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I am a slightly shambolic and extremely short-sighted advertising copywriter with more years in this sector than I'd happily admit to. 'Sleeping with the Blackbirds' was my first published work of fiction, originally published by Pen Press in 2011 and subsequently by CreateSpace in 2015. My short story 'Scared to Death' was one of the winners in a national writing competition hosted by Ideas Tap and MardiBooks, and was published in the anthology 'The Clock Struck War' to mark the centenary of the First World War. A collection of my blog posts also appears in paperback under the title: 'Random Ramblings of a Short-sighted Blogger.' I'm currently working on a modern-day thriller . I'm married with two children and live in NW London. My only other claim to fame is that I'm probably the only human being on the planet to have been accidentally locked in a record shop on Christmas Eve.

"The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time," was a remark attributed to British statesman Sir Edward Grey on the eve of the First World War. It is not certain whether Grey, who was the Foreign Secretary, in fact made such a statement. Nevertheless it has earned considerably historical and popular attention as an expression of popular perception of the war. This was the opening gambit for the recent writing competition run by mardibooks and IdeasTap as a memorial to all those who served in the First World War and gave their lives in this and other conflicts. Emanating from this brief, there were many fine short stories, fictional and non-fictional which addressed in a creative and interesting manner, the notion of war and peace, personal and private, from many perspectives, locations and periods, real and imagined. In selecting the final compilation, the judges were seeking original stories, well plotted which were engaging and enigmatic and presented by new voices with captivating narratives. Our panel of judges highly commended a further 23 runners up and we hope you enjoy the collection presented here as much as we all did.

Kindle Price: $6.00

Category: Literature & Fiction

Eleven-year-old schoolboy, Roy Nuttersley has been dealt a pretty raw deal. While hideous parents show him precious little in the way of love and affection, school bullies make his life a misery. So Roy takes comfort in looking after the birds in his garden, and in return the birds hatch a series of ambitious schemes to protect their new friend. As with the best-laid plans, however, these get blown completely off course - and as a result the lives of both Roy and his arch tormentor, Harry Hodges are turned upside down - but in a surprisingly good way. "Wonderful images and thought-provoking scenes. " Bramwell Tovey, composer & broadcaster "The strength of the author's voice held me captivated long after turning the last page. With the wit of JK Rowling, Alex Pearl has definitely earned his place in the young adult fiction hall of fame. " Lisa McCombs, Readers' Favorite

Kindle Price: $0.99

Category: Teen & Young Adult; Humor & Entertainment