Monday 22 October 2012

The "Letting Go" Bloghop

Good morning! Today is the day of Kyra Lennon's "Letting Go" bloghop, to celebrate the recent release of her stunning novella, If I Let You Go. It's a very sweet, fun and emotional read - just like everything else I have read from this talented young lady!



Synopsis:
Madison Connor is about to lose it. Her job, that is. For three years, she’s taken care of Dominic Hartley’s five year old daughter, Tilly, but her world is flipped on its head when Dominic tells her his latest promotion is taking him to New York. With Tilly having a meltdown over the move, Madison and Dominic get into a fight that changes the entire nature of their relationship, causing Madison to ask herself a big question. Can she let him go?

So Kyra has organised a cool bloghop whereby our task is to write a flash fiction piece or personal story (500 words maximum) around the theme of letting go. Now, I apologise if my entry feels rushed - despite being signed up since the hop was announced, I somehow didn't have time to write it until 4 o'clock this morning! Never mind, I hope you enjoy it anyway! It also represents a bit of an experiment for me - it's my first stab at MG (I think - the protagonist is 12) and it's in first person. Oh, and it's not a real life story - pure fiction. It's 500 words exactly - here you go...


Everyone told me it wasn’t my fault. Heidi was a big dog – big and strong – and she’d have been quite capable of dragging me along if she wanted to. Not that she did. She loved me taking her for walkies.

It was just something caught her eye in the road. I never found out what, but it must have been something amazing, like a dinosaur bone. The car must have destroyed it like it nearly destroyed Heidi. I can still see the whole thing – most of all in my nightmares, which is why I don’t like going to sleep any more.

One moment she was bouncing along like she always did – our super Chocolate Lab – the next she was in the road in a heap. It looked like she was sleeping except for the blood. A lot happened in that moment – the brakes screeching, the bang when Heidi got hit, the smell of the cars’ tyres burning – but I don’t remember much else until I was at the vets’ with my mum. There were lots of adults around me, definitely, asking me if I was okay, but I didn’t know any of them.

It was three days later when we were sitting in the waiting room. Me and Mum – Dad was at work, as usual. They were doing an operation, but no one would tell me anything else. I just wanted to cuddle Heidi again, and rub her under the chin the way she liked. She must have been missing being together, too. It was Tuesday, but they’d let me stay off school.

We sat in silence until I asked, “Mum? Will Heidi be alright? And I want a proper answer – don’t just say you don’t know.” I looked at her straight in the face, trying to keep the tears down this time. I’d spilled a lot of them in the last few days, more than most twelve-year-old boys, I was sure.

“Callum,” she said. She squeezed my hand tighter and sighed. “It looks like... we’ll have to let her go.”

“Someone else will have to look after her?” I said quickly, though of course I knew that wasn’t what she meant.

Someone came out of the room where Heidi was, did a sort of smile at me, and said he had to speak to Mum. She went into the room with him. The big clock on the wall said it took three minutes. It felt like three hours.

We had the funeral the next day. I had to look away when they put Heidi in the hole. But not just for me. I couldn’t let Jimbo see his mum like that.

That’s what they couldn’t tell me. No one knew Heidi was pregnant until she got hit – and what if they had all died? But they managed to rescue just one. He’s a great puppy. He’s not Heidi, but it feels like she’s still here, a little bit. And one day I’m going to tell him all about her.


What do you think? Don't forget to visit Kyra's blog here for a list of the other marvellous (I'm making an effort not to use "awesome" so much) participants, and give her a follow if you're not already - you won't regret it! You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Below are the links where you can purchase If I Let You Go and read reviews:


Just a quick note - I've got training all week for my new job (my first in four years - yikes!) and I'm out tonight with the family for my stepson's 18th birthday, so it'll probably be tomorrow night before I get to most of the other entries. I can't wait! And best of luck to Kyra for her continued success - she's going places!

37 comments:

Cynthia said...

Saying hello from the blog hop. You have a believable MG voice. Thanks for sharing your story- I like how you wrap the themes of loss and recovery together so neatly in 500 words.

Suzanne Furness said...

So sad it made me want to cry I could feel the little lad's pain.
Enjoy your night out with the family.

Unknown said...

Moving story. I also shared about letting go of my dog.

Elise Fallson said...

Oh, what a touching story. You really did a great job here, and you did it all at 4 am?! Amazing.

Hope you all had a great time celebrating with Andrew and congrats again to Kyra!

Kyra Lennon said...

Aww! That was amazing, Nick! Great work!

I hope Andrew has a great birthday, and thanks for being part of the bloghop!

Laura Clipson said...

Oh, so emotional! I actually have tears in my eyes. Great job!

Trisha said...

Beautiful yet sad story, Nick! The pain of losing a beloved pet is one I didn't have to know till 25, and maybe that made it even worse, I don't know! (I had had that cat since I was 7 or so). Either way, I can relate to poor Callum!

Sally said...

Well written, it is so difficult to know when to treat a young person as an adult and when to carry on protecting them from hurt or upset.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

A kid's worst nightmare. Miracle there was one puppy who lived though.

Unknown said...

