fiction writer and freelance journalist
Wonderful to have won first prize in the final short story competition run by that fabulous organisation, Cranked Anvil, with A Guttering Candle, a tale that may resonate with more than a few older people, Through Cranked Anvil, Paul has created fantastic opportunities and provided terrific support for the writing community over many years, so it’s a significant loss, but we wish him well and send our thanks. Where would we be without the selfless people who run competitions?
Great to have been placed second in the Strands International Flash Fiction Competition with my flash fiction piece, It’s Only Swimming. Many thanks to the competition organisers and judges.
“As the candles flickered into life, one by one, the display took on the look of a richly-detailed Renaissance painting. Opulence shouldered grief aside, and the wake assumed the air of a successful party…”
I’m delighted that my story The Language of Love won first prize in the Writetime December 2023 short story competition. Cake has a starring role!
(image courtesy of micheile henderson on Unsplash)
My story, The Incompatibility of Fish won second prize in the 2022 Aestas competition organised by Fabula Press. The anthology of winning and runner-up short stories has now been published.
The judge commented: ‘The Incompatibility of Fish (is) a powerfully moving and complexly woven portrait of the fish-eat-fish world the characters inhabit; the characterization of the misogynistic and controlling Malcolm is impressive’.
Intrigued? The publication’s full of great stories, so why not have a read – it’s available now from Amazon.
Just published by Hobeck Books is Henshaw Five – a collection of winning short stories from the wonderful Henshaw Press Writing Competition. I’m delighted to have two of my short stories included: Redhead Reunion and The Man Friend.
In her excellent foreword to the anthology, Victoria Dowd writes:
“The minutiae of life in all its beauty and sadness is captured in these tiny glimpses of existence. It is, as with all great short story anthologies, a vast kaleidoscope of emotions ranging over a multitude of experiences from the smallest of moments to the huge and overwhelming parts of life…. the reader is utterly immersed in that person;’s existence for the short time they have with them.”
All profits from the sale of the book are going to boost the collection of a school library in Worcester – a very worthwhile cause.
Really pleased to have had my story No Rule Book for Old Men shortlisted in the 2023 Flash 500 short story competition. A second story, By Appointment Only: Marika’s Studio of Dreams made the longlist. I was fortunate enough to win this competition in 2022.
A second success was seeing the opening of my novel The Warm-up Man on the shortlist of the Retreat West 2023 First Chapter Competition. Fingers crossed for future success somewhere!
“Will anyone come to save him? Last night, four feet of water swept into Pieter’s house, leaving him beached upstairs like a whale on the shore. The only way he’ll get out anytime soon is if someone comes to get him, and that’s dependent on anyone remembering he’s here….“
My little story, The Seesaw of Isolation, won joint third prize in the 2020 Yeovil Short Story competition. Now, it’s been recorded by Tempest Productions, beautifully read by Stephen Blake. Click here to listen.
Absolutely over the moon to see my little story, Forest Bathing, take first prize in one of my favourite competitions run by Bridgend Writers’ Circle. You can read the story and those of the other winners here. This somewhat strange and rather dark story was sparked by long woodland walks during the second (winter) lockdown when rivers ran high and imagination roamed free!
Many thanks to all at Bridgend for choosing my story as their winner (for the second time!)
Flash 500 is one of my favourite competitions. Their quarterly 500-word limit story competition is always a challenge, but their annual short story competition is, for me, the greatest pinnacle to aspire to. So I was shocked and delighted to discover I’d been awarded first prize in this year’s competition. The judge’s comments were the icing on the cake!
You can read The Road to Nowhere here.
dianne bown-wilson 