The Cherrywood Box ‘highly commended’ in the Yeovil Literary Prize

Great news! I returned from Morocco to find a letter waiting. Yes, an actual letter rather than the usual email. It is so great to open a letter containing good news. I was thrilled when I read that my novel, ‘The Cherrywood Box’, had made it onto the shortlist for the novel category of the 2012 Yeovil Literary Prize. Seventeen novel extracts have been selected for the shortlist out of more than a thousand entries so I am pleased it has made it this far. The administrator said that the standard was extremely high this year and judging was enjoyable but very difficult. My novel still has the potential to win a prize. We’ll see. Structured as it is, 15,000 words doesn’t really give the reader a chance to follow each character in the same way that a straightforward narrative might. I will find out in a month or so.

I have since discovered that ‘The Cherrywood Box’ ended up in the ranks of the ‘highly commended’.

I am very pleased indeed. It would have been nice to win a prize but I can still rustle up a buzz from being in the top six. The full results can be seen here.