Nick Guthrie’s short story, The Youth of Today, kicked off our ‘Revolt’ series. Here Nick tells us about the story, which is about a new kind of vigilante force on the streets of the UK, and what he’s up to as a writer.

So, Nick, what got your attention with this particular prompt from Urban Pigs?

I’d been keeping an eye out for calls for submissions from UPP, as I like the look of what they do and they’re based near my Suffolk home, so the ‘Revolt’ series seemed too good an opportunity to miss. I like themed calls because they create boundaries you can push up against, and a story about a pensioner revolution seemed a good way to do this.

Could you see yourself building the story out into a longer piece of work?

I hadn’t until you said this! I often develop longer works from short pieces, and even though this story is short, there are at least two characters whose stories are intriguing enough to me that doing more with them is a possibility.

What have you read of late that’s really made an impression?

At the risk of teasing, the best novel I’ve read in the last few years is a work in progress from a friend. He has a long track record as a science-fiction author, but this one is mainstream, and it’s brilliant

What theme / topic would you choose for the next UPP submission window and why?

‘Justified.’ Is a crime ever justified? When is it legitimate to cross that line?

What’s on the agenda for you writing-wise for this year?

I’m on a bit of a run with short fiction at the moment, with stories in the Nov/Dec 2025 issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, the Jan/Feb issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and one due on the Mar/Apr Hitchcock’s. Stories have also appeared at UPP and Black Cat Weekly. Later this year, I’ll have stories at Cold Caller and in the next Crime Writers’ Association anthology. And finally, in November I have a novel due out from No Exit Press. I’m currently writing the second novel in the series for No Exit, and no doubt I’ll find time for more short fiction, too.

Thanks so much, Nick. We’ll be keeping an eye out for those stories and that novel too. I might also pinch ‘justified’ for the next sub window.

Be sure to read Nick’s story here https://urbanpigspress.co.uk/2026/01/18/the-youth-of-today-nick-guthrie/

And check his website at www.nickguthrie.co.uk