Short Fiction Published in Anthologies:
New Short Stories 9
ISBN-978-0-9852133-7-4
'Undercurrents' - Runner up for the Willesden Herald Short Story Prize 2016.
'The Arun was low. The tide was running out to the sea. She stared into the currents as they twisted through the broken bones of an old pontoon, and watched a plastic bottle spin in the eddies around the upright posts. The wind picked up, and bought the dank smell of mud from the exposed banks. Overhead, she heard the beat of wings, and a pair of mute swans flew past, necks outstretched. Watching them drop into the river, she felt as if their bodies, once weightless, were suddenly too heavy to be held by the air.'
Edited by Stephen Moran
Published by Pretend Genius Press
Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 8
ISBN-9781910089231
'Magpie' - Shortlisted for the Bristol Short Story Prize 2015
'When he walks around the village, he finds things. He knows how to look. He picks up old tickets and odd coins by the bus stop, a pen in the porch of the village hall, and cigarette butts smudged with lipstick from outside the shop. Later, back at the cottage, he places them safely amongst his collections. Sometimes, while he waits in the farm office, he slips his hand into the pockets of unguarded coats, and his fingers search amongst creased tissues for hidden treasures.'
Published by Tangent books
New Short Stories 8
ISBN-978-0-9852133-3-6
'The Beekeeper's Daughters' - Shortlisted for the Willesden Herald Short Story Prize 2014.
'We stumble through the hours of the next morning. She appears in the kitchen dressed in her beekeeping suit. She's not talking to me. She won't sit at the table, doesn't want any breakfast. I pour her a mug of tea, she pushes it away. The tea splashes across the table.
“Why must you be so bloody awkward?” I shout. I grab her arms and shake her. Beneath the sleeves of her jacket her bones feel bare. When I let go, she lets herself out of the back door. She walks, with dignity, down the garden. I don’t follow.'
Edited by Stephen Moran
Published by Pretend Genius Press
Journey Planner
ISBN-978-1-909077-16-4
'The Magnifico' - Shortlisted for the Cinnamon Press Short Story Award 2013.
'At his table, Nigel concentrated hard as he laid out balloons in lines according to colour and shape. Sharon’s idea. Red, blue, brown, green and white round, red, blue, green, brown and white long. They were slippery and wouldn’t lie flat, a few dropped on the floor. The room slewed as he tried to pick them up and he put out a hand to steady himself. Nigel decided to leave them. Rummaging through the box, the sticky edge of a post-it note caught on his hand. Sharon’s handwriting: Don’t do The Trick. You’re not ready. Love you. S xx'
Edited by Rowan B Fortune
Published by Cinnamon Press
The Book of Euclid
ISBN-978-1-907090-79-0
'Green Feathers' - Shortlisted for the Cinnamon Short Story Award 2012
'Tom tried to keep the box as upright as possible. He was worried that the continual movement would damage them. Tom wanted to lift the corner of the lid a little bit and see if he could spot any breakages. But you must never open a box. No matter what happened. It slowed him down on his way to the park.'
Edited by Rowan B Fortune
Published by Cinnamon Press
Rattle Tales 2
'Painted Lady' - First read at Shoreham WordFest 2012 as part of Rattle Tales and subsequently published in their anthology.
'It was a strange time. The days seemed to melt into each other, leaving a residue, slightly gritty, itching at my consciousness. Lucy was the focal point, gathering a group around her everywhere we went, laughter jarring, discordant. We laughed too, on the outside, not quite part of it. I could feel everything running away from us, giddier and giddier until I wanted to lie on the ground and shout stop. We were no longer a group, there was Lucy and there was us, watching her, silently.'
Edited by Elsa Tarlett
Published by The Rattle Tales Group