Mrs Darcy Visits the Bristol Short Story Prize

Last week I was asked by Joe Melia (otherwise known as “Mr Bristol Short Story Prize”) if I’d like to contribute a piece to the BSSP site about how Mrs Darcy came into being. Before I go on, I must say that one of the things I really love about the BSSP is the way they keep in touch with everyone who’s ever made it onto their shortlist – it makes it so much more than just another competition. Here’s where you can enter this year’s competition, by the way – I strongly recommend having a go.

Anyway, I never turn down the opportunity for a bit of publicity. However, there was a small problem. At the time when I got Joe’s e-mail, the Mrs Darcy website was in something of a period of transition between its old state as the blog used for serialising the book and its putative new promotional form. Which meant that before I could respond to him I really had to lick the website into shape, and this in turn meant that I had to learn some CSS skills very quickly indeed. (I’d just like to quickly say sorry to my family for my unpleasant demeanour over the last few days, by the way. You have no idea.)

But after much tearing of hair and thumping of monitors, here’s Mrs Darcy’s new website. There are still a few gaps, but it’s taking shape.

And here’s that BSSP piece. There really is no standard path to publication, you know. Everyone’s story is completely different. Which is what makes it exciting, is it not?