Jacqueline James is just about to release her debut novel, Rude Awakenings. Having joined us on two retreats, Jacqui has kindly shared her writing process here. Rude Awakenings is released in February, 2021 and can be purchased on Amazon. I have always written diaries and travel journals, recording life around me and my feelings. I…Continue reading An Insight into the Novel-Writing Process

I’ll Crawl Home to Her by Kathleen Drake Marion’s somewhat unsure footing carried him to the place he ended most nights. As he turned the corner onto Grapecount Lane, his ears were met with the sound of piano music, a siren’s song enticing him to enter the womb of debauchery. Swaying ever so slightly, he…Continue reading Short Story Competition – 2nd Place

Our October retreat was the second one we have run since the lockdown restrictions were lifted and what a retreat it was. As always, the writers were from a wide and diverse range of backgrounds, all with very different projects under way and, as always, this fuelled fabulous and vibrant discussions. The retreat venue was…Continue reading October Retreat

The Skin of the Dark By James Rickards Izal medicated toilet paper. Furry dice. Liebfraumilch. People who still think it’s witty to write ‘I wasted 90 minutes of my life watching this, and I’ll never get it back’ on film forums. Multi-centenarian Derek The Tangerine Baboon Derekson, luminous on daytime TV, surveying antique knick-knacks with…Continue reading Short Story Competition – Winning Story

We are delighted to announce the winners of our latest Short, Short Story Competition. They are: 1st place – Skin of the Dark by James Rickards 2nd place – I’ll Crawl Home to her by Kathleen Drake 3rd place – A Swan Glides Past by Anamaria Ciucanu The winning story will be published on writersretreatuk.co.uk…Continue reading Short Story Competition – The Results are In