The Welcome
Welcome! And for the sake of clarity: he’s not really fictitious. Mr Conway, (or Adrian as he prefers to be known), does actually exist. Right here. In his own little imagined worlds.
This image roughly captures how much fun you’re likely to have reading Mr Conway’s stories. Though, fair warning, some are somewhat plaintive, which he informs me is writer speak for sad. So feel free to invert the picture.
The Writing
Mr Conway writes literary fiction with a gritty, spiritual feel. He is forever harping on about the hinterlands of faith; the ghostlier demarcations of Christian consciousness in the modern world.
Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy and George Bernanos have most influenced the way he pictures the confluences of faith and fiction. More broadly, Jacques Maritain, G K Chesterton, T S Eliot and St Augustine have also left indelible marks. So too, Joyce, Beckett and Camus can be heard rattling around in his psyche’s lower reaches.
He tells me Silence by Shūsaku Endō, The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene and The Road by Cormac McCarthy haunt his every waking hour.
In short, Mr Conway writes across styles but always with spiritual realism and the power of story as central. If you like punchy tales that bear re-reading, he’s your man.
The Author
A Portrait of the Artist as a not so Young Man
[Joycean parody in acrylics by brushmaster, Ben East, who most certainly knows the difference between chiaroscuro and chicken giblets - it’s a film reference]
Mr Conway was born in SW London with innate passions for AFC Wimbledon and Kung Fu. For housing purposes, he was relocated and raised in the Rose of the Shires and nowadays splits his time between Dad’s Taxis and staring at blank screens. It would be accurate to say he is both and neither English and Irish.
The Shoot
Where camera alchemist minimalambient somehow transforms dull authorial reticence into golden candour:
Taken in a local independent bookstore that doesn’t get a plug because they haven’t stocked a certain book by a certain local independent writer (see below).
In the sublime Lady Chapel at St Albans Abbey.
Highly dangerous live action stunt writing shot in local coffeehouse.
The Novella
His scintillating darkly spiritual novella, The Pelican Crossing, about the struggles of two London teenagers to be together across gang divides, is available for paid subscribers here, or widely available in ebook and quality paperback (Troubador).
Reader Comments
Stunning! Kitty Edwards, Author of forthcoming novel, The Blue Poppy
Read it. Reread it. Reflect on it. Thomas O’Connor, Values-Driven CEO
Writing so visually rich; I can picture everything spectacularly! Mark Owen Ward, Photographer
Economical with his words but creates a big story. Robin Price, Book Reviewer
An immersive reading experience… a city built as much from language as architecture. Danny Anderson, The Untaking
Thought-provoking and at times heartbreaking… a compelling read. J M Elliott, The Problematic Pen
His hotly anticipated first novel is currently emerging from the story world of The Pelican Crossing.
The Other Stories
Fulgurites, his growing collection of micro fiction and short stories, can also be massively enjoyed here.
These include firm reader favourites Pooh Sticks (now with accompanying audio by wonderful actress, Katie Pattinson) about a family history that’s hard to scrape off; Pootchee, a loveable potty-mouthed Pomeranian who has a message directly for you; Legion AI, where an author interview takes one hell of a turn; and, Books Like White Elephants, which has Hemingway weeping tears of [complete as appropriate] from his hacienda in heaven. Other pearlers are also available to paid subscribers, such as Liberty Caps which features enough cats to balance out all the dog stories, Unicorns (new audio by the same Katie Pattinson), and the three-parter Molly, which possibly might include another dog.
The Other Perspectives
Fathoms, reflections on sources of writing inspiration and literary explorations, is now live. The opening article about adventures in soundscapes can be read here…
The Options
Generally, each new story is free to read for a week before moving to the paid archive. Stories usually appear once a month.
Annual Members enjoy access to the complete story archive so can luxuriate at leisure over all that sparkling prose.
Founding Members receive a signed first edition of The Pelican Crossing.
Basically, it’s more like supporting my writing journey overall than paying for individual stories. Some Fathoms reflections/discussions will be exclusive to paid subscribers.
The Nod
If you like what you’re reading then please tell others about it. Ideally everywhere.
And, thank you for your interest in Mr Conway’s writing. Do feel free to leave feedback as he’s reasonably accessible as writers go, having assured me on a number of occasions of his openness to hearing the thoughts of other human beings.
The Other Writing
Mr Conway also writes reflective articles about faith. Scriptourer explores the relationship between the Bible and storytelling.
And he isn’t beyond a little dark humour or humor, depending:
Thanks once again for all your interest in my unique and challenging client.
Shear Jashub, Agent (Fiction) to Mr Conway
Lead image: Tim Mossholder, Unsplash
Cover photo: courtesy of Jonathan Bryers, private collection
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