My story ‘Note Perfect’ published in anthology

I was delighted to see my story Note Perfect published in the anthology Dragons and Dandelions and Other Stories, edited by Sean Lee of Short Stories Unlimited. Note Perfect was commended in SSU’s open theme short story competition 2026.

My story is about an ageing detective called to a double suicide in a shabby English suburb some time in the late fifties or early sixties. Despite the gloomy setting, I did rescue the mood with an uplifting moment in the final paragraph.

I wrote the story after immersing myself in the short stories of Doris Lessing. I didn’t intend to imitate or emulate her style, but to nudge my own authorial voice in her direction. It’s a craft technique I use frequently; I have a story in my files whose flavour owes a lot to Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice, and Maupassant recently gave me a hand with another piece.

I pass on my thanks to my buddies at the No Boundaries writing group in Sydney, whose feedback on my stories has been greatly appreciated in 2025 and 2026. And of course, thanks to Doris Lessing.

The anthology is available here.