Jay Rookwood

British Flash by UK-MAT (published by JMS Books at 24,660 words) is a free download, an anthology of flash fiction written by several British authors and edited by UK-MAT, the UK-Meet Acquisitions Team, which is involved in writing and promoting GLBTQ fiction in the UK. The clever cover art is by Alex Beecroft.

You might be wondering what flash fiction is. According to Wikipedia, no set word-count defines it – but it’s short. It could be 1000 words, 300 words, or even only 55 words. The show more average length in this collection is about 1000 words. Of these twenty-one flash fictions, seventeen are gay romance, two are lesbian romance, one is gender-fluid, and one is a ménage à trois, with a gay male couple focusing on a woman. Each story is categorized into one of three levels of sexual explicitness: Perfectly Decent, A Teasing Glimpse, and The Full Monty!

Standouts include Clare London’s story “Our Place”, which shows how the right phrase can end a story on a perfect note. Josephine Myles’s story “Giving It Up” is subtle and complex, with a funny twist. “Thoughts in Spring” by Mara Ismine features some intriguingly weird interaction between bird and man that builds to a delightfully unexpected conclusion. “Like a Girl” by JL Merrow, which centers on two female karate students, features such a strong narrative voice that I can hear the British accents in my mind like a movie soundtrack. “Sunshine Superman” by Elin Gregory effortlessly covers a huge span of narrative time, and makes a powerful emotional impact. British Flash is a terrific introduction to several of the leading British authors in the GLBTQ romance field.

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