What a great balance, the sadness of a life ending and the joy of the new entering into existence.

JeffO said...

Well done, Nick.

Jessica Nelson said...

Sounds like my kind of romance!! And a great cover too. :-) Thanks for highlighting it!

Jessica Nelson said...

Oh, and your excerpt is so sad but I like that the end is hopeful. :-)

jaybird said...

I'm going to need a lot more tissues to get through this blog hop this morning! Yikes. This was a real tear jerker. Very well written and moving.

Dani said...

This is the bloghop for tissues. What a great piece. You did an amazing job!

M Pax said...

Another sweet and sad story. I hate seeing animals get hit. One of my cats died that way. Still makes me shudder.

Nicki Elson said...

Aw, Jimbo. A bittersweet tale, heavy on the sweet.

Suze said...

“Someone else will have to look after her?”

Nick, I felt this little guy so much when those words tumbled out of his mouth.

I like the way you ended it. This whole read had a very cohesive, complete sensibility about it and I had a Charlie Bucket kind of feeling inside your narrator's head. I think you may have the touch for MG, friend. Very nicely done.

Carol Kilgore said...

I wish Kyra good luck on her book. Lots of books out today :)

michelle said...

Such a gut-wrenching story. This is a child's worst nightmare come true. I really felt for the 12-year old protagonist. Nice job, Nick.

kjmckendry said...

Great entry Nick, you definitely nailed the emotion.

Congrats on your new job hope it goes well.

Christine Rains said...

Wonderfully written story. This bloghop is making me all teary eyed!

Jackie said...

You have an amazing MG voice, especially for this being your first shot at it! This part was brilliant "...but it must have been something amazing, like a dinosaur bone." Spot on what my sons would say.

Great job with this, Nick!

Tammy Theriault said...

good story, thanks for saving a pup in the story...gives hope! new follower...nice to meet u!

Nick Wilford said...

Cynthia - Thanks for your kind words - glad you liked it!

Suzanne - Thanks! It was a nice night.

Jenn - Thanks, I'll look forward to reading it.

Elise - Thanks very much! Well, 4 to 5 - and I'm especially glad you liked it as I didn't have time to polish - the only editing done was taking out five words!

Kyra - Thank you for writing your awesome book and organising the bloghop! :)

Andrew had a great day and got two cakes! :D

Laura - Thanks! I'm glad I evoked a strong reaction, but hopefully I didn't make anyone too sad. :)

Trisha - We had our first cat from when I was five and lost her when I was 19, so I can sympathise. It's not easy at any age!

Sally - Thanks. It is a tricky balance, isn't it?

Alex - Thanks. I came up with that twist after thinking I needed something more than losing the pet - hopefully sweetens it a bit!

Carolyn - Thanks. You summed up what I was going for!

Jeff - Thanks!

Jessica - Yeah, it is a great romance! Strong emotions. Thanks for your kind words on the story.

Nick Wilford said...

Jay - Thanks! Comments like this make my day. :)

Dani - Thanks very much!

Mary - It is awful - thankfully I've never witnessed it... sorry for the loss of your cat.

Nicki - Thanks, I'm glad it was sweet!

Suze - Thanks - your comment warms the cockles of my heart! And I'm blown away by the Charlie comparison, cos that's one of my all-time faves. :)

Carol - Yep, good luck to Kyra!

Michelle - Thank you very much!

Kathy - Thanks! The job is going well so far but it's only been training - I'm yet to get "out there" (as a care worker) so that's when I'll see what it's really like!

Christine - Thanks! Yes, there are a lot of moving stories - and lots of talent on show!

Jackie - Aww, I really appreciate your compliment about the voice! I will definitely do more like this.

Tammy - Thanks. Yeah, I thought it needed something so it wasn't completely bleak (esp for MG)! Nice to meet you too!

Kelley Lynn said...

Can't wait to read this! So excited for Kyra :)

Lynn(e) Schmidt said...

OMG. OMG. This story almost made me cry. I loved the voice, especially the part about the dinosaur bone. Beautiful story.

Anonymous said...

This is so sad and wonderfully written.

Congrats to Kyra.

Catherine Noble said...

Aww, as soon as I saw there was a dog involved, I had to reach for my hankie :'( what a sad tale! Everyone's blog hops are all tear-jerkers, I feel so silly with my daft car-related one now!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Great Writing, Nick. You brought tears to my eyes. I loved the bittersweet twist at the end with Jimbo.

Clare said...

Excellent flashfic, Nick. Your did MG voice really well, and the story was very touching - I had a tear in my eye by the end - I'm glad it had a positive ending with the new puppy. :)

dolorah said...

Beautiful story Nick. And congrats on the new job. I hope its going well.

..........dhole

Nicole said...

What a touching story! I'd totally believe in your narrator as an MG character. Well done. :)

Jennie Bennett said...

Thank goodness I already downloaded it. *whew* ;)

Unknown said...

I found the voice of the little boy very believable. (I wish I could write little boys.) I really enjoyed reading your excerpt. Great job! :-)

Carrie Butler said...

Darn it, Nick! That was so sad.

Well done! :)