Shortbread Short Stories : About Us

Shortbreadstories.com was founded by author Robin Pilcher and bookseller William Thomson to develop a concept for publishing short stories. As Robin Pilcher explains:

‘A few years ago, I attended a writer's workshop at a literary weekend in Glasgow and was bowled over by the quality of writing that was on offer. Every story was worthy of being published, but I knew that, at the end of that weekend, most of them would probably be shoved away in a bottom drawer and forgotten about. I left determined to find a way to let those voices be heard.

Shortbread is the result, a website designed specifically to be a showcase for writers and to make their stories available to a worldwide audience. So lets open up that bottom drawer and resurrect those hidden treasures.’

Who's Who?

Robin Pilcher has worked as a cowboy, an assistant film cameraman, a farmer, a public relations and marketing consultant and a tennis coach. His first book, An Ocean Apart was published in 1999 and sold to 11 countries, as well as reaching the lower echelons of the best-seller lists in the UK and the USA. This was followed in 2002 by Starting Over, which reached #9 in the New York Times Bestseller Lists, and A Risk Worth Taking in February 2004. All three books have been adapted for television. Robin’s latest Starburst is set around the annual Edinburgh Festival

William Thomson is a business man who has worked in the shipping industry, and more recently has been involved in the development of start-up companies.He is currently chairman of a publishing company and a trustee of the Pushkin Prize for Children’s Literature.



Fiona Smith joined the team in August 2008 as the Editor of Shortbread to co-ordinate all aspects of the website and to oversee the undisciplined work styles of the two founders! Fiona is an honours graduate in English Literature from the University of Stirling. She specialises in Creative Writing and has already successfully masterminded the development of a community website for the fashion industry.

Gary Duncan worked alongside Robin, William, Fiona and Red Barn Studios to transform Shortbread Stories from concept to reality. An honours graduate in Interaction Design from the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Gary runs his own design company which developed and subsequently maintains the Shortbread website.


From the outset, Red Barn Studios were an integral part of the Shortbread concept. Stuart and Gillian Duncan developed the technical template to ensure the universal quality of our recordings. All audio stories are channelled through Red Barn from our satellite studios for modulation and eventual uploading.