Before. During. After.

Before. During. After. is a novella-in-flash which presents a sequence of life-changing moments for a cast of twenty interconnected characters. The book is set in a small town in the USA, and focuses on the lives of students, teachers and parents of the local high school.

The action begins at the end-of-year ceremony in the sport halls, with Coach Primley set to address the students. Each character’s story connects to the next moment of change before the action returns to the gymnasium. The event is marred by tragedy, as Primley suffers a heart attack on one of his last days at work. Other characters struggle with unjust legal cases, loan repayments and a fatal shootout at a local cafe.

Before. During. After. explores the themes of family, inequality and loss in modern American society.

Philip Charter is an author and a writing coach from the UK. His previous works include two collections of short fiction and Fifteen Brief Moments in Time, a novella- in-flash. He lives in the Canary Islands, Spain.