The novella I wrote after finishing A Superior Spectre has won a big prize! Joan Smokes is set in the early 1960s and centres on a woman who attempts to escape the past by travelling to Las Vegas. It tackles themes of reinvention, grief, trauma and love. Prize judge and Galley Beggar Press co-founder Eloise Millar praised the novella’s ‘pared-back, brittle language’.
‘The real magic is in how the author puts the reader so surely in the protagonist’s shoes,’ said Millar. ‘As an act of empathy, as well as a beautifully rendered work of literature, Joan Smokes shines.’
I find the judge’s comments completely overwhelming… I’m amazed and surprised by the win, and it’s terrific timing with A Superior Spectre also coming out in the UK this year. I even had a write-up in The Bookseller.
The novella will be published, and I’ll let you know more when I know…
I highly recommend you check out Mslexia, their magazine and their annual writing competitions open to women writing in English around the world.
Congratulations! Yes, do let us know when it’s available:)
Thanks Lisa! 🙂
Such wonderful news, Angela. A huge win!
Thank you!!! Yes, stoked 🙂
Congratulations! Looking forward to reading it!!
Thanks Theresa! 🙂
What Lisa said; let us know when it will be available to read.
Thanks Ange x
Congratulations! Looking forward to reading it. 🙂