laurenlloydauthor

Let’s Talk About….. Personality Tests

SATURDAY “It’s my personality.” Helen giggles. “I’m hasty and stubborn…. apparently.” As usual she arrives at our coffee meet like a whirlwind. “You ordered the cake?” She looks around for a waitress. “On the plus side, I’m also dynamic and persuasive.” She winks at me. I don’t doubt it. Especially when it comes to cake.”Continue reading “Let’s Talk About….. Personality Tests”

THE OHANA – CHAPTER 3

You’ve met Celeste and her custodian, Sandro. The joyful, life affirming Glasgow Girls, Helen and Rachel. You’ve imagined the parties and darkness of the Ohana. I think wonderful readers, it is finally time to get acquainted with my last character. The wait is over. I bring you retired doctor, sailor, anthropologist and psychoanalyst, Antoni. ENJOY.Continue reading “THE OHANA – CHAPTER 3”

THE OHANA – CHAPTER 2

Author’s Note: What do you mean you haven’t read The Ohana, Part 1? Then dear reader, you need to go back. Go back. Go back. Part 2 works as a standalone, but reading a book backwards is like eating a Jaffa Cake upside down. There is a logic to the introduction of literary characters –Continue reading “THE OHANA – CHAPTER 2”

THE OHANA

I finished my epic story, ‘Borderline Normality.’ Phew! And breathe! Check out the Short Story Section on the site for a preview and watch this space for final publication of the full-length novel. Boy, was finishing that book emotionally intense. It’s a full-on, nail-biter of a read. In the words of one reviewer: “If theContinue reading “THE OHANA”

Hedwig the Barefoot Duchess of Silesia

Wroclaw, Silesia: 1209 Monsters come in many forms, including shoes. The soft, brown leather boots are dwarfed by Lorenz the Confessor’s manly hands. Henry the Bearded chose his conspirator well. If anyone has power to make Hedwig cover her feet, it’s Bishop Lorenz. Hedwig feels her breath and her heart quicken. As quickly as itContinue reading “Hedwig the Barefoot Duchess of Silesia”

The True Object Of All Human Life Is Play

Diplomacy is a 67-year old game about taking over Europe. It’s a truly classic board game. Highly influential, intensely beloved, widely acclaimed. The beating heart of Diplomacy is in the alliances and agreements 7 players make in-between submitting orders. It is a game conducted not on the board, but in whispered conversations and secret messages.Continue reading “The True Object Of All Human Life Is Play”

Glasgow and Edinburgh: A Tale of Two Loaves

Glasgow South Side, 1893: The Glasgow Boys “Japan?” 29-year old Edward Hornel blinks in disbelief. He looks at his friend and fellow artist George Henry. Tea from a china cup in the grand drawing room of shipping magnet William Burrell? What a heck of a journey their paintings had brought them on. George grins atContinue reading “Glasgow and Edinburgh: A Tale of Two Loaves”

‘The Glasgow Effect’ and why it REALLY MATTERS

I LOVE GLASGOW. The people, the art, the culture, the buzz. Quite simply, Glasgow is like nowhere else in the world. Born an Edinburger (Portobello, to be precise – once a beach-o-phile, always a beach-o-phile), I have come home. I love this beautiful, vibrant, friendly city. There is nowhere I would rather live and work.Continue reading “‘The Glasgow Effect’ and why it REALLY MATTERS”

Why I Want To Be…… Harley Quinn

Blessed with three sons, I have an impressive knowledge of superheroes. DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, IDW. Yaaay. Kick-ass mum. I know them all. After seventeen years of trying hard to stay awake… my conclusion? That superhero movies have a formula. There’s: A good guy; A supportive but hard-to-get girlfriend; Some evil villain he needsContinue reading “Why I Want To Be…… Harley Quinn”

War of the Bucket

Monteveglio, Northern Italy. Spring 1325. The imposing Abbazia overlooks the valley of Samoggia and the Bolognese Apennines. The women of the abbey scurry about their business dutifully. They know their fortunes depend on servitude, no matter how distasteful. “Our Pope has the leadership and the appendage of a maggot on heat.” Pagolo spits his malevolenceContinue reading “War of the Bucket”