Some More Updates!

Hello, everyone!

I’ve been so terrible for posting news as and when it comes, as I used to do, but I have been busy focussing on finishing my MA. The dissertation has been completed, bound, and is staring at me from my desk, tempting me to tweak just…one…more…thing…!!! I have high hopes for it, but what will be will be.

Firstly, some exciting news that I’m sure many of you may already know. I’m the new Senior Editor of New Flash Fiction Review. I’m beyond thrilled to be a part of this flash magazine who have published stunning flash fiction writers (including the likes of Lydia Davis!) and to be working with Meg Pokrass and Pamela Painter. Here we are pictured below at the end of the Flash Fiction Festival. Submissions are currently open until September 12th. Check New Flash Fiction Review out and send us something incredible.

(L-R): Me, Pamela Painter, and Meg Pokrass. We’re having a well deserved sit down after the busy Flash Festival.

I’m also now an Associate Editor for Vestal Review, who I have been a First Reader with for almost a year. Our current reading period is from now until the end of November, so send us something we can’t refuse.

Last time I posted an update, the new National Flash Fiction Day Anthology, which I was co-editing with Meg Pokrass, was about to be published. Well, it’s now available in to purchase in paperback and on Kindle. It’s called Sleep is a Beautiful Colour and features incredible authors, including: Calum Kerr, Robert Shapard, Pamela Painter, Bobbie Ann Mason, Claudia Smith, Robert Scotellaro, Stuart Dybek, Etgar Keret, Meg Pokrass, Angela Readman, Danielle McLaughlin, Robert Lopez, and so many more! Based on the theme of Life As Your Know It, every flash in this anthology offers something striking, unusual, unique, and powerful. You will not be disappointed!

I’ve also had a few more publications and acceptances:

I have four flashes forthcoming in flash fiction magazines that I’m really excited about and haven’t blogged about! Each of these magazines, some old and some new, have been absolutely killing it with the flash they publish. Thank you to all of the editorial staff of these magazines who keep publishing such awesome work. I’m so happy to be a part of them:

‘Colour Tasting’ will be published in Ellipsis Zine very soon (Friday 25th August).

‘Marrakech’ will be published by the off-the-wall (b)OINK zine in September and is possibly one of my favourite flashes I’ve ever written (mainly because of the fun I had writing it).

‘These Are the Rules of Canopy Shyness and Life’ is one of those stories I thought would never find a home because it’s really a bit mental and odd, but thankfully The Airgonaut loved it and will be publishing it in their September issue.

‘Moderation’ will be published in September by Spelk. 

And as if that’s not enough…

‘They Dropped the Bomb’ was published by Paragraph Planet on Sunday 25th June, while at the Flash Fiction Festival in Bath. It’s inspired in some ways by my family, and in others by where the world is likely to end up… You can read it below:

My micro ‘The Broom of Sisyphus’ won National Flash Fiction Day New Zealand’s Micro Madness. You can read it here.

My prose poem ‘In the Light, I See…’ was published by Unbroken Journal, who I love. read it here.

A new anthology called Short on Sugar, High on Honey, which features stories about love that are between 7 and 13 words in length, is going to be published and will feature one of my stories. The anthology has been edited by Mark Budman and Tom Hazuka, and will be published by Flash: The International Short-Short Story Press.

And three more stories of mine will also be published in the 2017 Worcester LitFest Flash Fiction Anthology. The anthology is usually published in November in paperback and kindle, and will include ‘Actually, Love Actually’, ‘What the Coffee Promised’, and ‘Interviews with Prospective Postmen’.

If you’re in Bath on Friday 29th September, you can catch me reading some stories at St. James Wine Vaults in Bath for Jude Higgins’ launch of her pamphlet The Chemist’s House. It’s a great collection. The event is free so do come along! More details here.

I think that’s it… I’m hoping to return to more regular posting of news rather than piling everything into one post every couple of months. As I have now finished the MA, I’m currently planning on relaxing (hence the lovely butterfly picture I took on a recent walk), applying for jobs, thinking about PhD proposals, and getting some writing done! I have a few newer pieces out in the world for consideration, and I’ll be taking part in a Kathy Fish workshop in September, which I’m so looking forward to!

Thanks for reading!

Some Updates!

Hello, everyone!

I must apologise for being so quiet and for not posting in a long time. I have been (and still am) very busy studying for my Masters degree at the University of Bristol, but wanted to take some time to share some news about the other things that have kept me busy.

