The Literary Lancashire Award is proud to present its 2020 anthology of shortlisted entries. Packed with magnificent and unique short fiction and poetry, this volume celebrates the work of some of the most promising young authors in the county. Sit back and enjoy the wonderful work of Ellen Darbyshire, Nicola Hester, Jana Craddock, Daisy Brown, Khatijah Balu, Abbey Bamford and many, many more! CONTENTS: Prose ‘Eggshells’ by Ellen Darbyshire ‘The Moth’ by Jana Craddock ‘The Speed of Light’ by Khatijah Balu ‘Xin’ by Alexander Hunterlarr ‘Gabriel’ by Hannah Wesson ‘There is Nothing New Under this Sun’ by Nicole Lee ‘View with Room’ by Nicola Hester ‘The Right Honourable’ by Dominic Andrew ‘The History of the Anaesthetist’ by Millie Holden ‘Absinthe Friday’ by Iestyn Jones Poetry ‘Days Long Lost’ by Nicola Hester ‘Pooh Sticks’ by Daisy Brown ‘The Reaping’ by Abbey Bamford ‘Light Bulbs’ by Matthew Page ‘Copper Memories’ by Milly Harrison ‘Since Error’ by Martin Palmer ‘The Keeper of Time’ by Charlotte Lloyd ‘Aftermath’ by Rachana Hegde ‘Pterodactyl God’ by Sam Allport ‘Lifeboat’ by Charlotte Armitage

The Literary Lancashire Award is proud to present its 2021 anthology of shortlisted entries. Packed with magnificent and unique short fiction and poetry, this volume celebrates the work of some of the most promising young authors in the county. Sit back and enjoy the wonderful work of Katie Kingsman, Kayla Jenkins, Ditte Jensen, Charlotte Lloyd, Courtenay S. Gray, Cait Cook and many, many more! Contents: Short Form Poetry ‘X+Y’ by Sam Allport ‘wail at the foot of Lia Fail’ by Beth Train-Brown ‘The Mouth of Heaven’ by Alex Roman Prose ‘Pando’ by Katie Kingsman ‘Examination’ by Ditte Jensen ‘& the tempo is all mine’ by Charlotte Lloyd ‘Two and Not One’ by Joseph Dodds ‘28 Miles’ by Anna Jenkins ‘New Endings’ by Justine Bondare ‘The Blood of Ravenscree’ by Jeni Meadows ‘You Just Need to Be in the Right Time at the Right Place’ by Martin Palmer Poetry ‘The begonia bush’ by Kayla Jenkins ‘高天原 – Takamagahara’ by Courtenay S. Gray ‘Every Other Friday’ by Cait Cook ‘Timperley Postal Options’ by Max Gorse ‘Parallel Universe’ by Toby Hudson ‘The Sound of Revolution’ by Asad Naqvi ‘Elegy for Faith’ by Rachana Hegde ‘To my Dearest Z’ by Yara Stepurova

Everybody knows a chauvo-feminist . . . The 2017 #MeToo movement was a flagship moment, a time which empowered women to share their stories of sexual harassment and abuse in a spirit of solidarity and in demand of change. But have some men simply changed tactics? Acclaimed author Sam Mills investigates the phenomenon of the chauvo-feminist, the man whose public feminism works to advance his career, whilst his private self exhibits age-old chauvinistic tactics. Through testimonies and her own experience, Mills examines the psychological underpinnings of the chauvo-feminist, exploring questions of modern relationships, consent, and emotional abuse and asks how we might move beyond 'trial by Twitter' to encourage an honest and productive dialogue between men and women. 'We've all met That Guy. In this searching and provocative essay, Sam Mills neatly skewers the men who publicly spout feminism while treating women badly behind closed doors — and asks how we can move forward to a happier, more feminist future.' Samantha Ellis 'Thought-provoking, on point and abreast of contemporary ideas about the chauvinism of women's everyday lives. A book for our times.' Monique Roffey, author of The Mermaid of Black Conch, winner of the 2020 Costa Prize for Fiction 'In this lithe and luminous essay, Sam Mills explodes the hypocrisy of many men in the wake of the #MeToo movement . . . Clever, funny, gripping and beautifully written, Chauvo-Feminism is an exploration not just of the female experience, but of civilisation itself. This is a dazzling, essential book. Men with mutant politics: beware!' Emma Jane Unsworth, author of Animals

‘This is the entrance to the Witch Well and behind that door you’d face your worst nightmare. Don’t ever go through there.' Night falls, the portcullis rises in the moonlight, and young Billy starts his first night as a prison guard. But this is no ordinary prison. There are haunted cells that can’t be used, whispers and cries in the night . . . and the dreaded Witch Well. Billy is warned to stay away from the prisoner down in the Witch Well. But who could it be? What prisoner could be so frightening? Billy is about to find out . . . An unforgettable ghost story from the creator of the Wardstone Chronicles (Spook's Apprentice) series.

