Synchronicity? Is that what they call it, when unconnected events chime with each other in unavoidable significance? Maybe it is just the human need to see patterns and make connections where there are none, but it's still weird when it happens. In a week that saw a storyline in Emmerdale echoed in a very personal documentary by Terry Pratchett considering the possibility of choosing the nature and time of his own end, I found myself reading The Sacrificial Man.
This is a book that is also about choosing your own ending – albeit with a few gruesome twists that I'm hoping Sir Terry doesn't have in mind.
We meet Robin on a railway station. A terminus. The end of the line. Technically, unless the continuity error is corrected in the final version of the book (I was privileged with a proof copy), the station in question is seldom the end of the line. It's a major through-route. But we'll let that rest. It's the danger you meet if you choose to set your books in real places. For dramatic purposes it is the end of the line.
Robin isn't her real name. It's one she chose when she started her search on the internet. And the person she found called himself "Smith". They got to know each other, knew their real names in the real world, but still chose to call one another by their chosen names. She loved the chirpy 'cheer-leader' sound of hers, he the anonymity of his, and vice versa. In each other they found what they'd been seeking.
Specifically Smith had found a woman willing to join him on the journey of a lifetime… to help [him] die.
Why Robin wants to do this is something she needs someone to understand. Specifically, she wants us, the readers, to know those things that she may not be willing to tell the police, the social workers, the other authority figures that will surely get involved when the deed is done. Dugdall makes us complicit by directing the narration at us, on a very personal level. It is as though by continuing to read, we give the character permission to continue on this path.
We are also given the means with which to afford her absolution for it, or not. For this isn't just her story, it's her mother's too.
1977: Matilde Mariani is a second generation immigrant; she's 17 years old, terrified of her father, indifferent to her subjected mother, and pregnant. By a quirk of biology she's too pregnant for anything to be done about it before anyone really notices. By a quirk of character she finds the strength to refuse to let her baby go.
Cut to the present: Cate Austin, Probation Officer, is handed a case she really doesn't want. Alice Mariani has been charged with assisted suicide and she has to recommend sentence.
From here Dugdall spins her tale from the three main perspectives: that of Alice/Robin (what happened, how, why); Cate's investigation (her meetings with Alice, information feeding in from elsewhere); and the past, in the voice of the disembodied omniscient narrator, who primarily gives us more background for Alice/Robin. These episodes are stripped of the manipulative feel of Alice's own expositions aimed directly at the reader, but they are still heavily weighted in her favour. This is how it was, they say. And it was NOT nice.
Alice is clear: what she did she did for love. Smith wanted to die. He must have had his reasons, but they didn't talk about them. Even when he cast his last requests in a spiritual pseudo-Christianity vein (the blood and body), she did not question him. You do not question what you do for love. The evidence is there. The letter he wrote is clear.
Is this normal… is this love or loyalty… or is this something more? Or less?
Was this an assisted suicide (upon which the law looks increasingly leniently) – or was it murder? That is Cate's dilemma. It should not be so. The jury has spoken. There is no question of murder. All our probation officer has to do is recommend a sentence in the light of the perpetrator's mental state and likelihood to be a danger to herself or others. But Cate is not so sure… something about Alice has her digging deeper…
As a novel about the criminal justice system, as a thriller, as a literary exploration of the character of damaged individuals The Sacrificial Man scores on every level. It's gripping. It makes you slightly queasy in places. It forces you to question your prejudices at every step of the way. Reader sympathy is shunted around the cast-list as the tale plays out. Everyone has something to hide; everyone has a reason. Until a different reason comes along.
Stylistically, it's well pitched with exposition allowing us time to think about the potential psychological insights suddenly whipped away back into assertion or dialogue that gives us no time to breath and reinforces or counters our conclusions in equal measure.
As an addition to the expanding canon of fiction and non-fiction discourse on the rights and wrongs of allowing the "right to life" to encompass "a right to end it", rather than being transmuted into "an obligation to live", Dugdall manages to squeeze in powerful arguments on both sides of the debate.
