A collection of 15 short stories published in July 2020 by Chaffinch Press

The characters in these stories are separated by time, place, age and gender, and yet they are brought together in this collection, making ‘Trouble Crossing the Bridge’ a melting-pot of personalities, voice, setting and plot.

Yet there is an underlying common theme, a surprising cohesion. All the characters have been damaged by life in some way, some by external forces – possessive mothers, abusive fathers masquerading as trolls; some by problems that come from within, whether emotional, psychological or pathological. The different ways in which they respond to these difficulties are at the heart of the stories. And they are as diverse as the individuals themselves…

…cutting off a mannequin’s hands out of jealousy.
Steadfastly believing you saw a famous actor tied to the side of a giant white whale, drifting out to sea.
Needing your husband to see Jesus in a tree…

It is this inventiveness and variety, reflecting the multiplicity of the short story form itself, that makes the book stand out, and enables it to reach out to the widest possible audience.

Available from Amazon or direct from Chaffinch Press.