It is 1939. Eva Delectorskaya is a beautiful 28-year-old Russian émigrée living in Paris. As war breaks out she is recruited for the British Secret Service by Lucas Romer, a mysterious Englishman, and under his tutelage she learns to become the perfect spy, to mask her emotions and trust no one, including those she loves most. Since the war, Eva has carefully rebuilt her life as a typically English wife and mother. But once a spy, always a spy. Now she must complete one final assignment, and this time Eva can't do it alone: she needs her daughter's help.

The ghost of a beautiful young woman, Sylvie, hovers outside the window of Will Self's study. She is seeking to influence his latest novel, before she can rest in peace. Sylvie was a member of the WSC - a mysterious cult of charismatic writers who appear to worship Will Self. When Richard, a twenty-something idler and literary wannabe, discovers Sylvie's dead body he gets sucked into their dark world of absinthe, cloaks and bizarre initiation rites, slowly losing his sense of perspective on the strange events that encircle him. What is the true nature of the WSC? What did they do to Sylvie? And does Richard now face a similar fate?

A shocking murder. A woman sentenced to hang. And the young lawyer determined to discover the truth. Award-winning debut author Anna Mazzola brings London alive in her haunting and enthralling novel of human frailty and fear—and of the terrible consequences of jealousy and misunderstanding. Sentenced to hang for her alleged role in a shocking murder, Sarah confronts the young lawyer asked to examine her guilty verdict. She says she is innocent, but she refuses to explain the evidence given in court—the evidence that convicted her. Battling his own demons, Edmund Fleetwood is determined to find the truth—and to uncover why Sarah won't talk. As the day of execution draws closer, Edmund struggles to discover whether she is the victim of a wrongful conviction, or a dangerous and devious criminal. Based on the real case of Sarah Gale—fans of Alias Grace and The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher won't want to miss this Edgar Award-winning novel of gothic suspense and murder.

“This book is a gorgeous journey…You will be glad you’ve joined her.” —Susan Orlean, author of On Animals and The Library Book In this memoir of motherhood, love, and resilience, a woman and her toddler son follow the grey whale migration from Mexico to northernmost Alaska. In this striking blend of nature writing, whale science, and memoir, Doreen Cunningham interweaves two stories: tracking the extraordinary northward migration of the grey whales with a mischievous toddler in tow and living with an Iñupiaq family in Alaska seven years earlier. Throughout the journey she explores the stories of the whales and their young calves—their history, their habits, and their attempts to survive the changes humans have brought to the ocean. Cunningham’s voice is powerful: sharp, profound, sensitive, and unflinching. A story of courage and resilience, Soundings is about the migrating whales and all we can learn from them as they mother, adapt, and endure, their lives interrupted and threatened by global warming. It is also a riveting journey onto the Arctic Sea ice and into the changing world of Indigenous whale hunters, where Doreen becomes immersed in the ancient values of the Iñupiaq whale hunt and falls in love. For this is Doreen’s story, too—a fierce, feminist tale, touching on her childhood and her time living in a Women’s Refuge with her baby, becoming a mother, just like the whales. Lyrical, brave, and fearlessly honest, Soundings is an unforgettable journey.

Set in the tumultuous late 17th Century, His Last Mistress tells the true story of the final years in the life of James Scott, the dashing but doomed Duke of Monmouth, and Lady Henrietta Wentworth. As the popular but illegitimate eldest son of King Charles II, the Duke is a spoiled, lecherous man. With both a wife and a mistress, this rakish libertine is nevertheless captivated by the innocence of young Lady Henrietta Wentworth, who has been raised to covet her virtue. Will she succumb? At the same time, the Duke begins to harbour risky political ambitions which may threaten not only his life but also that of those around him. Will the path he chooses lead him to bloody rebellion, or peace and happiness? His Last Mistress is a passionate, sometimes explicit, carefully researched and ultimately moving story of love and loss, set against a backdrop of dangerous political unrest, brutal religious tensions, and the looming question of who will be the next King.

Jon knows what he has to do. If he isn't strong, everyone in his school is going to die. Or so he's been told by Jeremiah, the manipulative, deluded leader of the Brotherhood of Hebetheus - a group of lonely, damaged boys who have started a new religion that makes them feel invincible. But when the boys become convinced that a classmate is involved in a plot to blow up the school, they know they must act. No one will believe them and so they lay their own plans. Plans that lead to theft, kidnap, a media frenzy, and ultimately bloodshed. A shocking, exquisitely-written, topical thriller about the exploration of individual morality. A controversial novel guaranteed to get readers thinking.