As the second contribution to what looks set to be a series of Cate Austin novels it is well balanced. Enough of Cate's family life and personal dilemmas are exposed to draw readers to the character, but only just enough. We're not burdened with back-story that we don't need. The focus remains resolutely on the case in hand, which enables the book to stand solidly on its own account.
The book is heartily recommended… and the author is one to watch.
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Thursday, 16 June 2011
First review of The Sacrificial Man!
The Sacrificial Man
by Ruth Dugdall
Release Date: 1st Jul 2011
Publisher: Legend Press
ISBN: 978 1 9082 4800 8
RRP: £7.99
Walking the tightrope between what is morally right and wrong is more dangerous that you think...
I had never contemplated the justice system from the probationary officer’s perspective. This entirely unglamorous, rarely discussed occupation is startlingly powerful and yet has mysteriously fallen between the cracks of literature; that is, until Ruth Dugdall created Cate Austin and opened up a whole new dimension to our legal system.
Alice Mariani has been found guilty of “assisted suicide”; an illegal act in Britain, despite protestations that suicide is a personal choice and if that individual wishes to take their own life; that is their right and anyone present or involved should not be subsequently punished. Austin’s job is to provide the court with a recommendation on the length and type of sentence that is handed down, but she’s stuck with Mariani. Her story doesn’t quite ring true and the abrupt psychotic break that lands her in a psychiatric ward fails to assuage Austin’s suspicions. The problem is: all the evidence clearly points to suicide. There’s a note written by the ‘victim’, a raft of email correspondence detailing his desire to overdose and for Mariani to be there – even to eat a part of him as well as precedents set across Europe. Mariani’s side of the story hangs on an unlikely love affair that grew out of the victim’s desire to die. The mode of death was meticulously planned, ritualistic, almost spiritual – but still Austin cannot shake a feeling of unease. It is the victim’s diary that finally sheds light on the true motivations behind the victim’s death-wish, the cannibalism playing a pivotal part and as Austin reads on, she discovers that victim may be murderer and murderer may be victim.
The Sacrificial Man is unflinching in its analysis of the complexity of the human psyche: the rationalisation of unfathomable acts of self-mutilation; the horror that lurks in the broken mind; the sickness that twists the moral compass beyond recognition. There is also the inscrutable lightness: the bond between teenage mother and child, the adulation that would lead you to do anything to stopper your loved-one’s pain… It is the clash of light and dark, sweet and bitter, destructive and tender that Dugdall emblazons the story into your retinas and into your brain. As repulsive as it is compulsive; The Sacrificial Man takes us on a sobering journey into a world of psychosis, sexual abuse, neglect, drug addiction, cannibalism and an act so horrific in conception it can only be described as evil.
Dugdall challenges our preconceptions on just about every emotive topic out there. Bold and clever in her storytelling, she forces a spotlight into the darkest corners of humanity. But what really chills is the realisation that whilst we can look away, back to the light; a probationary officer lives with the dark.
*The Truth About Books review*
by Ruth Dugdall
Release Date: 1st Jul 2011
Publisher: Legend Press
ISBN: 978 1 9082 4800 8
RRP: £7.99
Walking the tightrope between what is morally right and wrong is more dangerous that you think...
I had never contemplated the justice system from the probationary officer’s perspective. This entirely unglamorous, rarely discussed occupation is startlingly powerful and yet has mysteriously fallen between the cracks of literature; that is, until Ruth Dugdall created Cate Austin and opened up a whole new dimension to our legal system.
Alice Mariani has been found guilty of “assisted suicide”; an illegal act in Britain, despite protestations that suicide is a personal choice and if that individual wishes to take their own life; that is their right and anyone present or involved should not be subsequently punished. Austin’s job is to provide the court with a recommendation on the length and type of sentence that is handed down, but she’s stuck with Mariani. Her story doesn’t quite ring true and the abrupt psychotic break that lands her in a psychiatric ward fails to assuage Austin’s suspicions. The problem is: all the evidence clearly points to suicide. There’s a note written by the ‘victim’, a raft of email correspondence detailing his desire to overdose and for Mariani to be there – even to eat a part of him as well as precedents set across Europe. Mariani’s side of the story hangs on an unlikely love affair that grew out of the victim’s desire to die. The mode of death was meticulously planned, ritualistic, almost spiritual – but still Austin cannot shake a feeling of unease. It is the victim’s diary that finally sheds light on the true motivations behind the victim’s death-wish, the cannibalism playing a pivotal part and as Austin reads on, she discovers that victim may be murderer and murderer may be victim.
