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!

Salford reading

Sarah Dobbs has invited me along to read at the launch event for her book 'Killing Daniel' tonight (Thursday, December 13th) in Salford. Before Sarah reads from her novel, I will be reading from my story 'The Monolith', which features in Unthank Books latest anthology Unthology 3 (Sarah also has a story in the collection). Another Unthologist will also be reading at the event - Debz Hobbs-Wyatt with her story 'A Theory of Circles'. So do come along. The event takes place at the King's Arms, Salford, from 7.30pm. It would be lovely to see you there.

On Kindle

The intro to the TLS review

My short story collection has been out for a year now - and, yes, it's flown by. It's been an interesting year. I've taken part in readings at literary festivals, been reviewed in the TLS (see right) and a number of other places, answered interview questions and tried to work on new writing (see my Next Big Thing answers below). And considering the anniversary, it's rather apt that my book is now available on Kindle (see Salt's special Christmas offer here for my collection and five other Scott Prize-winning books). So, if you haven't got hold of a copy - I understand it's being reprinted at the moment so physical stocks may be difficult to find - and you have a Kindle then you can download it now. Thanks to all those who've bought, read, reviewed and/or spoken to me about my book over the past 12 months - it's really nice to know you have, in the main, enjoyed it. Here's to whatever the next year brings!