Attention Seekers
Some stories will do anything to get your attention...
In this thrilling and unflinching debut collection, an eclectic group of characters struggle with the lure of the limelight.
A teenager escapes school gossip to hang out with a dead Tudor queen; a reality show applicant has a bitter axe to grind; a spiralling woman weaponises her cat’s internet fame to keep track of her ex; a guest has a mute meltdown while reluctantly attending a silent retreat…
Attention Seekers is a tour-de-force of dark humour and social commentary, deconstructing what it means to take up space and be seen – and at what cost.
*
“Brilliant, brilliant stories.” – Nell Stevens, author of Briefly, A Delicious Life
“Compulsively readable. A witty, sharp and unflinching debut ... a masterclass in storytelling.” – HELLO! magazine
“Smart, funny and inventive, we couldn’t get enough of these quirky short stories.” – Heat magazine
Praise for Attention Seekers
“Reading this exuberant collection of stories was a thrill! The premises are bold and original, funny and heartbreaking in equal measure. I love a writer who keeps me guessing, who refuses to pull their punches, and Brankin delivers time and time again. The table of contents alone is worth the price of admission.”
– Gwen E. Kirby, author of Sh*t Cassandra Saw
“Attention Seekers is full of masterful stories. At times darkly funny, sad, and irreverent, there’s something for everyone in this collection. I can’t remember the last time I was held so deeply by a book – these stories linger long after reading them. Emma Brankin has established herself as a force in the literary world. I’d read anything by her.”
– Morgan Talty, author of Night of the Living Rez
“Dark humour meets scathing social observations in this fantastic new collection. Attention Seekers deconstructs what it means to be a modern woman, and lays the seediest, most shameful parts of our souls on display; fans of Eliza Clark and Emma Jane Unsworth will especially relish Brankin's unreliable, selfish, and vengeful narrators. The collection not only kicks down the pedestal women are expected to delicately perch on, but sets it fully ablaze.”
– Lindz Mcleod, author of Turducken
“Brankin's stories delight and surprise with their audacity and coruscating wit. A rising star.”
– Tom Vowler, author of The Method
About the Author
Emma Brankin is a writer and educator from Glasgow, Scotland with a Masters in Creative Writing and Education from Goldsmiths College, University of London. Her work has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize's Short Story Contest. In 2021, she won the Short Story contests for Fugue Fiction, To Hull and Back and Superlative. Other stories have appeared in publications such as Narrative Magazine, SmokeLong Quarterly and X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine. She assists her cat Sabre with his burgeoning social media career where he shares book recommendations on Instagram via @sabre_reads.
Vital Statistics
Imprint: Valley Press
Edition: First (July 2023)
Paperback ISBN: 9781915606280
Catalogue number: VP0219
Page count: 180
Trim size: 198x129mm
