The Writing Scene in France

In the August edition of Living France there is an informative article by Vanessa Couchman about the thriving expat writing scene in France.  The piece features the Parisot Writing Group with photos! 

Gascony Writers Anthology 2016

My copy of the Gascony Writers Anthology has arrived, showcasing fifteen short stories covering diverse subjects and writing styles.  I'm so pleased to see my flash fiction story, Pilgrimage in print. To order your copy (6 Euros plus postage) please contact:  gasconywriters@gmail.com

'The Cow' acrylic on canvas by Ginster Plantagenet

Finding The Time to Write

My writing plans have gone awry of late, so it was good to finally get down to doing some writing last week.  I managed to write two new short stories (2,000 words each) and sent them off to two competitions (The Quercy Local Short Story Competition and Mslexia Short Story Competition).  It was liberating to be writing some new material.  I now need to get back to writing novel number two so no more procrastinating!

The Best. Winners and Runners Up from the International Club of Bordeaux's 1st Annual Short Story Competition (English Edition)

This anthology by the International Club of Bordeaux contains stories by some members of the Parisot Writing Group.   The ebook is available from Amazon and is free of charge until Wednesday. Just click on anthology or ebook and it will take you to the relevant Amazon page. 

Another Flash Fiction Success!

Delighted that my flash fiction story, Pilgrimage, has been selected for publication in the Gascony Writer's Anthology, which is due out in May 2016.  This story is close to my heart as it is based on a place high in the Pyrenees where my husband and I camped ten years ago when we trekked from the Atlantic Coast to the Mediterranean Coast.  

Second Place!

I am thrilled that my short story, The Wedding, was placed second in the Flash 500 competition.  My other story, Angel was short listed too so feeling very happy!  The challenge of flash fiction lies in its brevity - in this case 500 words.  It is important to make each word count yet create tension and drama.  In The Wedding I combined backstory and several key characters, which was a challenge.  You can read The Wedding here.  

A perfect weekend

This weekend I was at the Parisot Literary Festival (Festilitt).  Festilitt is held in the small medieval town of Parisot in the Tarn et Garonne. The event was popular, bringing together the local and wider community.   For me, there is nothing better than hearing an author talk passionately about their books and the craft of writing.   Appearing this year on the English programme were Deborah Lawrenson, Sara Taylor, Helen Dunmore and Kate Mosse.  The illustrator and writer, Ella Frances Sanders brought both French and English together in her session about her book, Lost in Translation. (Click on the author's names for links to their websites) The sessions were well attended – Helen Dunmore and Kate Mosse were by reservation only and the Salles des Fetes was packed.  Along with 14 other people I was lucky to attend a short story workshop being given by Greg Mosse and I'm hoping to apply what I learned to some of my unfinished stories.

Thanks to a team of volunteers admission to Festilitt is free, the only charge being for the dinner with the authors on the Saturday evening.  I felt privileged to be able to chat to the authors in such an intimate and informal setting.   I came away from the weekend feeling energised and inspired, but a little sad that it was over for another year.  As you can see, I have a pile of books signed by the authors, which I can’t wait to read!