Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2021 i Writing Magazine

SPOTLIGHT ON… All Seasons’ Writing Group I set up the All Seasons writing group in October 2017, writes Cilla Shiels. I’d sadly lost my husband earlier that year and asked for donations to be given to Warrington Disability Partnership (a service and support centre for supported living in Warrington). We’d both taught Special Education in the local college and we’d liaised with the charity on numerous occasions on behalf of our students welfare. I dropped £500 into the Centre reception and thought, that’s the end of that – or so I thought. A Centre colleague who remembered us, rung to offer her condolences, but at the same time apologised for being an opportunist. The Centre wanted to offer local people a writing group and she thought I’d fit the bill.…

‘I’ve just published Gazda – a new genre for me,’ writes subscriber Trevor Johnson. ‘Why has Lisa Stern been drugged and abducted, twice? Is her ex-husband still looking for revenge after their acrimonious divorce? ‘Who told the “ladies” they could start selling their services in the bars? DS Jochim Friedmann needs to stop the Zurich “legal” prostitution system collapsing. ‘The Celler jazz bar connects the abductions and the prostitutes. ‘Friedmann knows Gazda is the one pulling the strings. But who is he? A local football hero, a bar-owning lawyer, a war refuge, a corrupt police officer or somebody else? ‘I remember reading one of Adrian Magson’s excellent articles in Writing Magazine that suggested applying a love of words and writing skills to a different genre. I’d been trying to do…

‘I’m excited to be a semi-finalist in a competition for an historical romance, sponsored by Dragonblade Publishing,’ writes subscriber Linda Tyler. ‘I’ve had two historical romance novels published this year, both set in Scotland. The Laird’s Secret, which takes place in the 1950s and is published by Bloodhound Books, came out in January. The Regency-set Summer Intrigue, a My Weekly Pocket Novel, available as a paperback from DC Thomson or as an ebook through Readly, was published in March. ‘My first novel, Revenge of the Spanish Princess, a swashbuckling romance-adventure, is now available in large print and The Laird’s Secret in audio book.…

There are countless ways into writing a poem, but four are found to be particularly helpful by many poets. If you start from a single word, phrase or concept, pursuing it by mind-mapping, research, fantasy aspects or trawling memories will usually result in a hoard of material from which the poem emerges; or frequently two or more poems emerge. The challenge for the next Writing Magazine poetry competition is to consider the wheel, using any form and style of your choosing. Your poem can follow any aspect of the subject, and the four suggestions above could offer a useful springboard. A mind-map opens the subject into a range of different directions. If you write the word wheel in the middle of a piece of paper, you can draw from it…

There are times when, having worked on a poem, you are not satisfied with it, or you may think it is not the poem you had in mind. Perhaps your thoughts are in a tangle, and words won’t come together as you would like them to Or maybe the structure of the lines is eluding you. I guess every poet has had times like this. Put that poem out of sight, for the moment. This experience will most likely have left you feeling restless. If this is so, make a list. It could be about what is in the room where you are writing, or the items that you are wearing. This may all sound strange, but it can help to produce the idea for a poem. Writing a list…

After an incredibly strong showing in 2020, we’re pleased to announce the return of the £1,000 Writing Magazine Grand Prize. The open competition invites your short stories in any form, on any topic. The only stipulation is that your story should be a maximum 2,000 words. Runners-up prizes are £250 for second, £100 for third, a WM Course mini-critique for fourth and a twelve-month subscription for fifth. Stories will be judged by the Writing Magazine editorial team – editor Jonathan Telfer and assistant editor Tina Jackson – and the winner published in Writing Magazine ENTER NOW: Online, at http://writ.rs/1k2021 The entry fee is £15, or £10 for WM subscribers. Your submissions should be in a single document, with your contact details on the first page. CLOSING DATE 30 JUNE…

Jyoti Patelhas won the #Merky Books New Writers Prize 2021. More than 2,000 submissions were received for the award for unpublished, underrepresented young authors. The prize is a publishing contract with the #Merky Books imprint at Penguin Random House UK. 28-year-old Jyoti’s winning book, Six of One, is a coming-of-age story that explores being a young person of colour in Britain today. ‘I’m delighted to be joining the #Merky Books family and am so grateful for the opportunity to have my novel published,’ said Jyoti. ‘Penguin has been my dream publisher since I was a child so it’s very exciting to know that my debut will be in such great hands. I’m very much looking forward to working with Lemara and the #Merky Books team and can’t wait to get…

