Wednesday 19 December 2018

Bradford Literary Festivel Northern Noir Crime Writing Competition

I'm delighted to have been chosen as one of ten winners of a week-long crime writing residential course in the Bradford Literary Festival Northern Noir Crime Writing Competition. This is for my second novel, Cuddies Strip, a crime novel set in 1930s Perth, Scotland.

The residential course in at the Ted Hughes Writers' Centre, Lumb Bank, Yorkshire, so that will be fascinating anyway. And leading the course are AA Dhand and literary agent Simon Trewin, so it's bound to be an experience to treasure.

London Independent Story Prize

My flash fiction, The Gamekeeper's Telling, was Highly Commended in the London International Story Prize and there is an interview with me on their website.

Bedford International Writing Prize

I have two stories short listed in the Bedford International Writing Prize this year - Joss'n'Jules Forever and The Weight of Snow. The prize giving is in January and I may attend, so if you're there, say hello.

Joss'n'Jules Forever is adapted from my first novel, Cloudland, and The Weight of Snow is a story I wrote back in about 2005, but completely changed. What is now the story was originally only half of the 2005 version. I focused in on the one event and I think it's much stronger as a result. Hopefully, the judges will agree...

HISSAC Short Story Competition

Please to have won third place in the HISSAC Flash competition 2018 for my story Peewit, and to have been highly commended in the Short Story Competition for my story Sequela.

I won the flash competition last year as well, and I placed in the short story competition a number of years back under a pseudonym, so there must be something about my writing style that appeals to the judges. It's a very well run competition as well, and very friendly. Definitely worth a try next year if you're thinking about entering competitions.