Thank you, Tim.

My thanks to my publisher, Tim Runk of CSS Publications, (who also produces and manages my website) for the publication of Volume Two of Children's Stories From The Village Shepherd. I hope you will be as impressed as I am by the cover picture, which clearly links to Volume One but is easily differentiated.

You can read the first few stories online by clicking here and following the links in the left hand column.

As in Volume One, each story is based on a particular gospel reading but is set in modern life or in the fantasy world of talking animals, fairies and pixies.

Originally written with All-Age Worship and Family Services in mind, the stories can be enjoyed by adults as well as children. This volume relates to year C - Luke's gospel - of the Revised Common Lectionary used by mainstream churches.

I do hope you enjoy the stories as much as I enjoyed writing them - and do keep looking out for Volume Three (year A, Matthew's gospel) - to be published in due course.

Calling Christian wannabe writers!

If you're a Christian and you fancy having a go at some writing, check out this annual competition.

It's for Christian short stories of upto 4,000 words (that's not nearly as daunting as it sounds) on any theme and in any genre, so long as they have a strong Christian content. So you can write a romance for Valentine's Day, or a historical drama, or a murder/mystery, or sci-fi - whatever you like, provided you have a Christian message.

The top prize is £150 plus guaranteed publishing, and short-listed titles may be published too. It costs £4.00 to enter, but that's a fairly low investment should you win, and not too much to lose if your story isn't chosen.

If you fancy your hand at something longer, the same site is running a Christian romance novel competition, and again, non-winning titles may be published. There is also an open short story competition - in other words, on any theme without necessarily a Christian message - and there's even a section for young writers.

The closing date for all these competitions is 31st March, so as you're sitting there this weekend, trying to ignore the snow and keep warm, why not turn your attention to writing a short story? Stories are fantastic vehicles for Christian witness, as the master story-teller himself showed us, and who knows? Writing a successful short story may inspire you to go even further and attempt that novel you always planned to write!