The Art of Listening

Stories don’t emerge out of thin air. They’re inspired from what we see, what we hear and most importantly, what we experience. Sometimes they’re funny, sometimes moving, often plain weird. All a writer has to do is – listen.

In this intriguing and occasionally surreal volume of novellas and shorter fiction, BAFTA-nominated screenwriter and acclaimed novelist Paul A. Mendelson explores with humour and pathos how our worlds make us so vulnerably human. 

A volunteer on a helpline hears a voice at the other end that changes her world forever…

A failing scriptwriter tries to sell his mad movie to a famous director by pretending it’s the story of his life…

A proud Scotsman wakes up after a mild stroke to discover he has turned English…

A middle-aged man whose young father died before he was born meets his long lost parent in a dusty attic…

A husband leaves his wife forever – until he realises he has left his precious watch behind…

Paul A. Mendelson has created several hit BBC comedy series, including BAFTA-nominated May to December, So Haunt Me and My Hero, starring Ardal O’Hanlon. For ITV he wrote the much-acclaimed Martin Clunes drama Losing It. He co-created Neighbors From Hell for DreamWorks Animation and writes regularly for BBC Radio 4 Drama. He is currently developing a new comedy-drama series for television. Paul’s first novel In the Matter of Isabel has been bought by a major Hollywood producer. His first novel for children, Losing Arthur was published in 2017 and his second adult novel, A Meeting in Seville was published in 2018, and is based on his BBC Radio 4 play of the same name.