Story long listed for The Short Story website 2000 word quarterly competition
Not allowed to say which story it is yet!
http://www.theshortstory.co.uk/competitions/short-story-competition/
Less than a week to the special Stroud Short Stories event at the Cheltenham Literature Festival
Next Monday 10 October is the date of the special fifth birthday Stroud Short Stories event at the Little Big Top at Cheltenham Literature Festival at 9pm. It features seven of my favourite stories from the first five years of SSS 2011 - 2016.
The authors reading are Katherine Hunter, Philip Douch, Ali Bacon, Andrew Stevenson, Rick Vick, Mel Golding and Bill Jones.
The Festival has sold 120 of the 140 seats to date. Yippee.
More info and tickets on the CheltLitFest website.
'Crow' to be included in Worcs LitFest Anthology
My little story 'Crow' is being included in the Worcs LitFest Flash Fiction Anthology 'A Cache of Flashes'. That makes two with 'The Coat'. Due for publication late November this year.
Reading on Monday 26 September at the Imperial Hotel in Stroud
Philip Douch and I are doing a double-header at the Imperial Hotel (next to the railway station) in Stroud, GL5 3AP at 7.15 pm (doors 7.00). Philip is reprising his (Reasonably) Great Sporting Moments from the Stroud Theatre Festival, and both are reading new stories. Reserve your £7 ticket by emailing pandjdouch@gmail.com or buy at the door.
A silly evening is guaranteed.
'Dear Sis' short-listed
Chorley and District Writers' Circle has short listed my story 'Dear Sis' in their 2016 short story competition, the theme of which was 'Toxic'. Result 22 October.
'Fanciful' to be re-broadcast
Sheila North of SINE FM emails to say they are re-broadcasting my short story 'Fanciful' on Saturday 24 September. Lovely.
'The Coat' included in Worcestershire LitFest Flash Fiction Anthology 'A Cache of Flashes'
'The Coat' has been chosen to be published in November in the 2016 Worcs LitFest Anthology 'A Cache of Flashes'.
Short Listed for The Short Story website Flash 500 competition
That's some success in two of their flash 500 comps in a row. I'm not allowed to give the name of the story until the final decisions are made on first, second and third. Not optimistic of top three!
Short Listed for the 2016 'To Hull and Back' Short Story Competition
This is a humourous short story competition run by Chris Fieldon. 'The Night Ape' has made the short list and I await the news in October of whether it makes the top three. There were 284 entries. It will also definitely be in the 2016 anthology.
Reading at the Hawkesbury Upton Pop-Up LitFest at the Hawkesbury Upton Horticultural Show
This Saturday 27 August 2016.
https://hulitfest.com/hawkesbury-upton-pop-up-festival-august/
Lovely Stokes Croft Talking Tales short story event last Saturday
I really enjoyed last Saturday's Talking tales short story readings at Stokes Croft Writers. My friend the writer Natalie Lee read my story 'Da' in a perfect Irish accent. And there were wonderful readings by Simon Toseland, Farai Angeloe, Shaun Clarke, Christie Cluett, Tamar Hodes, Leah Eades, Ciaran Fagan abd Andi Langford-Woods. Mark Rutterford made a brilliant MC.
'Da' to be read at Stokes Croft Writers Talking Tales Event Saturday 13 August
Thank you to Bristol's Stokes Croft Writers for choosing my story 'Da' for their event at the LeftBank Centre in Cheltenham Road, Bristol at 6.30 on Saturday 13 August. I won't be reading it though. Because I wrote it in a female Irish accent, it will be read by Stroud's answer to Jon Culshaw, Natalie Lee, who is a brilliant writer herself.
Details here
'The White Board' shortlisted for June 2016 The Short Story Website flash fiction competition
Lovely. The announcement/notification is here
Lovely evening of Short Stories in Bath
Really lovely evening of short stories in Bath called The Speakeasy. A pleasure and honour to read with Katherine Doggrell, Nicolas Ridley, Chris Allsop and Mark Lewis.
'The Note' to be Published in Twisted Tales Anthology
'The Note', which was one of 17 short stories to be shortlisted by the Australian publisher Raging Aardvark for its Twisted Tales competition, has made it into the last 14 to be published in the Anthology in November this year. More here
My Piece Short Listed for June 2016 'The Short Story' Website Flash Fiction Competition
Not allowed to say which it is at this juncture. But it's on this list.
Story Short Listed for Raging Aardvark's Twisted Tales 2016 Anthology
'The Note' has been short listed by Australian publisher Raging Aardvark for its 2016 Twisted Tales Anthology. It's in the last 17.
Story Selected for Reading Event in Bath on 28 July
Thank you to The Speakeasy in Bath for selecting my story 'Lips' for me to read at their event on Thursday 28 July. My first reading at this relatively new event.
Full details here
Evesham Festival of Words Anthology Launched
Back on the 1st of July I attended the launch of the short story anthology for which I selected the stories at the Evesham Festival of Words. It features the 11 stories I shortlisted including the winner 'That Time Again' by Jan Petrie.
It's a really good little anthology published by Black Pear Press. The stories are really lively and clever and about half are funny.
Full list of authors and titles and my statement as judge are here
'Christmas' published in National Flash Flood Journal
Here is my story 'Christmas' published online yesterday for the National Flash Fiction Day's Flash Food Journal.