Thirteen years ago, my first book, The River, won the ACT Book of the Year. Now, my eighth book, and sixth crime fiction novel, The Seven, has been shortlisted for the same award.
When I won the award in 2011, it had such a positive effect on me, making me feel like I was a real writer.
And I think it helped a few years later, when I was struggling to write my first novel, the one that eventually became Scrublands. I applied for an ACT arts grant, and I believe having that Book of the Year prize on my CV helped me get that grant. It wasn’t a huge amount of money, but it allowed me to get six weeks off work and break the back of the novel.
Since Scrublands, I haven’t looked back. I’m now a full time writer and my seventh novel, The Valley, will be published in October. I think it demonstrates how local grants and prizes can do so much to encourage and support emerging writers. I’ll always be grateful for that prize and that grant.
Thirteen years on, it’s such a thrill to be short-listed once again, especially in such great company.