Book Club Guide for 140 x 140

1. Open the book randomly at three different places.  Which is your favourite of these three stories? Why?
2. Read through the stories for the month in which your birthday occurs. Can you find one story that makes you laugh, one that makes you think and one that disturbs?
3. Thumb through the book and find a story that includes: colour, politics or class distinction
4. Have you an overall favourite? Explain what you like about this story.
5. Random reading. Get your group to sit in a circle. The first person opens the book at a random page, reads the story out loud and passes it to the next person in the group. Continue until everyone has read a story.
6. Pick three stories randomly and analyse them. Is this a story, a vignette, a commentary, a mini-essay?
7. Identify themes in the book. Chose a favourite theme and comment on all of the stories that fit that theme.
8. Analyse one entry in depth. What is it? How is the content structured? How is language used to get the main points across? Can you find any poetic devices such as personification, metaphor, similes, alliteration etc.?
9. Use the contents page to identify three stories that appeal. Which of the three is your favourite and why?
10. Pick an entry randomly and try to work out which picture may have inspired it.        

Find your copy here     

 

Matthew Roy Davey talks to me about his recently published collection of flash fiction

 

 

              What attracted you to write flash fiction in the first place?

I think it was probably when I was living in Japan and reading a lot of Japanese literature, which is often very pared back. The enigma and economy of the zen koans particularly intrigued. Subsequently I enjoyed the short works of Franz Kafka and Richard Brautigan’s The Revenge of the Lawn. I’m drawn to the no-nonsense approach of flash fiction, the need to cut out any extraneous information, to get in, give the most important information, and then get out. It doesn’t waste the reader’s time but it makes them have to work. I was writing flash fiction before I’d heard of the term.

How did you go about putting this collection together?

I started writing autobiographical pieces – memories in flash – in a file that I titled ‘My Humiliations’ – this was before Knausgard published ‘My Struggle’. I was also writing stories which had nothing in common, other than their brevity. Due to reasons of probity, taste and quality – concepts usually alien to me - I realised that many of the stories were best left unpublished, and this left me with two truncated collections, and so I decided to bring them together. However, without any unifying theme it was a bit of a dog’s breakfast… Then I landed on an ingenious marketing concept, which was to create a library of flash fiction. This would allow the different stories to sit alongside one another as though on the shelves of a public library, each in their own section. In a time when physical libraries are being closed, I thought it no bad thing to introduce a new one. I dare say it will be similarly neglected!

Do you have any particular favourites?

I’m a poor judge of my own writing. Stories that have failed to find a publisher are often my favourites, and ones that get the best reaction are often ones I think less of. Within this collection I have particular soft spots for: Glospak, The Quarry, The Wringer, and Light From Above

What else do you write?

I write longer short stories and novels. I’ve self-published a couple of YA novels – Into the Water, Into the Flame, and Other Voices which can be found on Amazon. I used to write poetry but that seems to have dried up. I am also the sometime lyricist of rock group Schnauser, whose tunes can be found on Spotify and Bandcamp.

Do you have a writing routine?

I write as much as possible. The more I write the better I feel, which is the inverse of what my reader experiences, hence the flash fiction. The drafting process, which takes at least 5 times as long as the writing, is the real drag of it. I am in a drafting cycle at present and not having much fun. I find that when I write it is an unstoppable urge, like a coil or a spring - having been wound and tightened - being released. I am still tightening at present.

Can you recommend any other writers of flash fiction?

I can’t think of any. Stories have an impact on me, rather than authors. The ‘big names’ in flash fiction that I’ve read have left me rather cold. As I often find with feted novels, I can’t see what the fuss is about. Maybe I’m missing something.

Are you working on any more projects at the moment?

I have another collection of flash fictions that is nearing completion – one that has a very definite unifying theme, unlike Shhh. I also have another collection based on my experiences in the Czech Republic, but that is a long way off completion. I am also redrafting a novel - Always Burning, Always True – which deals with the aftermath of a young man’s psychological breakdown and his father’s attempts to help. I tried to write it as a comedy, but no one found it funny.

Do you have any events planned?

      I will probably organise a book launch, though the thought of being the centre of attention, even         if it is for a very small group of people, is a source of grave discomfort.

