David King

Letting Paddy Fly David King

Set in times ranging from the mediaeval to present day and in places as far apart as Australia, Europe and North America, these eighteen short stories reveal life in its bewildering, sometimes funny, and at times achingly sad moments. All is witnessed through the eyes of diverse, often flawed characters: a professional cyclist who must choose between his wife and his career, a cellist performing in the streets of a war-torn city as mortars explode around him, a boy hiding behind fantasy to compensate for an absent father, a yachtsman fighting both his conscience and a storm on Port Phillip Bay.

On Letting Paddy Fly: 'Refreshingly unselfconscious and very compelling' - Melvyn Sterne, editor of Carve Magazine

On 'For a Yellow Jersey' 'I felt I was in the saddle all though this long short story, so gripping - on a high technical and emotional level - was this vivid and informative piece of writing... Fit for the New Yorker at least!' - Allan Prior, author of over 300 BBC television scripts, notably for Z Cars and Softly, Softly, and 20 novels.