As the Bare Fiction Short Story Prize and the Penny Dreadful Prize close, another two competitions I’m judging open. The Storgy Short Story Competition, deadline Dec 30, and the inaugural Aurora Short Fiction Prize from Writing East Midlands, deadline Feb 1. I hope to read some of your stories. Good luck!
The wonderful Patrick Gale author of 15 novels and 2 short story collections has just been shortlisted for the Costa Novel Of the Year Prize. Here’s my Q&A with him on that novel ‘A Place Called Winter’ from the The Irish Times on Monday.
Really excited that The Good Son has been chosen as one of Gransnet’s Christmas Books for 2015. It’s a honour to be listed alongside so many excellent authors like Sebastian Faulks and Patrick Gale, who said of The Good Son – “Pungently funny, shot through with streaks of aching sadness”.
Have a look through their picks here.
Word Factory’s monthly round-up of writerly news and submission opportunities from my blog is packed full with useful links.
Why not have a look and see what opportunities are waiting for you.
Get writing! Get submitting! Get published!
‘Heart gripping!’
The Good Son has been chosen for this month’s Book Club on the Kerry McLean Show on Radio Ulster. Skip to 52 minutes in to hear Esther Haller-Clarke review the book and it will be reviewed again later this month.
‘That Killer First page’ continues its sold out run as the last place went yesterday for this Saturday at Waterstones Piccadilly. My special guest is Lucy Caldwell winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize whose debut collection comes out with Faber next year. Lucy has also won… hold on to your seats… The George Devine Award, Susan Smith Blackburn Award, Irish Playwrights’ and Screenwriters’ Guild Award, Richard Imison Award, Rooney Prize for Irish Literature & Dylan Thomas Prize. You are in for a treat.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p033yt4m/player
Watch Lucy talk about short stories at The Small Wonder Festival this year.
Lots of fun reading at City Reads Brighton last night. Reading alongside a long list of wonderful writers.
If you like live literature and you want to catch me reading you can come to Hastings on Oct 27 (my birthday) for my third Polari salon. It ‘s always an excellent line up. I met comedian Chris Green year’s ago when I was writing and directing comedy in London. I watched his first show and gave him some directing notes. I wonder if he’ll remember me? I hope to see some of you there.
A profile about me in The Belfast Telegraph. From my home town, it’s also Northern Ireland’s best-selling newspaper and I’m profiled here by local legend Ivan Little. A few errors in there – I went to the University of Ulster at Coleraine for example… I can’t blame Ivan as we talked for hours and I was caffeine fuelled.
I hope you like it.
Do you like going to live events? Watching and listening to authors read their work? I’m staying in my home town of Brighton tonight for Polari, hosted by the rather fab Paul Burston. I’ll be reading alongside VG Lee, Fergus Evans, Juliet Jacques and Damian Barr. Come along to The Marlborough Theatre at 7.30pm. You can get your tickets here.
My most unusual reading at the Wroclaw International Short Story Festival this month.
Tomorrow I’m off to Bath to teach my ‘Killer First Page’ class (sold out I’m afraid but tickets available for London). In the evening I’m reading with Tania Hershman and Sarah Hilary at St James Wine Vaults at 7.30pm.
Back in Brighton again on Wed 21st as part of the City Reads celebration of Matt Haig’s ‘The Humans’. A wealth of writing talent will respond to this work in their own way. Check out the list below.
On my birthday, October 27th, I’ll be reading in Hastings at my second Polari event of the month alongside Adam Mars-Jones, Chris Green, Diane Perry and Erica Smith. The event starts at 7.30pm at The Print works, 14 Claremont, America Ground.
Hope to see some of you there. Say hello.
I’m talking at West Sussex Writers tonight about writing, Word Factory, London Short Story Festival and my ‘Not The Booker’ Prize shortlisting.
Come to Inclusive Arts at Heene Gallery, Worthing at 7.30pm. Non-members very welcome, £5 including tea/coffee and cake.www.westsussexwriters.co.uk
Did you hear that? Includes tea and cake. And apparently there’s a raffle. I’d go just for that.
Paul McVeigh 