How did you first get to know CafeLit?
I found CafeLit online. I started submitting stories, went on to have tales accepted, and have ended up in several of their Best Of anthologies. I like the way this has worked out!
I am delighted to have three stories in The Best of CafeLit 13. Am also pleased to see new and familiar names in the book with me.
What do you like about it?
I like the range of stories CafeLit take. I like to read a mixture of stories in terms of word count, genre, quirkiness etc so it is fabulous CafeLit reflects that on the website and in their books. I also love how it gives new writers a voice and can help build them up. I know. I am one of them.
Tell us a little about the story or stories you have in the volume.
I am delighted to have three stories in CafeLit 13. My tales are Cinnamon Comforts, Untaken, and Sweet Dreams. All three come within the flash fiction category as all are under 1000 words.
Cinnamon Comforts is a story about an old fairy godmother who is worried about what happens to those like her because her government see sending old fairies like her out to face dragons as a great way to cut the pension bill. So my story explores how Clara deals with this issue and where cinnamon comes into it all.
Untaken is about a legend attached to a well and what happened to a man who thought he could challenge that legend. Has a distinctive light horror element.
Sweet Dreams has my character discussing her love affair which involves a dentist, a disapproving mother, and chocolate!
All three stories were great fun to write. I love mixing up the moods of my own stories and to have three different tales in terms of mood selected for the anthology is a great privilege.
Why did you pick that particular or those particular drinks?
For Cinnamon Comforts, the drink almost picked itself. What else could it be but cinnamon tea (which is lovely)?
For Untaken, I chose sour wine as the drink as there is a darker side to this tale. It definitely isn’t sweet so I was looking for the opposite of sweet when it came to selecting a drink.
For Sweet Dreams, I chose a chocolate milk shake since chocolate comes into the story and I wanted a sweet, fun drink here.
Do you have a favourite “Creative Cafe”?
Not at the moment though I am fond of using train station cafes to write in when I’m out and about if I’ve got a long wait for my train. Mind you, on a long train journey, the train itself can act like a cafe.
I went to Scotland for a writing event a couple of years ago, where I was a judge for a competition and was running a workshop, and found the long journey, aided by refreshments along the way, made for a great trip and plenty of writing was done. I would like to be able to have a mobile writing cafe like that again.
Do you write in cafes? Every so often, yes. Usually when I’ve got a long wait before I have to be somewhere else or waiting for a train.
What are you working on now?
Am currently working on a long term non-fiction project. I’m also drafting a potential fourth flash fiction collection. I usually have flash and short stories “on the go” for competitions, online sites etc.
I write a weekly column on topics of interest to writers for online magazine Chandler’s Ford Today so I am always preparing something for that. I also edit and am working on that too.
Later in the summer and autumn I will be judging flash fiction competitions again, which is fun and interesting to do. It can be enlightening as well!
Do you have any writing news? Forthcoming or recent publications? Events?
I’m pleased to be running a two part course at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick this August called Editing as an Author, Editing as a Competition Judge. This is an extended version of a one hour workshop I ran at Swanwick in 2023 and feedback on that was very good.
For the longer course, I have set editing exercises for people to try. Having a longer time slot makes that possible.
I hope to be at a local book fair later in the autumn too. The book fair had its debut in 2023 and was a huge success. Over 100 people came to it and there were good brisk book sales, including mine I’m glad to say. Every author who took part last year is hoping that will happen again this year! Just as importantly, as there is no local bookshop anymore, this fair is a great way of bringing books to my area.
Allison Symes – Links
Website – https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com
Facebook Author Page - https://www.facebook.com/Allison.Symes.FairytaleLady
Chandler’s Ford Today – Allison Symes Column - https://chandlersfordtoday.co.uk/author/allison-symes/
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