In the Running

It's been a while since I've been here. Quite some time. Now that Pelt and Other Stories is headed towards final editing it's time I started serious short story blogging again. We are working on the cover ideas, cover blurbs, and I have my wonderful cover comment from Nigerian/Belgian prize-winner Chika Unigwe, whose novel 'On Black Sister's Street' is also a New York Times Editor's Choice:

'Every story in this collection is a delightful surprise. McNamara's lucid prose shines on every page, creating stories that are both difficult to put down, and unforgettable.'

Many thanks Chika!

In the meantime I've also had more work accepted. 'Montgomery Akuofo, Father of Twins' was selected to appear in the classy litmag Short Fiction later this year. In this story, Montgomery sees a photograph at his older lover's house, and recognises his unclear sexual yearnings.

'Afterwards they came into his head, these people. The drug addict and her dog, the Brazilian man in the dress, the old embattled white men with their makeup. They touched him and he wondered what Europe would be like: the wet parks with tall trees, the never-ending buildings and shops with their scrolls and windows, the faces cowering over him, giving him food and fucking him in the mouth, and he would look down and see he was wearing women’s clothes.'

I also have pieces coming out in the distinguished Wasafiri and the very hip Kerouac's Dog this year. 'Infection' takes place in contemporary Ghana, where failed doctor Eugene returns to observe his tyrannical mother treat his dying sister with disgust. And 'Opaque' tells of one woman's moral dilemma - whether to obey her husband and harbour a kidnapped child, or act as a saviour and risk her husband's wrath.

So much excitement ahead for this little chickadee, who is currently steaming ahead with new stories, new characters, new worlds. The fields are white outside and the words are flowing. Good luck to those of you who have sure-footed projects alight!