The Grindstone Literary Short Story and Novel Prizes are inviting entries. • 2021 International Novel Prize: For unpublished novel manuscripts more than 70,000 words for adult and YA readers by unpublished or self-published, unrepresented authors. Manuscripts may be finished or not yet completed. The first prize is £1,000, with £500 for second and £100 for two runners-up. Winners and shortlisted writers are published in a chapbook that is sent out to literary agents. The contest is judged by literary agent Helle Ogden of Janklow & Nesbitt. Enter the first 3,000 words and a synopsis. The entry fee is £20, with various Early Bird discounts. The closing date is 1 October. • 2021 Short Story Award: For original, unpublished short fiction between 1,000 and 3,000 words, in any genre for adult…

YesYes Books has been publishing ‘provocative collections of poetry, fiction, and experimental art since 2011’. They seek ‘work that acknowledges and celebrates our passionate, complex, and boundless natures.’ There is an annual Open Reading Period from 1 March until 15 June. For full-length poetry manuscripts, submit the collection through the online submittable system. ‘Manuscripts must include 48-120 numbered pages of poetry and a table of contents.’ Collaborations by more than one poet are acceptable for submission as are manuscripts which combine poetry and visual art. Don’t forget a brief bio in the cover letter. Simultaneous submissions are accepted with the usual proviso. Full-length fiction manuscripts are welcomed ‘in a broad range of genre and narrative styles but, in general, we desire fiction with a strong voice and ebullient ingenious imagination.’…

Every year the American Library Association releases a list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books, which are books targeted for removal from libraries, schools and universities. In 2020 a total of 273 different books were challenged, with the top ten including perennials To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (for including racial slurs and portraying a ‘white savior’ character), Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (for racial slurs and racist stereotypes) and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. Number 1 on the list was the same as in 2019, George by Alex Gino, which was ‘Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community”’, while a new entry at number two ran smack into the rising tide of…

The Globe Soup 2021 Short Story Competition invites entries of original, unpublished short stories up to 5,000 words in which the setting or location plays an important part. Any location may be considered but it must play a vital role in the story. The winner will receive £1,500. The entry fee is £12; closing date, 15 June. Website: www.globesoup.net/short-story-2021 Kandace Siobhan Walker has won The White Review Poets’ Prize 2020/21. Writer and filmmaker Kandace wins £2,500 and her winning portfolio will be published in The White Review. The shortlisted portfolios were judged by Jay Bernard, Emily Berry and Kayo Chingonyi. Leicester Writes Short Story Prize 2021 is for short fiction up to 3,500 words. There is no set theme. All stories must be original and unpublished. There are prizes of…

Writing East Midlands invite entries of new fiction and poetry for their national writing contest, the Aurora Prize for Writing 2021. Winners in each category will receive £500, feedback on their work from a leading literary agent or editor, a year’s membership of the Society of Authors and an introductory session with the SoA. Runners up get £150 and the third prize is a one-day course from Writing School East Midlands. There is also a regional prize of £100 for the best writing in each category from the East Midlands. The fiction judge is Jon McGregor and the poetry judge is Debris Stevenson. Enter original, unpublished short stories up to 2,000 words and poems up to 60 lines. The entry fee is £9 for the first entry and £7 for…

If you have published a novel or book length collection of fiction with a reputable book publisher or at least three short stories or novellas in magazines or journals with a national distribution you will be eligible for entry to the Drue Heinz Literature prize. Digital only and self-publication do not count towards this requirement. The prize for the winner will include publication, promotion support for their book and a $15,000 cash prize. The award is open to international authors writing in English and you may submit unpublished short story manuscripts of 150-300 pages or two or more novellas of a maximum 130 pages which are part of a larger collection. Although stories and novellas may have been published in magazines, journals or anthologies they should not have been published…

The Common is an American biannual print and online magazine with a team of editors who are inspired by the idea of ‘Finding the extraordinary in the common’. Hoping to use the magazine as a kind of town common, they seek to be a public gathering place for the display and exchange of ideas’ and ‘deepen our individual and collective sense of place’. The Common publishes fiction, essays, poetry, documentary vignettes, and ‘images that embody particular times and places both real and imagined’. The editorial team seek ‘literature and art powerful enough to reach from there to here.’ Writers’ work should give ‘a modern sense of place.’ The website publishes original content four times per week, including book reviews, interviews, personal essays, short dispatches, poetry, contributor podcasts and all pieces…

