Imagine my delight when I received an email saying The String Games has been longlisted in the Dorchester Literary Festival Local Writing Prize. This is fabulous news as it means my novel is recognised in my home county of Dorset. An announcement on Facebook gives details of the five other longlistees. It’s such fun to find myself in the great company of three writers I know and respect. They are Helen Baggott, author of Posted in the Past, Cathie Hartigan author of Notes from the Lost (Cathie was also shortlisted in 2018 competition with her debut novel) and Brent Shore author of Blessed are the Meek. The two other authors are A K Biggins author of Losing Jane and Vivienne Endecott author of Exploring Englishness.
Now in its third year, the Hall & Woodhouse DLF Local Writing Prize celebrates Dorchester’s rich literary past by showcasing some of the most exciting writing by authors who have a connection to the West Country. According to the website, ‘this is a fantastic opportunity for writers whose work has been published on a local level to gain national exposure, and notice from literary establishment figures.’ Sounds good to me.
Further press information about the longlist was released, which you can read here.
The shortlist will be announced in August so it’s a nail biting time. The String Games is up against stiff competition and with a mixture of two non-fiction titles and four fiction titles who knows what the result will be. I’ll keep you posted if I make it to the next stage!
the writer is a lonely hunter 
Well done, Gail! From all at Blandford Rotary Short Story & Poetry Competition 2020.
Thank you!
Good luck, Gail! For a long-list it’s relatively short and I think we should all be proud of what we’ve achieved in getting to this stage.
Absolutely! I love being in such good company on this longlist!
Great news, Gail. Congratulations
Thank you so much!
Heartfelt congratulations, Gail!! This is a much deserved honor and here’s hoping you take home the first prize. Wishing you all the best 🙂
Congratulations, Gail, thatâs brilliant!
Cathy xx