The Sacrificial Man is unflinching in its analysis of the complexity of the human psyche: the rationalisation of unfathomable acts of self-mutilation; the horror that lurks in the broken mind; the sickness that twists the moral compass beyond recognition. There is also the inscrutable lightness: the bond between teenage mother and child, the adulation that would lead you to do anything to stopper your loved-one’s pain… It is the clash of light and dark, sweet and bitter, destructive and tender that Dugdall emblazons the story into your retinas and into your brain. As repulsive as it is compulsive; The Sacrificial Man takes us on a sobering journey into a world of psychosis, sexual abuse, neglect, drug addiction, cannibalism and an act so horrific in conception it can only be described as evil.
Dugdall challenges our preconceptions on just about every emotive topic out there. Bold and clever in her storytelling, she forces a spotlight into the darkest corners of humanity. But what really chills is the realisation that whilst we can look away, back to the light; a probationary officer lives with the dark.
*The Truth About Books review*
On being 40...
Today is my birthday. I woke up singing the Sugar Cubes song `Birthday` and realised when I got to "they're smoking cigars" that it's a totally different type of birth-day, but you get the idea.
To be honest, it feels like it was my birthday yesterday what with being on Radio 4. Here's the link, if you missed it:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011vg8z#p00hl91j
I was as pleased for my Dad as for me, as he listens to it every morning whilst he's shaving so for him it gives me the `stamp of credibility`. Afterwards, the team at Legend Press took me for lunch, including a bottle of champagne that the waiter reduced by 40% in honour of my birthday, and I came home to more celebrating as the Amazon ranking for all my novels was already benefit ting from the `Jenni factor`. Amazon have also reduced The Woman Before Me & The Sacrificial Man to just £4.
Happy at 40? You betcha!
To be honest, it feels like it was my birthday yesterday what with being on Radio 4. Here's the link, if you missed it:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011vg8z#p00hl91j
I was as pleased for my Dad as for me, as he listens to it every morning whilst he's shaving so for him it gives me the `stamp of credibility`. Afterwards, the team at Legend Press took me for lunch, including a bottle of champagne that the waiter reduced by 40% in honour of my birthday, and I came home to more celebrating as the Amazon ranking for all my novels was already benefit ting from the `Jenni factor`. Amazon have also reduced The Woman Before Me & The Sacrificial Man to just £4.
Happy at 40? You betcha!
Saturday, 4 June 2011
An outside chance...
I was please to read a review by Mike Ripley (he of SHOTSMAG) yesterday that described me as a `dark horse`in the field of crime writers and `one to watch`.
After all, who wants to be the tipped favourite, the one with short odds and everything to lose?
I remember being interviewed on Radio Suffolk by Georgina Wroe just after THE WOMAN BEFORE ME had been long listed for the New Angle Prize for literature, alongside such stellar writers as Blake Morrison and Ronald Blythe. It was the day after the gold cup, which I'd had a bet on, and I said to Georgina that I felt a bit like the horse that's been bought by a group of locals who clubbed together, kept in a stable in a field somewhere. There is love and passion in that, but not a huge amount of capital. Also in the race are horses from prestigious stables (think Hodder, think Penguin) and these animals have glossy coats and the best trainers...
And they're under starters orders...
So, THE SACRIFICIAL MAN is out in three weeks time, and will be vying for summer sales along with other books backed by big budgets and publicity tours while I'm hoofing it (pardon the pun!) from Windsor to Woking hoping to flog a few books to the unsuspecting public.