 

Find your copy of the book here  

Three flash fiction collections - me and two others for £18.00

 

This anthology of women's fiction, this collection of very short stories, some might say a flash collection, is thought-provoking and each story is based upon a tweet. Except that each piece is 140 words long and not 140 characters.

Sure, there are beginnings and ends and there is all the stuff that happens in the middle.

Begin with the Big Bang and end with a distant trumpet call; understand how to send a cheese sandwich into the future, have the origin of the universe explained, and find out how to achieve immortality; and finally add in a splash of espionage. Enjoy the mix.

Henri Lewi packs a universe into a small space in his thought-provoking From the Beginning to the End.

 

 

After an eventful life with four husbands, consecutively, and many tears in Spain and France, Pam has returned to her Yorkshire roots where she lives with Blossom the dog. 

Here the author give us glimpses into a life that starts with a idyllic childhood, puts her in touch with prestigious figures and less comfortable homes. There are sadnesses and triumphs.  A life lived to the full emerges through a gentle but forthright prose. Does this present a story of survival? Are we given hope?

            Between the Lines, a Chapletown Little Square Flash Collection

                                            Pam Lines takes us on a roller-coaster life adventure.

Today I talk to Henry Lewi, whose flash ficton collection, 'From the Beginning to the End' has recenlty been released

 

What drew you to writing flash fiction? 

 

I had tried writing something longer, but like most developing writers I kept disappearing down rabbit holes, and the manuscript became unwieldy and didn’t really follow a coherent path; but after attending a short writing course I found that the Flash Fiction/Short Story format suited my style. Its somewhat easier, you don’t have to fully develop characters, and if you add a splash of science into your story you don’t have to fully explain it, a two or three word description is enough. It’s not about being too lazy to write a novel; the short story still needs to be crafted to hold the reader’s attention, but its about being able to be concise and clear in your delivery.

 

What would you say is distinctive about the form? 

 

  You have to be crisp and concise in your story but ensure that there is a beginning, middle and end, but often the ending is a simple short sentence.

The format is ideal to give simple snapshots of life or imagined life.

   I find it perfect for writing stories about time travel – you really really don’t have to explain the mechanisms of time travel – It Just Is, I mean we all accept Dr. Who’s TARDIS without worrying about how it works, so you can just add in some weird sounding particles maybe give them a bolt of radiation, and Hey Presto you have Time Travel! 

  It’s also great for writing stories about the how the old Greek and Scandinavian gods or Celestial Beings such as the Angels and Lucifer with his Demons deal with modern life. You don’t have to explain the whys and wherefores, simply put the old gods never really went away, and the Celestial Beings are always visiting Earth anyway!

You can also expand on any headline, a short news item or any strange stories you come across, there’s always something you can write about.

Essentially you can write anything about everything.

 

Do you write in other forms? 

 

  I write some short stories that are about a department of the secret service called the Committee of Awareness, Knowledge and Enlightenment (The Cake), which I’m combining into a book called “A Slice of Cake”.  All the stories are about 2-3000 words long, but its not really a novel just a series of linked stories that provide snapshots of the Service over an 80 year period (from 1944 to 2024), obviously the central characters change but the overall theme is a constant.

 

 

Have you any advice for anyone who would like to write flash fiction? 

 

 Yes, go on a simple short story writing course to get an idea as to how to structure the story; and definitely join your local writers group or club. It’s always useful to have others to listen and critique your stories, and then submit.

 Feedback is good so is criticism!

Of course there’ll be rejections – it’s a way of life! But persevere, and most of all have fun in your writing.

 

 

Tell us about some of the themes in this collection. 

 

It starts with confusion in the Celestial Office as the Creation plans go awry and essentially ends with the Archangel Michael flying to meet his brother Gabriel at the end of days.

In between I explore the issues of immortality, and ask how did we not know that aliens had influenced warfare in medieval times, whilst asking questions about Time Travel, I mean whose future do we travel to?

Some of the stories were written during the Covid 19 lockdown when the streets were deserted and groceries were delivered, but how did the old gods get their groceries delivered if their postcode was outside the delivery zone?

