Short Stories
As well as writing novels, I have had short stories published in several literary magazines, journals and anthologies over the last few years.
In December 2021, a story of mine called ‘The Easy Way Out’ was published by renowned American literary magazine Mystery Tribune.
‘The Easy Way Out’ depicts the dramatic unravelling of Jake Selby, who is part of a group of correctional officers fired for allowing powerful criminals to receive beneficial treatment over several years in a New Jersey prison. Struggling to shake off his guilt, Jake moves to the coast to start over, but his past comes back to haunt him in tragic fashion as he attempts to cling to his sanity.
Founded in New York in 2011, Mystery Tribune is a celebration of mystery and suspense, featuring a blend of fiction and art by a range of established and emerging authors and artists.
In 2020 my short story ‘No one has to know’ was published in the esteemed US-based Rock and a Hard Place magazine.
The story is about a lowly hardware depot worker forced to make a difficult and risky choice at a pivotal crossroads in his life. Rock and a Hard Place focus on troubled characters who have found themselves at the bottom rung of the ladder, giving a voice to the marginalised, the poor, the fallen and the desperate. More details about the issue ‘No one has to know’ features in and information on how to buy it is available here.
Short fiction fans may also enjoy my short story ‘Best Laid Plans’, a gripping tale about a seasoned hitman carrying out a testing assignment in America, which was published by the revered Beat to a Pulp webzine, as well as ‘Truth,’, a stark fable of revenge, which was published by highly-regarded crime fiction publishers Close to the Bone. There is also ‘Pecking Order’, a story of mine which was published as a special Fahrenzine edition in 2021.
Noirville: Tales From The Dark Side is a stylish crime anthology made up of 15 short stories — including one of mine, ‘Washed Up’ — published by Fahrenheit Press in March 2018.
The crime fiction publisher set up an open short story competition in the autumn of 2017 with the aim of highlighting the freshest and hottest noir-themed writing from around the world.
An independent judging panel – comprising well-known authors and bloggers – was tasked with analysing the many hundreds of entries and plucking out the best 15 for publication in the anthology.
The book is available in paperback and e-book formats direct from Fahrenheit Press. It is also on sale via Amazon.
Noirville is perfect for readers who like their crime fiction in bitesize chunks and full of shocking twists, slick prose and savage characters.
‘Washed Up’ is a gripping and emotional take of Joe Wells, a pensioner trapped working for a South-London criminal underworld firm he wished he’d left years ago – but there are no pension plans in this life…
The full running order for Noirville is:
Assassin’s Day Off, by Marc Sorondo
The Business Card, by Jeff C. Stevenson
The Canary Islands Crime Boss, by Glenda Young
Fido The Assistance Dog, by Patsy Collins
Justin’s Room, by Jen Delozier
Washed Up, By Paul Gadsby
The Icing On The Cake, by Russell Day
Gianfranco’s List, by S.E. Bailey
Banger’s Gym, by John Schreier
Visiting Day, John Scheck
Kyiv Heat, by Alex Shaw
The Shrieking Of Nothing, by Joe Guglielmelli
After The Elephant Ears, by Scott Miles
A Real Scorcher, by Sarah M. Chen
Walk Away, by Chris Hyatt
Noirville was reviewed by blogger Matt Keyes as part of the reader-inspired #Fahrenbruary festival in February 2019 which celebrated Fahrenheit’s output and the importance of indie publishing. Matt reviewed every story individually and here are his thoughts on Washed Up.
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