The Fiction Desk

My short story A Covering of Leaves will appear alongisde a number of new and established writers in a new anthology published by The Fiction Desk in April 2011.

I wrote this story after reading an interview (with Stephen King I think...) in which he explained how after 9-11 the New York authorities continually came across vehicles owned by people who had died in the attacks. The story idea came pretty quickly after that, suggesting as some have said before, that stories exist to be discovered by writers. I did not expect to be writing a story about a car that mourns its deceased owner and a man who is already mourning the loss of his wife but that's the story that emerged. And I think it's essentially about that, about mourning and managing in the aftermath of the death of a loved one, or not managing, in seeking some sort of path back to the place where there was happiness and togetherness, however unusual the route a person might take to reach that place.

Many thanks to Rob and all involved in the creation of this new publication. Long may it run...