Shelagh's Blog: Wales Book of the Year

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Wales Book of the Year

The Power of Persuasion is on the list for Wales Book of the Year, an annual prize administered by the Welsh Academy:

Yr Academi Gymreig – The Welsh Academy is the Welsh National Literature Promotion Agency and Society of Writers. The Academi runs events, courses, competitions (including the Cardiff International Poetry Competition run with the support of Cardiff Council and offering a first prize of £5000), conferences (see details of the forthcoming Belfast Meets Wales conference here), tours by authors, lectures, international exchanges, events for schools, readings, literary performances and festivals. The Academi is also responsible for Services to Writers and now offers bursaries, critical advice and administers the annual Wales Book of the Year award.

http://www.academi.org/about-academi/

The book can be found on Google book search. Click on "Preview this book" to browse through the book:

The Power of Persuasion

Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine

My Writing

When I began writing in 1998, I wrote my first unpublished novel The Power of Persuasion.

The story, set in Scotland, is about a woman in her early forties, who writes a letter to a national newspaper in response to features written by a freelance journalist employed by the newspaper. The journalist has quite a reputation as the newspaper's theatre and film critic.

Despite the fact that the newspaper does not print the letter, the journalist seeks out the woman who wrote it and follows her around. The novel is very tongue-in-cheek and full of humour and is now available on Lulu.com:

http://www.lulu.com/content/2048817

I am also working on a sequel Mrs. Planemaker's Flying
Carpet to my first published novel.

In October 2005, one of my poems Hope for a Safer Place was chosen
for inclusion in the anthology
Stories of Strength, which was written in the aftermath
of the Katrina Hurricane to help raise money for Disaster Relief charities.

In February 2007, my first short story, Leo's Daughter: Mistress of the Web was accepted by Universe Pathways Magazine.

Issue 5 of the English magazine with my story inside can be previewed on lulu.com:

Universe Pathways preview

My story, Leo's Daughter: Mistress of the Web, is on page 167.

You can find Issue 5 of the English magazine here:

Universe Pathways: Issue 5