COVER FOR MY NEW BOOK

Herewith the cover for my new chapbook of short-short stories/flash, coming from Tower Press, and launching at the American Conference for Irish Studies in San Francisco on Friday the 27th September. Galway and Dublin launches also being planned.

Maria Gasol is the cover artist and publisher Jodi Chilson is the designer. I love the job they did!

GLADSTONE'S LIBRARY MYSTERY LADY - flash winner

Gladstone's Library recently ran a writing competition based on a mystery portrait of a lady in red that they own. I'm thrilled to have won the flash section of the comp. I'll be going to Wales for a week to write next year as part of my prize. Congrats to Fiona Knowles-Holland who won the short story section. Thanks to the library for supporting fiction writers, particularly those of us who love the shorter forms.

I was half-awake last night thinking (with gratitude) about the week in Gladstone's - Britain's only residential library - deciding I will take the ferry rather than the aeroplane because I am utterly sick of airport shenanigans. You would think there would be more exciting things on my mind like: 'A whole week to myself!' or simply 'Wales!' but, there you go, even half-asleep I am sorting out the practicalities. However I get there, I am looking forward to it hugely. Once again writing provides an exciting and fun opportunity. Ain't life grand.

FLASH SUBS - STINGING FLY - 22nd JUNE *ONLY*

 
This Saturday - International Flash Fiction Day - is the day to sub your FLASH ONLY to my guest edited issue of The Stinging Fly, which appears spring 2014.

My, some of you are confused, judging by the emails I have been getting. It is quite straightforward. All month you can sub ordinary stories in the ordinary way i.e. by post.

This Saturday, the 22nd June, ONLY, you can sub your flash to stingingflyflash AT gmail.com. You have 24 hours to sub one flash of up to 500 words!!

Send me your zingiest, most beautiful work.

Full guidelines here.

99 WORD STORY BY TONIGHT

Can you write a 99 word story by midnight tonight? If so Big Smoke Writing Factory want your words:

Entering "The 99" - Guidelines

• Entrants must be available to read at the Flash Bulbs event in Dublin on the evening of Saturday June 22nd 2013
• Submissions should be flash fiction of exactly 99 words. No more. No less. (Title is not included in wordcount.)
• Up to three entries per writer
• Entry is free
• Send all entries to bigsmokeflash@gmail.com
• Please include "Competition Entry" as the subject of your email
• Work should be submitted as an attachment (.rtf, .doc or .docx)
• Author's name or personal information must not appear on the attached document
• Entries must be the original work of the author
• Entries will be judged by guest judge Dave Lordan
• The judge's decision is final
• A short-list of the top entries will be invited to read their pieces at Flash Bulbs and the winner will be announced on the night
• Winner will receive a €250 Big Smoke Writing Factory gift voucher
• Entries close at midnight GMT on Friday June 7th 2013