Today I talk to Sarah Swatridge about her collection, Feel Good Stories

 

 

How did you first get into writing short stories?

I’ve always written short stories, ever since I was a small child. My mum was a writer, and I suppose I assumed that’s what everyone did.

 

Many of the stories in this collection have been published before. Would you like to tell us a little about your journey to and through publication?

When a short story is published in a magazine, it’s great, but then I file away the magazine and it’s forgotten about. Now and again, I re-read old stories or are reminded of them for some reason and I always feel it’s such a waste when they’re worth sharing. So, I was delighted to discover Bridge House Publishing publish Single Author Collections. This was exactly what I was looking for, and I’ve really valued the efficiency and friendliness of Bridge House every step of the way.

 

Do you have a favourite story in the collection? Why do you like this one so much?

I like The Gentleman Gypsy because of the characters. This actually grew into a novel of the same name. The Secret Everyone Knew is about a small-time pawn-broker. The more I learnt about pawn-brokers, the more I developed my characters and eventually wrote Adam’s Emporium. The Promise always makes me smile and I was pleased with the way I could turn a sad situation in Waiting for the Wedding, into something more hopeful.

 

 

Is there one that was more difficult to write?

Moving Forward is the story of a woman coming to terms with miscarriage. It was inspired by a talk I went to on Japan. This was one little anecdote which really touched me. I did check, and double check that it was OK to share this story, although she bears no resemblance to my main character and my story is as much about friendship as moving forward.

 

 

Who do you see as the reader?

I see a mature woman, rather like me. Very probably a busy person who doesn’t always have time to get into a novel but likes to read something before going to sleep. It’s important to me that my stories are uplifting. Now, more than ever, we need to see the best in people and to be reminded that a little kindness is never wasted.

 

Are you working on any new projects?

I always seem to be juggling lots of stories. I’m writing the third book in my series, The Biscuit Girls.

I regularly write short stories for the women’s magazine market and have a thick folder of ideas which I dip into. This is ongoing.

 

I’m proof-reading An Honourable Wager which is being republished by Bridge House Publishing in the new year. Having had some experience now of promoting and marketing a book, I keep adding ideas to my file, so that when it’s released, I will feel organised and approach the challenge in a focussed and professional way.

 

I’m researching the Edwardian period for a potential new novel. I do have to be careful not to get too engrossed in the research, but stick to the facts that I need to move my plot forward.

 

In November I’ve got Isaac’s Oak coming out with Ulverscroft, in Large Print, followed by United We Stand in March 2025. I will need to encourage libraries to buy them. I will then have 12 Large Print novels available and others being considered.

 

Do you have any events planned?

My priority at the moment is promoting Feel-Good Stories, especially with Christmas approaching. I think it would make an ideal Secret Santa gift or stocking filler. With this in mind, I’m doing a book event on 20^th Oct at H’artisan’s, Wargrave. Followed by The Whiteknights Bowls Club Christmas Bazaar in Earley on 16^th November. Then, on Saturday 23^rd November I’ve been invited to an Author Event at Newbury Library which is another chance to showcase my books and to network.

 

There are two other events I’m waiting to hear back from as I need more information.  

 

These events are like my ‘shop window’ but in the background, I’m working on getting reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones. I’ve potentially got some local stores to stock my books and hope to venture further afield with this. I’ve planned a ‘tour’ with a large bundle of A5 posters - in order to spread the word and sell more copies.

I’ve got a few more ideas up my sleeve, if I can fit everything in. There really aren’t enough hours in the day!

 

Find your copy of Sarah's book here 

Today I talk to Dan Corry about his book 'Tales of the Unelected'.

 

What inspired you to write a collection of short stories? 

I used to write short stories when I was in my 20s and one won in a big competition and was published in PEN New Fiction 2 in 1987, edited by the great journalist and author Alan Massie - and featuring stories by proper writers like Ian Rankin and Elaine Feinstein!  So I knew I liked to write them. But for several decades I had no time. The desire re awoke a little while ago and I got one published based loosely on running the line for my sons football team (https://www.fairlightbooks.co.uk/short_stories/running-the-line/).

And then I knew I wanted to write about what it had been like as a political special adviser (spads as they are known)  - a role I had held through most of the Labour government 1997- 2010 in various departments - both to clarify my own thoughts about the role and to give those outside the system a glimpse into what it is all about. Not a pot boiler with murders and affairs (sorry) – those are well covered in fiction by the House of Cards and the like. And not about the press advisers with the swearing and frantic pace – that The Thick of It does so well. And not even quite like the West Wing with its glamour – although I think a lot of the themes they explore are similar to ones that fascinate me. 

