Short stories were my ‘first love’

Though now, since starting along the path as a novelist, I haven’t had so much time to devote to this form. However I still enjoy writing them and they are a useful ‘break’ when I hit a tricky patch in a novel.

Over the years many folk have asked me when I was going to publish a collection of my short stories, but prior to the publication of the novels I would have lacked the skills to negotiate my way through all the processes involved. I’m still on that learning curve, but this short collection is the result of the encouragement of lots of different folk.  There are twelve stories, spanning three centuries and four continents, and are a reflection of the breadth of my writing interests.

Many of the stories have won or been placed in national and international competitions, the remainder are either brand new, or have never before left my laptop.

Read an extract from the contemporary headline story, set in Afghanistan.