Our stories
Incident at the Market by Jason Brown - { General Fiction }
Something big happened at the weekly market involving a popular resident. Read this story here »
A Pirates Plight by Harcourt Tendhall - { Historical Fiction }
Shipwrecked on the North East Coast of England in the 1700's. Alone and unsure of who he can trust in these troubled times. He must make his way back overland to his last port of call and the safety of friends. This story was inspired by an oft-visited cave in the Lake District and a love of this section of coastline. Read this story here »
From World Domination to Pottery Frogs. by Winthrop Murray - { Comedy }
The life story of probable future dictator from ugly baby to potter. How his evil plans backfire and the world is saved. Read this story here »
A Doomed Romance by Jason Brown - { Creative Non-fiction }
Abe and Miriam were inmates of the renowned Auschwitz concentration camp. Romance bloomed until Mengele intervened. Read this story here »
A Wheelbarrows Tale by Jason Brown - { Fantasy }
Willie had been acquired by a building company and had left the warehouse forever. Read this story here »
My Fortune Cookie Life by Harcourt Tendhall - { General Fiction }
A bored divorcee in a rut decides to spice up his life. Read this story here »
In The Beginning by Jason Brown - { Fantasy }
It was the regular nightly meeting in the Warehouse Read this story here »
Dreams by Jason Brown - { General Fiction }
He wanted people to share their dreams Read this story here »
The Meeting by Angela Hurrell - { Historical Fiction }
A Love Story set in Stockport in 1819 (1st draft) Read this story here »
Exit Point by Angela Hurrell - { General Fiction }
A story that riffs on the meaning of exit point which financial traders use to mean a preplanned exit from an investment. It's not about financial trading !
1st Draft Read this story here »
Boxing Day Blues by Kirsty Gill - { General Fiction }
A Christmas post-mortem Read this story here »
A Modern Dickensian Christmas by Winthrop Murray - { Comedy }
A thoroughly unpleasant family are visited by a carol singer at Christmastime and their lives are changed for ever. Will the locals even notice the difference. Read this story here »
The Story of Rudolph by Harcourt Tendhall - { Crime/Thriller }
A Christmas story, but not what you might expect. Read this story here »
Find Me by Bernice Giblin - { Reminiscence }
A writer interviewing an Auschwitz survivor Read this story here »
Find Me by Kirsty Gill - { Creative Non-fiction }
Finding your feelings. Read this story here »
Expectations by Harcourt Tendhall - { Science fiction }
Inspired by a recent drama series, this is a cautionary tale about I/T systems. Read this story here »
Woman on a Postcard by Dalia S. Mostafa - { Reminiscence }
The story is told in the 1st person narrative voice by a woman whose memories of a formative experience during her childhood in Beirut (Lebanon) are triggered by a sculpture made by artist Emma Stothard. Read this story here »
Cities of Memory by Dalia S. Mostafa - { General Fiction }
This story tells about an imaginary author who is finding it difficult to proceed with her novel, so she starts thinking about the first or opening passage of the novel and possible ways of constructing it. She feels if she gets this opening passage right, she'll be able to write faster. The story deals with the emotions of loss of a loved one, and its form is inspired by the novel I, the Divine: A Novel in First Chapters by writer Rabih Alameddine. Read this story here »
Gordon by Jason Brown - { Fantasy }
The season was ending and Gordon remained unsold by the convenience store,. Until Alice came along Read this story here »
The Blockage by Harcourt Tendhall - { Historical Fiction }
Just another day in the life of this Victorian plumber. Read this story here »
Tales from Clara s Cottage by Winthrop Murray - { Comedy }
A newly qualified journalist goes out on her first job to interview an elderly lady in a row of old cottages. She listens to all her stories but can she tell the difference between fact or fiction?. Read this story here »
Murder on the Quilt by Winthrop Murray - { Crime/Thriller }
A Murder Mystery with absolutely no similarity to any current TV series. A series of musical murders are commited in an area known as The Quilts in Somerset. Detective Inspector John Wily sets out to solve the murders with the help of his new sidekick, DS Malcolm Steady. Read this story here »
Bad News on the Doorstep by Harcourt Tendhall - { General Fiction }
They rush to help, but life will never be the same again. Read this story here »
RE: Cycle by Winthrop Murray - { Science fiction }
Dystopian short story about how modern technology slowly infiltrates society. Human rights are pushed aside in the name of efficiency.and the 'Unchipped' become ostracized. Maybe not so far in the future? Read this story here »
The Tide of the Bay by Harcourt Tendhall - { Action/Adventure }
