Tony Durrant, with his manuscript-in-progress, Curlew Song, is a 2024 New Voices writer. Congratulations, Tony.

Curlew Song explores the healing power of love and nature. War veteran Guy Peters cannot hold down a job, drinks too much, and his marriage is failing. Guy is haunted by the events surrounding the death of an Afghan girl in which he and former fellow officer Alex are implicated. When Alex commits suicide it stirs memories for Guy and he travels to a remote rural community in Northern England for the funeral in a fragile state of mind. During his visit he learns that his marriage has finally ended and, with nowhere to turn, he remains in the North. Guy finds purpose working on a remote sheep farm and it is among the timeless landscape of the Pennine hills and dales that he seeks to realign his life. He learns to love again but the peace he is striving for is shattered by an investigation into a war crime which threatens his relationship and future happiness.

About Tony: Tony is a former national newspaper journalist with a love of England’s remote places. He lives in the Pennine Hills of Cumbria, juggling writing with freelance editorial and public relations work. He gained an MA in Creative Writing with the Open University, and his historical adventure Veldt Hunter was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Best Unpublished Manuscript award 2020. Work has taken him to many places, including Afghanistan in 2012 and 2014, where he had the idea for Curlew Song.