Find a copy of Henry's flash fiction collection here

 

 

 

 

Chat with Nicole Fitton

 Today I talk to Nicole Fitton whose flash collection Soaring we have published recently. 

 

 

What do you write? Why this in particular? 

 I write books and short stories in genres that I enjoy reading. I’ve always been a fan of contemporary, historical, and short story fiction so it was an easy progression to write within these genres.

        

h What got you started on writing in the first place?

I think writing is a part of my DNA. Some of my fondest memories are from primary school where we had to create and design magazines and newspapers, I was always encouraged and supported by my teachers and I will be forever grateful to them for the confidence they gave me to write from such an early age.

 

Do you have a particular routine? 

I write mainly at the weekend and in the early mornings – that’s about as ‘routine’ as it gets. I have a day job so it’s difficult for me to work at other times.

 

 Do you have a dedicated working space?

Yes, I do. Covid threw a spanner in the works when I had to use my creative space for my day job. The feel of my home office changed and I found it really difficult to concentrate on my writing when I was surrounded by work stuff. Last year somebody locally was selling a Shepherds Hut. The stars aligned and after a lick of paint and a bit of a refurb the hut now sits proudly in my garden. I’ve named it The Story Room because that’s exactly what it is. It’s a very special place and I know I’m incredibly lucky to have it.

 

 

How supportive are your friends and family? Do they understand what you're doing?

My family and family are extremely supportive, although unlike me, most of them are not avid readers. So, whilst they are incredibly encouraging, and nod in all the right places I’m really not sure they have a scooby about it all.

 What are you most proud of in your writing?

I’m most proud of the connection that readers have with my work, it really is beyond words when readers tell me how much they’ve enjoyed my work. It’s always an absolute delight hearing from readers and my heart swells.

 

Which writers have inspired you?

Too many to mention but Margaret Atwood, Maya Angelou and JoJo Moyes would be right at the top.

Then about Soaring. Tell me about this book.

 

Soaring is a collection of short stories that I’ve written over the last five or six years. The stories are all wildly different in terms of length and style yet the red thread holding them all together is a central theme of hope. This was not a conscious decision and was a pleasant surprise when I was deciding which stories to include in this collection. Soaring contains short tales which can be read in one sitting. The book was designed so readers can easily dip in and out depending on how much time they have. A quick bus ride read or twenty minutes over a coffee – there really is something for everyone. A lot of the stories within Soaring have either been awarded or short listed in various short story competitions and it’s been wonderful to be able to include the

What inspired you to write this?

All of the stories within Soaring started life as a nugget of curiosity. From newspaper articles to overheard conversations my curiosity would turn into ‘what ifs?’ Then my imagination would take over and the writing would begin. Most of the stories within Soaring were written in one sitting.

 What's next?

I’m currently working on a sequel to my second novel Forbidden Colours. I have the beginning and middle scoped out, but so far the ending hasn’t yet revealed itself – it’s all very exciting and one of the reasons I love writing so much.

How can we get a copy of the book?

Soaring is available from all good high street book shops or online via The Bridgetown Café Bookstore  or Amazon 

Do you have any events planned?

I’m planning a Soaring book launch in May here in Devon; it’s quite a scary prospect and I’m already over analysing it!

 

 

Newsletter June 2017

Canned stories anyone?

News about my writing

Everything has slowed down a little as I have broken my right arm badly. I'm also a bit housebound. Public transport is time-consuming and juggles me around rather a lot. I'm reluctant to ask Martin for lifts as he's already doing all of the cooking and having to take me to essential appointments. I'm at my desk a lot now so although I'm working much more slowly I'm getting quite a bit done.

I'm making lots of submissions and my short story Crucifix is now on CafeLit.   

Canned Stories

I originally got this idea from the Ministry of Stories where they sold limited editions of stories by well-known writers. I adapted this to use with my creative writing students at the Create Festival at the University of Salford last year. These were limited editions – five copies of each story. I'm toying with this as another way of publishing.

We managed to give most of them away last year. These are\a few that were left over.

There is something very different about consuming a story that you pull out of a can.  

I'm thinking of adding a few more small items to the can. Let me know your thoughts on this.     

