Authors Electric

There is a plethora of book awards up for grabs each year. Most of us have heard of the Pulitzer and Booker prizes, probably two of the most prestigious and instantly recognisable in the literary world. Then there are the British Book awards, sometimes called the Nibbies because of the nib shaped trophies. OK I will admit I Googled that one. Others include the Kirkus Prize, Women’s Prize for fiction, International Dublin Literary Award, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Hugo Award, and the Paul Torday Memorial Prize. Each award has criteria to adhere to regarding date of publication, other specifications can be based on geography, gender, age, or genre. But most primarily reward those who have published through the traditional route with nominations from the publisher. The Ink Book Prize has been “created to recognise and celebrate the outstanding literary work of self-published authors in the UK and Ireland.” It has been established by award-winning author Abiola Bello and award-wi...

Natalie at Poulton Hill Vineyard Recently we were lucky enough to Poulton Hill, an English vineyard in the South Cotswolds.  This very small enterprise is testament to the 'upside' of climate change - English vineyards are flourishing and winning greater acclaim every year. Our guide Natalie, co-manager of the vineyard, gave us a hands-on account of the challenges, not to mention the physical labour, involved in planting, training and harvesting vines in this country. The tour was of course followed by a tasting of their award-winning wines, from bottles bearing medallions from a number of wine competitions. One of our fellow tour members asked if these were earned from 'blind' tasting which Natalie assured us they were, i.e. they were competing against much bigger and longer established producers but removal of labels establishes a level playing field. Poulton wines In writing it's also the norm for any major short story competition to be judged ...