My little story 'Islands' is going to be published by the online literary journal The Cabinet of Heed. Hurrah. Thank you Simon Webster.
It took Simon just 6 hours to make that decision. Lightning fast turnround!
The Stroud News and Journal has included a story about my Dorset Fiction Award win.
Here it is - http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/16383925.stroud-author-john-holland-scoops-international-prize/
'The Ten Tests of Secret Love' has been short-listed for the Coleford Festival of Words Short Story Competition. I read it in Coleford at the festival launch in July 2018. Here it is in the online anthology -
http://www.thecolefordhub.info/festival-of-words/coleford-festival-of-words-anthology-2018/
So pleased!! You can read it here on the Dorset Fiction Award website -
My wee piece ' Nature Implores' has been long listed for the Reflex Fiction flash fiction competition and will be published don their website in August or September.
My story (which I'm not allowed to name) has moved silently from the Dorset Fiction Award long to the short list. That's three Dorset Fiction awards in a row I've made the short list. Winner named 1 July.
I have a story in the long list for the third Dorset Fiction Award for stories of 1,000 words or fewer. Not allowed to say which is mine at this point. Fingers crossed for the short list.
' An Unexpected Fall of Snow' was published online as part of the National Flash Fiction Day Flash Flood on Saturday 16 June 2018.
Here it is - http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2018/06/an-unexpected-fall-of-snow-by-john.html
I read my new story 'The Most Beautiful Thing She has Ever Seen' and there were stories by Jason Jackson, Amanda Staples, Jonathan Evans and many more.
My story is being published at 23.30 on Sat 16 June. Here - http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/
My 81-word flash 'A Madness' has been published by 81words.com Here it is. It's number 381 -
https://www.christopherfielden.com/writing-challenges/81words-stories-301-to-400.php
Lovely, out of the blue invitation from Jonny Fluffypunk to read at his Sunday Salon or Sunday Sofa event on Sunday 1 July at the SVA in Stroud. Poets Helen Ivory and Martin Figura reading too.
More info - http://www.johnhollandwrites.com/other-events/
My story 'The Most Beautiful Thing She has Ever Seen' has been selected for the next Stokes Croft Writers' Talking Tales event on Saturday 16 June. Doors 6.30. I'll be reading it at the LeftBank Centre 128 Cheltenham Road, Bristol BS6 5RW
Not allowed to say which story it is right now but one of mine has been shortlisted (one of ten) for the Coleford Festival of Words Short Story Competition on the subject of Ten. More info to follow -
http://www.thecolefordhub.info/ten-writing-competition-shortlist-announced/
http://www.thecolefordhub.info/festival-of-words/
Event on Monday 2 July at 5.30 at Coleford Baptist Church, 27 Whitecliff, Coleford GL16 8AJ when I'll be 'unmasked'. Tickets £2.
Tickets Tickets - http://www.thecolefordhub.info/festival-of-words/2018-festival-of-words-full-programme-and-bookings/
It was another sell-out crowd at the SVA to welcome and applaud our ten authors - Nastasya Parker, Steve Wheeler, Val Ormrod, James Northern, Jason Jackson, Joanna Campbell, Sarah Chapman, Rick Vick, Nick Browne and Judith Gunn. A really excellent evening with all ten stories performed superbly by their authors.
Images and videos here - http://stroudshortstories.blogspot.com/
The next event will be on 11 November 2018 as part of the Stroud Book Festival.
Two short pieces 'The Feather' and 'The Valley' have been published in the Reflex Fiction Anthology Volume One entitled 'Barely Casting a Shadow'.
Buy the anthology here
On Wednesday I gave a talk on The State of the Short Story to the Gloucestershire Chapter of the Society of Authors at the Amberley Inn, unsurprisingly in Amberley. I also read my flash piece 'Boyfriends' and my short story 'Da'.
We received a record-equalling 128 submissions for the 20 May 2018 SSS event. Ali Bacon co-judged with me on this occasion. We chose stories by Nick Browne, Joann Campbell, Sarah Chapman, Val Ormrod, James Northern, Jason Jackson, Rick Vick, Steve Wheeler, Judith Gunn and Nastasya Parker.
The event sold out of tickets in just 5 days.
All info here - http://stroudshortstories.blogspot.co.uk/
I had a great time at Debbie Young's Hawkesbury Upton LitFest on Saturday 21 April. I chaired the short story session and read myself. I read with and chaired some brilliant writers - Ali Bacon, Nastasya Parker, Melanie Golding. Jenefer Heap, Ellie Stevenson, Deborah Jones, Mark Rutterford and Martin Brown.
I read my little stories Boyfriends, In Those Days and The First Time at her Place.
The online literary journal The Cabinet of Heed has published my little story 'You're Very Beautiful' in its Science Fiction Special.
It's here - https://cabinetofheed.wordpress.com/2018/04/17/youre-very-beautiful-john-holland/