Flash Collections

"Extra-Curricular - Tales Told Out Of School"
44 (45 in print) flash fiction tales grouped around the subjects on a school curriculum. Stories themed around Physics, Biology, English, Politics, History, Modern Languages, Classics (Print version only), Art, Music, Careers, Psychology, Divinity, Geometry, Logic & Philosophy, Environmental Studies, Design & Technology and those extra-curricular tales of all the playground vices from behind the bike shed.

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Available in print and ebook from Amazon
Available in ebook from I-Tunes
Available in print from CreateSpace

Garbage Files Review: "I can’t help but recommend it. This is one of those rare forms of fiction which will educate you without being all preachy about it. In the oddest comparisons this book reminds me watching Frasier, while I may not always understand the differences between each reference I get the gist and overtime I will learn more and more by simply watching it more and more. So congratulations Marc Nash; you’ve bottled a renaissance, put it into an ink well and with an academic quill have masterfully produced 45 beautiful pieces of flash fiction."


"28 Far Cries" - 28 flash fiction tales
Warlords, Pole Dancers, Toxic Relationships, Living Statues, Cyanide Pills, Ageing Superheroes, Happy Hours, The First Human Language, Vultures, Lupus, Beheading Videos, Synaesthesia and a visiting extra-terrestrial who tries to decode the human race from the slogans on our T-Shirts...



Reviews for "28 Far Cries"
This book is like a display case filled with 28 finely crafted, exquisitely detailed miniature sculptures. You have to pick each one up in turn, examine it on its own while lying on a hammock for a while, before returning to the case to pick up another. After reading one or two of these pieces, I decided to take my sweet time with this collection, and I'm glad I did - Amazon review


At first, from the traditional storytelling perspective, I was leaning towards a three-star rating. But the longer I thought about it, the more I recognized that these stories are worth more, for the author severed traditions and embarked on his own, uncompromising quest - Amazon review

Sample:



                                                            Available from Amazon UK
                                                            Available from Amazon US

"Long Stories Short" - 32 Flash Fiction Stories
Royal Wedding street parties, neon cowboys, dating apps, Hollywood directors, angels, assassins, glass eyes, arthritic stand up comedians, Geishas, Warrior-Poets, marionettes, Crime Scene Reconstruction actors, paintballing and waking up; images and metaphors for our modern age. The whole gamut of human emotions, relationships and idiosyncrasies is on show in this collection and all genres are playfully subverted

      Reviews for "Long Stories Short"
      The sardonic humour and linguistic dexterities of Samuel Beckett... It's brilliant, funny and a collection to revisit again and again - Booksquawk


His is a truly original voice and Long Stories Short is a master class in writing as a higher art form.
 Goodreads review



Sample 




                                                                                         

                                                       

Available from Amazon.co.uk                     Available from Amazon.co.uk
Available from Amazon.com                       Available from Amazon.com



      "52FF" - 52 Flash fiction stories of 1000 words or less. 
      Stories include the following: Bingo Callers, Kebab Shops, Prison Regimes, Lego Brick Building, Messy Divorces, Hangovers, Honest Politicians, Badge Collectors, Interrogations, Wrinkles, Talent Shows, Knife Throwers, Shamans, Shoes, Identity Theft Victims, Tarantulas, Apple Trees, Hit Men and Women, Theme Restaurants, Actresses, Bloggers, Charity Auctions, Child Therapy, Urban Wastegrounds, Child Soldiers, ECT, Crazy Golf, Greek Myths, Cyborg Programming, Bouncers, Poisoned Confectionary, Court Jesters, Celebrity Lookalikes, Postcode Gangs, Indian Temple Dancers, Vultures

      "16FF" - 16 Flash fiction stories of 1000 words or less (published for National Flash Fiction Day May 16th 2012)
      Stories include the following: Tree Huggers, Lonely Hearts, Terrorism School, Disappointing Toys, Wedding Dances, Beards, Disco Mirrorballs, Ecstasy, Geeks, Leet, Alzheimer's, Google Earth, Truffle Hunting, Sound Plasticity, Skin Rashes, Philosophically Programmed Computers, Talking Dolls, Music Boxes... 

Reviews for "52FF"

52FF is a collection of short stories in the flash fiction format. If you're new to flash fiction, you should know there are various definitions but here, Marc Nash chooses a format of under 1,000 words. This gives him some leeway and so the pieces are in a wide variety of styles - some experimental - but all of them exploring a single central metaphor and all with a darkness about them which is sometimes explicit and sometimes only emerges after you've had time to think and digest.


My favourite was The Caller to the Bingo Caller's House Calls "House", which begins in a lighthearted pastiche of the "two fat ladies" bingo calls and moves through an explosion of violence to a chilling and cold-hearted finale, and in which everything is implied in a way that makes one's own inferences extremely troubling. It made me shiver. I also loved Bowing Out which sees an aging actress making up for the last time in front of her brightly-lit mirror. And there's 27 Grams (The Weight of The World) - a marvellous and darkly comedic piece of extended word play based around a strippergram deprogramming her strict upbringing.

Flash fiction is a fascinating form - unlike a traditional short story, the structure is often subtle. You might need to look for the beginning, the middle and the end. The resolution may not be obvious to you. Some aspects of a particular piece may not occur to you until after the second, third or even fourth reading. I love this concept and I think Marc Nash has understood it perfectly. Some of his pieces are smash, bang, inyerface stuff but deliver subtleties on a second reading. Others seem opaque at first but obvious later. Some are funny then sad. Others are sad then funny.

Nash includes a "prompts" section at the end, which provides the inspiration behind each of the pieces. These I thoroughly enjoyed - they made me read some of the stories over again and with completely new eyes.