If you’ve always liked Sherlock Holmes stories and fancied writing a few here’s the publisher for you. MX Publishing is devoted to bringing readers ‘the best in new Sherlock Holmes novels, biographies, graphic novels and short story collections every month.’ Already they have a catalogue of over 400 new Sherlock Holmes books and over 100 Holmes authors. The editorial team accept all genres ‘from very traditional pastiches through to modern novels, fantasy, crossover, children’s books and humour’ but it’s all about Sherlock. The team are devoted fans and keep their focus on Sherlock Holmes books. To submit email in a 1-2 paragraph synopsis of the storyline, the title, subtitle, author name in full, an approximate word count, a brief bio, and 10 to 15 keywords or phrases that fans would…

Thirteen Podcast is an Imaginary Comma production. They produce ‘audio-drama/audio fiction podcasts specialising in feature length (about one hour) productions that are characterised by slow-burn, atmospheric stories horror/ghost/occult stories.’ The team know that ‘the horror genre is vast and there are many great ways to produce a scare’ so they have wide tastes. If possible submit work in a script format. Submit horror stories 5,000 words or more because the podcast is one hour and 5,000 words plus usually fits the time slot. They prefer stories with ‘a first person central narrator and supporting characters’ but other formats are also welcome. The team seek great characters to make great stories. They insist on ‘excellent character development’ in a well crafted story, ‘full of atmosphere, that takes time getting to the…

Completed book manuscripts of poetry, fiction and non fiction of a minimum ninety pages are invited by Prolific Press from both emerging and established writers. The publisher has a mission to support artists and the arts and ‘strives to discover and publish great literary works by writers in the United States and abroad’. The Press also publishes eight established literary magazines and provides free writing techniques and arts education resources. Publication decisions are basically market orientated and include the popularity of the author, the market for similar books and the quality, size and genre of the book. The publisher has a wide distribution network and if your work is selected for publication you will receive a token cash advance and a standard royalty contract. Submit your full manuscript as a…

The Arkansas International is a biannual print magazine seeking ‘the best literature from the United States and abroad’. It is part of the University of Arkansas Program in Creative Writing & Translation and publishes ‘fiction, poetry, essays, comics, as well as works in translation.’ The editorial team have an interesting system of submissions. ‘During September, October, January, and February, there will be no fee to submit unsolicited submissions.’ For the rest of the year there is a $4 fee. Check out the website and read the guidelines carefully. The editors are committed ‘to promoting both established and emerging voices’ and are seeking quality submissions of original unpublished works. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, with the usual proviso. No reprints or multiple subs. Prose submissions should be no more than 8,000 words,…

Canbury Press is an independent publisher of modern non-fiction. ‘On a variety of topics, but generally at the heavier end – politics, environment, health, biography and tech,’ said managing director Martin Hickman. ‘We tell important stories about our world, with a view to changing things. So, our biography has to have a point – like Lily Bailey’s mesmerising book Because We Are Bad, which explains what it’s like to have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.’ Martin set up Canbury Press in 2013. ‘I’d been a journalist at The Independent and wanted to tell stories in more depth than in a newspaper article,’ he said. ‘Canbury is the name of the local area in Kingston upon Thames, Press speaks to the journalistic background.’ At the moment Canbury Press publishes around five titles each…

‘My working life had always been in “personnel” but joining the Society of Women Writers and Journalists (SWWJ) in 1986 as a Probationer member was the beginning of my writing career,’ says subscriber Pamela Birley, who writes as Bradley Bernarde. ‘I was fortunate enough to achieve a place in a number of SWWJ short story competitions and after completing a creative writing course, I published a number of short stories in national magazines. ‘Following retirement from fulltime work, I began writing under the pseudonym Bradley Bernarde, but it was my first novel The Apothecary’s Gift, a time-travel fantasy set in Austen’s England, and published by Whydown books in 2003, that launched my career as a novelist. (The Apothecary’s Gift was later published as an ebook with the title Twelve Days…

