A snippet from Roger Noons

This is the cover from Roger's flash fiction collection.  Click on the image to find out more.

 

Tell me about your story  in  Aftermath - but don't give any spoilers!  

My story in Aftermath comprises 4 mini tales, examples of small businesses affected by Lockdown. None of them had any offers of financial assistance.

 

What inspired you to write this?

The original idea came to me after talking to a police officer, who said how criminality had changed, mostly for the good of innocent folk. With many people at home and the streets in urban and suburban areas being devoid of traffic, certain criminal activities were curtailed. There was of course an increase in cyber crime and internet law breaking. The people who I included in the stories were unable to conduct their businesses on line.

Why did you think it important to contribute  to this collection? 

 I think it important that a writer always takes any opportunity to achieve publication and my tales contain a sense of black humour. When times become difficult, the ability to smile (even behind a face covering) and laugh are important for therapy, indeed sanity. I felt it unlikely that any other contributor would submit a similar piece.

How have you coped with the pandemic? 

Last year, the pandemic became secondary in my mind as my wife of fifty years became seriously ill. She died on 28th December. The cause was not Covid connected and the fact that consultations were delayed by the NHS concentrating on Coronavirus, was irrelevant. Had the cause of her symptoms been identified earlier, the prognosis would still have been the same.

Can you tell us about your other publications?

I have been included in many anthologies of both poetry and prose over the last fifteen years, had screenplays filmed and to date have two single author publications. An A to Z by RLN comprises 26 short stories and Slimline Tales, published by Chapeltown Books contains 74 pieces of flash fiction.

 

 

 

A continuing response by writers to the Covid19 pandemic in 2020 and during the ongoing aftershocks in 2021, this collection is of work by writers we have published before and whom we trust, and their trusted colleagues. When disasters strike writers respond and react in words. They share with us their hopes and fears. They describe and rationalise.