Fiction
Short stories: Two of mine have been made public by competitions in which I’ve won prizes, which means you can read them.
A few more have been long and short-listed in competitions, but they remain offline because if I want to enter them elsewhere, then the rules insist they are unpublished. It’s a fair system but means that some work takes a long time to see the light of day.
My stories usually start, at least in my head, with a question: ‘what if?’ Many are set on the wild edges of the British Isles, where I like to walk, and where all things seem possible. Others are set in places where little seems possible: a suburban park, a locked storage box, and even the inside of an envelope.
Novel: it’s a work in progress, nearly done. It’s an historical thriller with a love story at the heart of it. It’s set in the first two decades of the 20th century, in the world of newspapers and espionage, and the setting ranges from New York to London to Cologne.
Samples
King Of The Rec. Highly commended in the main category and winner in local category in the 2024 Bath International Short Story Competition. You can read the actual story very soon in the competition’s printed anthology, available in real bookshops and online in autumn 2024.
In the meantime, here’s how the judge described it: ‘The King of the Rec’ begins with John being man-hugged by Sean, evoking a sense of nostalgia and reflecting on how some things, especially people, remain fundamentally the same over time.
John has travelled to the town where he grew up for the funeral of Mark, a friend from his youth. A few of the “old gang” are gathering at the local “rec” – recreation fields – to honour him. As John and Sean converse, the undercurrents of their past relationship and changes in their lives are revealed.
Old wounds and unresolved issues surface. As the story concludes, Sean’s attempt to give John an envelope of money for his sister is met with rejection and violence – a final break in their tenuous connection. King of the Rec is an exploration of friendship, loyalty and the immutable nature of some individuals. Through vivid characterisation and authentic dialogue, the story captures the complexities of growing up – and trying to move on.
The Draugr. Third place at the 2024 Frome Festival Short Story Competition main category, and first in the local category. It’s a bit creepy, allegedly a bit funny, and based on an invented Scottish island. You can read the actual story online now, here.
On The Border. Highly commended at the Frome Festival 2024 in the local category and not public yet, but I’m always happy to email it to anyone who is interested. It’s about two men finding awkward companionship on a disturbingly hot day as they walk Offa’s Dyke.
Now’s Not The Time. Second place in Hastings Book Festival 2022 and not public yet but I’m always happy to email it to anyone who is interested. It’s about a woman wandering the Black Mountains to ponder grief and change during the Covid pandemic. It made the judge cry.
Journalism
You can read some of my most recent feature writing here. It’s about: prisoner-of-war art; paintings of the River Severn; portraiture and storytelling; kings and funerals; and for those in peril on the sea. I do these pieces pro-bono for the charity that supports the Royal West of England Academy.
Columns age less well, but here’s a sample of one from my weekly slot in the Western Daily Press and associated newspapers which ran for 23 years. And here’s a feature I wrote for the New European newspaper.
Academic work
I have a chapter in this beast of a book.
and I co-wrote this book
And, finally, here’s an abstract from my PhD which informed much of the above work, and underpins my novel-in-progress.