‘I consider Game of Mass Destruction to be my magnum opus,’ writes subscriber Chloe Gilholy. ‘The first time the idea came to be was at school when we had to write a science fiction story for our homework. I wrote the beginnings of dystopian scifi inspired by Battle Royale by Koushun Takami. A third of the way through, I released the project was inappropriate for a fifteen-year-old and also too big. ‘At the age of 27, having had more experience writing books, I decided to give the book idea another shot. Wrote a fan fic based on the idea, then wrote it again as a novel with original characters. I learned more about advancing technology, human nature and the effects of reality TV then I ever thought was possible. ‘What…

‘I had been writing for many years, and by 2019 I had been fortunate to have had a couple of successes in short story competitions,’ writes subscriber Alan Orchard. ‘I also had a pile of unpublished short stories, several half-finished novels, and one complete novel accompanied by a drawer full of rejection slips. ‘The road to traditional publishing is long and rugged, and I wasn’t getting any younger, so I thought, “Why not give self-publishing a go?” ‘Two years later, I had two anthologies of my short stories in print as Kindle ebooks, but they are listed as literary fiction, as they are multi-genre, although there is a large contingent of horror and crime in both of them. Specific genre fiction is easier to market, consequently generating more sales, and…

This month’s story is an enigmatic little piece with an ambiguous ending. A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin only has three characters, but it has a lot to offer in terms of showing us how to create characters with complexity and depth. As always, you’ll benefit most from the masterclass if you read the story for yourself: http://writ.rs/arespectablewoman In the story we meet Mrs Baroda, her husband Gaston and his friend Gouvernail. It is significant that Kate Chopin only refers to her main character as Mrs Baroda and doesn’t give us her first name. This underlines that, at least at the start of the story, as a ‘respectable woman’ she is defined in terms of her husband. The story follows Mrs Baroda as she undergoes a significant period of change…

There’s some good writing here. Paradoxically, there’s also some rough-hewn prose. The cooks tone and speech is very economically done, but the maid is an authorial ‘plant’/Meanwhile, Adam – like Oliver Twist – comes across as a pitiful and potentially idealised victim without being a credible character. Why the inconsistencies? I think the main issue with this piece is narrative perspective. The author has too strong a hold on the action so the characters can’t fully come alive and the narrative can’t flow or breathe on its own terms. Note how Adam is a kind of cipher who has attributes and context pinned to him but who doesn’t really exist a character. He’s ten, but he seems to think at a more sophisticated level. The facts of his life –…

The Bath Flash Fiction Award, which runs four times a year, is for 300-word flash. The first prize is £1,000 and there are second and third prizes of £300 and £100. Two commendations each get £30. 50 longlisted entrants are offered anthology publication. The entry fee is £9. The closing date is 6 June. Website: https://bathflashfictionaward.com/ Carmen Maria Machado’s In The Dream House, published by Serpent’s Tail, has won the 2021 Rathbones Folio Prize. The £30,000 prize is open to all works of literature written in English and published in the UK during the previous calendar year. Carmen Maria Machado’s In The Dream House, published by Serpent’s Tail, has won the 2021 Rathbones Folio Prize. The £30,000 prize is open to all works of literature written in English and published…

Heather Clark has won the £2,500 Slightly Foxed First Biography for Red Comet, her biography of Sylvia Plath. Heather Clark, a Professor of Contemporary Poetry at Huddersfield University, has drawn on new material to present a more detailed and balanced overview of Plath’s life that doesn’t follow the familiar Plath trope of viewing everything in her life as a harbinger of her death by suicide. ‘Red Comet is an astoundingly detailed reappraisal of Sylvia Plath and her influences,’ said judge Alexander Masters. ‘Through the exposure of fresh material and a bold critique of the many clichéd interpretations of Plath’s life, Heather Clark has brought us a ground-breaking biography of great narrative and perceptive force.’…

The City Academy Short Story Competition is inviting entries of original, unpublished short stories on any style, up to 4,000 words. The winner will receive £1,000 and a £300 City Academy Voucher. Two runners-up will each receive a free writing course of their choice. All three winners will be published online. Three further shortlisted writers will receive written feedback from the judging panel, which consists of Freddie Machin, Shyama Perera and Merrie Joy Williams. Once they have registered, entrants will receive a series of eight writing prompt emails. The entry fee is £15. The closing date is 25 May. Website: www.city-academy.com/online/writing-competition/…

