Alison Wells Author

Head Above Water – Writing, Headspace, Creativity, Verve

Head Above Water Blog – Writing, Headspace, Creativity, Verve

  • Head Above Water Blog: My Debut short story collection Random Acts of Optimism released September 2023!

    Fantastic news: September publication of my debut short story collection! Readers of the Head above Water blog will have followed my story since 2009 of writing endeavours, resilience and persistence, shortlists and near misses. I have written alongside raising a family, challenging circumstances, a new job in public libraries and a Masters by night in

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  • Housewife with a Half-Life summer read giveaway

    Housewife with a Half-Life is a year old and I’m celebrating by giving away two signed paperback copies. Housewife is the lively adventure of mother of twins Susan Strong and travelling spaceman Fairly Dave through other dimensions to find Susan’s other lost selves and save the universe. With a light sprinkling of science, a lot

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  • Lost Property by flash fiction maestro Calum Kerr

    Calum Kerr is a writer, editor, lecturer and director of National Flash-Fiction Day in the UK. He lives in Southampton with his wife –  the writer, Kath Kerr –  their son and a menagerie of animals. His new collection of flash-fictions, Lost Property, is now available from Cinder House: http://cinderhouse.com/product/lost-property-by-calum-kerr/ I’ve known Calum (electronically!) for

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  • How to write when kids just fight and other stuff

    School’s out in this house and my eldest son whose twelve and a half has ‘graduated’ from Irish primary school so a nice sense of achievement and moving on.  In terms of keeping my ‘Head above Water’ writing wise I’m doing my best to get up in the early hours before the kids wake to

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  • Great news from author Hazel Gaynor

    I am just thrilled to hear this wonderful news. Fellow Irish mother writer has just announced a two book deal, the first book to be released is the fantastic The Girl Who Came Home, a Titanic story that Hazel previously self-published. An excellent  writer and lovely person, Hazel Gaynor deserves this so much. I interviewed

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  • Flash Bulbs and Free Books for National Flash Fiction Day

    At Arthur’s Pub Thomas Street. Photo by Big Smoke Writing Flash Bulbs I had a wonderful time last evening listening to the readings at Flash Bulbs, Dublin’s flash fiction event, organised by purveyor of writing courses and drop in writing meets the fabulous Big Smoke Writing Factory. I also read my story Holographic Dog there

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  • All things Flash

    As you may know Saturday 22nd June is when this year’s Summer Solstice falls, thus making it the Longest Day and the shortest night of the year. Of course in Australia it’s the shortest day so in the spirit of all things International and short, fictionwise it will also be International Flash Fiction Day. There

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  • National Flash Fiction Day Anthology: Scraps: Sparkling and Brilliant!

    Okay so I’m in it. Okay so I love flash fiction but this, this is just terrific. 65 authors of top quality calibre, fresh, exhilarating, sparkling, unique and marvelously entertaining tiny tales. It’s coming out in paperback in time for National Flash Fiction Day on the 22nd June but you don’t even want to wait

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  • Niamh Boyce’s Debut Novel The Herbalist

    Niamh Boyce is from Athy, Co Kildare. She won Hennessy XO Writer of the Year 2012 for her poem Kitty. She’s currently editing her short story collection Wild Cat’s Buffet and writing her next novel. I met Niamh first at the Hennessy Awards 2009, where we were both finalists and again at a book launch

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  • Flash Mob: Holographic Dog

    (Fiction) It’s far from holographic dogs I was reared. We had Shep, Fido and Bounder – good sheepdogs they were. We had a mongrel named Patch, apt that. He was gone in the head, didn’t know you he’d go right through you. Thing was, there was a ‘spate’ of burglaries round our way. More used

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  • Review of Bloodmining by Laura Wilkinson

    With the emotional resonance of a Maggie O’ Farrell and hints of Ishiguro’s Never let me go, Bloodmining is a vivid and believable rendering of a familiar but crucially altered near future.  A compelling debut novel from Laura Wilkinson that I read in one sitting, this is well worth the read. Over the course of

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Welcome to my Head above Water blog! I’m Alison, writer, mother and public librarian with a background in Communication Studies and Psychology. I have a particular interest in creative resilience, motivation and how nature and wonder can restore us. In my day job I run book clubs and creative events for children and adults.

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