’ve been pondering this week’s blog post topic for a few days and largely drawing a blank to be honest.

It’s felt as if something has been guiding me to pause and reflect.

Maybe the transition from the Chinese Year of the Snake to 2026’s Year of the Fire Horse has had a hand in this pause…who knows…

So, now that I’ve paused, I’m taking a moment to look back. I prefer to look forwards. I’m not a fan of looking back on certain emotional levels. The past is in the past and can’t be changed. However, that said, lessons learned from the past can help to shape the future.

I was reminded recently of an angel card/ oracle card reading that I had over fifteen years ago. It’s no secret to those who know me that I love oracle cards and have several…many…different decks. (I’m more cautious and wary around Tarot cards but that’s a whole different story.)

The card that I was reminded of is the one pictured above. It’s from a Doreen Virtue deck and shows an Earth Angel with her wings folded behind her, holding a crystal ball filled with butterflies in her hands. I love butterflies! At the time I was that told that I had skills/talents to share but that I wasn’t ready to spread my wings. Back then, it didn’t make much sense but looking back now, it makes perfect sense.

That reading was in 2010 if memory serves me correctly, three years before I decided to embark on my creative journey. It was eight years before I embarked on another journey that I rarely mention on here- my Reiki journey. (During that angel card reading, the medium/fortune teller had been adamant that I was a healer.)

So much has changed in my life since that card reading all those years ago… so much.

I don’t intend to go into it all here, largely because most of it is too personal to share in such a public space.

I will share this though…

If you’d told the “me” who was offered that card that I’d write and self-publish seven novels plus a poetry collection and have an eighth novel in the works, she would have thought you were insane.

If you’d told the “me” who was offered that card that I’d write a weekly blog, every week for over eleven years and counting plus an ad hoc music blog, she would have thought you were insane.

If you’d told the “me” who was offered that card that I would be qualified as a Reiki Master Teacher (although technically I can’t call myself a teacher until I have actually taught a Reiki student) I would have thought you were insane.

If you’d told the “me” who was offered that card that I would confidently travel solo and go to concerts on my own, I would have thought you were insane.

None of these things felt achievable back then. They were the stuff of dreams. They were things that confident, capable people achieved and felt completely beyond the reach of shy, introverted wee me.

Now that I have paused to reflect, perhaps that “Earth Angel” has quietly spread her wings. Maybe now, in these early days of the Year of the Fire Horse, it is time to spread them further and fly.

Time will tell…

Unconditional Love….. a poem for Valentine’s Day

Understanding what makes you smile

No strings attached

Celebrating all your successes however small

Offering support without being asked

No expectations of love in return

Duration and strength in the unspoken bonds between our hearts

In this lifetime, past lifetimes, lifetimes yet to come

Trust

Implicit trust

Once in a lifetime soulmate connection

Nurture over need

Always got your back

Loyal to the death

Loving freely and deeply and quietly

Openly and honestly

Volunteered without question

Endless…

We made it through January!

Finally, the 3567 days of January have passed!

I saw the photo above on Facebook on 22 January. In fact, I shared it on my personal Facebook feed.

Making it through those ten darker than dark weeks has been a slog.

It feels like a moral victory to see light in the sky now when I finish work for the day around 4:30pm.

While those ten weeks are recognised as the darkest in the northern hemisphere, my own personal “dark days of winter” timeline is measured a little differently.

Regular readers of my blog already know how much I love the beach. The beach is my happy place. It’s where I go to think, to recharge my batteries and to feed my soul. I’m fortunate to live less than two miles from a small stretch of beach. Several times a week, I’ll walk there after work just to feel sand under my feet and to hear the water lapping ashore.

However, when the clocks change at the end of October, it becomes dark too early for me to walk there when I finish work. Visits to the beach become limited to the weekends until the light begins to return to the sky.

The key date for me isn’t 22nd January. It’s 1st February.

