The creator of lesbian detective Kate Daniels was downcast when publishers rejected her work. Now, she's won the Polari first book prize for The Murder WallSomething extraordinary happened to me last week. I was outed to the whole wide world, having won the Polari first book prize 2013 for my debut novel, The Murder Wall. It was an honour and a privilege to pick up such a prestigious award – and all the more pleasing because the prize was open to works of poetry, prose, fiction and non-fiction with LGBT content.As my agent, Oli Munson, said on Twitter afterwards: "Isn't it refreshing to see a crime writer win an award that's not genre-specific?"For someone more comfortable working away in a tiny office than appearing in public, taking the stage at the Polari Literary Salon on its sixth birthday at the Southbank Centre was as terrifying as it was exciting. My Twitter feed went ballistic as congratulations poured in before I'd managed to call my kids, who were waiting on the end of a phone for news. And suddenly I was thrust into the limelight: a go-to person on lesbian issues.I've been asked what challenges I faced writing crime fiction with a lesbian protagonist. The truth is, there weren't any. They came much later as I submitted my work to agents and publishers. At the time, I was just writing a crime novel about a clever detective who just happened to be gay, much like my real-life partner – a Northumbria police officer for 30 years, a murder detective for much of her... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2013-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
While publishers and Apple haggle over the pending launch of a digital newsstand, Barnes & Noble took the opportunity to remind everyone that it not only has a functional newsstand, but it's chugging right along. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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