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Avril's Report on her Costa Prize
Millie and Bird, the Costa Short Story Award, and Me
We met the judges around the couch.Pre-announcement.They were kind. They were generous; all the Costa people, esp Bud, were very generous. But when Gary Kemp – man of such talent, and I’m talking words not songs – shook my hand and told me my story was ‘very special’ I wanted to ‘dye my hair orange and don a turkey-foil jump suit’*. I was a starwoman and it was shortly to be confirmed. Those words that still keep rolling round in my head ‘And the winner of the 2012 Costa Short Story Award is Avril Joy for Millie and Bird...’ Photographers shouted my name like I was some kind of celebrity. Jenni Murray congratulated me. I went into shock. I stayed there. My lipstick faded but my smile stuck. After that there was only one thing for it and that was to hit the champagne.
8
Where to begin? The Story – Millie and Bird was one of those stories that came almost fully realised, with a will of its own. I had no idea what I was going to say when I sat down to write it, no plan, nothing other than the first two lines which kept repeating in my head. I do know what inspired it though and that was a painting by Barbara Skingle – Katherine and Millie which I’d see for the first time in a poetry workshop several weeks earlier and which had made a real impact on me. Once I got the first draft of the story down I edited it a LOT. Editing is as important as the initial act of writing. A week or so later I entered it for the Costa imagining I wouldn’t stand a chance – and well – you know the rest! But that wasn’t quite the end of it. Millie and her sister Isa, their mother Kitty, their neighbour Jonty, others too, wouldn’t leave me – they insisted I write their stories and I’m still writing them…
The Costa – Our taxi pulled up outside 16 Bury Street, St James’s – Quaglino’s puckered up its hot red lips and beckoned us in. If I was nervous before I’d started out, I was on the point of fleeing. But there was no going back now, we’d met Bud and Bud had directed us to the mezzanine and then down to the crowded floor below. Two glasses of pink champagne later and I was beginning to get the hang of it. I was even getting the hang of seeing my face everywhere on the flat screen TVs.
I found Guy le Jaune, another of the finalists. He looked like a man waiting for a reprieve. Our spouses swapped stories of our mounting panic earlier that day – and here I’ve got to break off and say a huge thanks to my spouse John, who put up with a lot and was just about the best companion to have along for the ride. To Guy too (only joking above) and Patricia – it was great to meet you and I hope we stay in touch. It was good to meet the other finalists : Shelia, Sally, Chioma – and Angela we missed you. To my mind any one of the six could have won.
We met the judges around the couch.Pre-announcement.They were kind. They were generous; all the Costa people, esp Bud, were very generous. But when Gary Kemp – man of such talent, and I’m talking words not songs – shook my hand and told me my story was ‘very special’ I wanted to ‘dye my hair orange and don a turkey-foil jump suit’*. I was a starwoman and it was shortly to be confirmed. Those words that still keep rolling round in my head ‘And the winner of the 2012 Costa Short Story Award is Avril Joy for Millie and Bird...’ Photographers shouted my name like I was some kind of celebrity. Jenni Murray congratulated me. I went into shock. I stayed there. My lipstick faded but my smile stuck. After that there was only one thing for it and that was to hit the champagne.
Me – I’ve had so many texts, emails, tweets, cards and messages of congratulations. My house is full of flowers. I’ve tried to reply to everyone but if I’ve missed anyone I’m sorry, it wasn’t intentional. If you voted for me thank you so much. If you didn’t but would still like to read the story you can do so here. London was great. Quaglino’s was outrageous but I’m glad to be back home in the North East. At my desk and writing.
Thanks to Costa and congrats to all finalists on the night.
* Gary Kemp’s brilliant autobiography – This Much I Know
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Costa Joy
Room To Write and Read is delighted to announce that North East writer, our associate Avril Joy, has been named as the winner of the Costa Short Story Award for her short story Millie and Bird.
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| Avril Joy - winner of the Costa Short Story Award |
Costa Short Story Award - Over 1800 entries were received in this new competition, open to both published and non-published writers, for a single, previously-unpublished short story of up to 4,000 words by an author aged 18 years or over and written in English.
The identities of the winner of the Short Story Award and the two runners-up, together with the overall Costa Book of the Year winner, were announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony in London on Tuesday, 29th January.