It takes until 1st February for the day to be just long enough for me to walk to the beach, walk along it and get far enough through the journey home to be back on the section of road that has streetlights before it is pitch black.

So, here we are, finally into February. Hallelujah! My daily beach walks beckon”

Now, if it would just stop raining!….

credits to the owners of the top image – littlepinelearners – image is tagged

AI spam email offers of support……

As an indie author, one of my biggest challenges is marketing and book promotion. Fact.

Warning- rant incoming!

As an indie author, my biggest bug bear so far in 2026, is the constant flood of emails that are cascading into my inbox, all AI written, telling me how much they enjoyed my book, how wonderfully written my books are, how strong my characters are, how emotional my storytelling is blah blah blah as they then try to scam me into signing up for  some out of this world marketing proposal.

Cut the crap out, folks! I’m not believing a single ChatGPT word of it!

More recently, these chancers have tried another tactic and are claiming to be from book clubs around the country who are wanting to feature my book for one of their monthly meetings. I’ve looked into a few and they are fake. They don’t exist.

Cut the crap out, folks! I’m not believing a single ChatGPT word of it!

Perhaps the lowest of the low approaches is where they are pretending to be another author reaching out so we can support each other’s work.

Cut the crap out, folks! I’m not believing a single ChatGPT word of it!

What worries me though with all this AI spam is that perhaps in amongst this rubbish there is a genuine email and I miss a legitimate approach. How am I meant to tell in this messed up world where AI and not humans is generating the emails?

Answers on a postcard please. Yes- a literal postcard, with a handwritten message and a stamp in the top right corner and that has been sent through the mail.

(image sourced via Google- credits to the owner)

Paused (poem)

As the sun began to sink low in the sky

I looked back along the trail and…

Paused….

Marvelling at how far I had come.

In the distance I could see

The difficult days when I faltered

The marshlands where I got bogged down

And the ocean that reset my soul

With a deep sigh, I prepared to go on

I looked ahead along the trail and…

Paused…

The sun’s light was blinding me

Concealing the distance left to travel.

Dark Place (100 word flash fiction)

As dusk fell the snow fell silently, the wind blowing it into deep drifts. Wearily, the wolf made his way up the trail, walking on instinct alone, trusting the familiarity of the path hidden beneath the thick blanket of snow.

Up ahead he could just see the outcrop of black rock against the darkening sky. Sanctuary lay underneath it- his den for the long winter to come.

An eternity later he saw the mouth of the cave a few metres above him.

Darkness wrapped itself around him like a blanket as he settled down on the earth floor to rest.

(Image sourced via Google – credits to the owner)

The Measly Jar of Motivation – what placates you?

“What placates you?”

Oh, good question from the Measly Jar of Motivation to start the blogging year!

Placate- from the Latin placare meaning to appease.

Placate – to make someone less hostile or angry; to pacify or calm someone.

When I pulled this question from the mason jar, I thought “Oh, this will be easy!” but now that I am thinking about the origin of the word placate and the dictionary meaning, I’m not so sure.

So, why am I finding it a challenge to answer this question? Because I’m genuinely not a hostile or angry person who needs to be pacified and placated. It’s as simple as that.

On the odd occasion when I do get angry, I’m more likely to walk away than to get riled. I dislike conflict.

If I look at this question from a different angle and rephrase it as “What calms you?” then it’s easier to answer…much easier!

A walk along the beach is my favourite way to calm myself and replenish my soul. There’s a small stretch of beach about a mile and a half from my house and as often as I can, I’ll walk there and let the feeling of the sand under my feet ground me. If it’s a sunny day then that’s a bonus as sitting in the sun is another thing that I do when the chance arises to keep calm, I think I’m solar powered! LOL

Practising yoga and channelling Reiki as I meditate first thing in the morning several days a week, calms me. I might only spend a few minutes on my yoga mat some days but it’s enough.

