Book Launch – The Trajectory of Ghosts

Around 35 literature lovers gathered in Totnes’ East Gate Bookshop last Thursday for the launch of author Tom Vowler’s sixth book, a collection of very short stories, titled The Trajectory of Ghosts.

Co-host, Jade Angeles Fitton, author of the acclaimed memoir, Hermit, interviewed Tom between readings.

Tom  is an award-winning novelist and short story writer. An Arvon tutor with a PhD in creative writing, his work has featured on BBC radio and been translated into multiple languages. He has written for the Totnes Pulse and recently recieved an award for best unpublished short story

The twenty one stories in the book feature lovers who contemplate the moon amid the rubble of their relationship; a conscious river reflects on water’s cyclical journey; a tunnel beneath the Thames has a mysterious time anomaly for those who traverse it; a collective consciousness is forced to make music; and a woman awakes on a mortuary cart, wondering which of her lovers to haunt first.

Alison Moore describes the book as “Beautifully written bite-sized stories, exploring ghosts and hauntings and loss. Stimulating and satisfying – a splendid collection.”

Audience questions led to an intriguing discussion on storytelling. ‘The ghosts in this book are mostly figurative, former lovers, lost friends, but there are a few literal phantoms,’ said Tom. ‘I love the challenge of containing a whole story in a few pages, sometimes less.’

Mayor Emily Price attended the event. ‘It was great to see a full house for Totnes-based author, Tom Vowler, who spoke engagingly about the literary form of micro-fiction. For those new to the very short story, I can’t think of a better place to start than this treat of a book.’

Signed copies of The Trajectory of Ghosts are available in East Gate Bookshop and you can read one of the stories online right here