And the winner is ....

Everything Is Seen At It's Best In The Dark

 by Neil Campbell 

What  Charlotte Delaney said about all of the short-listed entries:

"There was such a terrific array of characters, settings, styles and tales.  It wasn't easy and I tip my hat to anybody who manages to convey so much in so few words, which is what all of the submissions achieved."

An about the winning entry: 

"Why I chose Everything Is Seen At It's Best In The Dark:

I particularly liked the way a brief moment in time is coupled with enough information about the past to tell the tale of a tragedy and its effects on those concerned.  Particularly Sue.  The description of her regular walk and her regular route, through very ordinary surroundings, is vivid in its simplicity and heartbreaking against the backdrop of grief and loss.  The language is uncluttered and used to great effect.  I am always interested in the aftermath of an event, how people cope, how they don't cope.  This particular story flicked that switch beautifully.

Charlotte Delaney"

Pre-order the Shelagh Delaney Short Story Collection

Would you like to know more about these stories? Would you like to read the book? You may pre-order your copy  here. 

We're not sure of the title yet, nor the cover, but they're going to be good!

Order your copy now!

But, if you're one of our authors, hold you horses. You'll be offered a generous author discount.  

 

Pip, pip, Shelagh Delaney Day Competition Short List Out

In alphabetical order:

A hui hou kakou 

Buried Voices 

Donut 

Everything is Seen at its Best in the Dark 

Fresh out of the Pond  

The Salford Manifesto

The Rain of Salford  

Three in Four Out 

Woot! Woot! 

In one hour's time, we'll announce the winner. 

Shortly after that, we'll reveal the authors.   

 

All in a Day’s Work

We’re putting the final touches to the Snowflakes anthology.

End tasks

Sign off tasks include final proof reads, designing the cover, designing the layout of the book, registering it with Nielsens and uploading it to the printer. There’s always a few anxious moments as we wait for the physical proof. Will we have overlooked something obvious? Once we had no page numbers and another time we had the right cover with somebody else’s book inside. Fortunately the latter was only in one copy of the book but a little nerve-wracking as it was the first one we sold at the launch. Will it be ready in time?

Marketing tasks

Then there’s first marketing steps. We’ve organised the launch / celebration party. Will enough people come? Or will more people want to come than we’ve got space for? It’s always a delicate balance. It’s currently only open to Snowflakes and  CafeLit 4 authors. I’ll be opening it later to the long-listed writers in the Shelagh Delaney competition and then other Bridge House / CafeLit authors. Thereafter, other interested parties.        

Later today I’ll be sending out the front cover so that the authors can use it in their own marketing efforts. Will they like it? It’s probably impossible to satisfy everyone. See the preview here.     

  

I’m also working on the book trailer. It’s almost ready. What have I forgotten? Will they like it?

Then I’ll be lining up authors for the blog and setting up a Facebook page. It’s all go.  

Getting ready for the next one

Yes, very soon the process begins again. No doubt we’ll be discussing next year’s theme in a few weeks’ time.