Thursday 8 December 2011

A Little Award I Picked Up at Awards Night...

As I mentioned in my previous post, Wednesday evening was the annual Nottingham Writers' Club Awards Night and Christmas Buffet.

Now the instructions were to wear something festive and I duly complied with a headband with antlers and bells on- fortunately I didn't have a red nose to go with them...

A Literary Reindeer..., Getting in the Christmas spirit at the 2011 NWC Awards Night

A Literary Reindeer

So the presentations began.

The winners of the trophies last December received a certificate to show their earlier success. Then it was the presentation of book token cards for the members who had been placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the quarterly prose competitions and/or the monthly poetry competitions.

Then our club President (author and jobbing writer) Roy Bainton presented the trophies.

Now I only entered the Romance competition to help out.
The synopsis and first three chapters I'd intended to enter wasn't ready by the closing date- I was still only on chapter 2. And as a few of the members who would enter if they had a suitable work, didn't enter this year, so the minimum number of entries for the competition to run, was one short.

As the wonderful Ange had got Sue Moorcroft to judge this year's competition no one wanted to miss the opportunity of getting helpful comments on their work, so I put my Dorset novel in to help out.
(I'd only had an afternoon to give it a quick tidy up and trim.)

So I was amazed last night when the winner of the Romance competition was announced. It was me!

Now I don't yet know how much of my entry was good, and how much bad, as the prose competition secretary was poorly, so it will be January 4th before I find out the comments when I get my manuscript back.

So all I can say is I must have done something right...:-)

And here's the trophy I was presented with...
Carol presented with the Romance Trophy December 2011, Presentation of the Mary Street Memorial Shield for a Romance Novelist at Nottingham Writers' Club, December 2011
Winner of the Mary Street Memorial Shield 2011
Carol Bevitt

(photos courtesy of Dennis Apple)

10 comments:

Keith Havers said...

After hearing the opening chapter of your other romance story I wasn't surprised that you won with this one. I don't think anyone else in the room was either.
Don't forget the party piece you promised us for next year.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Fabulous, Carol - well done! And don't put yourself down - it must have been good.

Teresa Ashby said...

Congratulations, Carol - that's brilliant news x

Carolb said...

Thanks Keith.
I will find the shortest piece of belly dancing music possible and practice all year, ready to perform my 2012 party piece...:-)

Thank you Rosemary. I'm gaining confidence slowly.

Thank you Teresa. I'm going to get a copy of the picture framed so I can remind myself when the writing is not going well.

Helen Baggott said...

Congratulations - on winning and wearing those antlers!

Carolb said...

Thank you, Patsy.

Thanks, Baggy. The antler headband was surprisingly comfortable.

Shirley said...

Well done, Carol!

Carolb said...

Thank you Shirley.

Lexia257 said...

This is great news - well done Carol !

Carolb said...

Thanks Lexia.
This has been an early Christmas present.