We are thrilled to announce our long list for the Hall & Woodhouse DLF Local Writing Prize. This year we received 70 entries (up from last year’s 53), representing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction including short stories, travel, fantasy, history and crime.
Many thanks to our second round judges from Dorset Library Services and Waterstones, who now have the hard job of whittling seven great books down to three. The winner will be announced on 18th July 2019, with Minette Walters presenting the £1,000 prize to the winner.
The long-listed seven are, in alphabetical order:
Susmita Bhattacharya, Table Manners
A captivating collection of short stories, with settings ranging from Mumbai to Venice, Cardiff to Singapore
Maria Donovan, The Chicken Soup Murder
A gripping story of a young boy coming to terms with life, love, grief and teenage angst while trying to solve a murder
Margaret Scutt, Corpse Path Cottage
A classic thriller about a mysterious murder in a Dorset village, set in the 1950s and rich in period atmosphere
Kathy Shuker, The Silence before Thunder
Set in a writers’ workshop in Devon, this thriller is full of hidden secrets and complicated relationships
Emma Timpany, Travelling in the Dark
An evocative and adventurous story, set in the wild landscape of New Zealand, of a woman facing up to the challenges of her past
Dee La Vardera, The Road to Civitella
A highly personal, and richly detailed account of the little-known massacre of Italian villagers by the retreating German army in 1944
Malcolm Welshman, An Armful of Animals
An entertaining insight into a young vet’s life, filled with animals, adventures and fun
The very best of luck to all of you.
Waterstones Dorchester Dorset Libraries #writingcompetition Hall and Woodhouse Business Partnerships Dorset Writers Network Supporting Dorset Books and Authors
I’m thrilled too, to hear news about my book The Road to Civitella 1944: the Captain, the Chaplain and the Massacre. Fingers crossed for the short list in June.