The Sands of Time Writing Competition
Go boldly where no St Mary’s fan has gone before!
Fancy yourself a sci-fi storyteller? Here's your chance to shine.
David Sands, the much-loved character from The Chronicles of St Mary's by Jodi Taylor, becomes a science fiction author. Now it’s your turn to step into his shoes.
We’re inviting you to write a David Sands-inspired science fiction story. Let your imagination run wild, the theme is broad, and you’ve got up to 5,000 words to play with.
If your story is selected, it’ll be published on Jodi Taylor’s Substack, and you’ll receive a free lifetime subscription as a thank-you. That’s unlimited access to stories, sneak peeks, and all things Jodi.
But there’s more, if we receive enough brilliant entries, we’ll publish them in a special short story collection, with all profits going to Scope, a UK charity supporting disabled people. This is especially close to our hearts, as David Sands was a wheelchair user and has a bionic foot.
By submitting your story, you agree it may be published on Jodi’s Substack and, potentially, in the collection.
So, ready to boldly go where no St Mary’s fan has gone before? Then please get writing!
Closing Date: 30th August 2025
Please CLICK HERE to submit your story
To enjoy all the entries CLICK HERE
Sorry for the delay replying - I've had four of five days of intensive Smallhope and Pennyroyal and didn't want to stop. My fault. We're pretty loose about the form the short story should take. The only rule is no characters from the books but, in this case, you can have David Sands himself to play around with. Just to make it interesting, you can have Rosie Lee as well and good luck with that! The story can be by him or about him - just none of the others, please. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you can come up with. Happy writing!
Hi Gail,
Many thanks for your submission, which I have enjoyed and will be published in due course. We have had a great many submissions - not all will be published, but it is wonderful to see the fantastic response. The standard has been very high, and I have very much enjoyed reading the submissions.