Having heard last week that I had missed the shortlist for the Virginia Prize, the news I had made the longlist (which came a few days later) didn’t seem a lot to cheer about. But maybe it was just the weather that was making me glum. This is the only competition I have entered with The Water’s Edge and it may not have got far, but it did get somewhere. And it’s still a first draft.
Not only that, but aurora metro, who are running the award, express an interest in anything I write in the future. Another first from a publisher!
I have also looked more closely at their current list which is strong in Young Adult fiction (which is where I now think The Water’s Edge may well end up) and features a number of established writers including Pat Swindells, Germaine Greer and Meera Syal.
Well, if I am a potential member of this list, things are definitely looking up! It will be interesting to see what kind of book wins the prize, which is to be presented next weekend by Fay Weldon.
Ali Bacon, Author 