Dear mashheads,

I hope you are doing well and getting a bit of a break over the coming weeks.

I wanted to share some good news with you. My story 'The Arcade' has been included in this year's New Writing Scotland 38. Published by the Association for Scottish Literary Studies, this annual collection is seen as the principal forum for new writing from Scotland. In the past, they've published writers like James Kelman, Ali Smith, Irvine Welsh and a million others.

My story is about an old couple who meet on a blind date. They go to the Argyll Arcade in Glasgow, famous for its jewellery shops. As the date unfolds so do their personalities and histories.

There's a lot of other good writers in the collection - I haven't had a chance to read through it all yet. If you're interested, you can buy your own copy from Bookshop.

Take good care,

Alan x