2016 Short Story Prize

“The TLC Pen Factor was superb.  I was delighted to be shortlisted in the first place, particularly given the quality and diversity of competition.  It seems like no time at all since New Country was an idea scribbled in the back of a notebook. Fast forward and suddenly I’m on stage pitching to a panel of industry movers and shakers.  Their considered feedback was excellent, particularly in terms of how to “elevator pitch” a novel which very much blurs the boundaries of genre.  I was familiar with some of the panel from previous writing events but that didn’t make the experience any less daunting.  There was encouragement, constructive criticism and a real sense of perspective on the expectations of the marketplace.  Surreal, nerve wracking and absolutely worthwhile pretty much sums the whole experience up.”

Full article and event reading:

TLC-Pen-Factor-Showcase-July-2015

Twenty-one short stories and novel extracts showcase new writing talent.  From coming of age in 1960s England, through a circus trapeze artist’s last show, a Sri Lankan childhood and a family reunion in Costa Rica to a post-apocalyptic London, these stories form a fascinating collage of inventiveness and imagination.

Includes Two Against One, an extract from Laurence Jones’s debut novel, NEW COUNTRY.

Available to purchase here.