About this episode

Rachel Hickingbotham discusses her winning short story and her creative process.

Meet Rachel Hickingbotham, winner of our 2026 Winter Short Story Competition with her haunting entry The Sentinel, now available to read at New2theScene. As part of our mission to champion emerging writers, we sit down with Rachel to explore her creative journey, inspirations, next steps, and hopes for the future. Step into Rachel’s world as we uncover the origins of The Sentinel — a chilling, atmospheric tale rooted in stillness, memory, and the quiet witness of time. Discover how her fascin...

People in this episode

Guest: Rachel Hickingbotham

Topics covered

• short story
• creative journey
• emerging writers
• inspiration
• atmospheric tale

Keywords

• Winter Short Story Competition
• The Sentinel
• Rachel Hickingbotham
• creative journey
• emerging writers

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Sentinel

More episodes of New2theScene

• Jenni Thorne: Poetry Competition 2025 winner · January 4, 2026 · 57 min
• Ella Torres: Summer 2025 Novel Competition winner · December 6, 2025 · 48 min
• Evie Wild: Summer Short Story winner 2025 · November 2, 2025 · 54 min
• Tim Collyer: Flash Fiction winner 2025 · July 20, 2025 · 53 min
• L.S. Scott: Winter Novel winner 2025 · June 1, 2025 · 1h 2m
• Joe Pearson: Winter Short Story winner, 2025 · April 6, 2025 · 54 min

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