NYC Midnight Rhyming Story Competition – Round 1

What the heck is a rhyming story? Isn’t that just a poem? I had no idea, but I decided to enter the inaugural NYC Midnight Rhyming Story Challenge anyway. I’ve had success in the NYC Midnight Short Story Challenges in previous years (stroll back through my posts to see my winning entries), so I was…

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Construction zone

This website is being renovated! It’s a work in progress for now, but if you take a peek around you’ll find new content, including the first chapter of my latest novel. And there is more to come very soon – stay tuned!

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Ghost Cities

Earlier this year, I wrote about my first round entry into the 2021 NYC Midnight Short Story Competition. I wasn’t overly happy with my submission. I loved the premise and the setting, but ran out of time. It felt very much like a second draft. Luckily for me, the judges liked it enough and I…

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The Wait

A little bit has been happening over the last couple of months. First up, I’ve just submitted my entry into round 1 of the NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge. You may recall I’ve had success in this competition in the past. This year I was tasked with writing a ghost story featuring an exchange student…

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It’s been a while…

Where has the time gone? It’s been over a year since my previous post. That’s a long time. And I wish I had an excuse for it. I wish I could say my silence was writing related, that I’ve signed some publishing agreement that forbids me from talking about my soon-to-be-published work. Or I wish…

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It’s time you met the real Dracula

If you haven’t read Bram Stoker’s 1897 classic Dracula, go out and find a copy now. My friend had been recommending it stridently for many years, but only recently did it catch my eye in an airport bookshop. I was looking for a romp that would keep me distracted on a long flight, which pitted…

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Furious Fiction – Holidays With Rover

(Shortcut to story: Holidays with Rover). When the email announcing the first Furious Fiction of the year popped into my inbox, I was in a car with my little family driving to a caravan park on the South Coast of New South Wales. I doubted I would have time to submit an entry, so all…

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Furious Fiction – Walpiri

Next up is my first Furious Fiction entry for March 2018: Walpiri. This is my first entry into the competition. I’m not sure I quite captured what I was after, but I only had 500 words and three days, so maybe I was shooting too high. I’ve simplified since. The elements for this month: The…

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The Masters Series – Episode 3: The Snow Fox

To start 2018, Matthew is writing a blog series on masters. Not revered historic figures, but everyday people in the modern world who excel at what they do, whatever that may be. Each will teach us a little about how we, too, can pursue our own version of greatness. What better way to kick off…

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I’ve taken a break

Literally. In October last year, in rather innocuous circumstances that are not worth asking about, I broke my wrist. I had no idea. For months I carried the injury around, continuing to use the painful wrist, thinking it was only a sprain. I could type, I could swim, I could even do pushups (but probably…

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