The theme of this short story exercise was Tide, so I used the setting from an earlier story, The Bay, for this little adventure. Read this story here »
Sustainable Serenity by Harcourt Tendhall - { Historical Fiction }
The following story, written on parchment made from animal skin, was discovered in a hidden cave overlooking a beautiful natural valley in the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains in Northern California in 1927. Read this story here »
Solomon by Jason Brown - { Fantasy }
Solomon is a shopping trolley, and he'd like to share his memoirs with you. Read this story here »
Food for Thought by Harcourt Tendhall - { Historical Fiction }
The Lord is in need of an heir. Something must be done. Read this story here »
From the train by Kirsty Gill - { Poetry }
A short poem about train travel Read this story here »
Cake Crime by Kirsty Gill - { Comedy }
Sibling rivalry leads to petty crime Read this story here »
Let the moon shine by Kirsty Gill - { Romance }
The moon plays an important part in the lives of two people Read this story here »
The Trampoline by Winthrop Murray - { General Fiction }
A story of mixing between two different social classes which should be OK in the modern world but are there forces at work to make it ultimately fail? Read this story here »
Midnight Adventure by Harcourt Tendhall - { General Fiction }
It's a Wolf Moon. These three are on a mission to photograph a Wolfman. They know he's out there, they've heard him and have gathered the evidence. Read this story here »
Birth of a Masterpiece by Jason Brown - { General Fiction }
He had had writers block, but was determined to write a masterpiece Read this story here »
Protekt by Winthrop Murray - { Horror }
An old lady goes overboard with a new multipurpose varnish called 'ProTekt' with disastrous results. Read this story here »
A New Beginning to Complete the Circle by Harcourt Tendhall - { General Fiction }
A new beginning will complete the circle and bring him the success he believes he deserves - but he's not a greedy man! Read this story here »
The Antagonist by Winthrop Murray - { Crime/Thriller }
A petty criminal wants to legitimise his career choices until the reality hits home. Read this story here »
The Great Meadow Manifesto by Winthrop Murray - { Comedy }
A group of animals tired of man's inability to sort out global warming decide to take matters into their own hands.
Train Journey to a Future by Harcourt Tendhall - { Romance }
Setting off on a journey to London, I had no idea how this might affect my future. Read this story here »
Devil moon by Jason Brown - { Historical Fiction }
It was that time. Satan emerged from his hideaway to watch his former love the pink lady dance in the moonlight. Read this story here »
The Antipodean Visitor by Harcourt Tendhall - { General Fiction }
He returned after thirty years. Would he be welcome? Read this story here »
The Journey by Harcourt Tendhall - { Historical Fiction }
Borne from an exercise using two pictures to inspire a story, I chose a view inside Salisbury Cathedral and a picture of a Tea Cutter to write a fictional story of a young man's first journey away from home, leading to a lifelong career. Read this story here »
My Bubble is Burst by Jan Dale - { Crime/Thriller }
A corporate exercise - the 'Project' - goes badly wrong. But is our victim just biding his time for revenge? Read this story here »
A Gift from a Gull by Winthrop Murray - { Fantasy }
A stressed out office worker returning home after a hard day at work takes a detour to the seaside. Here he meets a lesser black-backed gull who counsels him and sends him to home, a changed man. Read this story here »
Watchers in the Woods by Jan Dale - { Horror }
A dark tale set deep in the woods. Are we heading for a future as bleak as this? You decide! Read this story here »
I Met Him at The Candy Store by Angela Hurrell - { Historical Fiction }
A young woman meets her first love in a sweet shop in late 70s Britain. Read this story here »
Dog Day Afternoon by Winthrop Murray - { General Fiction }
Locked in a room, playing cards. A group of friends try and figure out why they are there. Read this story here »
Time for Change by Jan Dale - { General Fiction }
A tale of an unusual obsession. Could it be in the genes, passing on to future generations? Read this story here »
The Varman Incursions by Harcourt Tendhall - { Science fiction }
Jane lives on a supercarrier on the edge of our Solar System. Their role is defence, keeping the Varman out. Can she make her father proud? Read this story here »
Intergalactic Space and Baked Beans on Toast. by Winthrop Murray - { Science fiction }
A story of how a young man struggles with life due to unseen cosmic forces, and how he overcomes them and meets his soulmate. Read this story here »
Going Out Shoes by Kava Palava - { General Fiction }
It's a Saturday night, a beautiful evening, and it's Lockdown 1.
