Last time, I wrote that I would celebrate the anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth and death by writing a sonnet inspired in some way by the Bard. Rash promise! Once again, real life intervened, and I've spent much of the last few weeks sitting beside my elderly mother's hospital bed. She's slept through most of it and she isn't in any imminent danger, apart from being old, so I found myself with nothing to do. The time wasn't wasted, however. I don't feel able to concentrate properly on reading or writing in that kind of situation, but there was enough happening on the ward to supply me with characters, situations and reactions for future use.
    I hope these experiences and observations will make my writing more insightful. It might seem callous, but writers never really stop writing because their business is to capture life and turn it into words–even if they set their tales on a galaxy far, far away or have their characters threatened by creeping green goo. That's my excuse anyway. It isn't a bad way to sort out how you feel about things either.
    Between hospital visits, I've been able to check out Third Flatiron's new anthology, Hyperpowers, which has my story, 'Alien Dreams' in it. I'm honoured to be included in such an impressive line-up of stories. You can find it at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/630060 or http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EBBVCZK priced $3.99. A print version is due out soon. Take a look at http://www.thirdflatiron.com to find out more about this and Third Flatiron's other projects.
    By the way, if you're quick and unlike me, you have written a sonnet inspired by one of Shakespeare's, you can enter it in a FREE competition, closing on 31st May. Go to the Writers & Artists website for details.