No, it was about trying to do a decent job with so many pressures around meaning you are having to balance, adapt, and improvise. Spinning endless plates with no end in sight.

Your boss won’t take a risk you want; you have to negotiate with the evil, folks at Treasury or No 10; the press are on your case; the civil servants are not on board; another department is blocking you; your family life is causing you angst.  

That was what I wanted to write about. And I hope these stories will echo with those who have worked in that world and will give some insight into what it felt like, at least for me, for those outside that crazy system. All fiction, but based on the sort of things, the sort of personalities that i worked with.

 

I imagine writing these must be very different from any writing you do as part of the day job. Can you tell us little about that?

For so much of my career I was writing, writing, writing. But not fiction. It was think tank reports, submissions, speeches for ministers - and myself - , white papers, green papers, consultancy reports. In the job I have been doing for the last 13 years (that I soon give up) running NPC, a think tank and consultancy that tries to help charities become more impactful, I have mainly written speeches, articles and so on. Quite a different world. The hardest thing was getting back to writing dialogue. I don't think I've cracked that yet.

 

I imagine also, it wasn't so much about doing research but more about what you should include and what you should exclude. Can you tell us a little about that?

The stores are inspired by characters I worked with and events that I experienced. There were lots of them! But I guess I wanted to use material that covered different aspects of being a special adviser. Arriving and having to prove yourself; getting the secretary of state you work for to give a speech that does a bit more than they wanted; getting caught up in a leak inquiry; dealing with your fellow spads when there are quite a few of you – as in the Treasury or No 10; fighting for PM time in No 10;  worrying about the safety of your boss. They are all there.

The last story in the book has a special adviser in No 10 packing his bags, knowing his party are about to lose the election. He reflects on whether, given this fantastic opportunity, he did enough. Yes he had to negotiate the minefield. Yes so sometimes you need to compromise to make progress.  But really - did he do enough to try to make the county better and improve lives for those in need?

 

I know you had a launch recently. How did that go?

Thanks for asking Gill. It was a lot of work but it was worth it. We held it near Westminster - sensible given it is about politics - and had a great turn out including a number of people who had been or are ministers and special advisers. Rather excitingly, because John Healy, now Secretary of State for Defence attended for a bit, we got 'swept' by his security people beforehand. There were great speeches by Debz Hobbs-Wyatt, who helped me edit the stories, and by Ed Balls, once education Secretary, shadow Chancellor and star of Strictly. Ed was very kind, suggesting that these stories were not only a good read but really gave people  - a real insight into what government is like. I underestimated demand for the book so we sold out the 70 I had brought along within about 30 minutes. Hopefully others will buy on line!

 

 

 

Who do you see as the ideal reader of this book?

I hope that lots of people will be interested - they are nice and readable stories! Obviously there is a niche among political folk, civil servants, and maybe students and academics studying politics, policy and government. But I feel that there may be a wider audience too as the basic idea of trying to do the right thing when confronted by tensions with your boss, colleagues, family issues is i think  universal theme.

 

Do you have any more works of fiction planned?

The big question is what next? I am not sure if I want to do more short stories now or to do the brave thing and start a novel. Lots to chew on.

 

And any more events?

Not many planned but I have been asked to go and talk about the stories by some civil service book clubs and some politically engaged groups  and so on. Open to offers! And may thanks to you Gill and to Bridge House for publishing my stories. It's not easy to get a short story collection published when you are an unknown author. I am very grateful. 

Find your copy here 

Jenny Plamer talks to me about her latest publication

 

We used ‘fast track’ for this publication and the stories have been published here or elsewhere. Is there anything that unifies the stories?

‘Butterflies and Other Stories’ was written over a period of about eight years. These days I live in a rural location at the foot of Pendle Hill, having returned to my birthplace after forty years of living and working abroad and in London. Living in the countryside again, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, has led me to appreciate and feel a part of nature, now more than ever. The stories in this collection cover a wide variety of themes ranging from the Covid lockdown, war, presidential elections, the ‘hostile environment’ to more personal ones, like the role of older women in society, and struggles towards finding an identity. But because of where I live, I can’t stop nature creeping in. It has become the binding force of this collection.

You’ve written quite a lot for CafeLit. What tempted you to write for us there?

I was tempted into writing for CafeLit soon after I returned to Lancashire in 2008. In London I taught English to non-native speakers. I attended various creative writing courses at places like the City Lit and the Mary Ward Centre and wrote in my free time. This had led me into freelance editing and I co-edited three anthologies of short stories for the Women’s Press and one for Serpent’s tail. But I always wanted to get back into writing, so when I moved here, I did a refresher course at Clitheroe Library and joined the Clitheroe Writing Group. I wrote my childhood memoir, much of which was serialized in the Lancashire Evening Post, as were some of my short stories. They had a word limit of 1500 words. I was sending stories off to various magazines and competitions. I liked the sound of CaféLit. The fact that they wanted something thought-provoking appealed to me and that they liked quirky stories. People often said my stories were quirky. Perhaps they would like mine.