There is an outside chance that THE SACRIFICIAL MAN could make it as a bestseller - the odds are stacked, but I have everything to play for, and not much to lose. So, here goes nothing...
Want to support me? Then please buy the book or order it at your local library.
And if I'm book signing in a store near you, please pop in and say hi!
Another way you can help is to take a moment to vote for THE WOMAN BEFORE ME as People's Book Choice. Just click this link:
http://www.peoplesbookprize.com/finalist.php
You have to register to vote (if you've already voted they'll send you a reminder of your password if you need it) and put a cross in the box. Voting is free, but prizes of books and tickets to the final are given out to randomly selected voters. I'm grateful to everyone who takes the time to vote for me. Another advantage of being the outside runner - everything is a bonus!
After all, who wants to be the tipped favourite, the one with short odds and everything to lose?
I remember being interviewed on Radio Suffolk by Georgina Wroe just after THE WOMAN BEFORE ME had been long listed for the New Angle Prize for literature, alongside such stellar writers as Blake Morrison and Ronald Blythe. It was the day after the gold cup, which I'd had a bet on, and I said to Georgina that I felt a bit like the horse that's been bought by a group of locals who clubbed together, kept in a stable in a field somewhere. There is love and passion in that, but not a huge amount of capital. Also in the race are horses from prestigious stables (think Hodder, think Penguin) and these animals have glossy coats and the best trainers...
And they're under starters orders...
So, THE SACRIFICIAL MAN is out in three weeks time, and will be vying for summer sales along with other books backed by big budgets and publicity tours while I'm hoofing it (pardon the pun!) from Windsor to Woking hoping to flog a few books to the unsuspecting public.
There is an outside chance that THE SACRIFICIAL MAN could make it as a bestseller - the odds are stacked, but I have everything to play for, and not much to lose. So, here goes nothing...
Want to support me? Then please buy the book or order it at your local library.
And if I'm book signing in a store near you, please pop in and say hi!
Another way you can help is to take a moment to vote for THE WOMAN BEFORE ME as People's Book Choice. Just click this link:
http://www.peoplesbookprize.com/finalist.php
You have to register to vote (if you've already voted they'll send you a reminder of your password if you need it) and put a cross in the box. Voting is free, but prizes of books and tickets to the final are given out to randomly selected voters. I'm grateful to everyone who takes the time to vote for me. Another advantage of being the outside runner - everything is a bonus!
Thursday, 26 May 2011
People's Book Prize
Still on the subject of competitions and motivation, it was a real boost to see the comments from readers who voted for The Woman Before Me to win the People's Book Prize. Thanks to all who did!
Reader Comments
could not put this book down brilliant writing desperate for the truth in a complicated web of a troubled woman
What a fantastic read. A friend leant it to me and I have to say it is not the type of book I would usually read (normally I just like an easy to read romance) however I thought I would give it a go well, I couldn't put it down and finished it in less than 3 days a super book and I look forward to Ruth's next one.
Having just got back into reading regularly I found "The Woman Before Me" excellent, powerful & enthralling. I enjoyed every page & look forward to Ruth's 2nd novel.
Ruth Dugdall is brilliant. Please, please read her
Wonderful twist! Keeps you guessing to the end!
Couldn't put it down.
Great read, Well thought plot & well defined charaters. A readable and enticing story. I'm enjoying the local Suffolk setting.
best book i have read in a long time !!
Not only exciting and scary but beautifully written.
Great read
Wonderful story and brilliant writing
This book reads true. Great writing, riveting story, characters and dialogue are believable.
The twist is intense. A must read for fans of the genre!!!!!
a stimulating book
Brilliant, Ruthie!
I vote for this book
Great to see this doing so well!
I vote for this book for the peoples book award!
A great read with one almighty twist!
Excellent read and set around where I live so an added interest
excellent book
I didn't see the twist coming.
Excellent book. Really cant wait till the next book!!
AHHHHH OOHHHH YEEHA. Loved it
Marvellous rollocking read. Near put the wind up my sales I can tell you
Really enjoyed this book, even more than her previous one. Looking forward to the next.
