Natascia Casey-Dean was born in Italy, but brought up in rural England. She finished her first story, ‘Sian Had No Friends at School’, aged six and has written short stories and novels ever since. She studied for a Literature and Creative Writing Masters at the University of Sussex, and taught in Spain and England before escaping to Italy to write a novel. She’s now returned to Brighton and to the sea, and lives in a basement with her boyfriend and kitten whilst waiting for their baby to be born. She’s been highly influenced by Graham Greene, Raymond Carver and John Cheever.
In September 2022 SmokeLong launched a workshop environment/community christened SmokeLong Fitness. This community workshop is happening right now on our dedicated workshop site. If you choose to join us, you will work in a small group of around 15-20 participants to give and receive feedback on flash narratives—one new writing task each week.