 

Patreon

I’m selling some of my work via Patreon.  You can find details here. As the name suggests, you would in effect become a patron. I think I’m offering real value for money, with something for both readers and writers. And you can take both if you happen to be both.  Check it out if you’re interested.   

 

Dreamteam

I'm still building up my dream team of reviewers and beta–readers and for my publishing and self-publishing projects, editors, proof-readers, illustrators and designers is beginning to take shape.  

This is a personal recommendation. Initially I intend to use my Dream Team a lot myself but gradually I would add in people that friends and friends of friends had recommended.

What happens?

You sign up to a mail list and every time a request comes in we mail it out to you or the enquirer contacts you directly via my web site. The conversation then carries on between you and the person making the request. You may also have a page set up on my blog and you may update that once a year. 

Interested? You may sign up for more than one category. 

Beta readers sign up here.

Reviewers sign up here.

Editors sign up here.

Illustrators sign up here.

Designers sign up here.

Proof-readers sing up here.   

DO REMEMBER THAT AT ANY TIME YOU’RE APPROACHED AND YOU’RE BUSY IT’S PERFECTLY FINE TO SAY NO.   

    

Bridge House

We have almost finished reading the entries for Gliterary Tales. There were a few more submissions this year and some very good writing. We have to make some tough decisions so it's taking a little more time than usual. We hope to release the list soon,

We’re also getting plenty of interest in our single-author collections. These are for authors we’ve published before and they may include stories we’ve already published, ones they’ve had published elsewhere and new ones. The description for this is now on the web site. We’ve already had some enquiries and we’re currently working on a couple of anthologies.  You may recycle stories we’ve already included in another anthology, and you may reedit these if you wish. You may also add in new stories. We’re aiming at a total word count of between 30,000 and 80,000 words. 

If you’re interested in this, contact me here.    

Already in progress are collections by Dawn Knox and Jesse Falzoi. There are three more contracts out.

We now working on edits of Citizens of Nowhere, with the theme of the global citizen. We’re commissioned just over half of the work from known authors and there has been room for a few open submissions.

     

CafeLit

Remember, we’re always open to submissions. Find out how here.  I’ve been encouraging my students to submit. I’m beginning to see some of their work appearing. Very shortly I’ll be putting together the Best of CafeLit 6.   

The Best of CaféLit 5 is still available. There are some lovely stories in this. I’m very pleased that I have a story in this collection. Order your copy here.      

 

Again we need more reviews for this. Have you read them? Could you write us a review? And again, I’m offering free copies as PDFs or e-mobi files.

 

Chapeltown

We’re still looking for collections of Flash Fiction. CafeLit writers might particularly consider this as your stories so often fit this brief anyway. See our submissions page here. We have now signed up five writers already and I’ll be putting out one of my collections as well soon. Take a look here.  

Neil Cambell’s Fog Lane is out now. Again, reviewers very welcome. Here is the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fog-Lane-Neil-Campbell/dp/1910542083/  I can get the e-mobi file to you if you're willing to review.   

The next one out will be Christopher Bowles' Spectrum, a challenging but very satisfying read.    

This call for submissions will be closing soon so hurry if you want to submit. 

Chapeltown is also excited to be publishing Colin Wyatt’s Who will be my friend? – a delightful picture book about friendship and accepting others. Yes, Colin is Debz’s dad. He is a Disney licensed illustrator and his latest publication is The Jet Set. We feel very honoured to be publishing him.

The book is out now and available at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Will-Be-My-Friend/dp/1910542121/  Reviews welcome. We can provide the PDF. 

We’re very pleased with this book and now aim to publish more picture books.  

Creative Café

We’re always looking for new cafés.  If you visit one of the cafés in the project and would like to write a review of between 250 and 350 words – nice, too, to have a couple of pictures – send it to me here. Do the same if you find a new café.

I’m now sending out welcome letters to each new café that’s added. This will also offer them the opportunity to join the mailing list.  

I’m also now proactively encouraging cafes to stock The Best of CaféLit. Do you know anyone who might like to stock it? We can offer a 35% discount to retailers. Query gill at cafelit dot co dot uk.     