A joy to read. Well thought out and written thriller by an exciting new author. Look forward to reading more in the future.
A good read!
Great novel with absorbing characters. A very tense read.
A compelling read with a real surprise in the end! Looking forward to the next book already!
A fantastic read.
Extremely accomplished. I was unable to put this book down and read it in one setting. Sensitively written.
A gripping read right from the start, with lots of twists and turns. Once I started reading I couldn't stop.
Amazingly good. Had me hooked from the first page
Gripping, easy read with a surprising twist at the end.
A great read, with a clever twist
Great story, fluently written. I have recommended this book to others. I can't wait for the next one - is there one on the way? Hope so!
excellent book, couldn't put this down. read it several times too!!
Fantastic book. A real page turner and I couldn't put it down.
An excellent book. Totally absorbing and very thought-provoking.
Beautiful read! Love the voice! ;)
Brilliant read (what I've read sofar - the extract). The MC has a strong voice which is well depicted in the first person writing (even though I'm biased to first person writing). Very recommendable!
This is a wonderful, absorbing book which drew me in from the very first page. A fantastic read, can't recommend it highly enough.
Excellent book, you get to know every character in depth. I couldn't put it down. It gets my vote!
excellent read - pageturner and really good characters
A must read book for all readers wanting to read a great psychological thriller
Tense, page-turner of a book, seen from the unusual point of view of the 'criminal'. This book made me challenge some of my ideas and there is a great twist at the end. I couldn't put it down, would thoroughly recommend it!
A very strong thriller
This story gripped me from the very first page. Ruth Dugnall's writing is sublime - crisp, spare and utterly absorbing.
A compelling read with plenty of depth.
Well done, Ruth!
Excellant
A brilliant page-turner - a great read.
Very good psychological thriller with an unusual point of view.
Brilliant read. Characters that stay with you long after you have raced through the book.
Reader Comments
could not put this book down brilliant writing desperate for the truth in a complicated web of a troubled woman
What a fantastic read. A friend leant it to me and I have to say it is not the type of book I would usually read (normally I just like an easy to read romance) however I thought I would give it a go well, I couldn't put it down and finished it in less than 3 days a super book and I look forward to Ruth's next one.
Having just got back into reading regularly I found "The Woman Before Me" excellent, powerful & enthralling. I enjoyed every page & look forward to Ruth's 2nd novel.
Ruth Dugdall is brilliant. Please, please read her
Wonderful twist! Keeps you guessing to the end!
Couldn't put it down.
Great read, Well thought plot & well defined charaters. A readable and enticing story. I'm enjoying the local Suffolk setting.
best book i have read in a long time !!
Not only exciting and scary but beautifully written.
Great read
Wonderful story and brilliant writing
This book reads true. Great writing, riveting story, characters and dialogue are believable.
The twist is intense. A must read for fans of the genre!!!!!
a stimulating book
Brilliant, Ruthie!
I vote for this book
Great to see this doing so well!
I vote for this book for the peoples book award!
A great read with one almighty twist!
Excellent read and set around where I live so an added interest
excellent book
I didn't see the twist coming.
Excellent book. Really cant wait till the next book!!
AHHHHH OOHHHH YEEHA. Loved it
Marvellous rollocking read. Near put the wind up my sales I can tell you
Really enjoyed this book, even more than her previous one. Looking forward to the next.
A joy to read. Well thought out and written thriller by an exciting new author. Look forward to reading more in the future.
A good read!
Great novel with absorbing characters. A very tense read.
A compelling read with a real surprise in the end! Looking forward to the next book already!
A fantastic read.
Extremely accomplished. I was unable to put this book down and read it in one setting. Sensitively written.
A gripping read right from the start, with lots of twists and turns. Once I started reading I couldn't stop.
Amazingly good. Had me hooked from the first page
Gripping, easy read with a surprising twist at the end.
A great read, with a clever twist
Great story, fluently written. I have recommended this book to others. I can't wait for the next one - is there one on the way? Hope so!
excellent book, couldn't put this down. read it several times too!!
Fantastic book. A real page turner and I couldn't put it down.
