Stephanie Cage - Writer

It's all happening this month!  Once again I get to wish a friend happy publication day, and this time it's Katey Lovell's turn, with the fourth of her meet-cute stories with Harper Impulse.  The meet-cutes are an adorable series of short stories detailing those all important first encounters, and this time it's the turn of The Boy under the Mistletoe - perfectly timed for Christmas!  You can order the Boy Under the Mistletoe here  and if you missed the earlier meet cute stories, they are The Boy at the Bakery , The Boy in the Bookshop and The Boy at the Beach .  It's not just 'The Boy at the Bakery' that's sweet as sugar - they're all delicious and a steal at 49p each!

This story was written in response to Chuck Wendig's flash fiction challenge .  The random phrase generator gave me 'pencilled collarbone' and 'Skin Deep' was the result.  The first time I saw Lydia, I thought she had tattoos. A dragon snaked down her left arm, its tail disappearing under the sleeve of her surprisingly ladylike summer blouse. On her right forearm, a sailing ship danced over the waves, and a fairy forest grew up her calves. “That'll be four ninety-five.” Her voice was as delicate as her wrists. I handed over a fiver, then smiled my thanks as she returned my change. I took my tray to the nearest table and listened as the next five customers complimented the designs. She smiled at each one as if it was the first time she'd heard the comment. The Copper Cauldron wasn't the kind of place people went back to. On the road from somewhere to nowhere in particular, it scraped by on passing trade, while the occupants of the ...

Who doesn't love a good robot story?  I wonder if anyone else remembers those yellow-jacketed Gollancz editions of Asimov's short stories?  I used to borrow piles of them from the school library along with my Chalet School and Sweet Valley High books (I was always an eclectic reader).  So when I saw the call for short stories for Darkhouse Books' anthology of science fiction stories based on the future imagined at the 1939 World's Fair, I knew I had to have a go.  The result was 'The Robot who Smoked', my homage to 'I, Robot', 'AI' and all the other robot stories that have made me think hard about what it means to be human.  Originally I thought the anthology was coming out in June, so I've been twitching with impatience since then to see the other stories.  (Believe me, those I've read so far were worth the wait).  Editor Andrew MacRae has been a pleasure to deal with, and has finally picked the best possible launch date for our ...

What, No Pudding by Sheila North My rating: 5 of 5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed these stories by Sine fm presenter Sheila North. I'm particularly fond of Penelope, Queen of the Dole Queue. Sometimes it seems as if people in stories just don't live in the same world as us, but in this story Sheila North drags a mythical character kicking and screaming into reality. When Odysseus clears off on his round the world voyage, Penelope struggles to make ends meet, and soon finds herself pondering just how to answer the question about marital status on the benefit application form. Turf Wars similarly blends reality and fantasy, in an improbable but oh-so-entertaining account of garden fairies running wild in a South Yorkshire backwater. Then there are Bill the dragon and the defenestrated Bede.  I've been waiting a long time for a story which justifiably uses the word 'defenestrated'.  Sheila makes it worth the wait, with her charming tale of a nearly-flameless dragon...

What did you do for National Short Story Week?  I wrote an odd little short story inspired by a painting in Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery.  The story, 'Bottled Up', was recorded for Sine FM's special broadcast by a fantastic local actor, and I really enjoyed hearing how she brought the story to life.  You can listen to it, and four other literary delights, here: http://sinefm.com/a_z_of_shows/national_short_story_week Happy listening!

Indeed it is the season for ghost stories, and if you like them, there's an interesting list of recommendations here . My perennial favourites - neither of which appears in the list - are Susan Hill's 'Woman in Black' (yes, the one that was recently filmed with Daniel Radcliffe) and 'Whistle and I'll Come to You My Lad' by the superbly creepy M.R.James.  Also, if it counts, 'A Christmas Carol.' Any more recommendations?

I used to be a big fan of literary magazines, but everything changes so fast online that recently I've rather lost touch.  So I was delighted to stumble across a link to this oddly named and oddly compelling publication: http://bluepennyquarterly.blogspot.co.uk/ Published, as you might expect, quarterly, and packed with polished and thought-provoking stories (albeit with rather an American slant), it's well worth a visit, especially since it's free to read.  The magazine is advert-free, and publication is subsidised by a small reading fee of $2 per submission.   And why is it so named?  Ah ha.  Read it and find out! 

After a break from blogging over the summer, it's nice to return with some good news.  And what news!  My story 'Top of the World' won first place in the Yorkshire Ridings magazine romance story competition .  From the moment they announced the competition, I felt it was made for me - I live in Yorkshire, love Yorkshire, and read and write romance - but I still didn't quite dare to hope for the winning place.  I'd have been happy to be shortlisted and have my story featured in their beautiful, glossy magazine.  I'm told the winning stories will appear on their website , though as I write this I can only see the winners of 2010's ghost story competition, so to read my story you'll have to buy the magazine.  It's available on the shelves in WHSmiths in Yorkshire, and on subscription through the website (at the time of writing, it's a bargain at £10 for 12 shiny, fun-packed issues).  My story is set in one of my favourite spot...