Story in The Warwick Review

I mentioned previously that I had a new story forthcoming in The Warwick Review. I wasn't sure then which issue it would be in but I'm happy to say it's in the June issue. The story is called 'One Small Thing' and will be published alongside new work by the likes of fellow Edge Hill Prize shortlistee Rowena Macdonald, John Kinsella, Kirsty Gunn and more. If you're interested in a subscription to The Warwick Review, details are available here (you can also order individual copies should you want to). It's a great read so it's well worth subscribing if you can. My story began with a first line dropping into my head - 'She was carving dolls for the dead.' This has happened quite a lot to me in the past and, usually, as soon as I get the line I get the story. That's not to say that the stories then come easily of course - they never do. Anyway, if you read it I hope you like it.
* Elizabeth Baines has given a very nice mention to the anthology of Brontë stories I'm currently editing and which she features in (Red Room: New Short Stories Inspired by the Brontës) so pop over to her blog to have a read.

Brontë stories

I've not mentioned this on here before but I'm currently editing an anthology of stories to help raise funds for The Brontë Birthplace Trust. The idea for the book came about after I was added into the Trust's group on Facebook - they were looking for ways to raise money towards their goal of one day buying the Brontë birthplace in Thornton, Bradford and I suggested a short story collection. There will be more on this in the introduction to the book.
Happily, Unthank Books are going to publish Red Room: New Short Stories Inspired by the Brontës in October/November this year - and it's going to be a cracking read. It features 12 stories by some of the UK's best short story writers (all will be revealed in time!) as well as a poem by Simon Armitage. I've more or less finished editing now so - fingers crossed - the manuscript will be off to the typesetters soon. I'll update you more over the next few months.
Watch this space!

Congratulations!

Just a quick note to say huge congratulations to Debz Hobbs-Wyatt who has been shortlisted in the prestigious Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Debz has been shortlisted for her short story 'Chutney' alongside other talented writers from around the Commonwealth. I read with Debz at Sarah Dobbs' book launch in December (see story below) and appear alongside her in the pages of Unthology 3 from Unthank Books - so I've got everything crossed for her. The prize is a great one to win - last year's winner Emma Martin, from New Zealand, is an online writing friend of mine so I was thrilled when she won. Since then, Emma has completed a short story collection, titled 'Two Girls in a Boat', and this is set to be published by Victoria University Press in May.

A new interview

I've just been interviewed by the writer Michael Stewart over on his blog here so feel free to go along and have a read of that. It was lovely to chat to him about astronomy, editing and short stories as endings - an idea which sent me to bed with a headache when I tried to get my head around it, but which I (finally) realised I agreed with. You may know Michael as the 2011 winner of The Guardian's Not the Booker Prize with his debut novel King Crow. He's also just published a collection of poetry (Couples) with Valley Press and I hear there's more work forthcoming from him soon, including an afternoon drama on Radio 4 on May 3rd - keep in touch with his blog to stay up-to-date with all things Michael Stewart.

New story

Very happy to say I've had a new story accepted for publication by The Warwick Review. 'One Small Thing' will be published in a future issue of the journal - I'm not sure which issue yet but I will update this post once I know. It's nice to be in the WR again as one of the stories from my collection first appeared there a while back and it's lovely to be making a return visit. The WR is a very attractive publication indeed, so it's well worth taking out a subscription. The editor Michael Hulse, a poet and translator who is also currently writing a novel, has published a number of writers I admire, including David Rose, Alison Moore, Ron Rash and Nicholas Royle. Subscriptions info is available here.

And so it begins

The novel is underway. I am so far about 10,000 words in and it's going... ok. I can already see it's going to be a massive undertaking though because it's changing as I'm writing it. I'm trying not to go back and edit but instead, just keep moving forward - just keep walking through the blizzard of ideas as the tracks behind me fill in. If I make it through the first draft - fingers crossed - then I'm going to have a lot of tidying up to do. But that's what a second draft is for.

There are three things I need to do before I sit down to write: tie my hair back, make sure my nails are short and put my ear defenders on. Other people have their own little rituals but, for now, these are mine. I once went to a meditation class where it was explained that the lighting of candles and incense before meditating was a way for the mind to prepare itself for meditation. And that, with regular practise, doing this would train the mind to get into that meditative state more quickly (a bit like Pavlov's experiments with dogs). I see my three things as similar to this - they get my mind into the right place for novel writing.

And so it begins. Wish me luck. I think there's a bit of a journey ahead... and I think I might need it. Good luck with your own new ventures.

The Killing... of Daniel

Sarah Dobbs reading from 'Killing Daniel'. Below: Sarah, Debz and I.

I had a lovely time reading at the launch for Sarah Dobbs' novel 'Killing Daniel' in Salford earlier this month. I read from my story 'The Monolith' which features in Unthology 3 (a collection of stories from Unthank Books which also features a piece by Sarah). Fellow Unthologist Debz Hobbs-Wyatt also read her story 'The Theory of Circles'. Sarah then read a selection of excerpts from her book - a literary thriller - and kept the audience enchanted throughout. (You can read more about the launch at Sarah's blog here and Debz's blog here.) I wish Sarah the best of luck with the novel - go buy a copy and treat yourself to a cracking read.

In other news: I  was recently interviewed by Laura Besley over on her blog. Also, I'm just a bit happy about having been awarded a K. Blundell Trust Award from The Society of Authors for my novel-in-progress - a lovely surprise just before Christmas. Finally, here are links to those who took up the Next Big Thing challenge after I tagged them earlier this month: Gill Blow and Cassandra Parkin.
Happy Christmas!