Proofs of my new book have arrived

Well, that's my plan to do the ironing gone for a burton today.  I shall be spending the rest of the day reading instead! 

The proofs of my debut novel - Belle of the Back Streets - have just arrived in the post. So if you can hear a high-pitched squealing noise coming from somewhere, it's me. I've gone a bit giddy kipper.

Find out more about Belle of the Back Streets.

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Cranking up out of the comfort zone

Last night was a night of firsts. It was the the first time that I'd heard words that I'd written read out on stage by actors. Proper actors too, mind.

It was Cranked Anvil's rehearsed reading night, one of their regular events, held upstairs in The Peacock pub, Sunderland. And that was another first for me, as I'd not been in The Peacock before. The last time I was in there was when it was still called The Londonderry and I was only 17.

But I digress.

Paul and Nessa, who run Cranked Anvil put out a call for short plays to be performed last night. I knew I had something in the deep dark recesses of my computer I could send to them. But did I dare? Well, I'm pleased I did. Paul said he liked it and wanted to put it on.

It was a short comedy sketch, just a few minutes long, about a strange lady at an even stranger interview.  It made me laugh when I wrote it, but would it make the audience laugh too? The answer was yes, and then I was called up to the stage for a quick Q&A session with the audience - well out of my comfort zone - but I'm learning that's not such a bad place to be these days.

One cast member came up to me afterwards and said my comedy sketch was their favourite of the night. And then an audience member came up to me for a chat about writing short stories. It was a great night, not just for hearing my own words spoken out loud, but for hearing other writers' plays and seeing them acted out. I'll definitely be back at a Cranked Anvil night, whether as a playwright or in the audience. It really was a very special night.

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Shortlisted in Ryedale Book Festival Award

Very proud to announce that I'm one of ten who have been shortlisted in the short story competition run by the Ryedale Book Festival.  The awards ceremony will take place in September in Malton, who coincidentally is just a short train ride away from my favourite seaside town that rhymes with Barbara. 

I'm particularly proud of the story that has been shortlisted here as it's one I wrote when Trump was elected President. The story condenses a lot of fear into just 1,000 words. It's a story about division and hatred and it doesn't end well. Neither does my short story. 

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Longlisted in The Sunderland Short Story Award

Last night I was feeling down in the dumps. Don't know why ... I haven't felt that like in a very long time. I suspect it had something to do with the seven mile walk I'd done that day after cycling twenty miles the day before. I was tired and out of sorts. I went to bed early, fell asleep immediately, woke up this morning feeling brighter - and then bam!

A smile appeared on my face like you've not seen before. Well, OK, maybe before.

I've been longlisted in the Sunderland Short Story Award. I can't say which story is mine, however, as it's all anonymised. But I'm on the list. Fingers crossed for the shortlist. But even if my story doesn't go higher than the longlist, I'm well chuffed to get this far.

My short story is one that was inspired by a visit to Killhope lead mining museum in County Durham. The visit was undertaken with the Roker Pier and Lighthouse heritage group I volunteer with. I was really taken by the atmosphere of the place, the history... and the tiny blue flowers that only grow on soil heavy with lead.

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The Canary Islands Crime Boss

I'm absolutely overjoyed to have my winning short story published in Noirville, the very first anthology of crime stories by Fahrenheit Press.  The book is available in paperback from the publisher here.

My story is set on Lanzarote and is called The Canary Islands Crime Boss.  I'm especially chuffed with the sentence below from the book's editor.  Wow.

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Strangers

I've a short story called The Caller which has been included in an anthology of winning stories from the Olga Sinclair Short Story Competition 2017. 

If you'd like to read it, the book is available in either paperback or kindle format from Amazon.


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Seaside Surprise

I've a short story called Easter Suprise in Take a Break's Fiction Feast magazine (May 2018) which is in the shops now.

It's a story of a family day out to the seaside which ends with a very special surprise.  I do hope you enjoy reading it.

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My Mention in @Mslexia #amwriting

I've been a subscriber to Mslexia magazine (the magazine for women who write) since its inception years ago. I even interviewed their editor Debbie Taylor as part of my journalism project at the end of my degree in 2001.

I devoured every word of the magazine, determined that one day I would become a writer. I kept on writing, kept on devouring the words, kept on learning, did more writing, did less writing, got nowhere fast, stopped writing all together (almost), cancelled my subscription to Mslexia.

And then in 2015 I started writing again. I started getting published - short stories in women's magazines, the commission of a weekly soap opera for The People's Friend magazine, an agent, a handful of publishers fighting for my debut work, a deal for three novels.

Three.

Novels.

I nip myself daily. Is this real?

It seems as if it must be, because it's in Mslexia magazine.

I've been given a mention on their website on their Readers' Success Stories page, all the way down at the end.


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