Off the KUF - Short Fiction from the Kindle Users Forum

Last week I was really going for it, trying to finish a short story for a new anthology commissioned by the UK Kindle Users Forum. The idea was launched back in June and I thought I'd give it a go.  Members of the forum have been incredibly supportive to this bumbling rookie, and as all proceeds go back into running the site, it seemed the right thing to do, to try and give something back.


Since mid-July I had been wrestling with the bones of a story, set in a restaurant kitchen and very loosely based around my days working as a chef.  But after weeks and weeks of coming back to it and then being easily distracted by anything and everything on the Internet, I abandoned.  Well, if it isn't keeping me interested, there's fat chance of anybody else being enthralled, either. 

With almost a sense of relief, I  gave up and went back to pickling chillies and beans, and bottling passata, which seems to have been a full time occupation over the last month or so.  

And then exactly one week before the deadline, my pesky mind comes up with a shiny new idea.  I hadn't been sleeping particularly well of late; my knee was still painful, in fact too swollen and full of fluid to be of very much use at all.  I was even wearing a hot and uncomfortable brace at night to avoid the yelping scenario when the rest of my body rolled over, leaving my lower right leg and foot still slumbering away in its original position!

It seems to be quite normal for new ideas to put in appearance in the middle of a restless night.  So, five hours and no sleep later, the alarm finally went off and I could crawl and hop out of bed, ready to get the frame of the thing down.  No doubt dedicated writing folk would have just got to work in the middle of the night and not waited for sunrise, but my laptop is only good for an hour on battery and, as with most appliances, I try to use it only when there is enough juice available from the solar panels.  All part of our frugal living regime.

Four days and five drafts later, the story was presented to my other half for a sense check.  He was brewing the winter supply of beer at the time, so I had to pick my moment; beer is very important in this household.  After a few more tweaks and with a sick feeling in my stomach, it was sent off to the editor.  It came back sharpish, was adjusted, corrected and vastly improved and then submitted once again.  The anthology will be stuffed full of stories from great Indie authors and I would hate to be the weakest link. 

But whatever the fate of my small offering, Off the KUF is bound to be an absolute corker, and from the sounds of things, it's a very good job this is going to be an ebook, otherwise it would be far too heavy to lift.

Here is the link to the Facebook page set up for the anthology - do take a look!

Off the KUF