Updated: Oct 7
I have thoroughly enjoyed co-judging Stroud Short Stories with the brilliant John Holland. The shortlist was packed with highly original and memorable stories, which made it incredibly hard to decide which to include in our final choices.
Here, however, is the list of ten - enormous congratulations to all the authors, who will read their amazing stories at the event - The Heat is On - on November 8th at Lansdown Hall.
I'm so delighted that The Hilltop Hour, runner-up in the 2026 Bath Novella-in-Flash Award, has been published by Ad Hoc Fiction.
Grateful thanks to Jude Higgins, the competition judge, who said this about it:
'The novella-in-flash tells the story of Cassie and Susan, both of whom contracted polio (probably in one of the last outbreaks in the UK in the 1970s), Joanna shows how Cassie, a young girl of eleven at the time, and Susan, a newly qualified teacher, manage the experience being in an iron-lung and learn to breathe again. After they leave hospital, we follow their different journeys as they slowly manage without the ventilator and each make a new life. This engrossing novella is striking in many ways not least in how vividly it portrays life inside an iron lung and how frightening and painful it is to breathe unaided. I like that this novella is particularly pertinent at the moment, when, often due to people not being vaccinated, this incurable disease is to be found again in countries where it was eradicated decades ago.'
The cover design is one of my own watercolour paintings. I tried to capture the rugged beauty and healing power of nature, a recurrent theme in the narrative.
The Hilltop Hour is available to buy now, either directly from me, if you would like a signed copy, or from Amazon.
As well as helping to judge the Microfiction Competition for National Flash Fiction Day 2026, I was offered the very exciting additional privilege of creating the artwork for the anthology’s cover.
The title of the anthology originates from Mudlarking Under Richmond Bridge During the Annual Draw Off, a stunningly beautiful flash fiction written by Rachael Dunlop.
I was not only struck by the elegant description in Rachael's story, but also found it deeply moving.
I had intended to paint in an abstract way, picking out some of the gorgeous detail, such as the garnets and Egyptian goose. However, I chose instead to illustrate Mudlarking in a more traditional style and pay homage to the stunning bridge and one of the characters searching for treasures, in order to bring my emotional engagement into the picture.
I'm very grateful to NFFD for giving me the position of artist-in-residence and also for including one of my own stories in the anthology as well.
Mudlarking launched on June 13th 2026 and you can preorder from NFFD .
