Gill O'Halloran
@quickasaflash.bsky.social
250 followers 250 following 120 posts
Lido-lover, inhales music,exhales poems + flash, pub. @BathFlashAward, @OxfordFlash anthologies, @Smokelong Quarterly. Winner @Prop_Pencil comp 24, NFFD 25 Editors Choice, and WestWord 25. Shortlisted for Fish Publishing Flash 25 & Cambridge Prize 25.
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Reposted by Gill O'Halloran
dehardy.bsky.social
“Enough cannot be said about Aldridge-Morris’s ability to pin an era. She is simply a wizard of time-and-place vibe.”
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Love Ani's work, discovered via @smokelong.bsky.social fitness groups. She always manages to write something that builds and builds and hits you in the gut. This one's no exception. Plus plenty of other good stories to be found in @claudineliterary.bsky.social
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Aww thanks Underbelly.
underbellypress.bsky.social
This week’s Thursday Throwback features Steal Yourself for a Brighter Day by Gill O’Halloran ( @quickasaflash.bsky.social ). Told through the candid, distinct voice of a child, the gritty narrative carries a spark of defiance.

Read it now in Issue 1.
Thursday Throwback
STFU. This is a bad word my dad says to my mother, and it makes her be quiet. My larynx throttles a giggle. A clock beats out the red adrenaline pump-pump of my heart. 

Sound of the door upstairs closing.

 Nothing….Nothing.

Steal Yourself for a Brighter Day
Gill O’Halloran

Text is on a black background. Image of a diamond ring in the bottom right corner.
quickasaflash.bsky.social
I entered 4 stories as I loved being in last year's anthology. 3 made it into the top 10% but sadly for me that's as far as it went this year. Congratulations to all the longlisters and good luck for the shortlist.
Reposted by Gill O'Halloran
taniahershman.bsky.social
It's publication day for FUEL ebook—with 75 prizewinning flash fictions plus TWELVE bonus flash stories not in the print book! It's a great read *and* all profits go to UK fuel poverty charities. The print book raised over £4k; winter is coming, help us raise more: www.fuelflash.net/product/fuel...
The cover of the FUEL ebook, with a large photo of a yellow petrol pump, below which are the words FUEL: An Anthology of prize-winning flash fictions raising funds to fight fuel poverty, edited by Tania Hershman. There is a banner across the top right hand corner which says "Ebook with 12 Bonus Prize-Winning Stories!"
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Beautiful!
silverpebble2.bsky.social
A print run of 50 of my '26 calendars will be on pre-order in my Etsy shop tmrw (Thurs) from 8pm UK time.
I create each of my photos using recent neuroscientific research-looking at them alters brain biochemistry & is likely to trigger dopamine release in your brain &...cont'd in following post 🧵
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Congrats to @therelphian.bsky.social for producing such a beautiful book. Great stories lie within, and when you buy a copy proceeds will go to The Wildlife Trusts who are made up of 46 charities working to maintain and restore wildlife and wild areas.
trashcatlit.bsky.social
We're so excited to share our first print anthology, available to purchase for only £9/ $11.50 🦝
Please consider grabbing a copy - we're raising money for
@WildlifeTrusts
and have 27 truly exceptional short fictions for you to enjoy on actual paper 💜
mybook.to/WhatComesToL...
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Good luck Cole! @nomad-sw18.bsky.social
trashcatlit.bsky.social
Fab new literary awards from @monarch.gay and we are thrilled to send our two nominations.
Good luck @nomad-sw18.bsky.social and @mikepiero.org 💜💜
Reposted by Gill O'Halloran
trashcatlit.bsky.social
The paperback proof of our upcoming anthology is getting some last-minute editorial attention from Mary. She's ruthless! but also chonky so one could say, the proof is with the pudding 🦝😼
Not long now until the book can be in your cat's paws too!
Reposted by Gill O'Halloran
bronwengriffiths.bsky.social
This is so good! Funny & wry and just brilliant. But stop all this cake stuff. There's no cake in my house and now I want to eat some!!
@quickasaflash.bsky.social
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Me too Lucienne. Will read yours later.
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Thrilled to be published in issue 5. I enjoyed writing this one and hope it'll make you laugh. I look forward to reading the other stories. Good to see some familiar faces here @nomad-sw18.bsky.social @emilyrinkema.bsky.social @joycebingham.bsky.social
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Just signed up. Sounds good.
laurabesley.bsky.social
The new block of The NIFTY Book Club is open for sign ups!
📚 Sept '25 - Jan '26
📚 Sundays 10-11.30am OR Mondays 19.30-21.00 BST/GMT
📚 Live author Q&As
📚 Worksheets in advance, meetings on zoom
📚 Full details in link below
#fiction #flashfiction #writingcommunity
www.laurabesley.com/nifty-book-c...
NIFTY Book Club | My Site
Book club for lovers of the novella-in-flash. Monthly meetings online.
www.laurabesley.com
Reposted by Gill O'Halloran
youcanandyouwill.bsky.social
Your story is fantastic, Gill, I was knocked out by it - looking forward to people getting a chance to read it in full.
quickasaflash.bsky.social
I'm very happy that this anthology has taken its name from my story. Buy the book and you can read good stories AND help save UK wildlife and wild places Why wouldn't you?https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Three friends struggle to figure out how they'll cope with loss and the fears it provokes. Amidst the teenage banter, @emilyrinkema employs her trademark delicate touch to show us the mother's essential role in giving these girls the safety they lack. Love Emily's work!
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Just read Jess Dolan’s beautiful counterpoint narrative. An icy scuba dive is interspersed with flashbacks to the event that led the narrator to seek an escape. The structure is perfect and the descriptions visceral. Do go and read it.
frazzledlit.bsky.social
Delighted to highlight the work of Emily Rinkema @emilyrinkema and Jess Dolan our second and third place winners in the Frazzled Lit Short Story Award with their stories

"Silfra" and "Amy's Mom"

open.substack.com/pub/authorjm...

open.substack.com/pub/authorjm...

@emilyrinkema.bsky.social
Silfra
By Jess Dolan (Winner - 2nd Place)
open.substack.com
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Two lifelong friends party together. With skilful foreshadowing @finnegag.bsky.social establishes a growing unease as their differences start to show, suggesting disaster is on the horizon. Great story!
emilyrinkema.bsky.social
Wow, @finnegag.bsky.social, what an incredible winning story in @frazzledlit.bsky.social! The voice and the building tension and the way you let us realize what has happened before the narrator...so good. www.frazzledlit.com/p/limbo-nights
Limbo Nights
By Gary Finnegan (Winner - 1st Place)
www.frazzledlit.com
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Wow! Just read the three winning stories. Each one’s a stunner.
jmcm.bsky.social
So I went and pushed that Big Red Button again, and here we are!

Issue 3 of Frazzled Lit @frazzledlit.bsky.social is alive and kicking!
frazzledlit.bsky.social
And we are live with Issue 3!

Thanks to all who made this possible, including the wonderful @nualaoconnor.bsky.social for judging the competition that brought this issue to life.

www.frazzledlit.com/p/issue-3-ha...
quickasaflash.bsky.social
Look forward to reading this on Sunday.
frazzledlit.bsky.social
Keep your eyes well peeled this coming Sunday for what is a terrific issue of Frazzled Lit. The best of the best of Short Story Writers, as judged by Nuala O'Connor @nualaoconnor.bsky.social are in this tight packed issue.

An excerpt from the winner!
@finnegag.bsky.social