Ever since I put my blog in hiatus (this is not my blog, my blog has a link on the bar above, but it's on hiatus so there's no point clicking on it😁 ), I've felt a bit adrift from the writing community, from all my wonderful writer friends who are releasing books and doing other wonderful things. I'm feeling unconnected.

However, I'm heavily editing a novel, going on fantastic day trips with a friend and discovering the amazing towns we can get to via train, baking(ish), and reading. All of these things were getting a little lost in my attempts to keep up with the blogs I was following - I still read them from time to time, but I don't engage as much as I used to.

At the moment, I have no idea how to balance blogging again, or even if I want to - and I'm slowly coming to the conclusion there's no point to this update at all!

So, here's a small sample of what I've been doing recently x

I'm definitely doing a happy dance right now! My novel Small Forgotten Moments has placed 2nd in the inaugural Retreat West Novel Prize. My prize is a full critique, and I can't wait to read it. Click here to read the official announcement.

Congratulations to Nick Petty and Rachel Rivett for their 1st and 3rd places.

Many thanks to Amanda Saint for spending most of the winter reading and re-reading the eight shortlisted novels. If you have a novel hanging around, this year's competition will open soon.

​My story The Fear of Ghosts, which won first prize on the Dark Tales site a couple of years ago, has been included in this anthology of past winners.

Click here or on the cover for more details.

I'm delighted to share that I've made the 2018 Retreat West Novel Prize shortlist with my novel Small Forgotten Moments.

You can read all about the prize, and the other shortlisted authors, right here!

This year has been pretty awesome, with the amount of longlists and shortlists my work have been placed on. Many of them have been stories that mean a great deal to me, so it's exciting to have them appreciated by other people as well.

The winner of this competition will be announced in the spring. I'll have my fingers crossed until then! 🤞

I was excited to discover, this morning, that another one of my stories has been included on the long list of a major competition! 

I share the spot with some awesome writers. Congratulations to everyone who has made it this far, and good luck for the shortlisting stage in a couple of weeks' time. I'll keep you posted.

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