Writing is the other obvious answer to the revised question. I journal extensively and have done for years now and I find that is a really effective way to calm down, especially if someone is preying on my mind. Seeing the “issue” written down on the page frequently kills its power. Don’t underestimate the value to be found in journalling. Not a day goes by that I don’t write something, even if it’s only my diary entry at bedtime.

Finally, music is another thing that calms me. There’s always music playing in the house or in the cara. I have my “go to” songs for certain emotions but music, especially live music, is so good for the soul.

So, what placates you? Please comment below.

Happy 12th Blogiversary to me!

I’ve sat down several times of late to write this 12th anniversary blog but the words wouldn’t flow….and I guess that’s been the story of 2025.

I started the year with the genuine intention of finishing and publishing Book Baby 9 but it hasn’t happened. There was a period in early summer when I was beating myself up about this. I’m an author! I should be able to write!

A wellbeing presentation at work brought me up short. It stopped me in my tracks on a few levels but it made me recognise that I was perhaps still pushing myself too hard and that the “word drought” was my brain’s way of saying it needed a bit more time to heal. So, I listened to it and stopped berating myself for not having my Book Baby finished. I abandoned the potential publication date that I had in mind.

Instead, I focused on falling in love with writing all over again. I explored other avenues. I’ve continued to blog weekly and to journal extensively. I’ve taken part in online poetry challenges and an online winter writing sanctuary with the lovely Beth Kempton. I’ve also completed a Journal Therapy Coach diploma and more recently have been furthering my Reiki studies. I’ve not been idle.

Taking the pressure of a deadline date away lifted an enormous pressure that I had put on myself.

So, where am I now with Book Baby 9? Well, my first draft is almost complete (at last!). Timeline-wise there are about two weeks of the story left to weave. It has a title but I’m keeping that under wraps for now. I might have found the cover image but I’m not 100% sure on that yet so again I’m keeping that under wraps. A week before Christmas I did give the world its first glimpse of the content in my weekly blog post. Missed it? Here’s the link-

A little insight into things to come…. | Coral McCallum

So, the cat’s out of the bag. Book Baby 9 sees us back following Riley’s tale. When I finished Riley back in 2022, I had thought that that was it but she had more to say. She really is my favourite little green-haired girl.

Riley has also had the honour of becoming my first audio book release. Audio books are unknown territory for me but I’m testing the water to see what happens. If there’s any interest in it then I will consider adding my other book babies. Time will tell…

Now, here we are on the cusp of a new year. I wonder what 2026 will bring.

If you have stuck with me over the past 12 years of this creative journey, thank you. If you’ve only just found this blog, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to you. You’ve a lot of catching up to do!

Creatively, I’m only setting one goal for 2026 and that is to finally publish Book Baby 9 (Yes, I know I said that last year.) There will no doubt be more blogs from The Measly Jar of Motivation, some more instalments of Silently Watching and more poetry. We’ll see what words flow from my pen.

Whatever goals or challenges you are setting yourself for the coming year, I wish you good luck with them. Have a wonderful 2026 and I truly hope that it is kind to us all.

Love and Hugs

Coral xxx

Merry Christmas from me to you

(credits to the owner 302 Life – photo is tagged -sourced from Facebook)

I’d just like to wish each and every one of you. a wonderful Christmas. I hope Santa has been kind to you and brought you all the books on your wish list. He’s brought me a few that were on mine.

If you’ve received a nice new kindle or perhaps a cover for an older kindle then perhaps you might also want to add some new books. I can recommend a few 😉

For those who have already read some or all of the Silver Lake series, I’m sure you can imagine Jake and Lori admiring Rehoboth Beach’s beautiful Christmas tree. I’d love to see the town at Christmas….maybe one day.

love n hugs

Coral xx

Check out the Silver Lake series today-

Amazon.com links –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RR1FGLG

Amazon.co.uk links  –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08RR1FGLG

Have you met Riley yet?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9SWP6K3

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B9SWP6K3

Or Ellen?

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FYHKR44

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FYHKR44