Peter Astle
Peter Astle is a former media and English lecturer from Derby, UK. He’s had several short stories published in the Derby Telegraph, the People’s Friend and the Inner Circle Writers' Magazine.
Most of his short stories are set in or around Derbyshire and have twist endings.
Peter recently won the opportunity to publish his own collection of stories with Clarendon House Publishing with his competition-winning short story ‘Following Gita’ in Enigma: The Inner Circle Writers’ Group Crime/Mystery/Thriller Anthology 2018 -- plus, in 2019, he won The Great Clarendon House Writing Challenge, which earned him another book contract! One of these contracts is now fulfilled with the recent publication of his new collection Twists and Turns(see below).
Peter has contributed to a number of international anthologies, including Hide It! for young adults (Mardibooks), romance anthology Rapture (Clarendon House Publications), crime anthology Enigma (Clarendon House Publications), two flash fiction anthologies Blaze and Gleam (Clarendon House Publications), twins anthology Twofer Compendium (Celestial Echo Press), and Athena: Inaugural Anthology (Dastaan World), publishing date to be confirmed.
He’s currently traveling Spain in a motorhome along with his faithful dog, Joey.
Peter’s Top Three Short Story Quotes
“The short story is like a kiss in the dark from a stranger”
Stephen King
“The novel wins by points, the short story by knockout”
Julio Cortazar
“A short story is what you see when you look out of the window”
Mavis Gallant
WINNER
Enigma: The Inner Circle Writers’ Group Crime/Mystery/Thriller Anthology 2018
From the traditional old-fashioned country houses in which puzzling crimes have detained important guests, to grim and disturbing urban transgressions, to gripping thrillers with unforeseen twists, prepare to be entertained and enthralled. These skilful writers know how to bamboozle you, commanding your attention before you are aware of it, leaving you guessing all the way.
Rapture: The Inner Circle Writers’ Group Romance Anthology 2018
Prepare for surprises, passion, energy and a smattering of the unusual; prepare for mini-sagas set in foreign climes, short pieces which evoke amorous devotion, and even some alluring poetry, in one of the most entertaining, thoughtful and heart-warming collections produced this year.
Gleam: The Inner Circle Writers' Group Second Flash Fiction Anthology 2019
Flash fiction is often a small, vivid illustration or incident which fades into a larger, wider, unspoken background. The power lies in the unsaid, the inferred, the after-thrill which comes as the ephemeral piece ends, leaving you, the reader, transfixed and transformed.
Enjoy this set of sixty experiences, brought to you by new and established authors from around the world.
Featuring the work of R. L. Adare, Diane Arrelle, Peter Astle, Carmen Baca, Gabriella Balcom, Jim Bates, Gary Bonn, Lael Braday, Bonnie B. Bradlee, Belinda Brady, Elizabeth Brown, David Bowmore, Steve Carr, A.S. Charly, RLM Cooper, Dawn DeBraal, Denise D’Souza, Ximena Escobar, J.W. Garrett, Kelli J Gavin, Sharon Frame Gay, Jill Girardi, Phil Gladden, Marlon S. Hayes, Robert Hazel, Jesse Highsmith, Heather Hood, Justin Jones, Archit Joshi, Nelson Kamkuimo, Jill Kiesow, Shawn M. Klimek, Mark Kodama, A.J. Lawdring, Emma K. Leadley, James Lipson, Vickie J. Litten, Catherine A. MacKenzie, Giuseppina Marino Leyland, Christopher McCurry, Umair Mirxa, Elizabeth Montague, Sandra Nguyen, Charlotte O’Farrell, A.L. Paradiso, Natalie Partridge, Kari Pohar, Supriya Rakesh, Richard Rebel, Michal Reibenbach, Rich Rurshell, Andrew Scobie, CL Steele, Susanne Thomas, Justin Tuijl, Pam Van Allen, L.T. Waterson, Ger White, G. Allen Wilbanks and C.L. Williams.
Blaze: The Inner Circle Writers' Group Flash Fiction Anthology 2019
Writers are spellbinders, wizards, witches, working their magic with words, entrancing and enchanting us. Not for nothing does the word ‘spell’ mean a sequence of letters and a form of words used as a magical charm or incantation. In these tales, the sorcery has been restricted so that its glamour has to work in the space of fifty, five hundred or a thousand words: and work it does, as you will see. From disturbing darkness to light-hearted laughter, the authors within weave their wizardry, making you weep and laugh, feel and think, shiver and gasp, always wanting to turn the page.
