‘Grace and Me’ began life, more or less, as the equivalent of a doodle, musing my mind’s reflection of a peaceful space in the middle of the Second World War, where safety shielded evacuees from a harsh, but desperately yearned-for home. However, as characters appear in my head, comparisons between ‘Haves’ and ‘Have-nots’ create references that draw unfair lines, where privilege, supported by money, seemingly creates a passage beyond the pain of the poor.
This story was written as a short story about a friendship that reflected the wartime experiences of siblings sent to the military front line. However, when I placed a caveat indicating modern-day meanderings of survival, a whole new scenario and depth to the tale emerged, convincing me that this story held adventurous, soul-searching consequences. Currently, I have set its progress aside, only returning to it as respite from more concentrated effort on other projects. The first two parts have been written and are available for you to read here. Hopefully, the plot will be completed and written in the near future.
In the meantime, enjoy.
Butler-Art Press is a platform I created to support amateur Writers, Artists, and craftpeople in France. Although it proved to be something of a ‘White Elephant’, commercially, I use the platform to publish my own stories and writing. There was a point where I endeavoured to produce a magazine with a remit to publish short stories written by unpublished amateur writers. This magazine was to be launched under the title ‘Butler’s Trumpet’ but didn’t really get off the ground. However, I have found it useful to use for my own stories, including the early parts of Grace and Me.
This is more or less the original story proposal. I published this as a short story in the trials of the magazine Butlers trumpet. Hope you enjoy it
This was a development of Grace and Me, leading the story forward to a much bigger picture where I realised the beginning of what could be an enjoyable novel.
