In March 2016, my husband and I went on a holiday together to Tasmania for five nights. It was the first time we’d left our young children for more than a night. My parents stepped up to mind them. The occasion was my 40th birthday and Tasmania was a ‘bucket-list’ destination. The scenery, the food, MONA – it seemed to…
When people tell me they don’t read or like short stories, I tend to feel a bit sorry for them. And, if I’m honest, a little superior. Perhaps even a little defensive. That’s possibly the wrong approach. As the wise and thoughtful editor, Laurie Steed, says in his introduction to Shibboleth and other stories (Margaret River Press) his response to short-story-prejudice…
Imagine you’re at the start of your creative writing life. You have a short story. You have no idea if it’s any good. But you send it off anyway to a national, well-respected short story competition – the first one you’ve ever entered. You wait and wait. Then the results come in and you nearly fall over. You won? You…
Is there a more complex creature than a young girl? Desperate to fit in, yet also stand out (only in the right way, of course). Too cool to hold hands with a parent, yet yearning for love in all its forms – familial, platonic, and romantic. Such a rich confusion of thoughts and emotions. Such perfect fodder for writers. Is…
IN BRIEF:A short story collection which is rich with pathos and sparing with words. As a writer, Murray Middleton is wise beyond his years, and humble beyond his generation.
IN BRIEF:Tegan Bennett Daylight puts her extraordinary writing skills to full use in a short story collection that powerfully captures the messiness of life and the awkward transition to adulthood.
Victorian writer, Melanie Napthine is the winner of this year’s Margaret River Press Short Story Competition for her unsettling tale, ‘Lost Boy’ – after which the anthology of shortlistees is also named. (Shameless plug – my story ‘Glory Season’ is also published in the collection!) It was a genuine thrill to read this story, which is disturbing in the best…
In this age of email and text message, it’s lovely to receive something in the post that isn’t a bill. It’s more lovely when that thing is a parcel. It’s even lovelier still when the parcel contains a beautiful book which has one of YOUR short stories published in it. I first started writing ‘Glory Season’ three years ago. The…
IN 140 CHARACTERS OR LESS:Children take mothers to dark places. This book of twisted fairy tales will help you see the light.
IN 140 CHARACTERS OR LESS:This Valentine’s Day, forget chocolates and fragrance. Give your partner the gift of insight with this thoughtful short story collection.