 

The Red Telephone

We are currently open for submissions. Hoorah! We’re looking for the next great YA novel. Check out the details here.  We’re particularly open to speculative fiction but we’ll also like anything that is well written and well-targeted.  I welcome others but send sample chapters and synopsis first. The full details are on the site.  

I am now working on Richard Bradburn’s Evernrood. We are still open for submissions but this will only be for a limited time now.    

Our mentoring programme is now full. I’m now working quite closely with three very different authors: Charlotte Comley, Dianne Stadhams, and Nina Wadcock. They are all  presenting some fascinating material.     

I’d also like to mention now that I’m mentoring two of my former students to help them get their novels up to publication standard. They won’t start this until they’ve finished their studies but it is something for them to keep them occupied as they wait for their results. I’m looking forward, too, to working with them.        

Book tours

If you’re a Bridge House / Red Telephone / CaféLit / Chapeltown author and you want to get serious about book tours, consider our author’s kit. We provide twenty books you take to the bookshop and the bookshop can put these through the till. We then invoice the bookshop, with a 35% discount for any sold and top up your supply to twenty. At the end of the tour you can either pay for the remaining books at cost + 10% or keep them until you’ve sold them and then pay the normal price of 75% of RRP. The latter can in any case be set against royalties. You need to allow at least ten days between events. Contact me here if you’re interested in this.           

 

School Visits

I’m proactively promoting my school visits associated with The House on Schellberg Street project. I’ve now developed a whole workshop for this. It starts off with a board game, includes some role play and creative writing and ends with a discussion.

Costs= travel expenses plus £400 for a full day and £200 for a half day. This includes all materials and some freebies. Two schools near to each other might consider splitting the day and halving the travel expenses and fees. This is open to negotiation in any case.       

I also offer a free half day visit, though you pay my travel expenses, if you allow me to promote my books.       

I’m also continuously adding materials for schools to the site that are different from the ones I use for the workshops. I’ve recently added in resources and books to do with the topic. See them here:       

Query for a school visit here.

I’m also happy to tailor a visit for your agreed donation. This can be for either a Schellberg Cycle visit or a creative writing workshop. Any monies raised this way will go specifically to a project I have for a non-fiction book about a journey that will follow the footsteps of Clara Lehrs. I’m hoping to do the whole journey by train, including departing via my nearest Metrolink station. It’s important to feel the rails beneath my feet.       

 I offer as well standard author visits which include readings from my books, Q & A sessions and creative writing exercises.

It is now also possible to purchase the kit to work on on your own. Find details here.

Please remember, with these as well, I’m open to negotiation if you can’t afford the full price.

 

Upcoming events

         

Note also for your diary: the London Bridge House / CafeLit / Chapeltown / Red Telephone celebration will be 2 December at the Princess of Wales again. People published 2017 will be invited first and then it will be open to all authors of our imprints. You are in any case invited to bring one friend at the first call. Last year we “sold out” – the event is free but ticketed. We shall have:  

• general mingling
• cash bar
• an opportunity to buy lunch
• an opportunity to buy books at an advantageous rate    
• “speed-dating”  where you get to speak to as many people as possible in the room i.e. promote yourself to readers, swap tips with other writers
• author readings
• latest news from me  
• collection for a local charity
• big book swap (bring one of your other titles and take something else home – hopefully all will be reviewed. If you bring a non-writing friend they can just bring a book they love)  

Giveaway

This month I’m giving away an e-mobi file for your Kindle of Light in the Dark Download here. You will also find in the dropbox:  

·         An extract from Clara’s story

·         Some seminars for schools about The House on Schellberg Street

·         Some fiction writing exercises

·         The opening chapters from my manual for writing the young adult novel  

Note, that normally my books and the books supplied by the imprints I manage, sell for anything form £0.99 to £10.99, with most on Kindle being about £2.99 and the average price for paperback being £7.00. We have to allow our writers to make a living. But we’re offering these free samples so that you can try before you buy.  

Sign up to get your freebies here.  

 

Writing opportunities

Remember I keep a full list of vetted opportunities on my writing blog. See them here. New ones are added several times a day. Roughly once a month I go through it and take out all of the out of date ones. At that point I send it out to a list. If you would like to be on that list, sign up here.    

Happy reading and writing.