We have applied to The Emerging Writers Festival for a place in their ’15 minutes’ programme -which essentially is a chance for us to launch The Red Book. As part of the application process we had to provide an extract of the work to be launched. As you can imagine, this is no easy task when you have ten awonderful stories which make up your collection.

So, if you’ve ever wondered just how The Red Book fits together – here is a never before seen, sneak-peak inside.

#1 Mercurial – Jodi Cleghorn (Aust)

It took a while for Miranda to register the strange sound was her own weeping. It didn’t surprise her she hadn’t recognised her own crying. Increasingly she was detaching from her somatic experience to cope. She’d been completely disorientated when Jake knocked on her door in the dead of night to ask if she was ok. She hadn’t even realised she was upset, much less loud enough to worry her new neighbour.

Someone else’s pain. Someone else’s problem. Someone else’s world falling apart.

#2 Something Mean in the Dream Scene – Jason Coggins (Aust ex UK)

He suspected the sleep paralysis would be upon him again tonight. The thought of Miranda Reynolds and her histrionics paled before that. Unlike his patient, he appreciated that some battles just could not be won. When your waking life was nothing more than a matter of passing time until your mind was trapped once again in your own inert body everything else was incidental… even being mugged.

#3 Kraepelin’s Child – Annie Evett (Aust)

“Come on. You’ve convinced me, one last easy one before we step up our activity. I think Miss Tania deserves our undivided attention tonight. I stopped by her bike earlier on.”

Clint’s thoughts wandered back to yesterday. The old fool had scared away one of his planned targets and then had just stood there; as if he were waiting for something. Without protest the old man handed over everything Clint demanded. He shivered recalling the power.

#4 Discovery – Paul Servini (France ex UK)

“His name’s Robin, Robin Davidson.” Elizabeth was surprised at how evenly his name escaped from her lips. “I was at university with his sister Tania. We were all quite close until Tania was nearly raped. She’d been talking to me on the phone only minutes before it all happened. Robin disappeared not long afterwards.”

“Well, we’d better be getting on with business,” said Doug after a brief pause, hoping she would divulge more. “I intend taking you to see our first winner, this morning.”

#5 Innocence – Tina Hunter (Canada)

The words on the page blended together to create images, faces—him holding a baseball bat and swinging it at that rapist’s head. Robin smiled inside, letting the images make him feel better. The bastard deserved it after what he had tried to do to his sister. After a while the images lost their beauty, like they always did. Instead, they morphed into bloodstains and bone fragments. Robin shut the textbook. He didn’t want to see his doubts on display.

#6 Not Myself – Dale Challener Roe (USA)

I was still standing there, wishing I could take back what I said and try it again without sounding like a fifty-year-old bureaucrat, when Dash came to my rescue. He grabbed me by the hood of my sweatshirt, as Robin muttered “whatever”, and all but dragged me away before I put my foot any further into my mouth.

#7 Not My Name – Jasmine Gallant (UK ex Canada)

I clamped my hand on his shoulder and pulled him away before he got into more trouble. I made my first joke in a week but he just seemed to look through me. I wonder what secrets he holds close to his chest, unable to share them with a soul. Because that’s the thing about this life—we all have secrets and we all have stories we can’t share with the people we love the best.

#8 Out of the Darkness – Rob Diaz II (USA)

My blood flowed hot with anger, warming me slightly. Who was he to offer me charity? I didn’t need his help. If I’d learned anything, it was nothing is free. Everything—everyone—comes with a price. Whatever his price would have been for the warm blanket, I wasn’t going to pay it. I got up to follow him, to yell at him and make certain he never came back. Out of nowhere, a woman in a wheelchair cut in front of me, running over my foot.

#9 Heartache – Emma Newman (UK)

He wondered about the Asian girl who had been there a week ago. She’d had the same look in her eyes, as he had when he first realised there was no more money. He’d had the feeling that she’d fallen just as far as he had, and had offered his blanket in the hope of a few hours of conversation with someone who hadn’t been on the street forever. Fool!

“Joe,” he said after a few minutes. “I think this has something to do with the transplant.”

#10 One in the Chamber – Paul Anderson (UK)

I place the gun to my temple and raise my eyes, to stare at those watching. Young and old, men and women. Now Kate, and Miranda too. But the one closest to me, I don’t recognise her. She stares back and whispers.

Like before. Run…