THOUGHTS, DREAMS & ACTION

If we’re going to get through the next few years, we need a change of narrative so profound that our entire culture changes direction.  We need not just new stories, but a whole new shape to what a story is. And it will start with our writing.

THOUGHTS   |   DREAMS   |   ACTION

If we’re going to get through the next few years, we need a change of narrative so profound that our entire culture changes direction.  We need not just new stories, but a whole new shape to what a story is. And it will start with our writing.

Into the Fire Prize Nomination

Writing is the best fun in the world. It’s an amazing honour and a privilege to be able to sit in my own home making stuff up and have people pay me for it. I do know this, and on the days when the ‘making stuff up’ feels like digging to China with raw fingernails, I remind myself.

Still, there are highlights in the week and you know it’s a good day when your agent rings up to say that you’ve been shortlisted for an award you didn’t even know you were in the running for.  Actually, in this case, I didn’t even know it existed, although in my defence, it’s the first year of this particular award and I think the notice of its creation was in the copy of The Bookseller that my beloved borrowed and didn’t give back.

So here it is, the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize: https://wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org/awards/adventure-writing-prize

and amazingly enough INTO THE FIRE is on the shortlist.

The whole list is here:

Corban Addison – THE TEARS OF DARK WATER (Quercus)

Manda Scott – INTO THE FIRE (Bantam)

Roger Hobbs – VANISHING GAMES (Corgi)

Ben Kane – EAGLES AT WAR (Arrow)

Andy McDermott – THE REVELATION CODE (Headline)

Simon Scarrow – BRITANNIA (Headline)

and you can have a look at the judges here:  https://wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org/page/judges

Given that we’re now in the fifth year of the HWA Debut Crown and I’ve just passed on the Chair to Andrew Taylor (thank you, Andrew!), I have some idea of the work that goes on behind the scenes in any kind of a prize – with one of this stature, with the judging panel they’ve got, it must be a monumental amount of work – but anything at all that brings more books to peoples’ attention, that gets people to read and enjoy books – is A Good Thing.

So now’s your chance to read the rest of the shortlist and decide which one you think would win.

We’ll keep you posted on the winner, which will be announced on 12th May.

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