Tony Lyttle

All Change!

First thing I noticed was the sodding light switch. I’m stood like a plonker in the door to the kitchen, whacking the wall and finding—nothing. No light switch. Just a plastered wall. I mean, bloody hell! How’s a man supposed to make his bleedin’ morning cuppa if he can’t see what’s what? After about a minute of pointless slapping, I…[Read more]

I did the same with this reply as so often before: typed it, went to check something, got distracted, forgot all about it, closed the laptop, assumed I’d sent it.

Mark 2.

Thanks @daedalus. I find that I remebered more than I thought, although We’reNot in Kansas Any More had eluded me for a bit. The two earlier ones were first, the Intercity…[Read more]

2014-15 – Here and There

2015-16 – Not in Kansas Any More

2016-17 – Now and Then

2017-18 – Whispers and Glances

2018-19 – A Room with a View

Those were the ones I took part in. I think there may have been one or two before I joined the Cloud, one of them called Intercity.

Oh, yes, 2016/17 was penultimate one wholly on the Cloud (Alan’s last challenge: Now and Then). Was yours Craquelure, a rather unnerving and powerful story about a painting?

Kate’s was from 2017/18 (My first Challenge: Whispers and Glances)

Mine was from 2014/15 (can anybody remember all the theme names on th Cloud? I know some)

I think you’re right.

There’s another challenge brewing. Should be up in a week or so.

And quite right it is too!

Am I right in supposing that at least three of the four listed stories from Denizens were from Den or Cloud winter challenges? (Mine was from the 2016-17 challenge, which iirc was the penultimate one to be wholly staged on the Cloud)

Brilliant news Richard – a fantastic story that absolutely deserves the recognition, and that goes for the writer too

That’s “pleaseD” of course.

So please, Richard. A brilliant and moving story, written with an intensity but also a subtlety that really marks it out.

Not bad at all!

4 longlisted and 2 shortlisted. I call that impressive for a small site like this.

Congrats to the long and shortlistees! I’ve only just noticed that my story was on the longlist – as I’d already resigned myself to not being listed, missing out on the shortlist does not come as a blow, but I’m delighted for Richard and Kate, best of luck to both of you!

I didn’t make the shortlist but I tell myself it was obviously a moment of madness by whoever made the choice 😀

Sorry for delay in replying to your very interesting thoughts @libby, but I’ve been neck deep in work lately.

Re modernists etc using the techniques and ideas of psychic distance before Gardner codified it. Yes, absolutely, a large measure of what he was doing was identifying techniques that were already out there. I would suggest that his…[Read more]

Well done, Sandra. Another great competition. And well done to my co-competitors. Two top-notch entries. Congratulations, Alex. A nice twisty yarn!

My One and Only Love. That’s from the Cloud and all the way back to 2014/2015.

Congratulations, Richard. It’s a powerful story that deserves recognition.

I see from the website that my entry has been longlisted, too, which feels rather good. I didn’t recognise any of the other titles.

Andrew, 1975

It’s February, and evening is upon us. Andrew goes unnoticed. Pedestrians streaming by the Palace Theatre barely even see a youth leaning against the wall. Some look towards him, but they are peering through the glass doors. Maybe they are wondering whether Jesus Christ Superstar is worth the ticket price. The traffic sweeping a…[Read more]