Two book launches in 48 hours: Bournemouth Writing Festival and Swindon Literary Festival

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!

Bournemouth Writing Festival

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.

Photo credit: Solid Imagery

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.

Swindon Literary Festival

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.

A close up of some of the audience, featuring the back of my head

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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Head over to my publishing credits page to find out where you can purchase either book

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Alice’s Funding Page

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Alice E. Bennett Wins Flash Fiction Competition at Bournemouth Writing Festival

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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Could you spare a dollar to support me? Donate here!

Alice’s Funding Page

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