The Dread Machine is a subscription magazine, publishing house and community where writers and fans of dread-inspiring fiction can read and connect. The editorial team, headed by acquiring editor Monica Louzon are permanently open to submissions and are looking for futuristic dark fiction, speculative fiction, cyberpunk, slipstream, and science fiction up to 3500 words. Payment is 3¢ per word. They will also consider reprints up to 7,000 words, payment for which is 1¢ per word. Apart from the above genres, they are particularly interested in magical realism, alternate realities, diverse protagonists, unique dystopias and utopias and unconventional societies. They do not accept religious fiction, fetish horror, or erotica or material involving suicide, torture, child or animal abuse, sexual assault, incest, school or mass shootings or graphic depictions of domestic violence.…

Hobart Books is a new independent publisher of popular fiction. ‘At present we publish fiction with a slant towards military/espionage/general thrillers,’ said publisher David Roy, who formed the company with Adam Gardner. ‘We would consider any well-written fiction for which there is a market.’ The company officially came into existence on 1 January this year. ‘I had been writing for years,’ said Dave. ‘Adam had been in publishing for years. We knew each other from the army and university and belatedly teamed up to publish Smoke Without Fire, an account of my dismissal from my teaching post and subsequent tribunal victory.’ Hobart intends to publish two books per month. ‘Although this is a daunting task at present,’ said David. ‘Hopefully as we expand we can take on more staff and…

The Farnham Flash Fiction competition is open to submissions of stories of less than 500 words. First prize is £75 with a runners-up prize of £25 and £25 for a Best Flash Fiction featuring Farnham. The entry fee is £5 per entry and the closing date is 4 June Email to: competition@FarnhamFlashFestival.org.uk Website: www.farnhamfringefestival.org/farnham_flash-2021.html Recipients of the - prestigious Windham-Campbell literary prizes, administered by Yale University, receive $165,000 in support of their writing, at any stage of their career. This year’s recipients are: Vivian Gornick, non-fiction (US); Kate Briggs, non-fiction (UK/Netherlands); Dionne Brand, fiction (Canada/Trinidad and Tobago); Renee Gladman, fiction (US); Canisia Lubrin, poetry (Saint Lucia/Canada); Natalie Scenters-Zapico, poetry (US); Nathan Alan Davis, drama (US); Michael R Jackson, drama (US). Love your main characters: The leading characters may be bottomless…

New, original, unpublished science fiction stories of 1,500-5,000 words are invited for the quarterly Infinite Worlds Magazine which was founded in 2018 and sees itself as ‘progressive and inclusive with a mind for science and reason and a semi punk/metal aesthetic’. All submissions are reviewed before each issue of the magazine is planned and as there is only a small staff it may take some time to hear back abut your submission. No response within ninety days should be considered a ‘no’. Payment is $100 per story plus a copy of the issue containing your work. The magazine also publishes commissioned and non commissioned science fiction illustrations and comic/graphic novel shorts of 4-10 pages. See website for details. Email submissions to: submissions@infiniteworldsmagazine.com Website: http://infiniteworldsmagazine.com/submissions…

The Wigtown Poetry Prize has £1,500 and £500 prizes, with £500 and £200 in categories for entries in Scots and Scottish Gaelic, for poems up to forty lines, as well as special prizes of mentoring, for the Dumfries and Galloway Fresh Voice Award, and thirty published copies, in the Alastair Reid Pamphlet Prize. Entry fee is £6.50, £17 for three; closing date 31 May. Website: www.wigtownpoetryprize.com The 2021 Dylan Thomas Prize is worth £20,000 to the winning author of an exceptional published literary work, aged under 39. There are four debuts on the shortlist: Alligator and Other Stories, Dima Alzayat; Kingdomtide, Rye Curtis; The Death of Vivek Oji, Akwaeke Emezi; Pew, Catherine Lacey; Luster, Raven Leilani; My Dark Vanessa, Kate Elizabeth Russell. The winner was due to be announced on…

