Exeter Writers

  Books by Members: Simon Kettlewell  Simon is the author of five books which range from gripping thrillers to family fiction. FOUR CHILDREN. ONE MAN. HOW HARD CAN IT BE?... Dear Chloe, Emma, Ruby, and Ollie, ‘I am applying for the position you haven’t advertised, has no specific job description and no hope of fiscal reward. I am applying because I have this misguided belief that it will look like it does on the cover photo of ‘The Complete Guide to Childcare’ where everyone appears relaxed and bright-eyed, not knackered, irascible or covered in snot. Armed with a pristine copy of ‘The Complete Guide to Childcare’, ambitions to be the next literary giant and live off the grid, what could possibly go wrong? ‘Five minutes after Brigit’s maternity leave ended I realised the magnitude of my error. I was now the sole carer for two six-month old children who thought the hands smearing yoghurt over their faces belonged to somebody else, and a two-year old who walked for five steps an...

 The Echoing Shore by Jason Mann Jason Mann's Cornish mystery The Echoing Shore was an award winner at the international 2023 Yeovil Literary Prize.   THE ECHOING SHORE HOW DEEP WOULD YOU GO TO FIND THE TRUTH? A lifeboat is lost off Cornwall's wild Atlantic coast. All eight crewmen die. The cause is never fully explained. Ten years later, Kate Tregillis, the editor of a small newspaper on the brink of closure, becomes obsessed with solving the longstanding mystery. Her investigations provoke a backlash of threats and violence in the insular fishing community of St Branok. Simmering hatreds and ancient pagan beliefs are dragged to the surface. In exposing the truth, she risks the future of her newspaper and even her life - and learns that the man she loves has his own secrets.   It is available as an ebook and paperback on Amazon via the link below:   The Echoing Shore: Amazon.co.uk: Mann, JH: 9781739295325: Books

Elizabeth Ducie's latest cosy mystery is out soon! Silenced at the Summer Social , book 4 in the Coombesford Chronicles series of cosy murder mysteries will be published on Friday 1st November and is available for pre-order now: https://geni.us/CoombesfordBook4 "Retired school teacher, clerk to the Parish Council, devoted churchgoer. Josephine Hillson is the proverbial pillar of the community. But apparently not everyone in the community sees her that way. And at the end of a warm September’s day, with the Summer Social winding down, Josephine goes to meet her maker in the swimming pool of Mountjoy Manor. Suspicion falls on the teenage Worcester twins, but the amateur sleuths of Coombesford are on the case."

    INVITATION TO FIRST WRITING AT THE EDGE WEBINAR Exciting news - a group of South West authors, journalists and marketing professionals have created a new organisation to help writers improve their craft. Writing at the Edge  will be running a series of free monthly webinars - and anybody is welcome to attend.   The first one-hour webinar, called Pitch Perfect, is at 8pm on Thursday 3rd October. It will discuss the best ways of pitching your writing to agents, publishers and readers. You can sign up at  https://www.tickettailor.com/ events/writingattheedge/130729  or use the QR code below.   Also, a variety of pitches will be reviewed on the evening with the best submissions being offered on-line consultations to discuss how best to progress their writing projects. If you'd like your own pitch (of no more than two sentences) to be considered, please email it to -  writingattheedge4@gmail.com   Whether you are pitching or not, do please joi...

 Meet the Winners! We close out this years' competition with an interview with our Devon prize winner, Rebecca Shapland. We hope you've enjoyed reading this years' winning stories and our peek behind the scenes into what inspired them. Maybe it'll be you next year? Rebecca Shapland is a teacher of A Level English Literature and can either be found in North Devon’s middle-of-nowhere, where she grew up, or traipsing the streets of her beloved Exeter. How would you sum up your story in a sentence or two? Slightly dislocated from reality, a small town in Kernow is excited by the arrival of the Minerva, a ship headed for the Americas. Young Jeremiah is focussed on looking after his father’s shop which sells miniature animals, but his friend Morven has bigger aspirations… How long have you been writing? Is this your first win? My mum is a Librarian and books have always been a huge part of my life. I studied English for my BA and MA, and at uni I had an embarrassing online po...

 Meet the Winners! Jaime Gill won third prize with his story, Guardian Angel. Jaime is a British-born writer living in Cambodia, whose stories have been published by Litro, Literally Stories, Pinky Thinker, In Parentheses, voidspace, and others. His stories have won or been a finalist for competitions including The Masters Review Award, the Bridport Prize, Plaza Prizes and Flash405.  You can find him at:   www.jaimegill.com  ,    www.twitter.com/jaimegill   and   www.instagram.com/mrjaimegill . How did you feel when you found out that you'd won? I was delighted to even be longlisted, so to actually win third place was a real honour and - I have to admit - big surprise. I'm particularly glad that it's a British contest, as I think this story has a particularly British accent to it, unlike many of my others. I've read and loved previous Exeter Writers winners, so I feel like I am in very good company. Where did you get the idea? The idea for Guardia...