Showcase
The Literary Consultancy is excited to be working on an innovative showcase for its writing talent, initially in association with Staple Magazine. See TLC Showcase Introduction for more on the inception of the Showcase and please see below for where it is now.
Once a month we will highlight the work of one author whose work we believe deserves a platform, whether simply because our readers felt it worth championing, or whether we have helped the writer on to commercial publication.
If you enjoy reading our Showcase, please feel free to share, and let us know on Facebook or on Twitter.
Suad Kamardeen
“Jamila presses the power button on her phone to silence the vibration from her mother’s call as she wheels her suitcase to the boarding queue. After a thirty-minute delay, they are finally boarding the plane to Berlin. She stops in the middle of the aisle, nearly bumping into the man with grey sweats ahead of her, to confirm that all she’s done is muted Mama’s call, not end it. There would be no end to her mother’s speech if that happened. She slips her phone into the front pocket of her backpack, and continues forward with a huge smile on her face. She’d practised this walk – her walk of freedom – in front of her bedroom mirror so many times in the past few days. It didn’t matter that her heart wasn’t entirely where she wanted it to be.”
From ‘Freedom, here I come’– included in the showcase
Previous Showcase Authors
Nicholas Graham
“Above us the kilns glowed deep against the darkness of the valley sides. Mud clung to my boots, every step adding a fresh layer. The last heave up to the
Neel Patel
“The train journey had been long, but they had managed to entertain themselves. The cans of lager they carried were cracked open within minutes of sitting down, and soon, the
Kate Lockwood Jefford
“It didn’t cry or make much of any sort of fuss all day, which was amazing really, considering. After picking the baby up, I’d dawdled at the fag-end of a
Alinah Azadeh
“There is only one person ahead of me in the queue for the phone at school, which is in the corridor near the main hall and front entrance. It is
Bobbie Jean Huff
“The woman beside her buttons her shirt, then wheels her cart back to the corner opposite where the other woman is squatting. Are they friends? It doesn’t appear that way,
Fathima Zahra
“Ramadan, 2019 We stalk the moon all month round, lick our lips, till the Adhan goes off on our phones, dig our teeth into the soft flesh of dates, wash
Maia Elsner
“When a coal tit tears into my room. Rush of wings thrashes against white. No clouds. No whisper-thin rain threading through a grey miracle. Instead, this thing we call shelter:
Merryl Futerman
“Babe, its freezing. Can you get my parka? Such a straightforward request means I can turn over, keep dozing. This state of bliss lasts about a minute until I remember
Jessica Zarins
“She knows immediately after Nothing to Declare that he isn’t there. The air in the Arrivals hall isn’t any different from the plane or from Gatwick this morning. Thousands of
Niraj Shukla
“…The next station is Acton Town…Please mind the gap between the train and the platform…There are beggars and buskers operating on the train; please do not encourage their presence by
David Shannon
“Simple time keep people simple. This, that, be happy, be sad. Take books away, heads have less clutter. Take food away, everyone do as they is ask. Well, not everyone.
Pen Factor Special – winner Jill Dobson
“The ice-cubes tinkled in her glass as she took another sip. ‘What are you drinking?’ ‘Gin and tonic. I’m not going to sit here alone all evening with a cup
Amanda Epe
“Mama Coleman soothed Bessie’s sore feet, massaging them from the four-mile daily walk to school and back. It was a Friday evening and the miles had accumulated. The relaxing massage
James Brophy
“He was still on top of the hill, the same hill, except there were no buildings any longer. He noticed that the ground was wet in places. The sun had
Eliza Vitri Handayani
“From Now On Everything Will Be Different tells the story of my generation. We grew up under the repressive New Order regime and learned to keep our mouth shut and
Maggie Barrett
“Felicity sits at her desk, uncaps her pen, writes “Chapter 22’’ and stops. What is she trying to say? Not just now, in this minute, but altogether? What is this
Jason Young
“Joanna Bromley’ is a follow-up to my feature film script titled ‘The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano’. Joanna was the mixed-race daughter of Olaudah Equiano (aka. Gustavus Vassa) in 19th
Sharon Duggal
“Jimmy Noone drifted, alone in a cold subway, falling away with the day as it faded to shadow. He dreamt of balloons: sky-blue, bought by his father to mark his
Paul Crooks
“I reach the St Johns Anglican church and as usual, all I can think about is death, especially when I catch sight of the stone wall and railings. I see
Emma Cameron
“Catrìona walked along the path beside the kirk carrying a bunch of spring flowers, passing the ancient yew tree, grooved and twisted, as old as time. Lifting the latch she