Silent Motorist Media seek stories for Mysterium Tremendum, a chapbook anthology intended to explore the intersection between weird fiction/horror/fiction and the holy. The editorial team call themselves ‘a weird fiction and horror blog and press’. Editor-in-chief Justin A Burnett wants to encourage new writers, and publishes several anthologies to showcase their work alongside experienced writers. He wants ‘writing that shimmers with intelligence and impassioned creativity’. There’s a detailed explanation at the website, but in brief work should explore ‘the strange, sublime borderlands between terror and religiosity’. Nonfiction, short fiction, and poetry that in some way examines or exists within this liminal space is what they want. No reprints, multiple or simultaneous submissions. Prose should be 3,000 to 6,000 words in length. Response time is ‘reasonable.’ Payment $50 for fiction and…

Two Plum Press is a unique US niche press producing ‘slim volumes of literary works both contemporary and classic’. Titles published ‘include works of poetry, essays, fiction, philosophy, visual art, travel and food writing.’ The editorial team at the press operate in a manner similar to ‘an independent record label, where the artists are tied to one another through their friendships, common location, history, and collaborations.’ Indeed the team are now producing songs to go with the selected works. Check out the website and the books carefully before submitting. The team are open to queries all year round and welcome work by post or email. Details at the website. Response time is slow and rights and royalties are tied in with the contract. This is a team to get to…

First prize is £1,000 in the Live Canon 2021 International Poetry Competition for poems of any length and in any form. Fifty longlisted poems will be published in Live Canon’s annual anthology and sixteen poems will be performed at the annual prizegiving event. Entry fee, £6.50, £12 for two, £16 for three, £20 for five and £35 for ten. The closing date is 21 May. Website: www.livecanon.co.uk Six novels are shortlisted for the €100,000 2021 Dublin Literary Award, the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English. The winner was due to be announced on 20 May. The shortlist is: Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo (British); Lost Children Archive, Valeria Luiselli (Mexican); Apeirogon, Colum McCann (Irish); Hurricane Season, Fernanda Melchor, trans Sophie Hughes (Mexican);…

What our students say: “In 2019 my memoir, On the Line - Life and Death in the Metropolitan Police, was published in paperback. As a direct result I have since been commissioned by the BBC to consult on the production of a new crime drama. I have also been paid to appear at crime writing festivals and appeared on BBC Breakfast and BBC London Radio. I have also secured an excellent literary agent and finished my first crime novel.” Alice Vinten “The course has given me, not only the confidence, but the opportunity to experiment with different writing styles and techniques. The writing assignments have encouraged me to work outside of my comfort zone, and to write about subjects, and for markets, that I would never have considered. Although it’s…

100 years ago: August 1921 • The R-38 class airship crashed into the Humber Estuary, killing 44 passengers, in the world’s first great airship disaster. • Swimming champion and aquamusical synchronised swimming star Esther Williams was born. • Alex Haley, author of Roots and The Autobiography of Malcolm X, was born. 80 years ago: August 1941 • The National Fire Service, which amalgamated local authority fire brigades with the Auxiliary Fire Service, was created. • Actor Martin Jarvis was born • The first army Jeep was produced • American singer-songwriter David Crosby was born • Hawkwind founder Dave Brock was born. The space rock band has been going since 1969. 70 years ago: August 1951 • The film version of An American in Paris, directed by Vincente Minelli, starring Gene…

‘I can’t remember a time I did not love writing, and it’s been a vocation of mine since childhood (but for the brief time before that I dreamed of being an astronaut). Since I learnt to read and write I’ve been entranced by the powers of language and wanted to try and use it in the very best way I could. I also have a bit of an obsession with the actual tools of writing – and a geeky love of fountain pens and ink. ‘I didn’t know any writers and writing wasn’t particularly encouraged as a profession for me to pursue – I learnt to love reading through the local library and subsequently went on to study English Literature at university. I was offered a place on the MA…

‘It is rare for a novel to be written by two writers who live several miles apart, and when Covid-19 struck, it meant Colin Payn and I could only meet online,’ writes subscriber Dawn Knox. ‘The story of The Future Brokers began with Colin’s dislike of the traditional post-apocalyptic scenario of humans at war with artificial intelligence. He could see another way the two forces could resolve the conflict, but needed a way of writing a book that used layers of emotion that were not his normal style. ‘Colin recognised that my writing and background could prove to be complementary to his own as my qualifications are in science while Colin has longstanding connections in politics. ‘I liked Colin’s outline and initially, we decided each chapter would be written in…

