Thrillers without female victims could win a prize
Bond novel a prequel to Fleming’s 1st
London: It’s a chilling cliche of thrillers that women often end up abducted, abused or dead.
One writer is so sick of the violence that she has set up a book prize to reward crime novels “in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered.”
The contest has some writers and readers cheering, but others say it could deter authors from tackling tough real- life issues.
The Staunch Book Prize offers a £ 2,000 ($ 2,800) purse and is open to published and unpublished books alike.
London- based writer and educator Bridget Lawless founded the contest after growing weary of violence against women being a “go- to motivator” in books, films and TV shows.
“We haven’t really moved on too far from the silent movies,” said Lawless, who argues that violence against women in fiction has become both numbingly commonplace and increasingly explicit.
“Women are still being tied to the tracks, but now they have got to be raped first.”
Lawless says she has been surprised by the strength of reaction to the idea, which was partly inspired by the “# Me Too” movement against Hollywood sexual harassment. Within weeks of being announced, the prize has acquired a website, a judging panel — Lawless, comedian Doon Mackichan and literary agent Piers Blofield — and international media coverage.
The Staunch Prize is open for submissions from February 22 to July 15, with the winner announced on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Lawless thinks the reception is connected to the dam- burst of women’s stories unleashed by sexualmisconduct allegations against powerful men in entertainment, politics, business and the media.
“Lots and lots of readers have written personal messages to me to say ‘ thank goodness,’” she said. She said that at a time when “women are very seriously talking about violence that’s happened to them ... a lot of people don’t want to go home and then mop up lots of violence against women in literature.” London: The new James Bond novel will be a prequel to Casino Royale, the very first book that creator Ian Fleming wrote in 1953.
Author Anthony Horowitz and publisher Jonathan Cape announced on Twitter that the next authorised Bond novel will be Forever and a Day.
The book begins with 007 found floating in the waters of Marseilles, killed by an unknown hand, with the added tease that it’s time for a new agent to step up
The novel will follow Bond as he earns his licence to kill and explores the origin story of Fleming’s iconic character.