Julie Cordiner

This is so well deserved. I can’t wait to see Ava meet a larger audience. I’ve loved the book since our SE days! Congratulations, Kaz. Really thrilled for you xxx 😊😁💞

So, so pleased for you – to get placed once in a comp is awesome, but to be placed twice in the same one? Out of this world!

I am so chuffed with all this good news today in the Den!!

Squeeeeee!!! So, so pleased for you! And Penguin Random House too? Flip – that’s the big time! Can’t tell you how delighted I am for you xxx

Superb news Kaz – I’ve always loved your writing so know this is very well deserved. I’ll be in Melbourne in November, but more whizzing in and out a couple of times, on our way elsewhere, Will send you a closer wave, at least.

I’m going to go with the advice given and submit it to another comp, this time with its original title ‘The Grandmothers’. If it sounds familiar, it is because it was an old comp entry over on Cloud but which I polished up a little, this one set in a Celtic village (yes, rather like my other wip *blushes*). As I don’t want to compromise by…[Read more]

… And now I’ve found this thread!
Firstly, many congratulations, Elle, Daeds, Hil, Kaz and Jules. I’ll look out for those links.
I think I’ve already said too many times already, but I have also come first AND second in the same local comp, Pennine Ink, with my two entries. Not stumbling upon this first, I opened a fresh link and posted the link…[Read more]

Just read it – told with your usual heart-warming warmth, salted, as always with human reality. Excellent.

This is brilliant, Janette. 1st and 2nd place. Grinning from ear to ear 😀

*blushes* Sorry, I’ve only just found this link. Yes, Mandy was indeed bloody brilliant and it felt oh-so-special to be sat listening to her. It was the proverbial cherry atop the York cake that had already proved to be one-to-be-remembered.

Yes, Hel – please do post – here or in our SE Group (not sure you’ve found that?) but let us know where. I definitely want to read it.

Only just found this Janette – brilliant and well-deserved news. Keep us posted.

J. That’s AMAZING! You are storming the flash scene! Are they putting together an anthology? Or website publication, or something?

And yeah, when you have a pub date/name, pop it on the Podium forum so’s we can all cheer.

Hel you are ace, and that’s got to be a huge boost in writing motivation! Would love to see the magic 500words if/when you feel like sharing. Pretty please!

Yay for the recording!!! Hope we can access it somehow when it goes up. *crosses fingers*

And no excuses necessary for shouting, WE ARE ALL SO PROUD OF HER!!!!!

Taking on board the comments so far, here’s an edited version, with a title change.

The First Time
Two men wearing overcoats followed the nurse down the corridor.
“Florence has quite perked up since you arranged this visit so she should be able to answer your questions. She’ll tire quickly, though, remember she’s over ninety.”
“Thank you, we’l…[Read more]

Am I putting this in the right place???
Anyhow, presuming I am, here is another with some exciting news to share. This year I decided to try my hand at external comps, but put them behind me as the lack of news seemed to confirm I was a novice at it.
… until this morning, when I received an email from Pennine Ink Writers’ Workshop, confirming I…[Read more]

Thanks Tony, good points, noted.
Thanks, Elle. I guess my spell checker doesn’t speak French! Good points. I think I have a tendency to over-explain or I would have ended it at “He was my first”. Need to trust the reader more. The telly paragraph is a bit of a cop out – I’ll need to rewrite it.

I can’t remember what the original prompt was, but I…[Read more]

@bellam – it was indeed recorded. Please excuse me for shouting, everyone, but MANDY WAS BLOODY BRILLIANT!