‘The worldwide pandemic gave me the opportunity to live my dream life,’ writes subscriber Cat Lumb. I write this to you from my plotting shed in my garden; a private space just for me and my writing that has a blackboard to plot my novels on, and some beautiful wallpaper to feel luxurious. It was built two months after I took voluntary severance from my part-time museum educator job to mark my transition to writer and writing coach, as The Write Catalyst, in August 2021. ‘In hindsight, it was an easy decision. My health had been deteriorating with the stress of my museum role, and working from home for three months demonstrated that a slower pace of life dramatically increased my wellbeing. I have both ME and fibromyalgia, and balancing…

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It’s unlikely that Kate Bendelow, whose Definitely Dead is published by Bloodhound Books in May, is likely to run short of insider knowledge for her planned trilogy of crime novels. As a SOCO (scene of crime officer) in Greater Manchester, she has plenty of material with which to arm herself. ‘Many years ago,’ says Kate, ‘I had the pleasure of meeting Lynda La Plante. During a conversation she asked why I didn’t write about my day job. My husband had suggested this previously, but I always thought it was too much of a cliché. I then realised there were very few protagonists out there who were a SOCO/CSI. On the train home from London that day, Maya Barton was born. Having had the pleasure of advising so many crime writers…

Q What are the standard police procedures and approach for dealing with a missing person inquiry? For example, a young person hasn’t come home and the parents can’t locate them. What would officers be looking for and how would they proceed? David Laws, by email A Unless or until someone’s safety and their whereabouts can be ascertained, they should be treated as a missing person and all inquiries followed. It’s obviously very difficult to locate everyone in an acceptable time frame as thousands of people are reported missing every day. Many turn up safe and sound, but some sadly don’t. Initial details are recorded on a log relating to the person and the record updated with all inquiries. The most obvious and urgent would be to try and call the…

Now in its third year, the Comedy Women in Print Prize 2021 is inviting entries. ‘As an eighties comedian, actress, writer, I had to set up CWIP to create parity in the comedy literary landscape for witty women authors and to enable an unpublished witty writer to win a publishing deal,’ said comedian Helen Lederer, the founder of the prize. ‘Believe it or not no such prize existed, so I had to do it. CWIP is needed. Not only does an unpublished witty writer achieve their dream of becoming published, but established authors receive deserved attention, a prize and empowered women really do get seen.’ There are categories for published and unpublished funny novels by women writers. The winner of the unpublished category will receive £5,000 and book deal from…

The shortlists have been announced for the fifth Jhalak Prize. The Jhalak Book of the Year by a Writer of Colour 2021 shortlist is: Antiemetic for Homesickness, Romalyn Ante; Inferno, Catherine Cho; My Darling From the Lions, Rachel Long; The First Woman, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi; Are We Home Yet, Katy Massey; Rainbow Milk, Paul Mendez. The Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize 2021 shortlist is: The GA Picture Alphabet, Nii Ayikwei Parkes & Avril Filomeno; When Life Gives You Mangoes, Kereen Getten; And the Stars Were Burning Brightly, Danielle Jawando; Queen of Freedom, Catherine Johnson; Eight Pieces of Silva, Patrice Lawrence; A Fox Called Herbert, Margaret Sturton. ‘There is much that feels precarious, fragile and all the more precious this spring, including any progress regarding equity in publishing,’ said prize…

Exisle is an independent publisher of non-fiction titles for adults and children. ‘Exisle publishes a range of non-fiction including popular psychology, self-help, health and better living, natural history, memoir, military, fine art and biography,’ said CEO Gareth St John Thomas, the son of late Writing Magazine founder David St John Thomas. ‘EK Books, the children’s list, specialises in making complex issues understandable with enjoyable picture books for 4-11-year-olds. Gareth founded Exisle around thirty years ago in New Zealand in the 1990s, after having worked in the UK for many years in his father’s business, David and Charles, before it was sold. ‘In 2005 the business opened offices in Australia and in 2011 Exisle stopped selling any English language rights to its titles. Today Exisle prints in China and the United…

Erewash Writers invite entries for their latest free themed competition. Enter short stories up to 500 words and poems up to forty lines on the theme ‘holiday romance’. One winner will be awarded £10 and their entry will be published on Erewash Writers’ website. Entry is free. Each writer may send up to two entries. The closing date is 27 May. Website: https://erewashwriters competition. weebly.com/ Win a £100 first prize in the Erewash Writers Open Short Story Competition 2021 Stories must be original and unpublished, and may be on any theme, up to 2,500 words. There are cash prizes of £100, £70 and £30. The judge is Helen Baggott. The entry fees are £3 for one story, £5 for two and £2.50 for any further entries. The closing date is…

