Writers and Readers discussion

I'm Andrew Lawston: writer, actor and publishing manager. I've been writing almost as long as I can remember.

From Doctor Who fan fiction through to original short stories and deadly dull non-fiction articles, I've notched up an impressively mad portfolio.

I've written short stories about serial killer auditors, and also reported on a Cash Management Conference in a supplement sponsored by a major international bank. I regularly review cars, even though I can't actually drive.

As a last gasp of my fan fiction career, I contributed to Shelf Life with the well-received Pierrot le Fou, which just goes to show that anyone can look like a genius if the film they reference is obscure enough.

I write in pubs. It's like writing in a coffee shop, but the drinks are better and there are fewer wankers with Macbooks. Richard Ashcroft from The Verve once autographed my writing notebook, and celebrated actor Julian Glover once spilled beer over a first draft of what became my competition-winning flash fiction piece Cyberstalking. Write in pubs, my dears, write in pubs.

My fiction tends to be a little bit skewed from the norm. I know, everyone says that, right? But I aim to write stories which entertain, while leaving the reader feeling a bit uneasy. And in the case of Gluttony, downright queasy. Seriously, I apologise for Gluttony. I reread it for the first time in ages recently, and I was kind of appalled that I'd written something so delightfully perverse.

After a particularly long fiction drought, I recently decided to publish Something Nice - 10 Stories, a collection of my best short stories written between 2000 and 2011. Some of them have been published in small press magazines, or in ezines. Some have won competitions, and a couple have been recorded for podcasts and radio. Some are scary, some are silly, and some are funny. But none of them are boring.

And the title? Well, whenever my Mum asks what I'm writing, she's always very supportive, right up until she finds out about the nastier details. Then she invariably says: "Oh, Andrew, why can't you write something nice?"

Well, now I have...

Well it's a while since I've plugged my collection here, but Something Nice - 10 Stories has now sold over 100 copies, and garnered 13 excellent Amazon reviews across the US and UK sites, as well as some great ratings on Goodreads.

I'm now working on just one or two more short stories for a second collection - though this may be delayed as one of the tales is currently being considered for a professional anthology.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as my other readers seem to have done so far...

Andrew wrote: "Well it's a while since I've plugged my collection here, but Something Nice - 10 Stories has now sold over 100 copies, and garnered 13 excellent Amazon reviews across the US and UK sites, as well a..."


Congratulations, Andrew! I hope your second collection does even better!

Thanks Margaret! I'm told that sales tend to build with subsequent books - I guess I'll find out soon!

Andrew wrote: "Thanks Margaret! I'm told that sales tend to build with subsequent books - I guess I'll find out soon!"


I certainly hope you're right!! Best of luck!!

Thanks again, Margaret!

I'm thrilled to announce that I've had a short story accepted for publication in an anthology of updated fairytales, which will be published as a series of e-books over the next few months before being collated as a limited edition hardback later in 2013. I'm delighted to be involved with this ambitious project, and it's great to be writing fiction on a professional footing again.

I'll keep this thread updated as more details are confirmed in the run-up to launch! In the meantime, you can of course read my work in Something Nice, still available from Amazon.com and from Amazon.co.uk...

Andrew wrote: "Thanks again, Margaret!

I'm thrilled to announce that I've had a short story accepted for publication in an anthology of updated fairytales, which will be published as a series of e-books over the..."

That's wonderful news, Andrew! Congratulations!

Jonesy, a pint of Owd Bull for that character with the notebook...

Thanks guys!

I think I can now confirm that my story will appear in the fourth volume of Grimm and Grimmer, slated for publication on August 4th. It's called The Frag Prince and is of course an updated retelling of The Frog Princess.

I'm incredibly excited!

Andrew wrote: "Thanks guys!

I think I can now confirm that my story will appear in the fourth volume of Grimm and Grimmer, slated for publication on August 4th. It's called The Frag Prince and is of course an up..."

And so you should be! It's great to be chosen!

It's a real shot in the arm, and the delay in publication also gives me a few months to hopefully get a few other things written and sold, to capitalise on the professional exposure... I feel like I've been given a real opportunity here, and I intend to make full use of it!