An excellent book. Totally absorbing and very thought-provoking.
Beautiful read! Love the voice! ;)
Brilliant read (what I've read sofar - the extract). The MC has a strong voice which is well depicted in the first person writing (even though I'm biased to first person writing). Very recommendable!
This is a wonderful, absorbing book which drew me in from the very first page. A fantastic read, can't recommend it highly enough.
Excellent book, you get to know every character in depth. I couldn't put it down. It gets my vote!
excellent read - pageturner and really good characters
A must read book for all readers wanting to read a great psychological thriller
Tense, page-turner of a book, seen from the unusual point of view of the 'criminal'. This book made me challenge some of my ideas and there is a great twist at the end. I couldn't put it down, would thoroughly recommend it!
A very strong thriller
This story gripped me from the very first page. Ruth Dugnall's writing is sublime - crisp, spare and utterly absorbing.
A compelling read with plenty of depth.
Well done, Ruth!
Excellant
A brilliant page-turner - a great read.
Very good psychological thriller with an unusual point of view.
Brilliant read. Characters that stay with you long after you have raced through the book.
Tough skin?
I was interested to hear back from fellow writers who had some doubts about competitions as `morale-boosters` for struggling scribes. After all, most people don't win. True, indeed. And whilst I've had a lot of success I've entered lost far more competitions than I've won. But I don't think about those so much... PMA and all that.
Whilst it is true that failure is as inevitable risk with any competition - in fact a probability - there is something very motivating about a deadline (closing date) and if entering the comp does no more than spur the writer to complete and polish an opening chapter or short story, that alone has made it worthwhile.
The thing with writing is that it can be fairly depressing, what with rejections and writer's block and lack of time and then too much time but nothing to write about... in short, anything that works for YOU is good. And if that happens to be imaging wining a trophy (heh, heh) then why not?
Whilst it is true that failure is as inevitable risk with any competition - in fact a probability - there is something very motivating about a deadline (closing date) and if entering the comp does no more than spur the writer to complete and polish an opening chapter or short story, that alone has made it worthwhile.
The thing with writing is that it can be fairly depressing, what with rejections and writer's block and lack of time and then too much time but nothing to write about... in short, anything that works for YOU is good. And if that happens to be imaging wining a trophy (heh, heh) then why not?
Monday, 16 May 2011
Luke Bitmead Bursary
On Friday submissions opened for the 4th Luke Bitmead Writers Bursary. This week we will be posting up blogs from the previous winner's of the Bursary and today is one from 2009 winner Ruth Dugdall:
If you’re reading this, and thinking about entering the Luke Bitmead Bursary, you may be interested to know how winning the bursary changed my life.
All you need is a novel to submit. Mine was The Woman Before Me, a psychological thriller set in coastal Suffolk.
It’s about Rose Wilks, whose life is shattered when her newborn baby Joel is admitted to intensive care. Alongside her in hospital is Emma, who has just given birth to Luke and the two women become friends. Joel dies and Luke is thriving – then tragedy strikes and Rose is the only suspect.
The novel starts with Rose having spent five years behind bars. She is just weeks away from release if she can convince probation officer Cate Austin to recommend parole. As Cate is drawn into Rose’s story she begins to question everything she thought she knew about justice, love and obsession.
The Woman Before Me won the Debut Dagger in 2005, which was a watershed moment for me. Until then I’d thought of writing as a hobby – I’d self-published my first novel (The James Version) but was still working as a Probation Officer. The Dagger gave me the confidence to resign and dedicate myself to writing full-time.
The day after the Dagger awards I signed with a top agent and the novel was going to be submitted to six major publishing houses. I thought I had made it…
But that would have been just too easy. The Woman Before Me didn’t get picked up by the major publishers. They worried that it was ‘not commercial enough’, and that it didn’t fit neatly enough into the ‘crime novel’ box. It went into the bottom drawer and I started to write my third novel, The Sacrificial Man. I have to tell you, this was all pretty soul-destroying and I was really beginning to wonder if I was just kidding myself and I should just go back to work.