George RR Martin has signed a new contract with HBO ‘worth mid-eight figures’ and running for five years to develop several new television series. These appear to be in addition to five projects the Game of Thrones / Song of Ice and Fire author already has with the network and which include a Game of Thrones prequel called House of the Dragon which is due to start filming any time now for screening next year. Other projects already announced include a drama called 10,000 Ships, set a millennia before Game of Thrones; a show about Flea Bottom; an untitled House of the Dragon spin-off; an untitled animated series and a screen version adapting three novellas chronicling the adventures of Dunk and Egg. On top of all this, The Guardian reports…

London based Aitken Associates Literary Agency represents fiction and non fiction writers from around the world and across all media and that’s not all. ‘We have a highly successful film and TV department with an exceptional book to screen record.’ Amongst their writers they have Booker Prize and Costa Book winners. ‘We welcome voices of all backgrounds and also encourage submissions from writers who do not have an existing connection to the publishing industry.’ If submitting your work it is requested you ensure you have a full manuscript ready and it is of publishable standard. There are guidelines and tips on the website to enable you to do this. For novel and short story collections send the first three chapters or fifty pages of your book along with a short…

Poems, up to 40 lines, on the theme ‘Family’ could win £150 in The Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize, launched by Mist and Mountain Creative Residency in memory of Scottish poet Gerard Rochford, who died in 2019. Two runners-up will each receive £50 and a small commemorative plate. Entry is free. Each entrant may submit one poem. The closing date is 30 June. Website: https://mistandmountain.co.uk/ The consolidation of major publishers into ever larger conglomerates continues as in the US HarperCollins Publishers, already the second largest book publisher in the world, is in the process of buying Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s (HMH) publishing company, HMH Books & Media. The deal will add over 7,000 titles to the HarperCollins US catalogue, and is reportedly worth $349m. “It’s ridiculous to me that there weren’t more…

The Friends of Manning’s Pit Saki Short Story Competition 2021 is inviting stories with a spark of wit that relate to wildlife or the countryside. The Manning’s Pit fields in Devon can be seen from the childhood bedroom of the celebrated short story writer Hector Hugo Monro, known as Saki, who died in 1916. The competition in his honour is for original, unpublished short stories up to 3,000 words. Stories do not have to be in his style, but they should contain an element of originality or wit and in some way relate to wildlife or the countryside. There are prizes of £500, £200 and £100. The judges are James Lovelock, Sir Richard Eyre and Peter Christie. There is an entry fee of £5 per story. The closing date is…

Dissent is proud to be ‘A pillar of leftist intellectual provocation’ and this quarterly magazine of politics and ideas publishes ‘the very best in political argument, and takes pride in cultivating the next generation of labour journalists, cultural critics, and political polemicists.’ The editorial team at Dissent focus on the real issues, and seek challenging writing from writers everywhere. Don’t overdo the panvirus theme, but unique critical views might be acceptable. They like educated rants. Open to subs for the online and print versions the team do not want ‘unsolicited pitches, simultaneous submissions, fiction or poetry submissions, or book excerpts.’ They will not reply to submissions that do not meet the guidelines. The team accept writing on politics, economics, and culture. Don’t be too academic; footnotes are discouraged. Keep article…

Stories of under 3,500 words, set at least 35 years in the past, could win £500 in the Dorothy Dunnett/HWA Short Story Award 2021, plus publication and a mentoring session with an author and agent. Two runners-up will be offered mentoring. Shortlisted entries will be published in an anthology. Entry fee, £5; closing date, 1 July. Website: https:// historicalwriters.org/awards/ddshwassaward- 2021/ The CrimeFest Awards shortlists, for the best crime books published in 2020, have been announced, including the £1,000 Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award: Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir, The Creak on the Stairs; Marion Brunet, Summer of Reckoning; Robin Morgan-Bentley, The Wreckage; Richard Osman, The Thursday Murder Club; Mara Timon, City of Spies; Trevor Wood, The Man on the Street. Winners of all the CrimeFest Awards will be announced online in the…