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Dale Hurst – Author - Dale Hurst is an author, journalist and broadcaster.
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sunday on the boulevard
Blog Poetry Short Fiction

Silhouettes – all you need to know

13 April 2025 No Comments

What is Silhouettes (apart from bad grammar)? Here’s all you need to know about my new collection.

I’ve mentioned Silhouettes in the past few editions of my Progress Report posts. But so little has happened since the last one, I thought it would be a better use of time to give you as much info on this brand-new book.

What exactly is Silhouettes?

At the risk of repeating previous blogs, Silhouettes is a collection of short stories and poems. My first release of this kind. It’s a small anthology made up of my favourite writings from the last few years. Some of them entered into competitions with no real results; others were mere ideas in the beginning and I’ve written them especially for this book. It even includes my fan favourite Sunday on the Boulevard (with my pet lobster). 

A few of the stories and poems are drawn from true experiences of mine, whether social or while working in hospitality. Others are inspired simply by how I look at life, how I look at people. Sometimes in anger, sometimes in irony.

All being well, Silhouettes will be released at the end of September. And we’re going to try to expand beyond Amazon this time! While I’m sticking with self-publishing for the moment, this time I’m looking at IngramSpark to extend my reach. Especially as this book is for more than one audience!

How long will Silhouettes be?

The collection consists of nine short stories of varying subject and style — the shortest is only a couple of pages, while the longest is 20 pages, comprising five chapters (or vignettes). The poems come on top of that — 14 in total and divided into two sections within the book. Again, they vary in length, style and genre. Totalling at around 130 pages.

You say varying genre… what do you mean?

One of the pieces of feedback I had from my novels, The Berylford Scandals, was that the length and genre (historical mystery) were intimidating to new readers. With Silhouettes, I wanted to redress this. To provide something unthreatening for those who don’t normally read, while also giving something new to my regular fans. It has been five years since Sin & Secrecy came out, after all. About time we changed the narrative.

Also to appeal to readers of all kinds, the stories and poems don’t all fall into one particular genre. There’s a mixture of comedy and drama. Domestic sagas (Learning to Live with Lukasz), streams of consciousness (Last Train to London), horror (The Vampire of Allouaine), even one or two attempts at absurdism. We visit hotels, trains, buses, mental health clinics, restaurants, and more, all for a range of reasons in a variety of scenarios. It’s not all flights of fancy, mind you. There are some parts that channel complex themes such as grief, drugs and suicide.

You never know — this may be the book in which you find your kind of story.

One good question I had earlier this week: are the stories connected in any way? The answer is no, though the thought had crossed my mind. To make the characters all related in some way. But with some stories venturing into more fantastical and period realms, it didn’t seem plausible.

Will more information come before the release date?

Of course! I have commissioned the cover and the foreword, so I’ll be able to reveal more about those bits when they’re completed. I also plan to dedicate a part of my podcast, The Dale Hurst Writing Show‘s 50th episode to Silhouettes. There, I’ll delve into the inspirations behind my favourite stories and the book as a whole. Keep an eye out for that around September (or Follow on Spotify now, and you won’t miss an episode!)

Also, for the first time, I intend to release an audiobook version (just working out the logistics). Watch out for more on this in the near future.

Want to keep up to date with my latest news and content? Like my Facebook page and follow me on Instagram to see the exclusives.

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Reading time: 3 min
Written by: Dale Hurst
Blog Writing

Progress Report — November 2024

11 November 2024 No Comments

Let me begin with some news directly following last month’s report… the first draft of my collection Silhouettes is finished!

Yes, last month was one of our more productive for actual writing, with the final three short stories and one last poem completed. Typically, now that I’ve drawn a line under them, brand-new ideas have started emerging for further shorts and poetry! One inspired by my most recent trip to London to attend the launch party for In the Shadows of Love, by my author pal Awais Khan. I won’t ruin the potential surprise by telling you any more about that…

To go into detail:

Silhouettes

As mentioned before, this is my first-ever collection (or anthology). A collation of the pieces I’ve written for competitions and social content, with varying degrees of success. Many of them are recent and never-before-seen stories and poems, with titles including Last Train to London, Of Monocles and Maltesers, and O to be Bubbleless. Others, the more committed readers/followers might be familiar with. I’m including the real fan favourites such as Sunday on the Boulevard (with my pet lobster) and My To-Do List. There may even be a call-back to my writing origins dealing with French vampires.

I’m reading the book through at the moment, with a mind to send out to a couple of beta readers before the end of 2024. All being well, Silhouettes should be ready for publication by next year. Depending on how the editing process goes, of course…

You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic

I haven’t mentioned by third novel, You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic for what seems like ages. A few followers have continually asked me when it will be finished or available. Now, with Silhouettes taking priority, it’s highly likely that Chopin won’t see the light of day until 2026, at the rate we’re going. Once the collection is published, work can resume with a clearer head — there was a lot of self-doubt and second- and third-guessing the story and the writing style. I think I now know what I need to do to get everything back on track. How to iron out the creases and smooth out the kinks. Chopin is on the back burner for now, but rest assured it won’t be there for too long!

The Dale Hurst Writing Show

And now for a less happy note…

My friends, the time has come to draw the curtain on my podcast, The Dale Hurst Writing Show. Don’t get me wrong… I love talking about writing with other writers and creatives. But it has come to a point where I actually give more effort to podcasting than writing. So it is with some regret that I announce that Season 5 of the show will be its last. There are some last interviews I’d like to conduct, some final topics to discuss, and then hopefully a fun finale to finish on. Another conversation for next year…

If you haven’t had a listen yet, you can find The Dale Hurst Writing Show on Spotify.

Want to keep up to date with my latest news and content? Like my Facebook page and follow me on Instagram to see the exclusives.

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Reading time: 2 min
Written by: Dale Hurst
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About me

Dale Hurst is an author specialising in historical fiction, mystery, crime and black comedy.

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