TV Brown, LISP 2025 Flash Fiction Finalist, 'Bring Out Your Dead'

- Can you please tell us about you and your daily life?

I live in West London with my sweetheart cat, Ninevah, and the spirit of my naughty cat, Shenene. I’m an actress – EastEnders! Buddy the Musical! London Kills! – whooo-hoo! – and a copy editor.

- When and how did you get into writing?

I’ve been writing since I knew there were such things as books. Ah, the longhand notebook days. I wanted to be a writing wunderkind, the Lena Zavaroni of the literary word… Little late on that ambition, shall we say? Now I want to be the older Carrie-Anne Fletcher – musical theatre star AND prolific author, damn her eyes! I did win a British Theatre Challenge competition, with a short horror play, The Thing She Left Behind, and when repped by Sheil Land for screenwriting, I was the only black and only female writer chosen for my year’s Carlton TV New Writers Scheme, with – departure for me – a crime screenplay. Won a couple of flash fiction comps and was a finalist in this year’s New2TheScene summer novel comp. Had an offer of publication for one of my flash-fics, but, being disorganised me, didn’t see it in time. One of my WIPS started life as a screenplay that got to the quarter-finals of a competition.

- How often do you write? Do you have a writing routine? And what inspires you to write?

It’s a rare day I don’t write – usually when I’m stressing about an audition. Inspiration comes from my own ‘what if?’ thoughts. I can take the most innocuous situation and put a horror spin on it! Definitely can be inspired by other writers’ works: ‘What if [their story] but [my addition/take/nasty thought]?

- How does it feel to have your work recognised?

Oh, wow, basically. It can be so discouraging out there – ghosted by full-requesting agents, not making cuts – you just seriously need a boost every once in a while. And this recognition will definitely be going on my next batch of queries. I did love seeing my short horror play onstage – check it out on LazyBee Scripts and on YouTube British Theatre Challenge.

- What's the best and most challenging thing about writing a story? 

The best thing is the beginning and end; you start all excited and you end with having followed through to your satisfaction (until the next draft, but still). The most challenging thing for me is always, ironically, nailing the start. I’m writing a folk horror novel that has had so many different opening pages, \I don’t even recognise some of them; I’m, like, ‘Who wrote that mishegoss?’

-  How did you develop the idea for your LISP-selected story? Is there a story behind your story? And, how long have you been working on it?

Oh, it definitely came from my 2^nd WIP, an urban horror called ‘Watch All Night’. Horror that draws on the horrors of history, it’s so truly one of my ‘what if?’ nasty thoughts. I’ve been working on the novel some years. Always been fond of the Great Plague. The flash just came to me when I had read loads of flashes and got how to do them! Being flash, I worked, like, two minutes on it. But don’t hate me ‘cause I’ve taken YEARS to write full novels.

- Can you please give us a few tips about writing a story?

Love your idea, is all I can think of, beyond the usual catechism. Be all stubborn. Set your mouth in a thin line. And take all the help – online groups, classes, feedback – you can get. If I’d started writing when all this online help was available… boy!

- What's the best thing and the most challenging thing about competitions?  

Best: deadline, inspiration, hope. Challenging: Obviously, not placing, but also Place, Place… Nah.

- Lastly, do you recommend the writers submit to LISP?

No, LISP is the devil, keep away! Joking! I recommend all competitions. They may not be the be-all, and you can certainly track your progress as a writer in other ways, but this is a valuable resource. Yes, submit to LISP!