Best Small Fictions 2025

Thrilled that my story 'Trespasser, Singular' has been selected for the Best Small Fictions 2025 anthology, to be published by Alternating Current Press.

The story was first published, and then nominated by, the lovely ed. of Trash Cat Lit.

'Trespasser, Singular' started life in 2014. I was on Megabus between London and Manchester (I was often on that Megabus coach journey, taking the sweaty hit to save ££ that would be spent on gigs and theatre), and at some point spotted a cow on a motorway bridge. At least I thought I had. I scribbled some notes of an idea on the back of my printed ticket and tucked it in my bag.

Some 11 years and a few house moves later, I found that scrap of paper. It was stained and tattered but it amused me to rediscover the cow-on-bridge idea. That same week, a friend messaged me: "Just seen a single cow walking across a motorway bridge." I joked that the universe was telling me to do something with the note. A little while later I saw the Trash Cat Lit call out for stories about 'out of place animals' and there we go...

Possibly the one useful thought I've ever had while on a Megabus.

Image by JP Relph, ed. Trash Cat Lit