Can you tell us something about that process?

I sent off my first story ‘Garden Shed’ in 2010. It was a fictionalized version of moving into my new house in the country. It was published on the CafeLit website, and I carried on writing and sending off stories. Some of my stories on the CafeLit website (A59, Fatal Flaws and The Visitors) were selected for the Best of CaféLit anthologies. Eventually I had enough stories to publish my first collection ‘Keepsake and Other Stories’ House, which came out in 2018. I continued writing stories which were published on the CafeLit website and in various anthologies like Citizens of Nowhere, Creative Mind, Worktown Words and the Lancashire Evening Post. Since they had already been published, these stories could then be fast-tracked for Butterflies and Other Stories.

How did you come up with the title?

In ‘Butterflies’ the title story of this collection, the butterflies served as a reminder to us of the fragility of life, as the Covid pandemic swept across the world. Many of my characters in the other stories in the collection are living on the margins of society or in situations where they are struggling to survive. So, the butterfly population, which has fallen drastically in recent years, can be seen to represent not only the fragility of the insect population but of humanity itself.

What attracted you to writing short stories in the first place?

I first started writing articles on my travels. They were about places I had visited in South America, North Africa, or the Middle East. I was finding it hard as a freelancer without contacts to get them published and there were strict deadlines. So, I decided to switch to writing something more creative where you didn’t need to meet a deadline. I joined a writing group and did some courses. I was still teaching and had other hobbies such as weaving, woodwork, local history, and yoga, so my time for writing was limited. Short stories seemed the obvious answer. I like writing short stories because you can write in any genre. I tend towards literary fiction and try to express ideas which have a deeper meaning than is immediately obvious and to combine this with a lightness of touch.

When I retired, I could devote more time to writing short stories, alongside poetry and local history. Although I still work around a busy schedule of quilting, walking, book clubs and coffee mornings.

 

Do you have any advice for other writers of short stories?

A useful technique I sometime employ is to set myself a time limit of, say, one hour. Once I’ve got something down on the page, I can work on it over the next week or two. Sometimes the story comes out fully-fledged. At other times it takes a while to reveal itself. That is where most of the work comes in.

I’ve read a lot of short stories over the years by authors such as Jean Rhys, Fay Weldon, William Trevor, Janet Frame, Katherine Mansfield, Alice Munro, Grace Paley, Anton Chekhov, Guy de Maupassant. Many have come from creative writing classes I’ve attended. These days I like Tove Jansen, Sarah Hall, Elizabeth Strout, Louise Kennedy. I am a member of a book club and have read one novel a month for the past sixteen years aside from my own personal favourites. Every writer can teach you something.

I also find it helpful to be in a writers’ group which provide support and encouragement as well as friendship. It’s important to listen to feedback but at the same time only you can fix the story if it isn’t working. It can take weeks or even months to get a story right.

As far as publication is concerned, I send my stories out to competitions and magazines off-chance. Often there is an element of luck involved. I know from my editing experience, that it often depends on whether your story happens to fit in or not, and whether you can find your niche market.

Are you working on any other projects at the moment?

‘Butterflies and Other Stories’ is my seventh book since 2012. I self-published the two memoirs, the two family history books, and the book of poems. I regularly attend Clitheroe Writers’ Group, Ribble Valley Poetry Stanza and Pendle Forest History Group and will be continuing to write short stories, poetry and local history.

Do you have any events planned?

 

I will be holding a book launch for ‘Butterflies and Other Stories’ at Clitheroe Library on Thursday, October I7^th at 2.00 pm.

I will be participating in a Meet the Author event for ‘Butterflies and Other Stories’ at Barrowford Library on Friday, November 15^th at 2.15 pm.

I will be reading poetry for National Poetry Day at the Open Mic event at the Station pub in Clitheroe on Thursday, 3^rd October.

I will be giving a presentation for the Friends of Pendle Heritage in February 2025 on ‘Witches, Quakers and Nonconformists.’

Find your copy of Jenny's book here. 

Eamon O'Leary talks to me about his latest book

 

So, we’ve published you quite a lot on CafeLit and your stories have been well received. Tell us a little about how you became involved in CafeLit.

I've no particular genre, but in all my short stories, even the "dark" ones, I do try to have an element of humour. As most of my pieces are circa 1k, they found favour with the people at Cafelit. It's lovely to get the confirmation email, but what pleases me most is the annual anthology.

