Tag: flash fiction

Fairlight Books February author spotlight

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Following the publication of The Locust Theorem and The Cloud Loom, the lovely folks at Fairlight Books have decided to put me in their author spotlight for the month – how very thrilling! While your over there, don’t forget to read both the stories as well, they’re completely free to read…

“It is probably best if we start with your body. I’d like you to touch yourself – on the arm, the face – somewhere where your hand can make contact with your skin. Feel it. Soft. Malleable. Our bodies are fantastically adaptable – fantastically adaptable – to external conditions. Well now, let’s think about that for a minute. Let’s think about external conditions. Where do external conditions start?” [READ THE LOCUST THEOREM]

“The rain begins with that soft, familiar sigh of release. No pitter-patter – not from this altitude – but a sense of falling with no confirmation of receipt. One long, diminishing descent. His heart sinks and he rolls over, hiding his face in the pillow for just five more seconds, trying to blot out the inevitable. The mean, repeating rainfall days stretch out behind, and into an imagined beyond, dreaded only because a cave of memory decades-long tells him it never used to be this way.” [READ THE CLOUD LOOM]

‘Proscenium’ is here!

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It’s been a really busy week, and I’ve only just had time to post about the fact that Proscenium was published in Fictive Dreamon Thursday.

I’ve been really touched and pleased by its reception so far – the lovely Sophie G. on Twitter said it “totally nails beautiful/sad” – which really made my day!

As with On the Last Rebellion, here’s a couple of sentences to tease, but don’t forget to read he whole story here:

Afterwards, when the shock waves had subsided, there were only a few survivors left. In side-turned, velvet-clad seats. They cried until their breath escaped, and their plaintive, mewling noises made the theatre wish it did not have such sturdy walls, that it had not performed its pain-prolonging half-protection, but had simply let the tiny particles roll in and penetrate the oozing, fleshy bodies completely.

‘On the Last Rebellion’ in Open Pen

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Happy Sunday everybody! Fantastically excited that On the Last Rebellion has been published by the lovely Sean and friends over at Open Pen!

You can’t really do excerpts for flash fiction, so here’s the first two sentence and you can find the whole 500-Word read here:

To be invaded is a penetration. If not bodily, by blade or flesh, then mentally by a wiping of history, a corrosion of culture, a banishing of the familiar. Invasion takes more than it gives, aggravates the womb of home until even the things you did not know you had are gone, after which you are left feeling empty and strangely stretched. Implanted with the residue of some other landscape.

‘On the Last Rebellion’ in Open Pen THIS WEEKEND!

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CapturePhew, it’s been a busy week all round, but particularly when it comes to short story news, as the beloved folks at Open Pen have just let me know they’d like to publish my flash fiction story On the Last Rebellion. It will be available ONLINE and FREE TO READ this weekend!

You will be able to have a look at it from 9AM ON SUNDAY over on the Open Pen website.

I also thoroughly recommend taking a look at their archives, as they’ve just had their big 20th issue celebrations and there’s a lot going on.

Continue reading “‘On the Last Rebellion’ in Open Pen THIS WEEKEND!”

One week until ‘Proscenium’ goes live!

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Taking to cyberspace on this cold winter’s day to give a huge shout out to Fictive Dream online literary magazine, who one week today are publishing my short story ‘Proscenium’ as part of Flash Fiction February!

I’m super proud have been selected as an author for this special short story month, and really recommend checking out their website all this month for new great stories every day.

Reading to warm your toes amongst this midwinter chill! x

The Cloud Loom published with Fairlight Books

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Fairlight ShortsHappy Monday readers! Those of you who keep up with me on Facebook and Twitter will know that last week I had a piece of flash fiction called The Cloud Loom published on the Fairlight Books website. I am completely thrilled that the lovely short story editor Urska took on not one but two of my stories, and am really grateful for her keen editing eye and enthusiasm.

Check out the site for the full story! And if you like it IRL, how about giving it a like digitally too? Likes, shares and general story chat online really help boost a story’s readership, and I would be very grateful indeed for your support.

Publication of The Locust Theorem

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I’m totally thrilled and excited to say that my latest short story, The Locust Theorem, has just been published by Fairlight Books. It’s online, it’s free to read right here, and is a lovely bit of sci-fi fun to get you through to the weekend.

The story takes about twenty minutes to read and follows Andy Anderson, a struggling geneticist trying to come to terms with the loss of his girlfriend – and if that doesn’t grab you, here’s an excerpt:

The first indication I had that something might be wrong was the day the builders came. They had set up scaffolding outside the hotel and, as Su was passing under it, one of them dropped a knife. It sailed four floors down, point-first, straight towards Su’s face. She looked up just in time for it to hit her. There was a sharp sound, like a blade against granite, before the knife fell to the ground and clattered away across the forecourt. Su was shaken but not hurt, aside from a light red irritation that bloomed in a line down her face.

Continue reading “Publication of The Locust Theorem”

BORN – BREATHING – BOUND to be published in Cadaverine

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cadaverine-Logo-final-01-2.pngI am hugely excited to be able to tell you all that my latest short story, BORN – BREATHING – BOUND, has been accepted for publication in The Cadaverine!

I’m so grateful to the fabulous editor Lenni Sanders for finding my little tale in the slushpile and can’t wait to see it on Cadaverine’s pages. Cadaverine is a wonderful, free online magazine of poetry and prose from writers under 30 and I’m really honoured to be featured in its pages. 

More details as and when…

Third Place for ‘Until Then, Sister’ at the Kilburn Literary Festival

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Screen Shot 2015-01-30 at 23.42.56Last night, there was an excellent and most wine-fuelled literary shindig: the Kilburn Literary Festival Flash Fiction Competition reading and public vote.

What a night.  So many wonderful and entertaining stories, lots of talented writers in one room.  I am very proud that I got to be one of them and, not only that, but also to have won the 3rd Prize for my entry, Until Then, Sister.  Thank you so much to Toni Green read my flash fiction piece out so beautifully and congratulations to fellow-wordsmith Jade Summer on 1st Prize!

Don’t forget the Kilburn Literary Festival is still on for a few more days, so if you’re a lit bunny, do go and check out their upcoming events.

Selection for the Kilburn Literary Festival Flash Fiction Competition

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Ladies and gentlemen, I am thrilled to announce that I have been selected as a finalist for the inaugural Kilburn Literary Festival Flash Fiction Competition!

My entry, Until Then, Sister, has been selected as one of twelve finalists, each one coming to no more than five hundred words.  There will be an event on 30th October for anyone who wants to come and hear the stories, which will be read out by professional actors.  What’s more, the audience then gets to vote on the winner.  That’s right – gulp! – it is that most feared of all things: a public vote!

So come along, hear some stories, vote some votes, and have a gosh-darn literary evening.

For more information, visit the Kilburn Literary Festival website right here.