“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
— George Bernard Shaw
Bring It Home
I love a bag with many sides to it, a bag that has no time doesn’t go out of style. I think as women, we underestimate the workhorse a beautiful bag can be. A handbag, I believe, should tie into the realm of your life and should equally be comfortable. I am obsessed with lightweight
You can take back control of your life – here is how I did it.
It was not until I stopped fearing the unknown and instead went with it that I slowly started to regain control of my life. I began to rediscover what made me tick, something that I had lost. I began to take care of myself and those who mattered to me most. I felt the power
Life is tricky – stay in your magic
Life brings many circumstances in which we have to make complex, contentious, and personal decisions and choices. In some cases, we have to fight, take stances, and defend our position against what we feel are injustices. We live to survive in these times, but we forget to look up while we are doing that. The
Don’t be Afraid of Change – Challenge the Fear
Some years ago, as I hit my 50s, my life took a turn in a direction that I had never anticipated—everything as I knew it changed. I was facing a very uncertain future. I was forced to battle several fights and forced to face my fear of the unknown. I had no idea where I
Eventide Love – Desire – a dangerous blaze within her soul.
What is the measure of lost love? In between those two words – lost love is how all this happened. Another story: desire. While I can’t have you, I long for you. I miss flights to meet you for coffee. I take a taxi across town to see you for 10 minutes. I walk through
Put on the Power
You should never underestimate the power of style; How we dress is so much more important than you may think… What are you wearing right now? How does it make you feel? Does what you wear affect your behavior? Cognitive dissonance is a technical term that describes the mental discomposure we feel when we dress
Writing Tip- Auto-fiction
At first I wrote my story as an autobiography, which was ready for publication. But then I stopped and thought about the pain, the regurgitating of my personal life. I thought about my family, friends, and the anxiety of putting my soul into the public domain again. It was just too overwhelming. I worked hard
Do you feel alone and lonely? You are not alone.
Do you feel lonely, alone, and sad? Are you overwhelmed by those feelings? If so, you are far from alone. I found myself in that very unpleasant place. When I went through my tough times and my life shifted in a different direction, one of the most powerful emotions I experienced was loneliness. I felt
Find your Magic – Reinventing your life
Here’s the thing. Life is tricky. It is full of knock-backs. The key is to believe in yourself, to have resilience, and to be tenacious. When life feels a little unstable, a little off, check-in with yourself. Our lives can often get tricky when we’re not listening to our inner voice, living our passions, respecting
Be Specific and Reinvent Life
Trying something new will keep you sizzling; remember those days when life was exciting. Just because we get older does not mean we should stay in what eventually becomes a rut. We can always find new experiences that make us feel alive again. In the last few years, I was forced to pivot my life
You can be who you are; reinventing yourself
After a successful professional career in fashion, arts, and blogging, I went into my fifties feeling empty, lonely, and desperate. I think many people find themselves in times of crisis where they don’t recognize their lives. As I starred down a dark hole, I came to realize that the only way I was going to
Break through that Wall with Focus
I have encountered a lot of stumbling blocks in the last few years and, on occasion, have caved in but then pulled myself together and moved forward with positivity and determination. So I want you to focus, focus, you can do it. I faced untold despair as I hit my fifties, lost sight of love,
What Your Clothes Say to You, Not About You
It’s not surprising that research tells us that our style is a mirror to our personality. There is a whole new area of psychology that studies what your clothes reveal about you. Clinical psychologist Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner literally wrote the book on this topic, which she calls the “psychology of dress.” Her book entitled “You
Eventide Love
Eventide Love this is my story. In a speech at Wheaton College, Massachusetts, Carl Sagan spoke of how we humans share 99.6% of our active genes with chimpanzees. He described male chimps as aggressive and female chimps as non-aggressive. When under stress or threatened, male chimps become angry, pick up stones and hold them in
Celebrating Creativity in the Black Community
Celebrating Creativity in the Black Community 5 Exciting Artists to Watch As an art lover and collector, I am always looking for emerging talent. I have been collecting contemporary art for over twenty-five years. To this day, I still remember my first purchase, an Alexis Harding painting titled Couplings, I can feel the flutter in