Then, in the summer of 2009, I saw the Luke Bitmead bursary advertised in Writer’s News. It seemed perfect for The Woman Before Me. The bursary aims to promote and publish a new writer each year, and was set up in memory of Luke Bitmead, a talented writer who sadly committed suicide.
When I won the award in October 2009 I cried through much of the ceremony, knowing that I would finally see my novel in print. So, after waiting nearly five years, I finally achieved my goal!
Winning the bursary changed everything for me. The Woman Before Me was published in August 2010. Since then it has been short-listed for The New Angle Prize for literature and is through to the finals of The People’s Book Prize. It is already in its third print run, and rising in the Amazon ranks with 33 positive reviews. Rights have been sold in Germany, India, Turkey and large print.
And the good news doesn’t stop there: Legend Press will be publishing The Sacrificial Man, next month! Starting tomorrow I have a whirlwind of book signings, talks and events going right up until Christmas...
I had so many days when I thought this would never happen, and now it has it’s truly wonderful. A real dream-come-true.
To be a writer you have to be tenacious and dogged – having a strong support network helps. I would urge any new writers to consider competitions as a way of getting a foot in the door. The closing date for this year's Luke Bitmead Bursary is August 31st.
So, what are you waiting for?
Good luck!
Ruth
If you’re reading this, and thinking about entering the Luke Bitmead Bursary, you may be interested to know how winning the bursary changed my life.
All you need is a novel to submit. Mine was The Woman Before Me, a psychological thriller set in coastal Suffolk.
It’s about Rose Wilks, whose life is shattered when her newborn baby Joel is admitted to intensive care. Alongside her in hospital is Emma, who has just given birth to Luke and the two women become friends. Joel dies and Luke is thriving – then tragedy strikes and Rose is the only suspect.
The novel starts with Rose having spent five years behind bars. She is just weeks away from release if she can convince probation officer Cate Austin to recommend parole. As Cate is drawn into Rose’s story she begins to question everything she thought she knew about justice, love and obsession.
The Woman Before Me won the Debut Dagger in 2005, which was a watershed moment for me. Until then I’d thought of writing as a hobby – I’d self-published my first novel (The James Version) but was still working as a Probation Officer. The Dagger gave me the confidence to resign and dedicate myself to writing full-time.
The day after the Dagger awards I signed with a top agent and the novel was going to be submitted to six major publishing houses. I thought I had made it…
But that would have been just too easy. The Woman Before Me didn’t get picked up by the major publishers. They worried that it was ‘not commercial enough’, and that it didn’t fit neatly enough into the ‘crime novel’ box. It went into the bottom drawer and I started to write my third novel, The Sacrificial Man. I have to tell you, this was all pretty soul-destroying and I was really beginning to wonder if I was just kidding myself and I should just go back to work.
Then, in the summer of 2009, I saw the Luke Bitmead bursary advertised in Writer’s News. It seemed perfect for The Woman Before Me. The bursary aims to promote and publish a new writer each year, and was set up in memory of Luke Bitmead, a talented writer who sadly committed suicide.
When I won the award in October 2009 I cried through much of the ceremony, knowing that I would finally see my novel in print. So, after waiting nearly five years, I finally achieved my goal!
Winning the bursary changed everything for me. The Woman Before Me was published in August 2010. Since then it has been short-listed for The New Angle Prize for literature and is through to the finals of The People’s Book Prize. It is already in its third print run, and rising in the Amazon ranks with 33 positive reviews. Rights have been sold in Germany, India, Turkey and large print.
And the good news doesn’t stop there: Legend Press will be publishing The Sacrificial Man, next month! Starting tomorrow I have a whirlwind of book signings, talks and events going right up until Christmas...
I had so many days when I thought this would never happen, and now it has it’s truly wonderful. A real dream-come-true.
To be a writer you have to be tenacious and dogged – having a strong support network helps. I would urge any new writers to consider competitions as a way of getting a foot in the door. The closing date for this year's Luke Bitmead Bursary is August 31st.
So, what are you waiting for?
Good luck!
Ruth
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