Catherine Evans – författare

The sheep that's a good listener. The woman and the ice cream salesman. The young man who falls in love with a washing machine. That age old tale.Funny, macabre, heart-breaking, eerie, disturbing, provocative...the 21 stories in this collection of originals are all winners of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival Short Story Competition Winners from its inception in 2016 to 2022. The stories are hugely varied in style and genre, and will appeal to any lover of fiction and the much-loved short story form. They have impressed the likes of Tessa Hadley, Nicholas Royle, Rachel Sieffert, Sarah Franklin, Martyn Waites, Isobel Dixon and Yasmin Kane.

15-year-old Neveah leads a double-life. She lives with her mum, Marie, who works nights and isn't too bothered what Neveah gets up to, as long as it doesn't affect her.When Neveah isn't at school, she’s earning good money by moonlighting as a digital freelancer. Giles, her biggest client, is married with a troubled home life. Neveah lies to him about her age, telling him she's twenty-two and he believes her. Caught in a heated affair, Neveah will do just about anything to stop him from finding out her true age.But a secret this big can't stay under wraps forever. When it all comes out, the consequences are devastating.Why do some young girls become sexually active way sooner than is good for them, and if a man has sex with a girl who lies about her age, is he still culpable?