The Power of Creativity
How a remote writing retreat defined my lockdown experience. I have had a specific manuscript tucked away in my desk for the last couple of years. It’s a psychological thriller with which I have a special connection, and while it has received positive feedback, I was never entirely happy with the plot, and, as time
Welcome to Absolutely Patsy
Hi Everyone, Welcome to Absolutely Patsy, my new blog, a story about life. I am so excited with the new look, amalgamating Eventide Love, Psychological Thriller, and my other writings in one spot. I will continue to post on everything you have come to follow, writing, art, life style, and bring a new dimension to
Writing; Show Don’t Tell Exercise #1:
The difference between ‘Show‘ and ‘Tell ‘is that ‘Show’ invokes from the reader a mental image of the scene/emotion. In contrast, ‘Tell’ is a statement of an action/emotion. The goal in your writing is to provoke a reaction in your readers, for them to feel the emotions your character is feeling. It sounds
Your Eyes Into The Art World
Who Decides the Value of Art? ‘You Do.’ Art is in my DNA. I have experience as a passionate art collector for many years, as well as from a commercial perspective with Artfetch. In that context, I provide a unique insight into the art world. As an advisor, I can focus your interest and provide
Let’s write Love
Fundamental Start Points 1. Decide what the story is about Write the concept and argument of your story in a sentence, then stretch that out to a paragraph, and then to a one-page outline. Now you have the basic overview of your story and characters. 2. Set a Time and Place; This will ensure that
Discover Your Inner Goddess
I am a big believer that no matter what stage of life you are in, you can wear whatever you want, just as long as it looks good on you. There are no rules that say you have to wear specific styles to suit your generation. Never before has it been cooler to age staying
Writing 1 – Discover the Magic of Writing
What – What do you want to write about? There are so many genres in writing: Romance, Fantasy, Thriller, Detective, Mystery, Adventure, Horror. Or you might want to write a memoir, or what you are going through right now, possibly as a blog. And then there is Young Adult Fiction and Children. Whatever you want
Fuel Your mind with Creative Writing
Hi everyone, it’s a while since I posted on my blog. Wow what a time we are going through with the Covid 19 Virus. It’s like living in an sci fi movie. Isn’t it? Well since I last posted I have being doing a lot of writing courses and workshops. I have finished my book
‘Groundbreaking’ psychological abuse now a Crime in Ireland
This article is shared from The Journal.ie first published May 3, 2018. NEW DOMESTIC VIOLENCE legislation has passed through all stages of the Oireachtas. Reforms included in the Domestic Violence Bill 2017 bring Ireland a step closer to ratifying the Istanbul Convention, which aims to combat domestic violence. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan welcomed the passing of the
International Women’s Day: Has #metoo made a real difference in the conversation on abuse?
Over the past year or so, there’s been a seismic shift in the way society talks about abuse. When I went public about my emotional abuse four years ago, I was scorned, disbelieved and castigated for “washing my linen in public.” Thanks to the powerful women speaking out against even more powerful men there has
Eventide Love #10/1 – Dark Wildness
I kissed him like he was my God, and I his protector. I kissed him with a desperate, dark wildness. I kissed him hard with my tongue, my teeth in utter abandonment. A storm built in both of us as he laid siege to my desire, his hands sliding down my body, clasping my
Who Knew; You Knew
I am always looking for new ways to present the carnage caused by a relationship with a narcissist. This is a compilation of words from songs about the pain and pillage of bad love. Remember when I was such fool And so convinced and just too cool Locked in you My Darling You took my
OMFG
Ar My Psychotherapist said “You’re going to feel abandoned. You’re going to feel lonely sometimes. And at the same time, you’re going to want to BE alone all the time. Your life right now is in suspended state, and you need to fight hard to steady yourself.” To say it’s overwhelming is an understatement. I
The Impact of Absence in Emotional Abuse
So often we think of abuse as something that happens to us, but have you ever thought about what it means to a person who suffers from the abuse of omission? Emotional abuse can be so deceptive, that most of the time, people who are victims have no idea they are being abused. One way
The Financial Punch of Emotional Abuse
The long-term effects of emotional abuse in a relationship can be long-lasting and devastating and can even affect the abused person for the rest of his or her life. It can box you to the ground leaving you reeling for the rest of your life. An effective tool in the tactics of emotional abuse is
Where the Wind Don’t Blow
