A little bit of writing news. Out of nearly 700 entrants to The Writers College prize (based in New Zealand), I’m thrilled to have gotten honours for my Soviet-era short story, “Laika”.
Full list of winners can be found here.
While this does not count as a prize-winning or placed story, it is a bit of positive feedback (and that is never a bad thing).
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A slideshow of my time relaxing off-grid in deepest Somerset (England).
A delightful mini-break and time very much well spent reading and writing.
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From my writing class scribbles, a quick 10 minute starter activity penned in response to the prompt “tell a story through a list”. Enjoy.
(Writer’s note: this piece is intended to be satirical. Please don’t do any of these things at home…including #1.)
How to call in Sick for Work
(From my notebook. First draft penned 07/05/25)
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From my writing class scribbles, a quick 10 minute starter activity penned in response to the prompt “write a metaphor poem”. Enjoy.
Life is a Tube
Life is a Tube station,
It fills and falls in seconds,
Iconic to some, disgusting to others
At least the rats are dry.
A unifier of rich and poor, old and young,
Souls who loiter in dust and sweat,
The heat builds higher, a screech grows louder,
And yet only a dim light beckons.
(From personal notebook, initial draft penned 23/04/25)
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Ticking something off the Swindon bucket list, I can now say I’ve experienced the delight of reading/performing my fiction to a live audience at the Swindon Festival of Literature.
A piece of self-penned fiction, my story had the added “challenge” of needing to be performed in three minutes and in a way that kept the audience begging for more. I loved every second of it.
No performer is worth half of their talent without their trusty roadies. Ben did a brilliant job at suggesting revisions to my piece during the drafting stage, watching my performance in living room rehearsals and, most importantly, pumping me full of sugar and positivity on the night itself. (He’s also a dab hand at a camera.)
Thank you to the organisers of this event for helping to promote fresh voices and giving authors the platform to engage with new audiences.
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This one goes out for anyone needing writing inspiration, as something I stumbled across when procrastinating on YouTube.
And, for what it’s worth, the first clip felt relatable in the most hilarious way. (I certainly have had my head turned once or twice for a good muffin.)
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Following official PR, I am now able to share with you details of two writing competitions I won, and their associated launch events. And, eek! They were both an absolute blast!
At the Bournemouth Writing Festival, I won in the fiction category for my piece of flash fiction, “How the Dressmaker of Bournemouth Feeds her Family”.
Boy, did Bournemouth pack a punch! As well as receiving free tickets to attend some interesting talks held by the festival, there was also a Sunday evening showcase and awards presentation.
There was a weird knotty feeling in the pit my stomach watching people read copies of the book, and it was only later that evening, when boyfriend Ben pretty much forced me to sit down and listen to him read my story, that I noted what I’d written was actually pretty good.
After the showcase, we made a toast to my success with a glass of prosecco and a McDonald’s in the hotel room. It was wonderful.
It was a truly delightful weekend (and that was before I got a mention in this glowing 5 star review!)
A lovely sunny weekend, spent on the English south coast.
The launch of Swindon Writers III came with a packed-out library venue, much to everyone’s surprise. Boyfriend Ben was unfortunately not feeling well on the night but I sent him a message to reassure him that I had more than enough attendees to keep me company.
Words were said by the editors and extracts read from the publication. To know my short story, “Bee Kind”, had been selected to sit alongside them in the book meant a lot.
Two book launches, two reasons to celebrate and a very happy author in between. As I say to people, prizes and publication aren’t the sole reason why we do what we do, but it damn well helps.
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I am thrilled to announce that flash fiction submission, “How the Dressmaker of Bournemouth Feeds her Family” has been shortlisted for publication in Bournemouth Writing Festival’s debut anthology.
Judge and Bournemouth academic, Charlotte Grace Fodor, said of the piece:
“How the Dressmaker of Bournemouth Feeds her Family” is a well-crafted, thought-provoking story with good attention to detail and is glittered with humour. I particularly enjoyed how the ending of the story adds depth and layers to the narrative, prompting the reader to reflect on themes of self-expression, transformation, and authenticity. The question posed by the shopkeeper…invites the reader to consider the choices we make in presenting ourselves to the world.
This question can be interpreted in various ways, encouraging introspection about personal growth and self-discovery.
Needless to say, I am completely over the moon by this news. Given the hundreds of submissions into this competition, I was more than flattered to have made the longlist, let alone the top 20. That in mind, I want to congratulate all of my fellow longlistees and thank all those involved in running this competition.
I’ll be joining my fellow winners for a special awards ceremony taking place as part of the festival later in April. Watch this space for updates!
Lines in the Sand will be published by Dithering Chaps on 26th April 2024. It is available for pre-order from Amazon, with physical copies available during the festival and from the publisher direct.
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This is what it feels like forcing myself to write words on a blank page. It feels like this property advertisement.
And I’m not talking about the never ending bit. The production value, the forced lyrics, the “what have I just seen?” feeling, quite literally everything about this video can be translated into what writing a draft zero feels like for me.
Oh, and if you are interested in learning more about this house may I direct you to its page on Rightmove (still on the market at the time of writing).
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Doing a bit of industry research one evening I come across this book of poetry, “Dung Beatles Navigate by Starlight”.
I know I can give as good as it gets on the waffle game (and I’m not talking about sweet treats) but this is next level:
The book’s description reads:
“These poems explore the boundary between science and poetry, and juxtapose the lexicon of organic chemistry, in particular, with a botanical discourse which is more conventional in poetry, but which the scientific treatment defamiliarises. Far from being abstruse and heavy, the treatment here lightens the subject with an imaginative playfulness, as in ‘The First Green Human: The Observer Interviews Clorinda’, where Marvell’s pastoral character is turned, through a journalistic register, into a personification of current ecological concerns.“
My reaction?
I’m done. No way can I compete with that level of blurb-ery (#ShouldBeAWord) talent (and I’m not entirely kidding).
In other news, Mumma B says she’s reassured in knowing that her daughter isn’t the only one who can spout waffle. Whoop.
(Link: https://cinnamonpress.com/store/dung-beetles-navigate-by-starlight/)
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My Housemate's a Mermaid 