Time to smell the blossom Read this story here »
Brighton Rock by Heather Pollitt - { Crime/Thriller }
She was a modern slave, working in her prison, but the work they gave her became her path to freedom. Read this story here »
The Thing I Found by Harcourt Tendhall - { Crime/Thriller }
The task was to write a story, starting with the phrase, 'It was dark in the woods'. A bit corny, I know, but it bore fruit, with an unusual narrator. Read this story here »
Shortcut Shaw by Harcourt Tendhall - { Crime/Thriller }
He started life as a popular guy, but it soon deteriorated when his nickname became his way of life. Read this story here »
Grandads Secret by Jason Brown - { General Fiction }
Jim Smith, a war hero had kept a guilty secret Read this story here »
The Bay by Harcourt Tendhall - { Romance }
Born out of a writing exercise on the theme of Outlook, this is a love story set in an idyllic bay about the lives of a couple as told by the man. Read this story here »
Meek and mild or passionate and wild by Kirsty Gill - { Historical Fiction }
A woman witnesses Jesus' rage at the exploitation of the poor in His Father's house Read this story here »
The Experiment by Harcourt Tendhall - { Horror }
He wants to help, to cure the sick. He has devoted his life to this. Read this story here »
Lose the Flute by Kava Palava - { General Fiction }
Lotte is in trouble at school.
It's really not her fault, but no one seems to listen.
Photo @JuanJoPorta Read this story here »
The Old Mill by Harcourt Tendhall - { General Fiction }
A writing exercise based on units of time, starting with the year and narrowing down the story to virtually the second, resulted in this story about a group of cyclists enjoying their annual cycle tour. Read this story here »
The Apple Record by Kava Palava - { General Fiction }
In counselling, she peeks at the events she cringes to remember. But it turns out, they weren’t all disasters.
Some of them took courage, kindess and even a spark of adventure.
Photo by Danielle MacInnes Read this story here »
In Fits and Starts by Kava Palava - { Script/Screenplay }
Sal and Mike are over. Or are they? A 15 minute audio drama.
A note on abbrevations: FX = sound effects
INT. [INTERNAL] MONOLOGUE is the character talking to herself or, in this case, the audience.
An oblique '/' indicates overlapping speech, where the second person interrupts but the the first person keeps talking
Photo by Luca Bravo Read this story here »
The Bedouin Boys by Kirsty Gill - { Historical Fiction }
A story from an important event in history with an impact on religion. Read this story here »
The Little Goat by Angela Hurrell - { Childrens/Middle Grade }
A short children's story about a little goat's adventure. Read this story here »
A garden pest by Kava Palava - { General Fiction }
Moving house is hard. Moving house when you don't want to is harder.
Laura finds herself entertaining two guests, neither of whom is welcome.
Photo by Sigmund Read this story here »
Mobile to the rescue by Kirsty Gill - { General Fiction }
A mobile phone acts as a mountain rescuer Read this story here »
Ghosts in the Machine by Jan Dale - { Historical Fiction }
Technology - a good or a bad thing? Read this story here »
The Mini Countryman by Harcourt Tendhall - { Crime/Thriller }
She is an experienced DCI, visiting an old wreck of a car to remind herself about a case from back when she was only a DS. She had to make an important decision that would have a lasting impact on her. Read this story here »
A Lifetime of Avoidance by Harcourt Tendhall - { Young Adult }
She can't make a decision to save her life. Shy, lacking self-confidence, totally indecisive, it's a hard life at any age, but particularly in your youth. Read this story here »
Illusions in the Sky by Jan Dale - { General Fiction }
Maybe we should be looking for the truth behind the illusion? Read this story here »
A Creature for You by Harcourt Tendhall - { Creative Non-fiction }
This riddle was born out of an exercise to write a story about a creature. I think I got a bit carried away with it. Read this story here »
Creature by Heather Pollitt - { Young Adult }
The Theme was 'Creature' and I thought this was the most contemporary creature I could think of. Could they really be like this? Read this story here »
A Serious Undertaking by Harcourt Tendhall - { Western }
An alternative viewpoint of a spaghetti western scene. Read this story here »
Mabel by Kirsty Gill - { Reminiscence }
The way Mabel looks at life Read this story here »
Eleanor’s Dream Machine by Heather Pollitt - { General Fiction }
This story came from a writing exercise about hobbies and how you can use them to follow your dreams. Read this story here »
Secrets and Lies by Heather Pollitt - { General Fiction }
The term secret holds many connotations. It can suggest mystery, romance, betrayal, excitement. It’s a universal key to all kinds of life-change. Read this story here »
Decision Time by Harcourt Tendhall - { Historical Fiction }
Set on the Island of Jersey in the 1930's, this is, I suppose, a coming-of-age story. The theme for this short story is conflict. Our young hero has to make a major life decision, but this is made easier by his father. Read this story here »