Firstly, I’ve been very busy with National Flash Fiction Day UK. This year I’m the co-editor of the anthology, and it was an absolute pleasure to be involved in reading and selecting flashes from the submissions we received. It was a difficult job for myself and my co-editor, the incomparable Meg Pokrass, because we received so many excellent stories.

The anthology theme is Life As You Know It, and the stories we selected are funny, poignant, evocative, and different. We also were able to include some incredible commissioned writers, writers who are very well known in the flash community, including: Etgar Keret, Stuart Dybek, Robert Shapard, Pamela Painter, Robert Scotellaro, Bobbie Ann Mason, and Danielle McLaughlin. This is to name only a few!

The anthology will be called Sleep is a Beautiful Colour, will be published in June, and will feature my flash fiction ‘They Keep Calling My Ex-Husband Brave’. For the full line-up, visit this link here: National Flash Fiction Day UK Blog.

As well as ‘They Keep Calling My Ex-Husband Brave’ being published, I have also had a handful of other acceptances since I last updated.

‘Getting the Gang Back Together’ will be published in Issue 10.1 of Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine. This I am still so excited about. Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine is one of the leading flash magazines in the UK and a magazine I have always admired.  Read more about them here.

My tiny micro-fiction, ‘The Broom of Sisyphus’, will be published in June as a part of National Flash Fiction Day New Zealand’s Micro Madness competition series! Read more about them here.

My short story, ‘Plastic’, will be published in the Stories for Homes Anthology Vol. 2. What is wonderful about this anthology is that the whole point of the anthology is to raise money for the homelessness charity Shelter. They’ve raised lots of money from the first anthology, which is still available to purchase, and the new anthology will be published towards the end of the year. Find out more about their extraordinary work here.

‘The Same People at the Bus Stop’ will be published in the very first issue of DNA Magazine. The editor, Katie Marsden, is absolutely wonderful to work with, and I encourage everyone to submit to future calls for submissions. Find out more about the magazine by visiting their website.

My flash fiction, ‘Veganuary’, was longlisted in the Bath Flash Fiction Award, and will be published in their second volume of their anthology, which will be published in December 2017 / January 2018. This I’m still so, so thrilled about! To enter the Bath Flash Fiction Award, or to find out more, visit their website.

My story, ‘Hair‘, won one of the weekly Ad Hoc competitions run by Bath Flash Fiction Award. You can read the story here: ‘Hair‘.

Finally, ‘Men at Work’ was published by Great Jones Street, and is available to read on their mobile app. Download the app from the Apple App store or Google Play app store. You can read a little of it online, then purchase it online. Great Jones Street are an incredible platform of short stories, fiction on the go, and described as the “Netflix” of Fiction. Check them out there.

And as if all of that wasn’t enough, I’ve been helping organise the first ever Flash Fiction literary festival in the UK. You can find out more about it here: Flash Fiction Festival.

‘Cacophony’ published by The Story Shack!

My flash fiction, ‘Cacophony’, has been published by The Story Shack online. It has also been accompanied by this stunning illustration you see by Daniele Murtas (you see more illustrations by Daniele Murtas on his website: here.

To read ‘Cacophony’ please follow this link here. I would tell you a little bit about the story, but I think the illustration perfectly suggests what you might expect!

‘I Could Be Anyone’ published by Visual Verse!

I have a flash fiction called ‘I Could Be Anyone’ over at Visual Verse. It’s in response to a brilliant photo prompt. To check it out, follow this link here: ‘I Could Be Anyone’ – Visual Verse, Volume 4 Chapter 1.

‘Old School Rivalry’ to be published by Fictive Dream!

My flash fiction, ‘Old School Rivalry’, has been accepted for publication by Fictive Dream. I’m so happy to have a story featured by Fictive Dream, who publish wonderful flash fiction and short stories.

‘Old School Rivalry’ is about two women who bump into each other ten years after finishing secondary school…

More to follow when the piece is published, which is currently scheduled for February/March 2017, but may be sooner. I’d like to thank Fictive Dream for accepting this piece – I can’t wait for it to be published! They’re currently open for submissions, so why not consider sending them a piece today?

‘Mother Knows Best’ Published by FlashFlood for National Flash Fiction Day!

My flash fiction ‘Mother Knows Best’ was published as a part of FlashFlood for National Flash Fiction Day!

I love FlashFlood. The idea is that, for one day, the journal publishes a flash fiction every ten minutes, meaning you get a deluge of brilliant fiction. There are over 140 flashes in total, so plenty for you to read and enjoy!

