A GROUP of authors from Harrow Writer's Circle have made their mark by releasing an anthology of short stories with a leading publisher.

"One Way Ticket" is a collection of thirteen stories on a common dramatic theme, that of a train crash. Published by Pipers' Ash, it brings together the work of seven writers from the group, who are based at the Harrow Arts Centre in Hatch End. They are Simon Varley, Phil Lawder, Jill Heller, Karl Blau, Angela Lansbury, Nayesh Radia and Barbara Auden-White. Coming from varying backgrounds and with different levels of literary experience, the seven interpret the theme in pieces of around 2000 words.

In each of the stories the train crash plays a central role in the plot, changing the outcome for the characters for better or worse. In the opening story "The Buddhas of Patna", a World War Two veteran is on his way to sell a priceless figurine looted in the war when the train crash intervenes. But in some of the tales the crash actually has positive effects: in "Two Down" by Philip Lawder, it reminds a jaded couple of their love for each other, while in "The Wife" by Angela Lansbury, it gives the heroine the opportunity to break free from her unfaithful husband and go on holiday. The collection ends with a twist of irony in Barbara Auden-White's "Meet the 10.25", where a woman, unaware of the accident, concludes she has been jilted by her unreliable lover who is meant to arriving by train.

Simon, who contributed four of the stories and is also chairman of the circle, said: "We all write in different styles, but the common theme gave our writing a focus. A single event, like a train crash, can be viewed from many people's perspective and there are many characters with individual tales. This approach gave us an opportunity to write separately but to fit the stories together in a single volume."

A retired company director who lives in North Harrow, Simon is no stranger to published fiction, having penned a novel for children, Beneath the Deep Twilight, which was released earlier this year. Several of the others have published short stories, while two of the writers, Jill Heller and Nayesh Radia, have had their work broadcast on the radio. The group hope to follow up "One Way Ticket" with another anthology to be written soon.

"The circle liked the format and will be meeting soon to discuss another theme for a future collection. One idea that has come up is the setting of a hotel, where the central characters are all guests. We will have to talk through the possibilities and see what provides the most inspiration."

Harrow Writer's Circle is friendly forum for aspiring or existing authors to share their work and gain feedback on it. Meeting every two weeks on Thursdays, their sessions allow each member in turn to read to the circle and invite comments, and they have a logbook to record and share their writing successes. Guest speakers often attend and there are also regular competitions, where stories have to meet an often unusual and testing criteria. One popular format is the "magic box" contest, where the occupations of the characters and the central object in the plot are all drawn from a hat.

"One Way Ticket", published by Pipers' Ash, is now available in bookshops. For more information about the Harrow Writer's Circle,call chairman Simon Varley on 020 8861 1441 or e-mail Simonvarley4000@aol.com. Their next meeting is their AGM on October 28, with general manuscripts evenings resuming on November 11.