My home is a place where the wind don’t blow. My heart rests in the place where the wind don’t blow. Strange place a home, strange place where gentleness calms the wind, its a point on a bleak horizon. How can my home be this way – most priceless- yet most defenceless – most valuable
Crazy Days with You
Slowly , steadily and irreversibly, emotional abuse – especially from someone who is supposed to love you – will erode your joy, your sense of well-being and even your mental health, driving you into paralyzing self-doubt, shame and possibly suicide. Here is a video I put together in highlighting the devastation of emotional abuse. And
Weight of Worn Out
For the last three years, I have been writing this blog about recovering from emotional abuse. About being strong, finding your independence, fighting for your life, confronting emotional abuse. This year brought on a whole new struggle. “Now I find myself even more lost than I ever was. You know I always stay up without
Forsaken Faith
Khalil Gibran said, “Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.” Reminiscent of Gibran’s words is the truth that we can sway between unshakable faith and extreme doubt in mere seconds. Under certain circumstances we can’t even tell doubt and faith apart, or we may feel consumed by both
Eventide Love #10
London 6.15pm I am in a black hole my life moving slower and slower through time as I approach the phone, pick it up and start to dial the number. Transit through time as I have come to live it will halt, as my horizon fades completely from view torn and crushed. The constant fear
Addiction of Love- Eventide Love
Our Romantic attraction was like some mysterious chemistry, a storm of electrified senses that overcame us. Our vision one off loveliness or hunkiness standing near. Flutters erupted in the belly. The heartbeat quickened. Adrenaline rushed to the bloodstream. Hallucinogenic feelings of intoxication drenched the brain. During opening stages of our romance and subsequent passion, the
Eventide Love #9/1
Our Romantic attraction was like some mysterious chemistry, a storm of electrified senses that overcame us. Our vision one off loveliness or hunkiness standing near. Flutters erupted in the belly. The heartbeat quickened. Adrenaline rushed to the bloodstream. Hallucinogenic feelings of intoxication drenched the brain. During opening stages of our romance and subsequent passion, the
Eventide Love #9
It was Sunday morning, and we had arrived back from Athens, Greece only a few days earlier. We were still in the hedonism of our trip, irresistibly passionate with each other. He grabbed my hip and lifted me, my legs wrapping around his waist. I leaned down and pressed my mouth to his. His tongue
Eventide Love #8/6
Friday Oct 28 I opened my eyes slowly, waking to the sound of the radio in the background and the pungent smell of coffee in the air. I felt a deep peacefulness, a happiness that engulfed me. It was the morning of the count, and the tallies were being discussed on the radio. I jumped
Eventide Love #8/4
Thursday Oct 27 With a press embargo on the day of voting, Chris suggested we take the day off and go for a drive and have lunch at Marfield House in Gorey, Wexford. It was a dull day and bitterly cold. I voted at my local polling station and Chris at his. I popped to
Eventide Love #8/3
After lunch, Chris went to his office and I drove to my mum’s house. I collected my dog, Jasper, so I could take him for a walk on a long stretch of beach in Sandymount. When we got to the beach, I pulled out the walking boots I kept in my car trunk and put
Eventide Love #8/2 – To Believe in Somebody
Friday Oct 14 My body tensed with my overwhelming lust, my longing, to touch him. Suddenly, his face was so close to mine that I could taste his breath filling my mouth. I was fucking lost. My desire for him was so powerful it ripped open the knot that had tormented me all day. The
IT’S A RAP
Somewhere between where I started and right now you caught my eye. Now all I can see is the distance between you and me. Friday 1 May 2015 The evening sun streams into my courtyard. Sitting on a large rattan chair, sipping my latte, feeling the sun’s dying heat on my face and the cool
Where do you get your inspiration?
“Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly.” ― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections Inspiration is everywhere — from the words of your favorite writer, the images of your favorite artist, the beat of your favorite song, to the blooms and leaves on your morning
Eventide Love – #8
This Post contains strong language and sexually explicit content. Our time in London ignited a magical thrill, an excitement I had not felt for many years. I felt alive. When not attending presidential election meetings or out dining we were ensconced in the luxury of our suite at the Capital Hotel. Locked away from all
Eventide Love #7 – Sunday Times Tip-Off
I found a quiet corner in the gardens of the Serpentine and called Chris back. He was apoplectic, screaming at me. I committed the ultimate betrayal. I ignored him. I ruined his weekend, left him alone. He cried all day Saturday like he had never done before. He had not slept all weekend. No one had ever reduced him to such despair as I did. Then, out of nowhere, he demanded I answer a question he was going to ask me.
