WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

LISA JEWELL SAYS: ‘The stories I chose were all so polished. Every one was different and I could tell the writers all had an idea of what works in the market and what people want to read. The main thing I was looking for was a strong voice – the sense you can put yourself in the hands of someone else and let them guide you through the story. All these entries had that. I was also struck by the variety. When I wrote the introduction, I knew where I would go with it, so it was really interesting to see how other people read it and went off in completely different directions. In my head, I was thinking about a dark summer memory from years gone by, a twisted family or a missing child, so I loved that the winner, Lindy, went down that route. I chose her story as my winner because she engaged me from the start and left me wanting more. Her descriptions were amazing – I really felt like I was there smelling the blossom in the garden and hearing the creak of the swing. Lindy should definitely keep writing; I can tell she’s got what it takes.’

JO CHECKLEY, PRIMA’S EDITOR

SAYS: ‘This was such a tough competition to judge. We had so many high-quality entries and while everyone had the same beginning to use, all the stories took such different twists and turns. What I loved about Lindy’s entry was its completeness. Short stories are tough to write and it’s hard to get a good plot going as well as forming convincing characters. Lindy achieved it all and I hope she now carries on writing to see where her talent takes her. Well done, Lindy.’