Short Stories

Polytechnic - Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Vol 19 No 2, April 2020 - read it here
Lecturer Darren Toh thinks the most important thing in life is to have a solution for every problem. And each solution needs a flow chart.

His Odette - On the Seawall, 2018 - read it here
Pete is obsessed with a Bolshoi ballerina. Is this what keeps him from connecting with the woman in his bed?

Sitting, Standing, Mending - LossLit, 2017 - read it here
Two couples on an island off the coast of Maine react to the fact that one of the wives seems to be turning British.

Umbilical - Synaesthesia, 2017 - read it here 
A pair of brothers are determined to win a seemingly impossible prize at the funfair in the Tuileries Gardens.

Waiting for Godot - The Musical - Barrelhouse Issue 17, 2017 - buy it here 
Millie and Randall are improvisers, both in performance and in their relationship. What happens when they improvise beyond their own moral boundaries?

Independence Day - Good Housekeeping, 2014
Robin’s husband won’t stop forcing her to retell the story of a traumatic event.

Locked Out - Ecotone, 2006
When Cathy locks herself out of their Tokyo apartment she has to go to Hank’s office for the key, and comes face to face with the assistant she fears he may be having an affair with. Available as part of my short story collection, Locked Out: Stories Far from Home.

Essays

My Opposite Hand - Bookanista, 2020 - read it here
Two years ago, repetitive strain in my right hand had me teaching myself to write with my left. I expected only to find the practice useful. I didn’t expect it to be a key to understanding emotions that have haunted all my relationships.

The West Indian - The Mitford Society blog, April 2020 - read it here
My mother, Valerie Lester, was chiefly a biographer and historian, but the last book she published, just a few months before she died, was a novel she began over 30 years before. This essay is about the way that novel kept coming back to her, becoming the project she most wanted to finish before she passed away.

Caucasian in Asia - The WOW magazine, 2019 - read it here
The WOW is the UK’s first biannual print magazine profiling accomplished, powerful, and stylish Asian women. Having lived in Asia for 25 years, I was delighted to be asked to write a piece for them on ‘Yellow Fever’ . My essay sat next to the thoughts of a Chinese writer.

The Summer Smiley Saved Me - Bookanista, 2017- read it here
I spent the summer of 1989 in Taipei, with a broken heart, a ridiculous job, roommates who didn't want to eat with me, and the horror of the Tiananmen Massacre to contend with. Here's how reading helped me through.

A Message for George, Whose Essay on Pride and Prejudice I Found in the Grass - read it here
When I see writing on discarded paper, I always pick it up. The inspiration for this piece was a crumpled essay. I disagreed with many of the teacher’s red comments, and offered young George, wherever he may be, a few pointers.

Long-tall Adam - read it here
Inspired by a magazine feature in which eight acclaimed writers shared unforgettable summer experiences, I wrote my own.

Theatre

A Singaporean in Paris is a vivacious ‘jukebox musical’ for which I wrote the dialogue. It was produced in Singapore in 2010 and 2014, both times to sell-out crowds.

In Simmer, a 10-minute one-woman play, a mother voices her concerns about her son’s new girlfriend to the chicken she is preparing for a family meal. It was performed at the 2008 Short + Sweet Singapore festival.

Books on Communication

I used to be a corporate communication skills coach, and wrote a few books on the subject.

Restroom Reflections – CreateSpace, 2011

When I was still coaching business people, I had a newsletter and then a blog called Restroom Reflections for essays on communication. I published the first 51 of those essays as an ebook for Kindle readers and as a convenient 5x8 paperback, perfect for bag, bedside table, or cistern. 

‘Restroom Reflections is a must-read for anyone who endeavors to be a better communicator. It’s compulsive reading – full of insights and practical tips, all lovingly nestled in Alison’s witty and candid stories about life. The lessons in this book apply equally well in the boardroom, dining room, or waiting room.’ - Andrea Howe, co-author, The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook

During the financial crisis I had lots of time, and was handed the fantastic opportunity to write a book on presentation skills, and to co-write one on corporate communication skills with Shirley Taylor.

Present for Success – Marshall Cavendish, 2009

Communication: Your Key to Success – Marshall Cavendish, 2009