We were able to ‘fast track’ this book and the editorial process was very light as you’d worked extensively already with an editor. Can you tell us a little about that process?

The seed for most of my stories is usually sown when I'm out walking. After germination, the gestation period can be anything from a few days to weeks before I've everything gathered in my head, ready to commit it to paper. That's when the torture starts. I can't type. It takes an age, tapping away with two fingers to get in on the laptop.

 

When finished, I close the file and start on the next story and don't look at it for a minimum of three months. That was the best advice I was given when I started writing. It's amazing the changes to be made when you revisit.

 

The edited story went off to my editor. He praised, suggested, criticised, and cajoled me as we went to an' fro until both were satisfied. It takes time!

It’s probably as well that you came to Bridge House as some other publishers might complain that they don’t know where to market the book.  So, you tell us,: what is it? Memoir? Autobiography?  Nostalgia? a collection of  funny stories? 

I think I'd like to describe my book as a "tonic". When you're down or just looking for something to make you laugh out loud, I think you'll get it from I'm a Big Boy Now.

 

Yes, it's a collection of personal childhood memories, mostly humorous, but I also think it gives the reader an insight into the socio-economic conditions of the early 60s.

 

It's a read for all ages and it should especially appeal to anyone with, or claiming to have, a drop of Irish blood in their veins.

What has it been like writing about other people?  

As it's mostly about family, it was relatively easy.

 

Which fiction-writing techniques have you used to engage your reader?

 

I don't use any writing techniques in my writing. If it feels right, I run with it. I'd like to think my writing has a natural simple feeling to it.

 Do you have any events planned around this book?

 I'm indebted to the people in Cork City Library who are hosting the main launch on 24th October. My local library has asked me to do one there as well. Several press interviews are in the pipeline and my regular slot on RTE Radio guarantees exposure.

 

I'm reading a few of my Radio pieces at the Kinsale Writing Festival and will have flyers and books with me.

What's your next project?

Next project is to plan a holiday. 😀😀

 

Find your copy of Eamon's book here. 

Jim Bates tells us about his latest book: The Stargazer and Other Stories

 

About the Book        

The thirteen stories in my newest collection, “The Stargazer and Other Stories,” are about the lives of ordinary people who each have a unique story to tell. Mitch’s life is enhanced immeasurably when he meets fellow stargazer Loren and his daughter. Doug and Evie form an unlikely friendship while riding the bus to work. Dan and Tim meet Michael at a concert and learn the importance of a caring friendship even if it’s only for a short time. Outcasts Poppy and Sid form a singing duo and perform in the fifth-grade talent show. Lenny’s sad death affects young Cal for the rest of his life. The summer between 6^th and 7^th grade is one Tommy will never forget. Widower Marv saves a drowning boy and gets a new lease on life. Cory attends his father’s funeral and meets a man who changes his life forever. A single mother and her daughter are thankful for their lives together even though their home is their car. Two brothers find that playing in marble tournaments helps them deal with the complexities of life. Maggie makes a fateful decision. Will she live to regret it? Strait-laced businessman Dave spontaneously decides to play hooky from work and get more than he bargained for. These stories are quietly told, and character-driven.  If you are looking for thoughtful stories where you can sit back, relax, and take your time to read them, then this is the book for you.

Research

I didn’t do much research for this book. I’m an amateur stargazer, so I verified some of the story's descriptions of the stars and constellations mentioned in that story. I also checked for accuracy in other stories where it was appropriate such as how marble tournaments are run and what were popular classic rock songs during the period the main character in “Classic Rock” was in high school.

Inspiration of the Stories

These stories were all written five to ten years ago when I first started writing. They came out of my imagination and were inspired by me looking to find “my voice” and becoming the best writer I could be. I recently went back and looked at them, went through and edited them, and decided that I liked them a lot and wanted to share them with others. They are very character driven which I like. They are also long, averaging 12.k in length which I also like. I hope readers like them as well!

What’s Next?

I have 11 more long stories from the same writing time period as “The Stargazer” that I am currently editing with the intent of publishing, hopefully by the end of this year. The title is “Moonshine.”

 

 How to Get Copies?

“The Stargazer and Other Stories” is available as both an ebook and paperback through Amazon and other outlets. 

You can find them on Amazon here.  

Note, this is an affiliate link and a small portion of what you pay, at no extra cost to you,  may go to Bridge House Publishing.   

Do I Have Any Events Planned?

Not at this time. I’m marketing right now via social media, primarily FB.

THANK YOU, GILL, FOR LETTING ME SHARE MY NEW BOOK WITH YOU AND YOUR READERS!! I really appreciate it!