I have just received the book 'Doorknobs and Bodypaint : Fantastic Flash Fiction - an Anthology' - and very nice it is too. This anthology, put together by Leila Rae, is a treasure trove of writing inspired by its own brevity. Some works read like tasty morsels from intriguing longer novels that you might want to delve right into, others works read like stark headlight poems, leaving you startled with an indelible image or a thoughtful afterglow.
I am glad I found time this past year to help edit these stories. This meant combing in detail through hundreds of stories on the website to find the ones that stood out. It is good to see all the other stories now in the finished product, a labour of love. All the stories are of high quality which goes to show that being brief is a virtue in and of itself. It also includes one of my stories, 'The Thousand and One Tales and a Tale and a Half', the winner of the Hayward Fault Line competition, 2000. I'm sorry I missed the public launch with readings in New York back in October. Well done though, and all those contributing should be proud to be in such a slender and lovely book to add to your library. For more info about how to contribute to the online magazine, Doorknobs and Bodypaint has the latest submission instructions.
