Lovely news!
My novel got nominated for a prize.
Forgive me blowing the self congratulatory trumpet, but a very lovely thing was announced this week.
Don’t Make Me Laugh (out in paperback - 14th August) has been long-listed for the Comedy Women in Print Prize and I am over the moon.
The announcement happened to come out on the morning of my 50th birthday so you can imagine it was a bit of a celebration in our house.
Founded by comedian and writer Helen Lederer (currently appearing in Fawlty Towers in the West End), the prize does a phenomenal job of highlighting women’s comic writing because there really isn’t anywhere else that gives a platform to them. Well, us!
I had been told a little before the announcement but I did not know the ludicrously cool company I was in until the morning the news came out.
It makes me dizzy to see my cover alongside books I’ve read in awe and wonder, trying to get my head around the idea that it belongs there. And next to women who’ve been such an incredible support to me as I started down the publishing road.
Unaccustomed to patting myself on the back, I’ve decided that this is the decade to receive this kind of thing warmly and heartily. No more minimising an achievement in case someone thinks I’m a big head.
I’m extremely proud to be numbered among these women and to see my book considered alongside theirs. And I’ll be cheering on the books who go on to be short-listed until I’m quite hoarse.
The feeling of being bouyed up by this gang of women is really quite wonderful and I’m grateful.
Sorry for all the sincerity. Back to snarking about creeps soonest.