If you’d like to read ‘Mother Knows Best’ you can do so by following this link here: FlashFlood.

I’m the new Flash Fiction Editor of Firefly Magazine!

With great excitement, I am now able to share with you all some wonderful news: I am the new Flash Fiction Editor of Firefly Magazine!

Firefly Magazine is a journal of luminous writing publishing flash fiction, short stories, poetry, and artwork. It’s a magazine I have enjoyed reading and have had my flash featured in before, and I’m hyped to be a part of the editorial team.

So, what are you waiting for? Head over to Firefly Magazine, read previous issues, and send me your flash fiction! We read submissions on a rolling basis and you can send up to three pieces of flash fiction, and each piece can be a maximum of 500 words (there is no lower limit).

Here’s a little bit more about the journal:

Firefly Magazine is an online literary journal of Fiction and Poetry dedicated to showcasing the foremost in luminous writing. What’s luminous writing? Well, anything really. As long as it is capable of taking our breath away, we’ll consider it.

Don’t send me words that keep the world spinning, send me words that make the whole world stop. Send me words that demand to be read, send me words that make me think of nothing else. Take my breath away – I can’t wait to read your best!

‘Backspace’ Published by the Journal of Microliterature!

My flash fiction, ‘Backspace’, is now available to read at the Journal of Microliterature now! It’s about all the things we wish we could say on social media but decide not to. You can read it by following this link here.

 

10 Places to Submit Your Writing in 2016

Happy New Year everyone and Welcome to 2016!

Whatever you hope 2016 holds for you I hope it happens, and if one of those hopes are to get your writing published, be it your first piece or not, then perhaps this will be helpful!

There are a mixture of competitions and journals in this list, and the main focus is flash fiction, but many of these places are looking for other forms of writing, like poetry or non-fiction. I’ll try and be as useful as possible!

I’ll also try to include links to current issues if they’re a lit mag / journal because the best way to support a literary journal / magazine is to read what they’ve published and share the writing you loved with the world.

The ten places I’ve chosen are based on many factors, but the main one is this: they love what they do. I suppose that could be said for a lot of places, but I suppose I also love what they do, and I think it’s very important people send their writing to somewhere they love!

Some may not be currently open for submissions, but make a note, use that time to read and enjoy the writing they publish, and return armed with your submission.

Here are my 10 places I believe you should submit your writing to in 2016. To be taken to each webpage, click each subheading, which is hyperlinked.

National Flash Fiction Day (UK)

National Flash Fiction Day, heading into its fifth year, happens annually in June in the UK and is a great way to celebrate flash fiction, with events usually happening up and down the country. Each year they produce an anthology from submissions, but as if that isn’t enough, they run a micro fiction competition and publish a journal called FlashFlood where they publish a new flash fiction every ten minutes, meaning you’ll have plenty of reading material for flash fiction day itself if you couldn’t make it to one of the events.

Though later in the year this is one to remind yourself of and, as I volunteer for National Flash Fiction Day, you’re sure to hear more about it from me over the upcoming months. Last year was the first year I helped and I can honestly say the organisers, especially Calum Kerr, work continually to make it such a great time to celebrate the form. Past anthologies, as well as collections by Calum Kerr, are available to purchase.

Unbroken Journal

Unbroken Journal is a truly fantastic literary magazine who are now in their second year. Their focus is on poetic prose, the prose poem, and the haibun. I love this journal because the editor, R.L.Black, is supportive of both new and established writers, and has been very supportive of my own writing and have accepted a total of 7 of my prose poems (either published or forthcoming 2016). They currently publish an issue every two months and accompany the writing with art and photography. More importantly, the work they publish speaks to the core of me.

You can read their Jan/Feb 2016 issue by following this link here.

Adhoc Fiction / Bath Flash Fiction Award

The Bath Flash Fiction Award is, as you may guess, a flash fiction competition, but here’s what makes the competition unique: you can enter the traditional way by submitting writing and paying a small fee, or you can enter their weekly Adhoc Fiction contest.

Adhoc Fiction allows you to write a 150 word flash fiction inspired by a prompt, and each week a selection are published and the general public read and vote on their favourite flashes. The flash with the most votes wins a free entry to the Bath Flash Fiction Award. The winners are published online, and they seek to illustrate each piece, which means they’re looking for artists / photographers to create pieces to go with each published flash.

