Winner – First Place in NZ Writing Competition!

1st-place-medal silver with bronze inside

After four years of writing, imagine my surprise when I opened my email to see that the first few chapters of my young adult fantasy novel had won a NZ writing competition! I was thrilled.

I won first place in the SpecFicNZ (Speculative Fiction of New Zealand) Going Global competition. The most valuable component of first prize was the critique, which has enabled me to improve my manuscript further. Not that I’m sneezing at the money they sent me – that’s always appreciated! (I’ll also receive a copy of a book written by one of the judges.)

Although I often write in public – at cafes, playgrounds, swimming pools and skating rinks – writing is a  solitary activity, so it was great to get recognition for my work. Now,  I can ‘come out’ as an author. 😉

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