The Bicycle Orchestra

Photo: Joshua Niedermayer for Fictive Dream

I am delighted that my short story The Bicycle Orchestra is published here by Fictive Dream. I wrote the first (much longer) draft three years ago, when I’d just stopped teaching and was completing my MA. The story, loosely titled Bicycle Race, marked a break, a change in my circumstances, and also the first piece of more independent writing for some time. I’d spotted a small summary in the paper about an unnamed fifty-something woman in West Yorkshire who’d headed out for a short bike ride and ended tangled up in a race.

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Microfiction

The most famous short-short story is supposedly Hemingway’s 6-worder:

For sale, baby shoes, never worn.

My Big, Fat Thyroid

I have hyperthyroidism (in the form of Graves Disease) and I’ve recently had RadioActive Iodine treatment for it. I’ve blogged extensively about the process (and my feelings about it) over at My Big, Fat Thyroid.

Do read it if you’re interested!

The Buzzard

My short story The Buzzard was used by Liar’s League Hong Kong, read by Fraser McPhie (click here to watch and listen).

Buzzard photo by kind permission of Glyn Evans

Read on for a transcript of the story:

How to win the Fish Prize…

How to Win the Fish Short Story Prize 2018, in six easy steps:

(This article first appeared in the Autumn 2018 Wivenhoe News, No. 77)

1: Ages 0 – 10
Be a quiet child who reads voraciously and daydreams (warning: the latter can get you into trouble at school). Look forward to Fridays, after break (once the terrifying ‘Twenty Mental’ is out of the way) when you can come in after playtime to choose from three titles on the blackboard for an hour’s uninterrupted silent daydreaming and writing. Bliss!

WriteNight

Colchester WriteNight meet on the fourth Monday of each month, 7.30pm, at FirstSite, Colchester. They are a ‘gathering of creative writers from all walks of life’ and are a talented, friendly and diverse bunch who write together, support each other’s writing and invite guest writers to speak.

Travelling Light

or…

Two Pairs of Knickers and a Capsule Wardrobe

You always aspired to travelling light. A tiny suitcase, a few multi-purpose, high-quality clothes neatly rolled amongst the books and more important items – no fuss.