Rosemary Johnson


I am looking forward to beta-reading your mainstream fiction and historical fiction.  Whether writing in a contemporary or historical setting, I believe it's very important, not only to get the facts right, but to understand the mindset of characters in the situation in which they find themselves.  This is often reflected in the language they use.

 
I am a writer of short stories and flash fiction, largely mainstream contemporary fiction, women's fiction and historical fiction.  My work has been published (in print) in Scribble, Mslexia and Radgepacket, and (online) in The Copperfield Review, Every Day Fiction, Fiction on the Web, Alfie Dog Fiction, 101 Words and CafeLit - amongst other places.  I am currently seeking publication for a novel set during the Solidarity years in Poland in 1980-81. 

Since 2015 I have been the Competitions Manager for the Association of Christian Writers, organising and running competitions for all kinds of fiction, journalism and poetry, over a wide range of genres.  I am also a competitor in writing competitions myself, so I would be able to offer advice in preparing pieces for competitions.

As a former IT teacher, I can also help you with formatting, presentation and sending stories to editors electronically. 

3 comments:

Rosemary Johnson said...

Review of Transforming Being
Winning Entries for the 2019 Waterloo Festival Writing Competition
Published by Bridge House Publishing 2019

Eighteen very different stories written to the theme ‘Transforming Being’ and some very different takes. Many were based in reality, for instance ‘Cat and Mouse’ by Irene Lofthouse’s story of a woman deceived into undergoing plastic surgery by her lover, and ‘Everything Has Changed’, Jeanne Davis’s heartfelt eulogy for her lost pet. Yet the theme leant itself to fantasy and the reader was led into the unreal with Amelia Brown’s story of ‘Heat’ and Allison Symes’ humorous tale, ‘The Professional’, about extra-terrestrials using humans for… better not say here.

A range of imaginative stories, introducing us to some interesting characters and situations, and written to a professional standard.

Rosemary Johnson said...

Review of 'Drawn by the Sea' by Jeanne Davies
Published by Bridge House Publishing
An anthology of short stories, mostly with a paranormal flavour.

Stories varied in length, from the very short (about 100 words) to standard short story length (2000 words). Almost all were set in Sussex, an area with which the author wrote with great confidence, particularly when describing Arundel in 'The Girl on the Bridge'. The title 'Drawn by the Sea' seemed to come from episode from the collection only, however. Some of the stories ('The Girl on the Bridge' and 'Waiting for Susan') both of which involved the deaths of children, were almost unbearably sad but these were balanced by humour in others, such as 'Lady of the Water'.

All well-written, using evocative descriptions and drawing the reader in through all five senses.

Rosemary Johnson said...

Review of 'Drawn by the Sea' by Jeanne Davies
Published by Bridge House Publishing
An anthology of short stories, mostly with a paranormal flavour.

Stories varied in length, from the very short (about 100 words) to standard short story length (2000 words). Almost all were set in Sussex, an area with which the author wrote with great confidence, particularly when describing Arundel in 'The Girl on the Bridge'. The title 'Drawn by the Sea' seemed to come from episode from the collection only, however. Some of the stories ('The Girl on the Bridge' and 'Waiting for Susan') both of which involved the deaths of children, were almost unbearably sad but these were balanced by humour in others, such as 'Lady of the Water'.

All well-written, using evocative descriptions and drawing the reader in through all five senses.