On Reflection: Moments, Flight and Nothing New attempts to grapple with the complexities of our present moment. Personal and imagined stories appear as fragments of everyday scenes forming a narrative of self-discovery. Vignettes accompanied by photography explore life's contradictions, trauma, and the ways in which we navigate the fluidity of cities.The poems move back and forth in time and across Europe, highlighting a range of experiences and perspectives of our modern society as...

What Endures is a story of powerful love. It is a story that will break your heart. Inspired by true events, it tells of the incredible bond between a mother and daughter, and with gut-wrenching poignancy reminds us of the little things that make life worth living.   “Holdstock’s writing manages to be both heartbreakingly poetic and densely detailed … sad passages, ghostlike recollections, written almost from the vantage point of the present, establish th...

Bunny suicider Andy Riley returns with his own (only mildly) sadistic take on the world of inventions.

The thrilling tale of a poor miller, his beautiful daughter and the terrible consequences that come from spinning lies...This story is a magic bean. It may not look much like a bean, but I can promise you that it is. For if you plant it in a young mind, it will grow into a love of story and reading. These beans are favourite fairytales and legends that will delight, thrill and thoroughly entertain. Each story has been brilliantly crafted by one of the best-loved writers fo...

These outstanding stories from the 2010 Bristol Short Story Prize will provoke, stimulate, move, amuse, unsettle, and entertain

One cat’s guide to self-discovery (without ever leaving home).Why go all the way to India when the truth of the universe lies within?Savvy and spoiled, Blossom has been described by her vet as 'high-maintenance', a label she wears with pride. Why shouldn't she be? She deserves it.Through her book, Blossom shares her views on her flatmate (‘Sometimes I suspect she doesn't care how she looks around me.'), on the world outside ('Birds. They think they're so cool flying...

Do you keep using the same basic words in English?"That's good.""I like that.""I'm very hungry."If you do, you need to learn some more advanced synonyms and this is the perfect book for you!You will learn other ways to say common words and phrases. By studying the book, you will:increase your vocabulary, fluency and co...

‘Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.’Henry David ThoreauHost an air guitar tournament for your friends and family.Learn origami. Fold all your £10 notes into swans and pay with them.Cartwheel down the street.Tell nothing but the truth all day.Prepare for a grand adventure, instigate a little mischief and embrace a sunnier outlook with this book of feel-good quotations and quirky ideas that will keep you ...

A modern horror story, set in the spa resort town of Bad Gastein in the Austrian Alps.A bit gothic, it will make your skin crawl, in a hot, sticky way.....

A novelist questions why she's been shortlisted for the Prize of Prize's Prize; an artist duo has a messy break up; a schoolgirl is saved from a predator by a flash flood and a gang of dead animals; a surgeon has an incurable identity crisis; a budding actor can't see what's so funny; a pregnant food writer gets a craving for luxury consumerism.These thirteen stories by writer and literary translator Jen Calleja pick apart the hidden motivations behind our desires, and the ways we ...

The journey over, coming as it did only three days after our daughters wedding, was a long, tiring one. The trusty Volvo was laden with seven dogs, loads of dog bedding and various items that hadnt made the removal van. We set off at 6am from our daughters home and drove to our former home, now bereft of all furniture, to collect the dogs. They had slept overnight (indoors) in the area left from their dismantled kennels. At 7am, fully loaded, we began the drive to the Euro Tunnel. The dogs...

Welcome to this, my first collection of micro-fiction. Within these pages you will discover a range of characters looking to tell their stories – some more surreal than others – in various styles and voices. Suffer alongside Frank as he recovers in hospital from an accident; watch young Jacob discover a new form of entertainment; follow Jack as he breaks free of the confines of his bathroom.But most importantly, enjoy these stories. After all, I wrote them for you.