Eventide 6 – End of Presidential Campaign
It was a tumultuous few weeks. The Candidate started at the top of the polls. The support dramatically dropping as each week progressed finally heading into election day with a dismal six percent support in the latest poll. Unsurprisingly the Candidate ended up with just over a hundred thousand first preference votes finishing fifth of
Psychological Thriller – blog to book
He is my dream lover, my dream love, my toxic addiction. His tantalizing words lead me to the edge of sanity. He plays with my senses, with my mind. He is a genius crazy maker, driving me to the darkest corner of my mind. As the crazy-making, intensifies, I react with despair, rage, and panic
Eventide Proem: First Moment
From that first moment, you feel the attraction, that it blissfully aches, and your body tenses for his, you are the mercy of another human being. Then finally, his body and face are so close to yours that you can feel his heated breath fill your lungs, and all of a sudden, you are lost
Eventide 5 – Crazed Passion by Patricia Tsouros
I run faster and faster, my sides are burning, begging to rest. My hair clings to my face and neck, slick with sweat. He is getting closer. It’s dark. The only visible light is a dim green glow from the cracks and crevices in the walls. I screeched as he grabs through the air, bringing
Eventide 4 – Dying
The sun was unusually high in the sky for nine a.m. in Dublin. I saw the wicked gleam in Chris’s beautiful hazel eyes that heightened my anxiety. Suddenly my stomach churned. My body was drained. I was spent emotionally and physically. What was he up to now? I could not cope with his emotional blitz
Eventide 3 – The Moment.
I noticed that Chris watched me every time I took a sip of coffee. Amused and in devilment I intermittently held the mug to my mouth taking long sips, deliberately slowly running my tongue over my lips, subtly teasing him. Raising his eyes from my lips, he captured me in his heated stare. In that
Eventide 2 – August Heat contd..
Chris made love to me like a warrior touching on a deep sensuality bringing me to thundering painfully pleasurable arousals. He instinctively perceived my desires, my fantasies, and he generously gave. I begged, I screamed, my body shook, climaxed driven by his passion, by his darkest pleasures. Our lust heightened from the garage incident Chris
Short Story 8 – Eventide 8/1 – Dark Refuge
‘Eventide’ was originally written as ‘Micro Chapters’ a psychological, erotic, personal story of emotional abuse at the ripe age of forty nine. It ended with me desperately struggling to hang onto my sanity and life. Due to threat of defamation I now write the story as a factual fiction Psychological Thrillers. Meet Me. Hi how
Short Story 7 – Eventide / 7 – Crazed Passion.
Chris kissed me, drew me close to him. The heavy curtains tightly pulled; there was not even a flicker of the morning brightness following the awful rains from the night before. Entombed in the serenity of the room and eroticism of their passion, intoxicated by his lips, his mouth, his tongue, Alike kissed him back
Short Story 6 – Eventide/6 – Alien Life
As she runs faster and faster, her gut tells her it’s in vain. Her sides are burning, begging to rest. Her hair clings to her face and neck, slick with sweat. He is getting closer. It’s so dark, the only visible light from the cracks and crevices in the walls: a dim green glow adds
Short Story 5 – Eventide/5 – Dying.
Chris dropped Aliki home from a visit to a psychotherapist. At the session, Chris banded around cliché’s “I love her but I can’t be seen to be a marriage breaker. She needs to do the leaving then in time we can be together publicly. If she were free, we would be together. I love her,
Short Story 4 – Eventide/ 4 – Vital Force
This Post contains sexually explicit content. Why did Chris love clutter? Aliki was frustrated attempting to prepare a surprise dinner. He was paranoid about strangers calling to the house; he disallowed it. It was a horrible day out so Aliki decided she would ignore his obsession and plan a romantic evening. While Chris was in
Short Story 3 – Eventide/3
Please note this post contains sexually explicit content. Lying in his bed her bony arms blackened from the assaults of obsessive forcible grips. Her eyes are either open or shut. Either way, she sees little and sleeps less. A plush heavy silk bed throw covered her from the waist down. Her long dark hair falls on the pillow
Short Story 2 – Eventide/2
Thank you for checking out On The Edge –to date over 180,000 visitors to the site, over 15,000 followers, and over 4000 shares and in excess of 12,000 Facebook Likes. Due to pending legal action Micro Chapters are now over and will be replaced with Short Stories. Thank you to each and every one of
Short Story 1 – Eventide/1
“Sometimes there are no winners at all. And sometimes nobody needs to lose. I like characters that have strong facades and then have secrets. They have cracks.” Aliki pulled into the dusk of the driveway. Weary, switched off the lights, released her seatbelt and eased herself out of the car. She shivered from the gentle