Meet Michael Fleming - Third Prize Winner of SWF25 First 5 Pages Prize
Michael’s Website: http://www.michaeljfleming.co.uk/
After Michael had finished his first career, as a Chartered Surveyor, he immediately signed up for a Masters Degree in Creative Writing at Kingston University (UK), which he successfully completed with a commendation in 2014. He has received many awards for his writing including winning the Chelmsford Literary Festival short Story competition and the Write Across Sussex competition. He was also runner-up at both the Charleston and Steyning Lit festivals.
Two of his award-winning stories are included in his short story collection, The Fish On My Ear. His novels have been successful too, with a longlisting for the Crime Writers’ Debut Dagger Award and a shortlisting for the Marlowe and Christie first novel award. The award for his third-place win in the 2025 Stockholm Writers Festival, sits proudly on a shelf above his desk. Michael is a keen runner (well, let’s be honest, jogger) and a tennis-player whose enthusiasm far outweighs his ability. He lives on the south coast of England with his wife, Beverley.
Take us back to the moment you first found out you had been longlisted. Where were you, and what was your immediate reaction?
I was in my study working on No More Bets, when I received an email about the longlisting. It was the first five pages of No More Bets, that I’d submitted to the SWF and the manuscript was developing at pace. At that point I believe I was about 15,000 words in. It’s always a lift to get recognition from a writers’ group of standing, but that was the first I’d had from an overseas organisation, so it was special.
When you subsequently heard you had made the shortlist, did it change how you viewed your writing or your chances in the competition?
Hearing that I’d been shortlisted moved things up a gear for me. Being shortlisted in a large-entry field is terrific in itself. It’s tangible recognition. But once you are shortlisted there is, of course, the chance of going further, so now the writer is entitled to get a little excited.
When you finally learned you were the bronze award winner, what emotions came up for you in that moment?
A total buzz! Being awarded third place in a large competition, with a stand-out head judge in Mike Gayle, felt like a real achievement. We write to be read, and having an expert panel read my work and find it worthy of an award, was terrific.
What originally motivated you to enter the Stockholm Writers Festival First 5 Pages Prize in the first place?
I hadn’t got very far into No More Bets when I submitted. I would not normally consider entering a competition without having more of my story completed. However, the opening five pages of the manuscript seemed to have real energy, with possibilities bursting out of each paragraph. It just had to be given the chance.
Where do you usually draw your creative inspiration from, and how did that influence the piece you submitted?
I’m not an autobiographic or biographic writer. I read widely, predominantly literary fiction. I’m a fan of Sebastian Barry, Haruki Murakami, Alice Munro and William Trevor. I also read in the crime and thriller genre – John le Carré, Mick Herron and Elmore Leonard are favourites. However, many ideas come from current affairs, of which I am an avid follower. It’s surprising how much there is about money laundering, bribery and corruption and outright criminality in your daily news feed!
What did it mean to you to be able to travel to Stockholm for the festival, and receive this recognition for the quality of your writing?
There was nothing not to like. It was my first visit to the wonderful city of Stockholm. Receiving an award is always an uplifting event – to do so in a new setting, meeting other writers and making new friends added quite the sparkle.
While you were in Stockholm, you took the opportunity to meet with an agent during the festival - at the risk of prying, how did your agent meeting go?
My meeting did not achieve what I had hoped. I think that was because I chose the wrong agent who, although they had a declared liking for thrillers, did not have a liking for my kind of thriller. It was the grittiness, I believe, that turned them off. That was my take. There might be another one – that the agent felt the pitch just wasn’t good enough.
How has winning the bronze award shaped your confidence or your sense of direction as a writer moving forward?
My sense of direction was well set before the award, in that No More Bets is part of a series in which my anti-hero, Will Whitley, cuts through Brighton society with a mixture of charm, thuggery and wit. However, at the award ceremony, I gave an undertaking to those present, that I would build on my first five pages and complete the manuscript. And now, six months later, the 70,000-word first draft is complete. I hope to be sending it out to agents early in 2026.
SWF Founder Catherine Pettersson, George Rogers, Michael Fleming and Mike Gayle at SWF2025.
Would you recommend the First 5 Pages Prize and the Stockholm Writers Festival to other writers who feel ready to take the next step, and why?
Yes, I would recommend the competition and the festival. In fact, I already have, on the Blotters page of my website. I also wrote a piece for my home-based writing group, Anderida Writers, suggesting just that. Check it out on Facebook!