I went to my first wedding in the late 60s. It was held in a picturesque church in a small village in southern Finland. Few people knew I was there, because I was hidden under the bride’s beautiful white dress.
Since then, life has taken me across countries (twice, and soon a third time). Moving is equal parts exciting and stressful: selling one house, packing up, unpacking again, and realizing just how much stuff you’ve accumulated along the way. They say if you haven’t used something in six months; you don’t need it. But who really follows that rule?
For the past 20-odd years, I’ve been lucky to share my life with my wife, Lyndsay, who, by the way, was the reason I moved the first time. Her daughter Emma, who was twelve when we met, now has three wonderful children, who have all found their way into my stories. Jamie inspired my first winning story, and his sister Mylie Mae inspired me to write about Mae. Alfie, the youngest, appears in my stories, especially the ones I write about Mae.
I’ve been fortunate to travel extensively and meet many wonderful people, mostly through work. Once upon a time I held one of those big “hotshot” jobs, but that was then. These days, I’m between roles, and writing has stepped into that space in a way I never expected.
My writing journey began in late 2023. I was working with a remarkable man in his 80s who had written a book about his adventurous life. Inspired, I thought: what could I write about? The answer came quickly; our cat, Freddie. Through a stroke of misfortune, he only has three legs, and I imagined his story told in his own voice. That book, Freddie, a Life on Three Legs, ended up on Amazon after I self-published it. (I don’t have much patience for waiting around.) A traditional publisher said no, another praised it highly but wanted me to pay thousands to publish, which I declined. Still, their words, genuine or not, gave me the push to keep writing.
Since then, I’ve written a lot. Mostly flash and micro fiction, some of which you’ll find on my Published page. It’s fun, fulfilling, and something I hope to do for a long, long time.
You can find me on X and Instagram for a more realtime view of what I’m up to. There are also some videos on TikTok, unfortunately.
Peter Rehn 