East Midland Book Awards 2012

12 September 2012 / 0 Comments

We've been finding out what's happening for readers and writers in the East Midlands - from their annual East Midlands Book Awards to the exciting writing projects of Writing East Midlands, so if you live in the area do get involved.

The East Midlands Book Awards

On 24 May 2012, the second annual East Midlands Book Awards announced their winner. The award ceremony was held at Haddon Hall in association with Derbyshire Literature Festival.

The East Midlands Book Award is an independent, annual award that was first awarded in 2011 for the best book of 2010. Every year £1000 is awarded to a writer of Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, or Poetry. This can include work aimed at children and young people.The aim of the award is to promote writers who live in the East Midlands, to raise the profile of the thriving literary scene in the region, and to reward exceptional work.

Nominations are invited from local, national and international publishers. A panel of judges is chosen each year to shortlist submissions and make the final award. A shortlist of up to six books is announced in April of each year and promoted through bookshops, libraries and reading groups. The award ceremony takes place in early summer.

The 2012 shortlist

An Ordinary Dog by Gregory Woods (Nottingham), Poetry

Ours are the Streets by Sunjeev Sahota (Derbyshire), Novel

Pao by Kerry Young (Leicester), Novel

The Truth About Celia Frost by Paula Rawsthorne (Nottingham), Young Adult Novel

The Whispers of Nemesis by Anne Zouroudi (Derbyshire), Crime Novel

The Misadventures of Winnie the Witch by Laura Owen (Leicestershire), Children's Stories

The 2012 winner

The award went to Anne Zouroudi for The Whispers of Nemesis. The ceremony was held at the magnificent Haddon Hall as part of Derbyshire Literature Festival, May 2012. The award was judged and presented by composer Gavin Bryars.

About The Lady of Sorrows

The Lady of Sorrows is a story of forgery and false promises, superstition and revenge, and of the investigations of a unique - and very Greek - detective.

Hermes Diaktoros visits a remote island which is home to an ancient icon famed for its miraculous powers. But something about the Virgin troubles him, and Hermes calls on an old friend to confirm his suspicions that the icon is a fake. Ready to hand the matter over to the authorities, Hermes intends to leave - until the island's icon painter is found dead at sea. Did he die of natural causes or by a wrathful hand? What secret is a dishonest gypsy keeping? And what haunts the ancient catacombs beneath the bishop's house?

In the fourth Mystery of the Greek Detective, the eccentric and mysterious investigator finds himself unravelling forgery, betrayal and superstition, and the consequences of all-consuming rage.

About the Author

Anne Zouroudi was born in England and has lived in the Greek islands. Her attachment to Greece remains strong, and the country is the inspiration for much of her writing. She now lives in the Derbyshire Peak District with her son. She is the author of three other Mysteries of the Greek Detective: The Messenger of Athens (shortlisted for the ITV3 Crime Thriller Award for Breakthrough Authors and longlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize), The Taint of Midas and The Doctor of Thessaly.

Get involved and learn more

If your reading group or book club has read any of the East Midland Book Awards titles, do let us know what you think.

Submissions for the 2013 East Midlands Book Award are now open. The deadline for submissions is 1st December 2012. Learn more here.

Learn more about the exciting writing projects Writing East Midlands has on offer, including their new September brochure for Writing School Leicester.

Follow Writing East Midlands on Twitter or check them out on Facebook.

Photo credit: Bill Edwards with thanks.