The Map Waits

'The mapmakers work late in the closed room, conjuring from ink and skin new worlds neither will ever see.'

The Map Waits explores those moments when what will happen as we move forward remains unknown and uncharted. A besieged zookeeper awaits his fate; a magician's assistant performs her own vanishing act; a photographer refuses the shot of a lifetime: these rich miniatures capture turning points deep in the heart. Characters realise a secret or deny a truth. Some overturn imposed stories of how they should live; others refuse to acknowledge a choice they have made. New lives are welcomed, losses are mourned. Long-buried memories erupt, new journeys begin.

Where will these stories take you?

Praise for The Map Waits

The Map Waits by Sharon Telfer is simply a stunning collection. This is a writer who knows her people, knows their struggles and heartaches, the dreams they hold dear. There's generational pain in these stories. There's loss, too, and the ravages of war, but also an abundance of grit and courage and joy. Telfer's prose is rich and precise, evocative and lyrical. A profoundly moving, incandescent debut from a truly gifted writer. -Kathy Fish, Wild Life: Collected Works

Sharon Telfer has been one of my favourite flash fiction writers for a number of years, so I've been eagerly anticipating her debut collection. It has been well worth the wait; The Map Waits didn't just exceed my expectations, it blew them away.

With just a few brushstrokes, Sharon creates world after world after world that pull you in and makes you want to slow … down … to … absorb. absolutely. everything. She's an artist who paints with nuance, perfectly balancing what's on the page with what's implied.

There are no weak links in this collection that builds to more than the sum of its parts. Sharon's writing is sharp, scrupulous and striking. There is magic between these lines, and poetry inside them. -Ingrid Jendrzejewski, Co-Director, National Flash Fiction Day (UK)

The Map Waits, Sharon Telfer's debut collection of contemporary and historical short fictions, is poignant and profound. As well as working as compelling whole pieces, her stories are brilliantly composed at the sentence level - she has such an exact command of language and rhythm. The stories illustrate everything that is best about short form prose and have much to say about all aspects of humanity past and present. Highly recommended. -Jude Higgins, The Chemist's House

The Map Waits is full of wonder and wisdom; the stories are lush, deep, and crafted, and Sharon Telfer manages to bring sincerity and sensitivity to every line she writes. A truly beautiful collection. -Nuala O'Connor, Birdie