I Thought I Told You To Wait In The Car
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Richard V. Hirst is a writer and editor from Manchester.

PLUNGE HILL

Bridget Shipley’s pathology was hidden, a bud that bloomed in darkness.
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Plunge Hill: A Case Study is a novel co-written by myself and Jenn Ashworth, under a pseudonym, as part of the Eden Book Society series published by Dead Ink.

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In 1972, during the chaotic days of miners’ strikes and the three-day week, Bridget ‘Brix’ Shipley moves to Plunge Hill to start her new job as a medical secretary at the local hospital. As she writes to Maurice, her younger brother, sick at home, it becomes clear that not all is well at Plunge Hill. There are frequent power cuts and she has to work by candlelight and she is seemingly ignored by her co-workers.
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WE WERE STRANGERS

"A potent collection of short stories." - The Observer

"Heartbreaking... brilliantly strange... disturbingly odd..." - The Irish Times

One of Rough Trade's Top Five Books of the Year
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We Were Strangers is a collection of stories, edited by myself, each of which takes its title and inspiration from Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures. It features original fiction from Sophie Mackintosh, Eley Williams, Toby Litt and others.

“With the spectral presence of Curtis and co. sitting obliquely at the centre, here ten authors go spiralling off in bold, new and highly unexpected directions.” – Benjamin Myers
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"These collected stories are achingly modern and fully embrace contemporary anxieties and preoccupations. They confront us with intense feelings and show us places we may not always wish to be, but – just like Joy Division themselves – they have the collective power to stay firmly rooted in our minds." - Carol Morley, The Observer

"A death-rattling good read." - Litro

"A marvellous collection, shot through with pathos but also with subtle comedy, sly observation of character and situation and a deep sense of place. A must-buy, not only for Joy Division fans, but for anybody interested in what the short story is doing today." - John Burnside

"Original and clever, haunting and uplifting." - Alison Moore
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[more books]

SOME SHORT STORIES

which you can read online
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[more stories]

A BLOG

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[more blogposts]

A PLEA

to help a struggling down-and-out just about scrape by.
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