Smokelong Quarterly

This is one of the best literary journals for flash fiction, and they’ve been going for more than ten years now. The pieces they publish are powerful, varied, and demonstrate what one can achieve in a thousand words or less.  If you’re new to flash, this journal is a great place to start for reading flash and seeing what makes flash fiction so great! Submissions are open all year round, so you don’t need to rush to submit something to them. Take your time, soak up the writing they publish, and when you’ve recovered read some more. Why not try this excellent story on for size?: ‘Coat and Shoes’ by Tania Hershman.

CHEAP POP

I adore this online literary magazine purely for the work they publish. They love flash fiction of 500 words or less, fiction that really POPS! This is exactly what their fiction does, and I was really excited to have a piece of writing accepted by them – ‘Just Like Mummy’ is due to be published in February this year. Here’s a great piece, and there are many more to choose from, so please check them out: ‘Saudade’ by Zain Saeed. This journal is certainly the home of striking writing.

Vine Leaves Literary Journal

I love this journal because they publish vignettes. Everything I have read that has been published by Vine Leaves Literary Journal resonates from the page and I can promise you’ll not be disappointed by what they have to offer. This, from their website, sums up best what they’re looking for in a vignette: “Vignette” is a word that originally meant “something that may be written on a vine-leaf.” It’s a snapshot in words. It differs from flash fiction or a short story in that its aim doesn’t lie within the traditional realms of structure or plot. Instead, the vignette focuses on one element, mood, character, setting or object. It’s descriptive, excellent for character or theme exploration and wordplay. Through a vignette, you create an atmosphere. Issue #16 from October 2015 is available to read from this link here.

Spelk

I love Spelk, the home of “short, sharp fiction”. The editor, Gary Duncan, is wonderful and I’ve found him to be really helpful with both the stories he’s accepted and with the feedback he’s provided for stories that weren’t quite ready. Again, like Vine Leaves, I feel this taken from their website sums up what makes Spelk so great: A spelk, in northeast England, is a splinter of wood – a tiny little sliver or shard embedded under the skin. Without getting too pretentious, we think there’s probably some kind of analogy there – we like flash fiction that’s short and sharp, that gets under your skin and leaves an impression. That, and we just happen to like the word. They publish stories three times a week, and there are many different ones to read! Why not give this one a read: ‘Graffiti’ by Jonathan Pinnock. 

NANO Fiction

I love NANO Fiction and have recently subscribed to this great journal. They publish flash fiction in print journals, and all the pieces in them tend to strike me as unusual but provocative. They include featured stories online too, here’s an example: ‘Gravity’ by Armel Dagon.

Firewords Quarterly

Fireworks Quarterly is a stunning literary journal who publish mostly short stories and poetry, but they do have a flash fiction challenge too. It is the care that goes into the production of the journal and it is this that is truly breathtaking. Click on their website and just look at their artwork and how the pages of the journal look – simply beautiful, who wouldn’t want their work published here? But rest assured that the writing is not drowned out by the artwork – the writing they publish is just as evocative as the artwork, so send them something shattering.

Synaesthesia Magazine

Last, but not least, Synaesthesia Magazine. Like Firewords, Synaesthesia Magazine is a literary journal that looks as visually powerful as the words they publish. They publish short stories, poetry, illustrations and photography, and usually have a theme for each issue. One thing I really, really love about this magazine is, though they can’t always guarantee this, they try to provide useful feedback for any writing they decide not to accept for publication. This feedback has allowed me to grow as a writer, to consider their feedback, make changes, and some of the stories I’ve then submitted elsewhere have found a home. This is another journal worthy of your support both as a reader and a writer! Their most recent issue should be available from this link here.

 

There are so many other magazines and journals I love too, such as Funny in Five Hundred, a journal of flash fiction dedicated to humorous stories, and 101 Words, an online journal of flash where the story must be 101 words (no more, no less).

Feel free to share in the comments your favourite places to submit writing to, particularly flash fiction, and share this list with other writers who are hoping that 2016 is the year they publish some flash!

Happy New Year and Best Wishes to you all! Good luck – happy writing!

‘Strictly Showbiz’ Published by Funny in Five Hundred!

‘Strictly Showbiz’ has been published by Funny in Five Hundred and is available to read now!

It’s about a new reality TV talent show, featuring judges Simon Cowell, Mary Berry, and other familiar faces.

You can read it and other funny stories by following this link here. Happy reading!

If you’re interested in submitting your own funny flash in 500 words or less, then you should check out their submission page by following this link here.