Members' Successes - 2013/14

 

July 2014

Margaret Mounsdon - People's Friend have accepted her latest pocket novel - Angela's Return Home.

Ian Black - Has had his pantomime Cinderella - a new version published online - www.playscripts.online

Tracy Fells - '8:38' published as part of National Flash Fiction Day's Flash Flood Journal. Shortlisted with 'Feeding Love' in Worcester LitFest Flash Fiction competition.

Susanne Conboy-Hill - participated in the Ether Books challenge - Eight themes, eight days, max 500 words, 24 hours to get them in - these are her submissions:
Day One - Adventure: The space between thinking and doing. A door opens in the space between thinking and doing and a young woman steps through. Her body has no shape, her head is empty, her eyes are pale and dilute.

Day Two - Hats: Pretending not to see. When Jodie put on her magic hat, she became invisible …She ran, crawled, dived, and shot enemies.

Day Three - Time: When. When you don’t have any left because something in you stopped working. When you have too much and it hangs like wet blankets in your head and over your eyes. When someone steals it by gossiping …

Day Four - Desire: Where Things Come From. Chocolates – dark and bitter and containing surprises such as a chilli-coated scorpion or a gingered locust.

Day Five - Risk. The People Indoors. 'Boring,’ says The Charlie. He’s The Paul’s opposite but the upshot is the same, pulling the decision away from absolute certainty back to something more lively. He rarely has any ideas of his own though, these are Carole’s prerogative.

Day Six - Tragedy: When you can't go on. Awards ceremony. Posh frock; pale peach …

Day Seven - Family: Daniel's Level. ‘The army? Him?’ Jacqui is stunned. Sophie though, is intrigued. Steve doesn’t look army, he looks – gamey.

Day Eight - Song and Dance. We’re in Jackson, me and Jude, for the show. I have a two-day beard and my feet hurt like hell. I sling them up on the table and lean back.

To read these and other stories from Ether Books you can get the app from their website - http://www.etherbooks.com Susanne's stories can be found at - http://catalog.etherbooks.com/Authors/582

 

June 2014

Tracy Fells - Shortlisted (5th time!) in Flash 500 competition, shortlisted in Scripted4 (Worthing WOW Festival) short play competition and her short story 'Household Gods' has made the shortlist of 2014 Commonwealth Writers Short Story Prize.

Alison Hawes - Commissioned to write a fourth Teacher’s Guide to a series of Non fiction books for reluctant readers by Badger Publishing and commissioned to write further material for a language project for BBC Worldwide.

Suzanne Conboy-Hill - 'Puddles Like Pillows', first published by Zouch Magazine in 2013, was a finalist in the Lascaux annual Short Fiction prize and is included in the anthology (on line http://lascauxreview.com/2014/05/puddles-like-pillows/ and in print); 'Cover Art', a leg-crossing piece read at the open mic a while ago, is in Full of Crow May 2014 http://www.fullofcrow.com/fiction/archivedstories/cover-art/ and 'How the Fat Fairies Saved the World', is in Zouch Magazine, May 26th 2014 - and pretty much timed to hit the actual GMT in the tale! http://zouchmagazine.com/fiction-how-the-fat-fairies-saved-the-world-dr-suzanne-conboy-hill-short-story-month/#.U4L4RfldXNk

Jan Henley - 'Return to Mandalay' by Rosanna Ley (Jan Henley) is published by Quercus 22nd May 2014 and 'The Villa' by Rosanna Ley is published by Quercus USA in August 2014. The e-book reached number 1 on Amazon contemporary bestsellers chart for one heady week in April!

 

May 2014

Julie Coffin - Short story 'Could It Be Magic?' in The People' Friend 6th April.

Tracy Fells - A winner in the Five ‘n Ten international stage-writing competition – 5 min monologue will be performed in June (in Wales) and 'Household Gods' shortlisted for 2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

Alison Hawes - Talk about books for reluctant readers given to parents and students at Steyning School; Arabic and Chinese versions of six of Alison’s infant reading books to be produced for HarperCollins; commissioned to write another non fiction book for teenagers with reading difficulties for Badger Publishing and commissioned to write a third Teacher’s Guide to a series of non fiction books for reluctant readers for Badger Publishing.

Pat Hopper - has been long-listed in the HomeStart Bridgewater short story competition.

 

April 2014

Rose Bray - Winner of the February Love poem in The Worthing Herald and winner of the West Sussex Section of Slipstream Poets Competition.

Margaret Mounsdon - Sold her latest novella The Swallow House Summer to People's Friend.

Pat Hopper - has been long-listed in Labello Press International short story competition.

Janet Rogers - was a runner up in the Guardian Travel Writing Competition just before Christmas for an article about a visit to Yorkshire. Won the Daily Telegraph Justback travel competition in February for a piece about a skiing holiday in the Dolomites and has also had an article printed in the spring edition of This England about the ancient yews of Kingley Vale, near Chichester.

Malcom Welshman - has been invited to speak at three Literary Festivals later this year: Penzance Literary Festival 16-20th July, Porlock Arts Festival 25-28th September and Mere Literary Festival 13-19th October. Also Under my dog's name, he writes a monthly blog 'Dora's Diary' on www.sixtyplusurfers.co.uk/links.htm

Tracy Fells - Story accepted for The Siren Journal’s debut anthology, ‘Fugue’, of Contemporary Literary Fiction (to be published July). Flash piece accepted for Neon’s flash fiction issue ‘Battery Pack’ (out June). Story ‘Making the grade’ sold to People’s Friend.

