Scott Family Short Story #4
Pedalo Pandemonium
Laura and Ben are still together, against all the odds. Laura’s Family the Scotts are adorable – but they wreak havoc wherever they go. The couple have survived first date silicon dog poo, Christmas mayhem and even dodgy marshmallows.
Their future together may have looked doomed on more than one occasion, but here they are at the airport – eating bacon sandwiches and watching planes take off, as they wait to board their flight to Mallorca.
A whole week in an idyllic Spanish fishing village. Just the two of them. Away from their families and the usual chaos. Wonderful.
What could possibly go wrong…?
Q&A
– When and where do you prefer to write?
I like to write on the sofa in my lounge, with something nice on the television, like one of the programmes where they are looking around holiday homes in Spain.
– Do you have a certain ritual?
Until recently, I used to get home from my day job at about 7pm and start writing then. However, I have recently gone part-time and I’m enjoying the luxury of writing on an afternoon, without having to worry about getting to bed early enough not to seep-in the following morning.
– Is there a drink of some food that keeps you company while you write?
I always like to have a cup of coffee next to me, but on a weekend if it is sunny outside, I love to have a glass of Prosecco.
– What is your favourite book?
I love Look who’s Talking, by Alan Carr. I also liked Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes.
– Do you consider writing a different genre in the future?
I would like to be able to write a thriller, but I find suspense stressful and I hate any type of nastiness. I have also thought about a humorous private detective series. The type where the victim is found upside down with his feet sticking out of a haystack, next to a pitchfork.
– Do you sometimes base your characters on people you know?
Yes! All of the Scott Family were based on my family members. The stories are fiction, apart from A Christmas Day Kerfuffle, which was based on a missing key on Christmas morning when my husband first met my family.
– Do you take a notebook everywhere in order to write down ideas that pop up?
I do, but still end up writing on receipts, or sending myself text messages.
– Which genre do you not like at all?
I can’t read about child abuse. I find it too upsetting.
– If you had the chance to co-write a book. Whom would it be with?
Marian Keyes.
Thank you, Amanda Paull and Rachel’s Random Resources.
About the author
My name is Amanda Paull. Well, that’s my pen name, not my real one, which helps to keep my writing separate from my day job.
I grew up in the North East of England and couldn’t wait to move away. However, after studying and then living both in England and abroad, I returned to the North East and wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else now.
Going to Grammar school in the days when teachers wore black caps and gowns, and walloped at will, wasn’t much fun for a shy, quiet child like myself. So, I just kept my head down, did my homework and tried to stay invisible.
I used to love daydreaming and making up stories in my head, but I never thought about writing them down. In those days, writing wasn’t an enjoyable pursuit, it was more of a time to tow the line and avoid being hit by a flying blackboard rubber. I was the type of pupil who would have been mortified to have ‘made’ a teacher launch one at me, so I would have shown respect by not ducking.
A short career in teaching was a revelation, to put it mildly. After going back to University, I settled into my current post in the public sector, where I am very happy.
It was Jim, a work colleague, who suggested around 12 years ago that I write a book. Apparently, my contribution to coffee break conversations always seemed to be either tragic or hilarious. But to me it was just normal stuff. No-one would want to read about that.
Then, a couple of years later, while sunbathing in Mallorca with my boyfriend, who is now my husband, and a glass of Cava, the idea of writing a humorous fiction novel came to me. I didn’t need to make it all up though as I had a plentiful supply of funny real life snippets.
To get started, I studied creative writing through the Open University, which fitted nicely around my job and, to my delight, was absolutely nothing like school. The Scott Family Short Stories started out as an assignment for this course. A Christmas Day Kerfuffle was the result of the fictional account of the first Christmas brunch my husband spent with my family. Of all the short stories, this one has more true snippets in it than the others. The taxi driver and bike box scene in Pedalo Pandemonium was pretty true to life, too. The driver looked different, but the airport to hotel transfer only required slight embellishment.
I also write Women’s Fiction. Pictures in the Sky was my debut novel, and I am currently writing my second, Painting Bananas.
Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Apaullfiction
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Apaullfiction
Website: https://www.amandapaull.co.uk/
Book Links
https://books2read.com/u/mqDVjO
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V2T6N6Y
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07V2T6N6Y
B for Bookreview 