News & Events

Lectures @ The Museum

Sometimes it’s good to talk!

Being invited by Torquay Museum and the English Riviera Literary Festival to talk about some of my favourite authors has been a real pleasure. Over the past few years I’ve given lectures about Mary Shelley’s lost Torquay novel (lecture now published in the Torquay Museum Society yearly journal), WW1 poet Rupert Brooke, Agatha Christie’s Adventures in Archaeology and Literary Decadence…

For more info about the public lectures from visiting authors, local historians and subject specialists, visit Torquay Museum: http://www.torquaymuseum.org/learn/adult-learning/lecture-programme

To book a place at my upcoming talk at the International Agatha Christie Festival in September 2023, visit their website: https://www.iacf-uk.org/festival-2023/agathas-adventures-in-archaeology

Margery Allingham Short Mystery Award – May 2023

It was lovely to make the shortlist (final 4!) for this Short Story competition, presented by the Crime Writers Association at Crimefest 2023.

Tiferet Journal – Summer 2019

A short story, Army Dreamer, commemorating the end of WW1, published in the Summer 2019 international journal of peace and spirituality. http://tiferetjournal.com/

The Fish Publishing Prize – 2018

Lovely news from Fish Publishing in Ireland on 17th March (St Patrick’s Day, appropriately enough) to say that my short story ‘Cranberry Sauce’ was in the top ten of their short story award, and has been selected for inclusion in their next anthology.

Novelist Billy O’Callaghan was the judge and said of the story…”well written and well constructed. A real-world problem, nice build-up of tension, and narrative handled with sensitive vulnerability. Best of all, though, there is just a lovely lightness of touch.” I have an invitation to read the story at the West Cork Literary Festival in July, so Ireland here I come!

The Mogford Award – 2017

Truly the Mogford Award is the gift that keeps on giving – I was invited back as a past winner to attend this year’s ceremony in Oxford, and to accept a lovely book-shaped trophy with my name on it… The party was awesome, and gave me the chance to meet other past winners, plus this year’s very deserving champ, Nicky Winder, and sponsor Jeremy Mogford’s novelist son, Thomas Mogford (he writes fantastic thrillers set in Gibraltar, hopefully coming soon to a screen near you). The event was hosted at the luxurious Old Bank Hotel and featured in the Oxford Times, so for one evening, I felt quite like a celeb!

ChocLit ‘Search for a Star’ – 2016

I was thrilled to hear that Lookalike had been shortlisted by publishers ChocLit in their ‘Search for a Star’ competition. ChocLit produce and promote a range of quality women’s fiction with a romantic bias. Details of ChocLit’s novels and award-winning authors can be found at – http://www.choc-lit.com

Bath Short Story Award – November 2015

Having been shortlisted for the Bath Short Story Award 2015, my story ‘The Ends of the Earth‘ was included in the award anthology. The launch event was at Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath – if you’ve never visited, Mr B’s has deservedly been voted one of the World’s top ten bookshops and is well worth a visit! The event included readings from ten authors, a great way to tempt the audience into buying a copy of the anthology to find out what happens next… The book can be purchased from Amazon by clicking here. For a video clip of me reading the first few pages of the story, click here.

Western Morning News – April 2015

As part of the Short Fiction on Saturday series, my story ‘Beneath the Pier’ was published in the WMN weekend section on April 18th. It’s one of the shortest short stories I’ve ever written – the brief was to fit onto one page of newsprint! I also supplied the accompanying photo, which had helped to inspire the story – taken on a wintry morning beneath Teignmouth pier.

The Jeremy Mogford Award – part 1

In 2013, I won the inaugural Jeremy Mogford Prize for Food and Drink Writing at the Oxford Literary Festival. My story A Dish of Chocolate Ice Cream was printed into a small booklet for all the attendees – and the award dinner was graced by many of the country’s finest chefs and food writers including Raymond Blanc, Madhur Jaffrey, Atul Kochhar and my food-writing heroine, Claudia Roden. I also got to sit next to Booker prize winning author Ben Okri, who was sweet, funny and full of great advice (and some fantastic food…)

You can read the story online here or for more details of the award, click here.

Free ‘talking book’ version of Making Sense

Listen to the Wells Literary Festival winning story Making Sense as it was broadcast on the ‘Emma Britton’ show on BBC Radio Somerset on 18th December.

Paraxis Magazine

In 2013, my short story ‘Saving Face’ was featured in ‘Mirrors, Windows and Walls’ – Volume 4 of Paraxis, an online magazine dedicated to new literature.

” ‘Saving Face’, by Emma Seaman is a tale of the possibilities of escape. There are constraining walls, illuminating windows and mirrors that offer revelation and threat. It’s an affecting and emotionally charged piece with a strong sense of atmosphere, feeling and location.” Read the story here.

Novelicious Undiscovered Authors 2012

My first novel ‘Lookeylikey’, was shortlisted for the 2012 Novelicious Undiscovered Authors award… The first chapters of the each shortlisted novel were made available online… the winner was then voted for by the public and by book editors.

If you’d like to read more, please visit: www.novelicious.com/2012/05/undiscovered-showcase-entry-13-lookeylikey-by-emma-seaman.html

Wells International Short Story Competition

I was thrilled to receive the top award in the Wells International Short Story Competition at the Wells Literary Festival. It was a great honour, and I really enjoyed meeting bestselling novelist Fiona Walker (right), who judged the competition and handed over my cheque and plaque along with lots of good advice and kind encouragement!My winning story, ‘Making Sense’ was recorded by BBC Radio, and broadcast on the ‘Emma Britton’ show.

Book Launches

The Eight Rooms launch was held at the Waterstone’s store in Newton Abbot. To tie in with the theme of my story, ‘Intimacy’, therapist Esme Fone (left) was ‘on hand’ to offer customers a soothing hand massage.