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anthologies

A Year In Flashback

December 19, 2025 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:- 
Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay image. Book cover shots from Bridge House Publishing/Chapeltown Books. Many thanks to Lynn Clement, Paula Readman, and Penny Blackburn for images from the Bridge House Publishing Celebration Event and The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick held earlier this year. Other images and screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes.

It is hard to believe, sometimes at least, just how quickly another year has gone by. I make a point of taking some time out to review how my writing year has gone and what I’d like to see happen in the next one. I’ve found writing things down for this makes it more likely I will take at least some steps to try and achieve what is on my writing wish list.

[Read more…] about A Year In Flashback

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Tags: ACW in person event, Allison Symes, anthologies, Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction group, Bridge House Publishing, celebration event, creative writing, flash fiction, networking, short stories, The Writers' Summer School - Swanwick, the writing life, Writers' Narrative, writing year review

Back At The Theodore Bullfrog with Bridge House Publishing

December 12, 2025 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:- 
Most of the images were taken by me, Allison Symes. Other images were created in Book Brush using my images or ones from Pixabay. Many thanks to Paula Readman for taking the images of Rosemary Johnson and me with some of our respective works. Many thanks to Lynn Clement for the selfie of both of us.

On Saturday 6th December 2025, I had the great joy of being back at the wonderfully named Theodore Bullfrog in Charing Cross, London, for the annual Bridge House Publishing Celebration Event. This, along with The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick, is a major highlight of my writing year.

[Read more…] about Back At The Theodore Bullfrog with Bridge House Publishing

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Tags: anthologies, Bridge House Publishing, Bridge House Publishing Celebration event, Cafelit, Chapeltown Books, creative writing, fiction, flash fiction, Magi An Anthology, networking, short stories, The Best of CafeLit 14, The Theodore Bullfrog, writing event

Short Story Collections

November 28, 2025 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. Book cover images from Bridge House Publishing/Chapeltown Books.

I am fond of short story collections for various reasons, not least of which is the fact they gave me my way into being published. My first story in print was A Helping Hand in the Bridge House Publishing anthology Alternative Renditions back in 2009.

Coming right up to date, I am also pleased to say another short story of mine, The Family Legend, has recently been published in Bridge House Publishing’s Magi anthology. I’m looking forward to celebrating that book at the Bridge House Publishing celebration event in London next week, which is always a fun event.

[Read more…] about Short Story Collections

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Tags: am reading, am writing, anthologies, Bridge House Publishing, building up a writing CV, Cafelit, creative writing, short stories, short story collections, themes, tips, writing advice

Writing Competitions

September 19, 2025 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:   Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images

Writing competitions can be useful in helping you get your short stories and flash fiction into print. There are novel competitions out there too, though the entry fee is significantly higher for these, which is understandable, because you are paying for a judge’s time to read your 100,000 words.

But for this post, I thought I would focus on the short fiction forms as there are more competitions available for them.

[Read more…] about Writing Competitions

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Tags: am writing, anthologies, benefits of writing competitions, creative writing, flash fiction, short stories, writing competitions

Author Interview: Val Penny and Historical Short Stories – The Ring

May 23, 2025 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Lynsey Adams from Reading Between the Lines Vlog and Val Penny for supplying author and book cover shots. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes.

It is with great pleasure I welcome back Val Penny, author of the DI Hunter Wilson/Edinburgh Crime Mysteries and the Jane Renwick Thrillers, to Chandler’s Ford Today with something different from what she normally writes.

This time Val has a short story with a historical aspect to it included in an anthology. This must be as close as it can get to be the total opposite for the crime novels she is best known for. Naturally there is a fabulous reason for Val doing this. The anthology, called The Ring, is going to be a charity one and the money raised will be going to that excellent cause, The Reading Agency.

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Val Penny and Historical Short Stories – The Ring

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Tags: anthologies, charity anthology, creative writing, historical fiction, historical short stories, The Reading Agency, The Ring, using an object in fiction, Val Penny

Anthologies

March 31, 2023 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Image Credits:-
Some images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Screenshots and photos of my earlier publications were taken by me, Allison Symes. Book cover images are from Bridge House Publishing. Creativity Matters – Find Your Passion for Writing book cover photo was supplied by Wendy H Jones.

I’ve had the privilege and joy of being published in various anthologies over many years, mainly published by Bridge House Publishing.

What are the advantages to writing for anthologies? I thought I’d take a look at this and give some tips on working out ways of using any set theme wisely.

[Read more…] about Anthologies

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Tags: am reading, am writing, anthologies, benefits of writing for anthologies, Bridge House Publishing, creative writing, independent press

Celebrations, Crackers, Chapeltown, and Cafelit – London 2018

December 14, 2018 By Allison Symes 3 Comments

Feature Image -Celebrations, Crackers, Chapeltown and Cafelit

On 1st December, it was my great joy to travel to London once again to meet up with fellow Bridge House Publishing/Cafelit/Chapeltown Books authors at the annual celebration event. On the way up by train, I enjoyed my usual routine of writing stories on my phone app and getting quite a bit of work done by the time I got into Waterloo. [Read more…] about Celebrations, Crackers, Chapeltown, and Cafelit – London 2018

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Tags: Allison Symes, anthologies, author event, book celebration, Bridge House Publishing, Cafelit, Chapeltown Books, creative writing, flash fiction, independent press, short stories

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