Monday 29 October 2018

Upcoming Readings



Just a quick note to say that I'll be reading a flash piece, "Casanova Jones", at 42 on Halloween at the Swan With Two Nicks in Worcester (7:30 pm start).

Then I also have a 6 minute slot at the Worcester Speakeasy at Wayland's Yard, Foregate Street, Worcester on 8th November, starting at 7pm.


Sunday 28 October 2018

"Trembling With Fear" update.

Just received my copies of Trembling With Fear.  Very nicely produced volume, I have to say.



Sunday 14 October 2018

"Trembling With Fear" anthology out now!



The Trembling With Fear anthology from Horror Tree Press is out now.  I have flash ("The Last English Speaker") in it.

Trembling with Fear is available from Amazon UK here and Amazon US here.


Friday 12 October 2018

Reading at "Worcester Speakeasy," Thursday 11th October



Well, had another good night at the Worcester Speakeasy last night, even if they did somehow manage to get both my real name and my pen-name misspelled on the flyer.  ;)

Still, who can quibble when they call you a "flash fiction master"?

Was a fairly low turnout compared to most evenings (maybe a dozen?) but there were some great performances.  I particularly enjoyed Heather Wastie and Mike Alma's readings from their book of WW1 inspired pieces, Voices of 1919.

I ended up performing "The Friend We Made" which was published at Bizarro Central last week and was happy that it seemed to come across quite well when read out loud (you never know, especially when reading "weird stuff", how things will get across, especially if people are unfamiliar with you and your work and don't know what to expect).


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In other news, there are quite a few pieces coming out in print anthologies very soon.  The Trembling With Fear anthology should be out literally any day now, and that contains a flash piece, "The Last English Speaker."  Then Suspense Unimagined should be out nearer the end of the year, which contains the 5000 word short story "Shooting Stars."  And finally, talking to the editor of the Worcester Flash Fiction Prize last night, it seems I have at least one flash piece (and maybe more?) appearing in this year's Competition anthology Sacrifice, which will be published on 25th November.  I'll be reading something at the launch, which takes place at 3:30pm in The Swan With Two Nicks, 28 New Street, Worcester, UK.





Friday 5 October 2018

New story published at "Bizarro Central."




Very pleased to announce that I've had a new flash piece published at Bizarro Central.

This is yet another very old idea - probably 25+ years old.  Yet for the longest time it remained just that - an idea.  I couldn't work out how to turn it into an actual story until I became more familiar with, and more proficient in, the flash fiction form.

The origin of the story is probably fairly obvious - I had a friend of a friend who was a nice enough guy but who seemed to be a friend to all.  After watching him for a while, I noticed he seemed subtly different with different groups of people - a bit more "laddy" with the beer drinkers and a bit more chilled when with the weed smokers.  Obviously, this was pretty subtle (and not like the wholly different wardrobes and haircuts of the story!) and we are all guilty of it to a certain extent. but when I saw him getting on with groups that should have been diametrically opposed (like an SJW getting pally with everyone at a Trump rally), I started to wonder what he was really like?  What was he like when no-one else was around? 

Hence this story of someone who doesn't really have a personality, or even an existence, of their own.

Hope you enjoy it!  And for anyone who is local, I will be reading this story at the next Worcester Speakeasy  at Wayland's Yard, Worcester, UK on the evening of October 11th.


"The Friend We Made" can be read at Bizarro Central - here.