I loved the obvious fascination with words and images. I loved the many layers hidden within the brevity. And I loved the darkness and the satire. This anthology is a gift that keeps on giving. I read it much more quickly than the story-a-week that Nash recommends - such is the plight of the reviewer - but it's made me think and I know it'll be saved on my Kindle for regular revisits.

Recommended to all those who like strong, energetic writing and those who enjoy the creativity in the new formats so suited to this brave new digital world we find ourselves part of. -Bookbag
  
52FF is a concoction of short (and sometimes not so sweet) “Flash Fiction” stories all under 1000 words each.

The majority of stories were thought-provoking vignettes with an underlying nefariousness portraying the horror of both fantastical and real life situations, which work on our human weaknesses (anxieties, fear and loathing) with a twist of satire and black humour thrown in.

In the Nursery, is a poignant example of this heady cocktail of emotions and descriptive prose, by which the author, Marc Nash, tells this heart-rending story through the eyes of a stuffed panda in the room of a child’s psychologist. There’s a wide variety of stories to read, from the violence suggested in a seemingly harmless game of bingo in The Caller to the Bingo Caller’s House Calls “House”, to Badges and the stark loneliness of Lost Sole, where Nash’s very British, analytical voice bubbles to the surface. My favourite story has to be Bittersweet, another fine example of how the author cleverly plays around with words, metaphor and new ideas showing a strong love for language.

With 52 stories, you can deal a story-a-day, there’s a gritty, down-to-earth quick appetiser to appeal to your varying taste-buds. A great “loo book” too, and I mean that in a good way! I felt, that in some cases, there were a couple of scenes as opposed to complete short stories with beginnings, middles and ends, however, these tended to be more experimental and came across more like poetry, or an alternative style of prose, which I rather liked as they enhanced their individual potency. This made for a good read as I never quite knew what to expect from one story to another, making 52FF very hard to put down.

At the end of the book there is a additional nice touch, the story prompts, which led to the ideas behind each piece of flash. A unique and effective idea. I found myself going back and re-reading some of the more mysterious ones armed with this additional knowledge, as though privy to inside information and looking for the things I may have missed, like one does when watching a film for the second time.

Overall, I do enjoy flash fiction and I think, Marc Nash, has done very well with his collection of 52FF. Whether you are new to this form of creativity, or a flash fiction fiend, 52FF is an electric mixture of small servings covering many flavours to chill, shake and stir you! What provides some thematic unity, as well as satirical bite, is the darkness, which lies around the corner in many of these stories. A veritable cocktail of real life incidents, metaphors and hidden meanings of an imaginative mind! AlternativeRead.com


      This is my first time in reading a collection of Flash fiction, and I will say that I am definitely hooked! I love how each story was condensed into small vignettes that I could read and easily finish in short amount of time, even on my coffee break at work. I found the author’s writing style to be nothing short of genius, and I think I even discovered some new words to add to my “favorite words collection” (yes, I actually have one). Despite the short length (flash fiction is defined as being 1000 words or less…) I was blown away by how much “story” the author managed to convey in such few words. Each tale was just as interesting as the last, each with its one unique twist, and all very well- written. (5 stars). Steph Coleman, GoodReads


If you’ve never read flash fiction before, you really owe it to yourself to give this book a shot…you will be amazed! The writing is simply world class, and the stylistic grace with which the author painted his canvas with words will leave you mesmerized. It was highly literary in function, yet communicated many layers of thought and emotion of the every day man or woman. I especially liked “The Caller To The Bingo Caller’s House Calls ‘House’” and chuckled under my breath at its simple brilliance…in fact, that is how I would sum up this collection…simply brilliant!! I’d love to read more from this author and will be recommending it to my friends. (5 stars). James Masters, GoodReads



They say good things come in small packages and that is definitely the case with the stories in “52FF”! I liked how this book was in “bite-sized chunks”, and found it easier to read than many full-length novels, but just as rewarding. The stories were deceptively complex, multi-layered, and thought-provoking. Some were funny, some dark and twisted, others cynical…but all were supremely intelligent and cause you to think on a deeper level. I have to mention that I was not a big fan of the chunky formatting and wish it would have had the proper spacing and intents. But it was still a great read. I think my favorite one was ‘Bowing Out”, but there were so many good ones it’s hard to choose. A great read for lovers of original literary fiction, and I would recommend it without hesitation. (4 stars). April Dawn, GoodReads


I can’t think of another novel I’ve read that had so many beautiful words that evoked such expressive imagery outside of a Pat Conroy novel. But this was no ordinary “novel”… “52 FF” by Marc Nash is a collection of 52 stories that are 1000 words or less. In his prologue, he explains his background of this particular brand of storytelling and what inspired/motivated him, then says how we could read 1 story a week for a year. Well, I highly doubt anyone will be able to exercise that sort of restraint! I confess I read the entire thing in one sitting! It is obvious the author is incredibly skilled, and I was eager to see what each new story would bring. I loved each and every one of them, and thought they each had their own unique “flavor” or “message” – some easier to see than others, but all supremely interesting and engaging. Fans of the literary and surreal with an edgy twist will love this book! (5 stars). Samantha Ryan, GoodReads

Sample:


Reviews for "16FF
A great collection of experimental, thought-provoking work - Booksquawk


   TRAILERS & VIDEO READINGS

   Just Aphasia Going Through













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        "The Caller To The Bingo Caller's House Calls 'House'" from "52FF"

      

        Introduction to Flash Fiction and "Sink or Skin" from "52FF"

      Sample 6 stories from "52FF"
     

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