My review of A Flash of Fiction on Amazon appeared last night. This is the Worcestershire Literary Festival‘s anthology edited by Lindsay Stanberry-Flynn. I thought you might like to read about it too I’ve got some for Christmas gifts. It’s a great read. My friends will love it
Click on the image if you’d like to buy a copy.
Fabulous Flashers
Get with the programme ~ get onto some of the funkiest fiction around!
The most talented writers in and outside the UK entered the first Worcestershire Literary Festival Flash Fiction Competition in 2012.
This absolute stonker of an anthology is the result!
Why buy just one story, when you could have 48 selected offerings?
Winner, Amy Rainbow, was a double finalist. Her winning Flash ‘Father and Son’ is a heart-rending story, marvellous to mix emotions so quickly in such a brief tale.
Second prize went to Anna Cullum for `Jasmine and Wet Grass’ in which two cultures talk across a divide.
In third place Emily Pardo’s ‘Adagio’, music to our ears.
PW Bridgman’s ‘Ad Te Clamamus …’ is a brilliant exposition of Irish Catholic life and the relationship between a young couple and her family. Andy Kirk’s ‘Contract to Retire’ has a wonderful twist in the tale and ditto Alan Durham’s ‘At First Sight’.
Every Flash in this anthology has much to recommend it, from the creativity and imagination shown by the writers to the skills and techniques used to keep us engaged.
Recommended every step of the way ~ well done Editor Lindsay Stanberry-Flynn.
A big ‘Thank You’ to both Daniel Grubb of Fantastic Books Publishing and to Lindsay Stanberry-Flynn for tagging me in the My Next Big Thing meme. If you don’t know what this is, it’s an opportunity to tell the world about your current writing project. When you’ve finished answering the ten questions below you get to tag other people, who do the same, thus spreading writerly joy all over the place.
Let me tell you something about these two amazingly talented people. Daniel and his wife Gabi nominated two of my short stories for their recent publication Fusion, it was great to see their professionalism in editing the stories and to see my work appear with other excellent short stories. Lindsay Stanberry-Flynn is the author of Unravelling and her second novel The Piano Player’s Son will be out next year. I met Lindsay at Parole Parlate, a monthly spoken word event in Worcester organised by The Worcestershire Literary Festival.
So, Polly, what’s your Next Big Thing?
Like many writers, I’ve got a number of different things on the go. I’ve just published my first poetry collection Girl’s Got Rhythm available from Lulu and on Kindle. I’ve recently published A Flash of Fiction on behalf of The Worcestershire Literary Festival – a selection of the flash fiction stories from Worcestershire’s first-ever flash fiction competition. The anthology will be launched on Sunday 9th December in Worcester. I recently completed a Flash Fiction course with ‘King of Flash Fiction’ Calum Kerr and am studying a short story writing course with Lindsay Stanberry-Flynn (she is a superb writing teacher but don’t say I said so, head / doorway etc!) I’m also on the A215 Creative Writing course with The Open University. So much to learn, so little time!
However, for this post, there’s one burning issue – the novel I’m writing with my husband, Geoff (otherwise known as ‘G’ or ‘the hub’).
1) What is the working title of your book?
The working title of the book is The Citadel. There are already books with that title, so we know we must find something different (suggestions welcomed!)
2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
We started writing the book a while ago ~ then life got in the way. We picked it up again and reviewed the story this year. We both have a leaning towards sci-fi / fantasy and other ‘dark’ genres. Josh’s story was born from this shared interest
3) What genre does your book fall under?
Fantasy
4) Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Josh ~ Dakota Goyo
Candlehop ~ elf ~ Josh Feldman
King Zorn ~ Bernard Hill
Felina ~ Uma Thurman
Skitt ~ goblin chief ~ Rowan Atkinson
Quassier ~ Keith Allen
Shadowblade ~ Johnny Depp
Aunt Sandy ~ Alex Kingston
5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Josh lives with Aunt Sandy ~ he finds a dragon egg and Candlehop comes to help Josh return the egg to Invista
6)Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
An agency would be good ~ it will be published ~ I self-published my first poetry collection Girl’s Got Rhythm
7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Several years. Still working on it!
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
His Dark Materials ~ Chronicles of Narnia ~ Lord of the Rings ~ Treasure Island
9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
This story was inspired by shared imagination ~ the pleasure of inventing an ‘other’ world ~ and seeing the ways in which the main character grows
10) What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Our approach to tracking Josh’s growth and the experiences he shares along the way
It’s tag time:
I think, since two lovely people tagged me, that I can tag five ~ oops, seven ~ of my writing / performing chums to pick up the baton. I am blessed to know so many wonderfully talented people, so those who are not mentioned here, just know I thought of you too, but time / space precludes me mentioning everyone (bugger!) Do check out the work of the following: Gary Longden, who writes brilliant reviews and the best poetry. Carrie Rubin who had her debut novel The Seneca Scourge published this year. Holly Magill, who accompanied me on a five day Arvon ‘Form in Poetry’ workshop ~ dying to know what your ‘next big thing’ is, my friend. Catherine Crosswell, one of the most talented writers and performers I have the pleasure to know, her work with Four Tart Harmony needs to be seen! This year’s Worcestershire Poet Laureate, Maggie Doyle, who has entertained us exceedingly well with her fabulous poetry. Calum Kerr, the ‘King of Flash Fiction.’ I had the pleasure of working with Calum at the Flash Fiction Competition and on one of his online courses, and Andrew Owens, writer and fab MC of 42
Last Saturday saw the final of the Flash Fiction competition that was organised by writer Lindsay Stanberry-Flynn as part of the Worcestershire Literary Festival. The competition was judged by Lindsay and by Calum Kerr, the King of Flash Fiction himself! Calum had only recently completed National Flash Fiction Day and also a whole year of writing a Flash every day, you may have heard about it on BBC Radio.
Maybe those who didn’t enter this time would like to see the finalists’ work – there were nearly 100 entries from all over the UK and from further afield. A Worcestershire writer, Amy Rainbow, was the winner. Most of the flash writers were present on Saturday and read out their work, suffice it to say that Amy’s flash moved many people to tears. Take a look at the final flashes here – they’re a jolly good read. Plans are already being made to run the competition again in 2013.
I’ve got some for Christmas gifts. It’s a great read. My friends will love it 
