Mothers by the Sea: a new short story

'...I wonder what he and the rest would have had me do different. How would a good mother react to seeing you upshore, exquisitely backlit, whooping with glee at being astride a bloated, distended bulk that I prayed was disintegrating driftwood until it was too late? Until I saw what remained of its flippers...'

A contemporary oceanic cliffhanger centred on motherhood, misogyny and coastal chance encounters, 'Mothers by the Sea' represents a rare departure from herstorical feminist fiction for me. The irony that a piece inspired by real life is amongst the quirkiest of my oeuvre so far is not lost on me! It is an honour to have my work once again appearing amongst the pages of Postbox: Scotland's International Short Story Magazine, and especially when Issue 9 marks the final volume edited by renowned writer and fellow librarian Colin Will. With my thanks to him and publisher Sheila Wakefield, and wishing the warmest welcome to incoming editor Samuel Tongue, please order Postbox here and prepare to enjoy a dynamic range of new writing dedicated to the short story form.