Overview
From David Vernon’s Introduction
A tale with a twist always intrigues and here is an entire collection of such stories from both Australian and international authors. These are the winning and highly commended stories from the Twisted Stringybark Short Story Competition.
Nearly every possible subject is explored fromevery conceivable angle in this wonderful collection of entertaining tales: from the effect of dropping a bullet, to what traffic lights can do for you.
One danger of putting together a collection of stories with twists is that the reader, quite naturally, expects one—usually at the end. To keep you on the ball, I wish to reveal that not all these stories have obvious twists (some are simply a little meander) and those that do, don’t always have them in the final paragraph. So be alert! Regardless of where the twist is, this is a collection that is sure to delight — the judges, Susan Briggs, Andrew Perry, Julia Robertson and I have all worked hard to pick some of the very best contemporary short stories.
This is the ninth anthology of short stories in the highly successful Stringybark Stories series. After you have enjoyed this collection please visit www.stringybarkstories.net and see what other tempting literary offerings we have awaiting you.
Judges Information
David Vernon is a full time writer and editor. While he is known for his non-fiction books about birth: Men at Birth, Having a Great Birth in Australia, Birth Stories and With Women, he has turned his hand to writing science articles for newspapers and magazines as well as scribbling the odd short story or two. He established the Stringybark Short Story Awards in 2010 to promote short story writing. He is currently trying to write an Australian history book. He is the Chair of the ACT Writers Centre. David’s website is: www.davidvernon.net
Julia Robertson, a lawyer by training, spent ten years working for the Institute of Criminology before resigning to establish her own tourism business down the South Coast. A regular international traveller and voracious reader, Julia suffers from a vast lack of bookshelf space. She has previously judged the Twisted Stringybark Short Story Award 2012.
After twenty years in the media Susan Briggs has clocked up millions of words as a journalist and editor for Australian Associated Press in Sydney and the Press Gallery in Federal Parliament House. But despite her love of words (especially over a glass of wine), she had originally laughed at the suggestion of a career in the media. It seems she is still on a journey of personal discovery, cutting back to a two-day week to enjoy the ‘good life’ on a small property near Bungendore, NSW with husband Graham.
Dr Andrew Perry is a physicist with decades of academic and industrial research experience. Fatherhood, apple pie and nine years in Silicon Valley have given him an appreciation of the challenges and rewards of life. He builds billy-carts, surfs and plays music, and reads widely in search of entertainment and new ideas. He has previously judged the Stringybark Short Story Award 2010.