Alison Hawes - Invited to give a talk at Steyning School to parents and children about books for reluctant readers.

Susanne Conboy-Hill - her flash fiction story 'Puddles Like Pillows' published in in Zouche Magazine last August is a finalist in the Lascaux Short Fiction competition and will be published in their 2014 anthology.

 

March 2014

Margaret Mounsdon -  has sold the Large Print rights of The Power of Love.

Julie Coffin - has had a short story 'A Froggy Tale' accepted for The People's Friend.

Tracy Fells - has had a short story published in Holdfast magazine and was shortlisted in GKBC Crime short story competition.

Alison Hawes - has two non-fiction books for reluctant readers, “Music and Fashion” and “Hidden Treasure,” out now from Badger Publishing; a Teacher’s Guide to the WOW Facts Series One, also out now from Badger Publishing. She has been commissioned to write another teacher’s guide to a series of books for reluctant readers and to write two non–fiction books for teenagers with reading difficulties. Plus Chinese and Swedish versions of Alison’s retellings of three traditional tales (The King and His Wish, The Big Carrot, The Lazy Fox) for OUP are Out now.

 

February 2014

Sarah Palmer - has had a 75-word story published on Paragraph Planet, four six-worders on Morgen Bailey’s writing blog and been longlisted for the Exeter Writers Novel Prize.

Tracy Fells - 2nd place in HE Bates short story competition with ‘Ancient Wing’ and an article published in Feb issue Writing Magazine.

Alison Hawes - has been commissioned to contribute to an English Language project for BBC Worldwide.

 

January 2014

Margaret Mounsdon - Two short stories sold to Alfie Dog fiction entitled Run For Your Life and These Foolish Things.

Tracy Fells - Special mention in Yellow Room Magazine Flash Fiction competition with ‘Tantric Twister’ and longlisted in Flash500 novel opening competition.

Alison Hawes - Has been commissioned to write a Teacher’s Handbook to accompany a series of non-fiction for 8 to 14 year olds who struggle with their reading.

 

December 2013

Tracy Fells - Winner of Hysteria 2013 short story competition with ‘Fibonacci’s Tree’; Winner of Christchurch Writers’ Radio Play competition and runner-up in Article competition; Shortlisted in Inktears Flash Fiction competition.

Margaret Mounsdon - The Power of Love by Margaret Mounsdon sold to People's Friend Pocket Novels and a short story entitled Respect by Margaret Mounsdon sold to Alfie Dog Fiction.

Jackie Harvey -Two 'flash fiction' stories (50 and 100) words in The World of Words in Worthing Herald.

 

November 2013

Wendy Tomlins - had a letter published in The Lady on 6th September.

Malcolm Welshman - A short story in People's Friend entitled Never a Cross Word. Started a monthly dog blog - Dora's Diary on www.sixtyplusurfers.co.uk under Pet Care and Started a monthly vet column on www.maturetimes.co.uk

Christine Bleakley - a short story ‘Saturday morning in Stitches’ in “Irelands Own” Magazine.

Bob Wragg - Autobiography, 'Bobby on the Beat' written in the name of 'Bob Dixon' has been published by Michael O'Mara Books Ltd.

Tracy Fells - Highly Commended in Ifanca Helene James Short Story competition and a letter published in Writing Magazine.

Rose Bray - A piece in Writers' News about writing letters to a child (first published in this newsletter back in the Spring).

Paul Doran - Poem of the Week in Worthing Herald - 17 October 2013.

Wendy Greene - has been nominated for a Woman In Arts Award in the local newspaper group's Woman of the Year Awards, for services to the arts in Sussex.

Alison Hawes - Five more fiction titles (Rat Trap Thief, Kidnapped, Friendly Fire, Football Match, The Green Cloud) in Pearson’s “Rapid” series for struggling readers, out this month.

 

October 2013

Julie Coffin - novella SHADOWS FROM THE PAST accepted for large print hard and soft cover by AudioGo (Chivers Press) and novella WEB OF FEAR now available in large print soft cover by AudioGo (Chivers Press) and ebook.

Margaret Mounsdon - Large Print Rights sold for Fit For Love by Margaret Mounsdon

Tracy Fells - Runner-up in Northampton Writers’ Flash Fiction Competition.

Ian Black - Directed Heart's Desire by Caryl Churchill at New Venture Theatre , Brighton.

 

September 2013

Margaret Mounsdon - Fit For Love by Margaret Mounsdon accepted by People's Friend Pocket Novels and a short story sold to Woman's Weekly entitled Holly Go Lightly.

Sue Ajax-Lewis - Has had a short story accepted by Norah McGrath for Take a Break or Fiction Feast!

Suzanne Conboy-Hill - ‘Oars for Legs’ is out on Full of Crow now (July 2013) and WSW heard it first! I read it a couple of months ago and raised a giggle instead of the usual utter bafflement. Plus Cat Nav is read by the most excellent Folly Blaine who pronounces 'prestidigitator' so you don't have to - on everydayfiction.com

Tracy Fells - Runner-up in Writer’s Retreat Short Story competition (theme: a pet) with ‘Monsters’..

Alison Hawes - Six titles out now in the O.U.P Project X Series; Alien Adventures for Primary Schools. Also out now in the Oxford Reading Tree series for Primary Schools, a story in each of the 3 following collections of traditional tales; The Man, the Boy and the Donkey and other stories, The Tortoise and the Hare and other stories, The Gingerbread Man and other stories.

Julie Coffin - Her short story 'Castle Shadows - in My Weekly 6th-12th August issue.

 

Successes in other years