Aerth
Aerth, a novella about a young man who travels from ice-bound planet Aerth to its dark twin, Urth, was long listed for the Bath Novella-in-Flash Award in 2019, and has appeared on competition shortlists and semi-finalist lists three times. It is joint winner of the Weatherglass Inaugural Novella Award (2024) and was published in January 2025.
You can buy Aerth from the publishers Weatherglass Books or from any bookshop, including online booksellers Hive and bookshop.org.
Some reviews:
"This novella, so concisely written, is a triumph: both an intelligent sci-fi thriller and a thought-provoking parable." Luke Kennard, novelist and poet (Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph, January 2025)."Moving and thought-provoking, this is a memorable debut from a writer to watch." Lisa Tuttle, novelist, (The Guardian, January 2025)
"Deep-forged, witty and resonant, this dimensionally stunning novella deals with dystopia and hope in a way that reveals them as profoundly related." Ali Smith, novelist, 2024
“I just fell in love with this very odd story…I hope a lot of people read this novel…One of the best books I’ve read in a long time…part science fiction, part dystopia, part coming of age story, it is so unique.” Eric Karl Anderson, The Lonesome Reader, book reviewer. 27/12/24; 5/1/25
"Aerth is a rare gift of a novel, tender but powerful, infinitely generous despite its slender page count." Peter Birchenough, Stanfords Bristol. December 2024.“How do we get a fix on home? We leave it, of course. In this splendid novel, we leave it for two parallel homes, two variants on Earth, each familiar in different, troubling ways. AERTH reminds us of Ursula K Le Guin's anthropological science fiction and the interplanetary melancholy of THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, yet it is entirely its own vision: a deeply felt story of exile and loss and recovery. Brimming with humour and ecological wisdom, it's one of those books you look forward to reading as soon as you've read it.” Gregory Norminton, novelist, December 2024.
"A radical imagining of alternate worlds, Aerth is a compelling indication of what is possible when the delights of genre writing (in this case speculative / science-fiction and climate fiction) are fused with the innovative form of the novella-in-flash." Michael Loveday, author of Unlocking the Novella-in-Flash (Ad Hoc Fiction, 2022)."Deborah Tomkins' prize-winning novella skilfully explores important contemporary issues in an illuminating way ...this book allows us to reflect deeply on our current world situation and the stark choices available to us. Highly recommended." Jude Higgins, Director, Flash Fiction Festival.
The Wilder Path
My novel The Wilder Path is winner of the Virginia Prize for Fiction (2024), and was published in June 2025.
Climate. Nature. Family. Love.
Climate activist Rosalie becomes caught on a cliff path by an unexpected storm on a beautiful winter's day and takes shelter in a small cave overlooking the sea, but a landslide traps her there. Nobody knows where she is, and not only is she injured, she's running out of food and water.
Caught between the cliffs and the unforgiving storm, Rosalie’s fight for survival becomes a reckoning with her troubled past. She grapples with the weight of her own losses, heartbreak, and the fractured bond with the son she still senses, like a whisper in the wind. As the injured bird by her side mirrors her struggles, Rosalie is forced to confront the storms within, as much as those outside. With time slipping through her fingers and danger closing in, she faces the ultimate question: can she find a way back—not just to safety, but to herself?
Under various titles - titles are so tricky! - and also in various drafts, this book was long listed in the Mslexia Novel Award (2015), was a Finalist in the Siskiyou Prize for New Environmental Literature (2018), shortlisted in the Yeovil Novel Prize (2019), long listed in the Eludia Award (2020), and also for the Pageturner Award in 2022.
You can buy The Wilder Path from the publishers Aurora Metro Books or from any bookshop, including online booksellers Hive and bookshop.org.
The Wilder Path by a masterful author captivates readers with a gripping tale of survival and self-discovery... This book stands out in the contemporary fiction category, blending environmental themes with a heartfelt personal journey... the nuanced portrayal of a woman confronting her past while advocating for a better future... a must-read for anyone passionate about climate activism and personal redemption. Sherlock and Pages Booksellers, Frome.
"A delightfully serious book. Absorbingly good.” I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure what it was about particularly; walking perhaps. How surprised I was a few pages in when the narrator is caught out on a cliff top walk and takes shelter in a sea-cave... This is a personal journey of self-reflection that is so beautifully written we are quickly brought into her story. There is no self-pity or entitlement... we never lose empathy for her... Therefore do not feel intimidated by this book. It will not overwhelm you... Rather embrace it all, fall in love with ”Roly” as I did, become informed and enlightened. A book to enjoy and reflect upon from your own safe space.
Ricoh, Waterstones reviewer.
"Pick it up if you want: realistic climate fiction, a plucky protagonist in her 60’s, fraught family dynamics as our main character figures out how to both survive a historic weather event on her own and how to live in the midst of our existential climate crisis. This novel was extremely well executed. Tomkins does a brilliant job of portraying Roly... and I haven’t met a character who quite nails the stakes of both climate change and personal relationships this well..." Corinne, Goodreads.
Other work
In 2010 I finished my first novel, which followed three generations in a rapidly warming Britain in the 21st century. It was far too long, at 130,000 words, but it was also fast outpaced by events. We are now seeing the type of flooding, heat waves, droughts and the beginnings of migration that this book explored, much earlier than had been predicted by climate scientists, geologists and others. This book has not been published.
My first novella, I Married a Wife, is the story of a lively young woman married to a staid middle-aged man, who gets more than he bargained for. It's in the form of linked flash fictions, and was longlisted in the Bath Novella-in-Flash Award 2018, and also longlisted in Ellipsiszine's Ellipsis Flash Collection Competition 2023.
My work-in-progress, another novel, is the story of a teenage boy drawn into an eco-fascist movement.