Extract from Millie and Bird by Avril Joy
"It was the kind of summer when the grass grew too long to cut and your toes stubbed at the damp end of your trainers, the summer I was sixteen. It rained all through May and June. It rained on my birthday. It never let up and the weeds in the yard grew taller than the gate post. Jonty Angel, our next-door neighbour, gave Millie the bird that summer, a white zebra finch, and she spent all her time coaxing it onto her shoulder, whispering to it and feeding it titbits. He gave her a cage too and she put it in her bedroom out of harm’s way. It was the summer of Bird, it was the summer I fell in love..."
Hilary Mantel won the overall Costa Book of the Year Award - see Wendy's commentary at the Reviews and Commentariestab
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See 'Reviews and Commentaries' tab above for
Wendy's comment on Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Celebrate with us !
RoomToWrite's own Avril Joy shortlisted for the Costa Short Story Award..
Costa Short Story Award - a brand new award for a single short story, run in conjunction with the Costa Book Awards, and judged both anonymously and independently of the five main category system.
Over 1800 entries were received in this new competition, open to both published and non-published writers, for a single, previously-unpublished short story of up to 4,000 words by an author aged 18 years or over and written in English.
The six anonymous, shortlisted stories were available for the public to download, read and vote for from the end of November 2012. Voting closed at 12 noon yesterday, Wednesday, 23rd JanuaryNorth East writer, Avril Joy, has today been named as one of the six short-listed writers for her short story Millie and Bird.
The identities of the winner of the Costa Short Story Award and the two runners-up, together with the overall Costa Book of the Year winner, will be announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony in London on Tuesday, 29th January.
Extract from Millie and Bird by Avril Joy
"It was the kind of summer when the grass grew too long to cut and your toes stubbed at the damp end of your trainers, the summer I was sixteen. It rained all through May and June. It rained on my birthday. It never let up and the weeds in the yard grew taller than the gate post. Jonty Angel, our next-door neighbour, gave Millie the bird that summer, a white zebra finch, and she spent all her time coaxing it onto her shoulder, whispering to it and feeding it titbits. He gave her a cage too and she put it in her bedroom out of harm’s way. It was the summer of Bird, it was the summer I fell in love..."
Discover more about Avril on her blog
or her novel Blood Tide
All entries were judged by a panel of five:-
Richard Beard, Director of the National Academy of Writers
Fanny Blake, novelist, journalist and Books Editor of Women and Home
Gary Kemp, actor, writer and Spandau Ballet guitarist
Victoria Hislop, best-selling novelist
Sincere Congratulations to Avril - fingers crossed for the 29th January.
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Stop Press: Calling all short story writers and readers...
The Costa Book Awards started life in 1971 as the Whitbread Literary Awards. From 1985 they were known as the Whitbread Book Awards until 2006, when Costa Coffee took over ownership from Whitbread.
The Costa Book Awards is one of the UK's most prestigious and popular literary prizes and recognises some of the most enjoyable books of the year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.
It's unique for having five categories: First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book.
The winner in each category receives £5,000, and then one of the five winning books is selected as the overall Costa Book of the Year, receiving a further £30,000, and making a total prize fund of £55,000. The Costa is the only prize which places children's books alongside adult books in this way.
New for 2012, the Costa Short Story Award was announced. This is an award for a single story and was not be voted for against the other categories. Over 1800 entries were received, all of which were judged anonymously. The six shortlisted stories were available for the public to download, read and vote for from the end of November 2012.
Voting closed at 12 noon today, Wednesday, 23rd January.
The six anonymous stories are:-
Dislocation
Don’t Try This At Home
Millie and Bird
Mown Grass
Small Town Removal
Trompette de la Morte
Hopefully, you will have download the six stories and voted for your favourite.
The winner of the Short Story Award, together with the overall Costa Book of the Year winner, will be announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony in London on Tuesday, 29th January.
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
Calling all short story writers
Stop Press
The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award is worth £30,000 to the winner and is open to English language stories of up to 6,000 words. The closing date for entries is 10.00am on Friday September 21st.
Enrty forms and full terms and conditions can be found at thesundaytimes.co.uk/shortstoryaward and at booktrust.org.uk/sundaytimesEFG
Good Luck!
