Marsha Ingrao has this rather splendid resource for we writers over on her blog – Marsha Ingrao – Always Write. It’s called Story Chat and authors are encouraged to submit a story which is then posted by Marsha. Visitors to her blog are then encouraged to comment, critique, question and generally help the author unpick what works, what they liked, what they didn’t and where improvements might be made.

You’ll find mine over on her blog here. It’s a murder mystery and I’d welcome your thoughts. Please leave them over there, so others can see and react to any thoughts you have. As a tempter, here’s the opening few paragraphs…

Detective Inspector Triblane Pettimoron pinched his nose. He had a bad feeling about this one. Mind you, he often had a bad feeling about sudden and unexplained deaths; sort of came with the territory. This was different. This felt a little too close to home.

He parked his Nissan on the verge and took a moment to assess the scene. The PC keeping the public at bay looked both bored and frozen. Beyond the tape, his sergeant, Geraint Drimple was already berating some poor sod from forensics. He felt his groin itch and resisted the urge to scratch. Psychosomatic, he felt sure. ‘Come on, Blane,’ Pettimoron chided himself, ‘this is a routine case.’ Pettimoron pushed open the car door, knowing it would be anything but that.

He stood, shoulder to shoulder with DS Drimple and winced. “Those are his, I suppose.”

Drimple nodded. “The SOCOs think they were excised pre-mortem. They don’t know if they were used to suffocate him, though.”

“Geez! Seriously? Why would someone do that?”

Drimple looked at his notes. “Seems the deceased – Dr Josiah Pretty – was a specialist in male infertility. Had a pretty good rep for curing all sorts of erectile dysfunction.” He looked up. “Maybe a dissatisfied customer.”

Pettimoron nodded and felt the itch return with a vengeance. He must not scratch.