Why do I write?

Why do I write?

Readers often ask what inspires me to write, and I have to confess that I’m not really sure. Certain places capture my imagination – houses I visited as a child, favourite towns or country villages. But the setting isn’t enough in itself. Every story...
Lost Property – a short story

Lost Property – a short story

I hadn’t been well. ‘Walk every day, Brian,’ the doctor said, ‘as far as you can. You’ll be right as ninepence in no time.’ It was springtime, so being outdoors was no hardship. I walked as far as Manor Fields, what’s left of...
Long story short, or A quick catch-up in lockdown

Long story short, or A quick catch-up in lockdown

These are strange times, with lockdown in its fifth week amid fears that the unseasonably warm weather will make people complacent about social distancing.  This time in 2014, I was in Penzance on holiday. It was my first visit to Cornwall, and I hope it won’t...

It’s been quite a week!

I entered the Wells Literary Festival Short Story competition without a thought of getting shortlisted, let alone winning it! I’d read entries from previous years and concluded that ‘Anything goes!’ So I had a go, with a story that derived from a few...

Criminal activities in Frome

I’ve been so preoccupied with The Shame of Innocence lately, I haven’t spent any time on this blog. I’ve also been busy preparing a workshop on crime writing, as part of Frome Writers’ Collective’s Frome Word literary festival, running...