More Cornish Short Stories on Source FM

During September, the Story Hour on Source FM kindly broadcast some more wonderful pieces from Cornish Short Stories.

The Hope of Recovery by Elaine Ruth White, The Maple is in Blossom by Cathy Galvin and I Turn on my own Axis by Felicity Notley were featured on Friday 18 September. You can listen again here.

The stories read on Friday 4 September were:
That Same Sea by Adrian Markle, The Kiss by Philipa Aldous and Home Between Sea and Stone by Tim Martindale. Listen again here

The stories were read by members of Penryn Community Theatre and the shows were produced by Patrick Haughton.

Cornish Short Stories: A Collection of Contemporary Cornish Writing is published by The History Press. Order it from your local bookshop!

The Lost of Syros

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The Lost of Syros returns to its island of birth

I’m so happy that a copy of my 2015 short story collection has found its way back to the island of Syros in the Greek Cyclades.

The left hand photograph shows the book cover against its inspiration, the town of Ermopouli, and on the right is Kini.

As you can see, Syros is a beautiful place. It is very much a working island with a fascinating history. Although I have not been back since the early 1990s, I hear from a reliable source that it still retains a good deal of its magic.

So, here’s to Syros – to those who were lost on her, and to those who have found themselves there.

The Lost of Syros, Cultured Llama Publishing 2015

Travelling in the Dark – North American launch

I’m very pleased and excited to say that Travelling in the Dark will be launched in the US and Canada in May 2021, as part of the Fairlight Books release of their titles into the North American market.

Travelling in the Dark will be represented by Trafalgar Square Publishing, which is part of IPG

Cornish Short Stories on The Source FM, July

Two excellent stories from Cornish Short Stories: An Anthology of Contemporary Cornish Writing will feature on The Source FM in July. Listen in on 96.10FM or here

First up, at 2pm on Friday 3rd July is Rob Magnuson Smith’s magical Sonny, about the unexpected impact an injured seagull has on the life of a long term couple.

At the same time on Friday 10th July, you can hear Emma Staughton’s The Siren of Treen, a contemporary reworking of the traditional Cornish tale The Mermaid of Zennor.

copyright woodcuts @Angela Annesley/ cover image @Vita Sleigh

If you missed the earlier shows, there is still time to listen again to The Superpower by Sarah Perry,  The Haunting of Bodmin Jail by Anastasia Gammon and Roaring Girl by Alan Robinson here.

Ballast by Sarah Thomas can be heard again here.

Our thanks to The Story Hour producer Patrick Haughton, the actors from Penryn Community Theatre, and The History Press.

Cornish Short Stories on Source FM

A small selection of stories from Cornish Short Stories will feature on Source FM’s Story Hour at 2-3pm over the coming weeks. Listen in on 96.10 FM or online

First up, on Friday 12th June are ‘The Haunting of Bodmin Jail’ by Anastasia Gammon, ‘Roaring Girl’ by Alan Robinson and ‘The Superpower’ by Sarah Perry. You can listen again here. 

On Friday 19th June, Sarah Thomas’s wonderful story ‘Ballast’ is included in the programme. A must for those who love Cornwall’s magical gardens.

A further two stories will feature in July – more details to follow.

The Story Hour is a weekly programme which broadcasts short stories by writers, past and present, from Cornwall. The show’s producer is Patrick Haughton and the stories are read as written by actors from Penryn Community Theatre.

Source FM is a community radio station which broadcasts to residents of Falmouth and Penryn and reaches 7,000 + listeners a week. Both Source FM and Penryn Community Theatre are not-for-profit organisations run by volunteers, and we are delighted to be working with these local organisations.

The DLF Local Writing Prize

This year’s Hall and Woodhouse DLF Writing Prize is open for submissions until 20th March 2020. My novella Travelling in the Dark was lucky enough to win last year’s prize, which aims to bring to wider attention writing from or about the West Country.

The prize is open to book length submissions of works of fiction, non-fiction, or short stories published by a local independent publisher or self-published, from any writer based in Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall or with a close connection to those counties.

Further information and a submission form can be found here.

Kind sponsors Hall and Woodhouse, whose brewery was established in 1777, have been supporting writers in various ways over their many years of business. Thomas Hardy was apparently very fond of their famous Badger Beer.

Hall and Woodhouse DLF Writing Prize 2019

I am absolutely delighted that Travelling in the Dark has won this year’s Hall and Woodhouse DLF Writing Prize. The prize was set up in 2018 by Dorchester Literary Festival organisers Janet Gleeson and Paul Atterbury to celebrate writing from the West Country.

The £1000 prize was awarded by guest of honour Minette Walters at a ceremony held in the Duchess of Cornwall Inn, Poundbury, Dorset on 18 July 2019. My thanks to Lucinda Gray and Anthony Woodhouse of Hall and Woodhouse who kindly sponsor this award.

It was lovely to meet the other shortlisted writers and hear readings from their books. They were Susmita Bhattacharya for her short story collection Table Manners, Dee La Vardera for her work of non-fiction The Road to Civitella, and runner up Maria Donovan for The Chicken Soup Murder.

The DLF announcement can be found here.

July 2019

Landscapes of Mind and Memory, with Emma Timpany and Tom Vowler, Penzance Litfest, Friday 5 July

Emma and Tom will discuss how their fictional writings portray natural environments that are almost characters in themselves, creating complex ‘psychogeographies’ that reflect emotional and psychological landscapes, as well as investigating the unstable boundaries between past and present, and reality and fantasy

1pm to 2.30pm, St John’s Hall, Alverton St, Penzance. £4.00. Concessions available.

Cornish Short Stories nominated for a Holyer an Gof Award 2019, 10 July at Royal Cornwall Museum

Organised by the Gorsedh Kernow and now in its 23rd year, this award is for books by writers from Cornwall, about Cornwall or written in Cornish. There are many fine books amongst this year’s nominations.

Travelling in the Dark Shortlisted for the DLF Writing Prize, 18 July 2018

The other shortlistees are Dee La Vardera, Susmita Bhattacharya and Maria Donovan. The Award Ceremony, with guest Minette Walters, will take place at the Duchess of Cornwall, Poundbury, Dorset at 6pm.

June 2019

There are two lovely events taking place in June.

The Callington Book Fair will be held on Saturday 8 June from 10am to 3.30pm in Callington Town Hall. Entry is by donation to Cornwall Air Ambulance. The authors Lilian Henry, Anthony Fagin and Mark Simmons are also taking part along with a number of book dealers.

The following day, Sunday 9 June, Cornish Shorts is on at Greenway Literary Festival, Greenway House. From 2.30 to 3.30pm, Tom Vowler, Heather Norman and I will be discussing the importance of place in short stories. Admission charges apply.

May 2019

I’m delighted that Travelling in the Dark is on the long-list for the Dorchester Literary Festival Writing Prize 2019. Now in its second year, the prize is for works of fiction and non fiction by writers from, or connected to, the South West.

Another book which is close to my heart is also on the long-list – Corpse Path Cottage by Margaret Scutt. Margaret was an accomplished author of two historical novels, but her crime novels failed to find a publisher during her life time. Set in the 1950s, an era it captures perfectly, Corpse Path Cottage was finally published last year more than six decades after it was written.

It’s just over a month until the inaugural Greenway Literary Festival. I’ll be discussing the importance of place in stories with Tom Vowler on Sunday 9 June at 2.30pm. Details here.